The Way of the Tao for South Africa: Discovering the Essence of a Universal Nation

THE WAY OF THE TAO FOR SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa's Tao Te Ching. The concept of Tao Te Ching is about a way of life. By choosing this title, we aim to reveal the essence - the natural way of life in South Africa. We discover that South Africa, in its character and history, is not an African country, but rather an eclectic country that resonates with universal undertones. This is its Tao.

This book argues that South Africa cannot be cocooned as a peer with other African countries; to aspire to that myopic notion is to distort its destiny.

South Africa's geographical position has made it a historical crossroads. From the earliest Khoisan inhabitants to Dutch settlers, Malay traders, and Indian indentured laborers, each group has left its indelible mark. This rich tapestry is further woven with the long struggles and triumphs of the Africans within it, and the Khoisan people, known in history as the Bushmen. The “Bushmen” are the bedrock of South Africa – the original natives.

The Khoisan click language, the oldest on Earth, echoes alongside Afrikaans, English, and the melody of countless other tongues. This symphony of voices is South Africa's true strength.

Those who see South Africa through a narrow African lens (yapping that it is African) miss the point entirely. This nation isn't content to be part of Africa or be African. It aspires to be a global leader, a universal country, and a beacon of universal unity and universal progress. 

This is the essence of South Africa's Tao, a nation that transcends labels and embraces its unique path towards global leadership and universal progress. We'll delve deeper into this concept.

The Tao, an ancient Chinese concept, refers to the natural way or underlying order of the universe. Te, on the other hand, signifies the inherent excellence or virtue that arises from living in harmony with the Tao.

This excellence is intrinsic, not something achieved through artificial means or external pressures. It's a concealed power that unfolds naturally. Finally, Ching simply translates to "classic book," making the entire title "Tao Te Ching" mean "The old way or the original way or the natural way of looking at a thing.

South Africa's history is marked by the convergence and interaction of people from all corners of the globe. This rich tapestry of cultures has been a defining characteristic for centuries.

However, the Apartheid era cast a shadow on this welcoming tradition. Thankfully, with the dismantling of Apartheid, South Africa has re-embraced its essence as a nation that celebrates diversity and inclusivity.

South Africa explodes onto the world stage, a vibrant phoenix rising from the ashes of misunderstandings and conflict. It defies singular definition, much like the Hellenistic Age, that age 300 years before Christ was born, that transcended mere Greek, Roman, Persian, or Eastern tribal identity. South Africa isn't simply African or European; it's a global gumbo, a delectable stew simmered with the essence of humanity.

Did you know South Africa's coat of arms? South Africa is a true rainbow nation, and its motto reflects that! Instead of a stuffy old language, it uses a special clicky tongue called "!ke e: /xarra //ke:" This comes from the ancient Khoisan language, spoken by the indigenous people of South Africa.

The Khoisan are historically referred to as Bushmen, but this term is no longer widely used. Did you know the Khoisan language is famous for its unique 'clicky' sounds?

It's one of the oldest languages in the world! Google the coat of arms and take a closer look, and you'll see two human figures in the center. These figures aren't just standing there; they're reaching out in a warm greeting.

This warm greeting reveals several things about South Africa's vision for itself. The aspiration for a strong community of divergent people. It goes beyond just being a collection of different people living in the same territory with no shared interests. South Africa used to be that way during apartheid years. 

The outstretched arms in the coat of arms symbolize South Africa's desire to be a community, where people from diverse backgrounds come together and build a shared human interest.

The outstretched arms symbolize a welcoming and inclusive society, where people from all backgrounds feel accepted and can contribute.

The figures appear to be meeting as equals, highlighting South Africa's commitment to building a society free from discrimination and where everyone is respected.

The gesture suggests a desire for strong bonds and camaraderie between the diverse communities within South Africa.

The greeting represents a willingness to come together and build a nation based on mutual understanding and cooperation.

