Finding Humanity on an inspirational Hill
On choosing to face the world again. And again.
I was reminded of this piece I wrote two years ago, when I visited Constitution Hill again over the weekend. I might write it differently today, but I realise the core of it still holds: the daily conscious effort to keep my heart open in this complicated world. Isn’t that, after all, what matters most?
The video footage of Spanish tourists being robbed in broad daylight on the streets of my beloved Joburg, with passers-by looking on indifferently, left me waking up this morning with a sense of despair. It was a stark reflection of troubling events unfolding, both close to home and globally, and made me want to bury myself under the covers and shut the world out. The apparent lack of care for others saddens me. I see it in those idle bystanders, in a city council neglecting the once-proud City of Gold, in a country that still widens the gap between rich and poor, and in the devastating, dehumanising conflict in the Middle East dividing people worldwide.
I recognise the behaviour; wanting to hide under my duvet is not just to keep the world out but also to keep the world safe from me. When I feel overwhelmed I tend to seek certainty in ‘right or wrong’ judgments and I become irritable and impatient with others. This in turn leaves me disappointed with myself and worsens my bad mood.
Then I saw the image of ‘Humanity’ on my fridge, Joseph Ndlovu’s rich tapestry. I’d kept the postcard as a memento of the remarkable Art & Justice tour of the Constitutional Court. Built on Constitution Hill, site of the former Old Fort prison, the beautifully designed court complex transforms a place of apartheid atrocities into South Africa’s highest court safeguarding legal, social and political transformation. “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice” said Martin Luther King.
The postcard transported me to that inspirational Hill and I imagined standing on the ramparts of the Old Fort, taking in the panorama of dynamic Joburg. From that vantage point, I could suddenly see the positive developments happening in the world: People defending humanity in the Middle East, instead of taking sides. South Africa uniting behind a Springbok rugby team that is much more diverse than the team that won the 1995 World Cup. Concerned Joburg citizens coming together to save their city.
My thoughts turned to my neighbourhood, where the unruly taxi drivers can also show unexpected care. They were the ones who came to my rescue when I faced muggers at my car window. And when I stood frozen midway crossing a busy street with four lanes of charging taxis, some taxi drivers halted their vehicles so I could reach safety. I remembered the driver leaning out of his window shouting, “Hey Umlungu, I’m single!” Passers-by laughed with him at my “Sounds tempting Bhuti, but I’m not!” bringing joy to the day.
Chuckling at the memory, I decided to throw off my duvet, straighten my back, and once again face this bewildering world of ours with a smile in my heart.
Artwork: Humanity by Joseph Ndlovu, 1995 (the first piece in the Constitutional Court Art Collection (CCAC), bought by the Artworks Committee using the Court’s décor budget of R10,000 -)
I can really relate to those days when you lose faith in the goodness of others and everything seems impossibly bleak. It's hard maintaining a positive outlook against the flood of bad news coming in every day, and yet it's so important to believe in the goodness of others and to look out for it. I think it is also a choice about which lens we prefer to see life through, I try to choose to see the good in others and the world as much as possible too, because if we want to contribute to improving things, surely this starting point is better than cynicism? Thanks for making us reflect on this. And what an incredibly beautiful tapestry, Humanity by Joseph Ndlovu!