People from South Africa

People make it into the news for various reasons – corruption, their political statements, scandals, just to name a few. These reasons have to draw attention, be newsworthy. Unfortunately this leads to bias, underreporting of the good things people do, simply because good things don’t sell newspapers. It is the evil in us that creates gossip, attracts attention. This leads to a general perception that the people of our country are bad, that we might be the next victim of someone else’s evil intent.


I don’t deny that we have to be cautious. I do not deny that bad things happen to good people. But I do think that we have an over perception that most South Africans are bad.


I must admit that I also suffer from that perception often. We are so used to locking our cars, our houses, alarming our lives against any intruders that we tend to cut all interaction with strangers from our existence. May I call it a false sense of security?


A few days ago all these beliefs of mine was rattled in its foundations. I was on my way to the parking pay station. A street musician has conveniently positioned himself next to the pay station, singing his love songs in the hope that some of the parking change would fall into his pocket. As I approached he focussed his attention on me, singing a love song and walking closer and closer to catch my attention. In the mind set I described previously I did not find his attention very pleasant and tried to firmly ignore him, shuffling past. I must admit I was almost a little irritated and thought by myself that I don’t think I will give him any of my change.


The machine demanded R4-00 from me. Bad luck, no small change in my pocket that day, only a R50. I put the R50 in, dreading all the coins it will be spitting out in return. But instead, the machine spit back my R50. My friend the street musician noticed and pointed out that the machine only took R10 and R20 notes (which I did not have). I was on my way to step out of the queue, back up the stairs to seek some change. Then the musician offered me two R2 coins.


“Take it” he said. I refused (must say I was a little embarrassed) “Take it, and pay it forward…”he insisted.


I took the coins from his hands, ashamed to say the least. The lady behind me gave him a R10 – “From both of us” she said.


I learned a dear lesson that day. Never to judge people by their looks or approach – you cannot see their hearts. Give even if someone irritates you. It is from the people that you least expect it, that you will be saved.


I realised that my whole life will have to be an act of paying forward the unexpected good deeds that others have done for me.