The warmth goes beyond the physical gesture. By including the Khoisan people, the original inhabitants, South Africa acknowledges its long history and the foundation upon which the nation is built. It's a way of saying, "We recognize everyone's contribution to who we are today."

Some people crave familiarity, finding comfort in the company of those who mirror their own background.  Not me. I've always been drawn to the medley of humanity. Maybe it's my curious nature, or perhaps a deep-seated belief in the beauty of diversity.

There's something about the human spirit that yearns for connection, and for me, those connections transcend borders and backgrounds. 

I remember touring Europe and America as a South African from the township of Soshanguve in Pretoria. I was backpacking across Europe and North America.

From the sun-drenched beaches of Greece to the windswept fjords of Norway, I felt a sense of belonging wherever I landed.  Even in Scandinavia, with their seemingly endless stretches of blonde hair, I didn't see strangers, but fellow travelers on the human journey.

The same held true in the American South, a region grappling with racial tensions.  Despite the segregation that still lingered, I felt a kinship with White people there.  The color of someone's skin simply didn't matter.  For me, the concept of race itself was a meaningless construct. 

We are all members of the same grand family – the human race, children of a shared universe.  Divisions based on something as arbitrary as skin color are simply unacceptable in my world.

Back home, growing up Black in Apartheid South Africa, the world was sharply divided. Yet, I yearned to bridge those divides. 

Friendships weren't limited by skin color – I found connection with anyone who sparked my curiosity, be it white, Chinese, Indian, or anyone in between.  Our differences, instead of walls, became bridges.

Imagine a rose garden – breathtaking in its explosion of colors and shapes. A single-color garden, while beautiful in its simplicity, pales in comparison. That's how I see humanity – a vibrant tapestry woven from threads of diverse cultures, experiences, and perspectives. And that's where I feel truly at home.

Being in a room full of people from various backgrounds – white, black, Asian – energizes me. It's a constant learning experience, a glimpse into a different world through a different lens. But a room full of people who look exactly alike? It feels suffocating, monotonous. I crave the intellectual and emotional stimulation that comes from interacting with a diverse group.

I believe this yearning for connection isn't unique to me. Deep down, don't we all crave a sense of belonging, a world where differences are celebrated, not ostracized?

A world where humanity feels truly joined, unified, and complete?  Perhaps, in that state of unity, we can finally find the peace and happiness we all seek.

Let me repeat by way of emphasis to hammer this nail that it clinches in your mind – for it is the essence of this book.

I say as a South African born out of hardship living in South Africa during apartheid, I preferred to have friends from all over the world: White, Chinese, Pakistanis, Indians and so on.

And I could find them all here in South Africa – for South Africa is a microcosm of all human being. If I find myself in a room with Whites, Blacks, Chinese, and so on. I feel very comfortable, but if I am in a room with folks that all look like him, I feel bored and antsy and get out. I need all humanity to feel truly joined, unified and complete hence peaceful and happy.

To claim South Africa belongs solely to Africa is akin to mistaking the ocean for a single wave.  Here, amidst the kaleidoscope of diverse people, the descendants of Asia, Europe, and Africa weave a unique tapestry, a testament to the unifying power of shared humanity. 

Let so-called Africanists with their myopic exclusionist tendencies take note: South Africa's soul is as vast and inclusive as the universe itself. It is not African.

The time for emotional manipulation to silence dissent is over. People are demanding open and honest dialogue. While emotions can be a powerful tool for persuasion, relying solely on emotional appeals can be ineffective in the long run. 

Let's focus on fostering a space for respectful and frank discussion, where truth can be found through reasoned arguments and a willingness to listen to diverse perspectives.

In the same way that America is a microcosm of all people, not native Indians, South Africa is a diverse representation of various people and identities.

Generally, people have an easy sense of connectedness with members of their own group. One has to make efforts to relate to those from outside ones group. For our present purposes, some people seek connection mostly with those who look like them, their so-called race, and fear the sense of aloneness they feel when around those not like them.

Nobody fully understands why people are attracted across racial lines. Humans are not like mass-produced items, all identical. Our differences are the unique details that make us each a work of art.

A delicious meal is more satisfying with a combination of flavors and textures, not just one note. Just like a symphony gets its richness from the interplay of different instruments, humanity thrives on the variety of diverse experiences, and perspectives.

Generally, the normal human being does not like it if other people exploit and or manipulate him, use him to get what they want and then discard him. If the individual feels used, he feels angry, and wants to attack, even kill the person who he perceives as using him against his will.

The idea of superiority and inferiority affected south Africa’s social relationship, with those who were socialized to believe that they were superior to others condescending towards those socialized to accept that they were inferior persons.

White folks, particularly in the Afrikaners, behaved as if they were superior to black persons. Until recently, the typical white Afrikaner had a neurosis, the illusion of his personal superiority to black persons; in fact, some had a psychosis, the delusion of being superior to blacks.

Inferiority and superiority feeling are delusions, belief in what is not true as true, for the truth is that all people, men and women, black and white are the same and are equal.

South Africa is fascinating dynamic society. I chose the word society than a nation.

Society comes from sociability. It is an attribute and factor of the sociability of human beings. A nation is a group of people with shared sense of identity based on factors like language, ethnicity, history, or culture.

South Africa is not meant to be a nation. It is a society. It started that way. Within South Africa there a varied and divergent people and the people except the sharing of humanity does not share any other in terms of orientation, lifestyle, culture and so on.

A Course in Miracles, alongside traditions like Hinduism and Buddhism, emphasizes the pursuit of our true selves – a unified spirit self.

This course, like these Eastern philosophies, teaches that forgiveness and love are the keys to unlocking this inner reality. It tells us to do so through forgiveness and love. To forgive other people is to overlook what they do to each other.

Other people do attack you, as you do attack them, for the world is a place of mutual attacks and defenses. A Course in Miracles asks you to overlook their attack, that is, to forgive them.

It says that in forgiving other people’s attacks on you, in overlooking what other people did to hurt you, you forgive and overlook what you yourself did to hurt other people. Forgive others means forgive you.

It further says that when we forgive other people, hence forgive ourselves, we reawaken to the feeling of oneness with them. To forgive is to return to love, and love is union, hence to forgive is to return to the awareness of our underlying oneness.

Only the formless can join; the form must separate, body, form separates rather than unify. Indeed, matter, body, space and time were deliberately designed to enable those, us, who wish to seem separated, seem so.

In spirit, we are the same and coequal. Differences and inequality is only possible in the world of forms, the temporal world of matter, space, time and matter.

The world, according to the Course, is a stage for "mutual attacks and defenses."  Forgiving these perceived attacks, however, isn't about condoning actions. It's about transcending them.

By forgiving others for their perceived attacks, we simultaneously forgive ourselves for any harm we might have caused. In essence, "forgive others" becomes synonymous with "forgive yourself."

This act of forgiveness, the Course suggests, reawakens the feeling of oneness with others. Forgiveness becomes a bridge back to love, which is inherently unifying.  By forgiving, we return to the awareness of our underlying shared essence – a formless spirit that knows no separation.

In the realm of spirit, we are one and equal. However, within the physical world – the world of form, matter, space, and time – differences and inequalities can be perceived. This physical realm, the Course suggests, was even designed to allow us to experience this sense of separateness, if we so choose.

The world is witnessing the rise of a universal human identity, driven by globalization, diverse expressions of living, shared values, and digital connectivity, shaping a more interconnected and inclusive global community.

SOUTH AFRICA: A LAND OF CONVERGING HISTORIES

While a shared humanity forms the foundation, South Africans navigate a spectrum of beliefs, customs, and lifestyles, creating a rich and ever-evolving social landscape. That is what makes South Africa unique and so special. It is a country like no other.

I have never seen a country like South Africa. Its eclectic spirit sets it apart. Its diversity has mellowed with the times. South Africa was first ruled by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, then the English, the Dutch again, and now the Bantu Africans.

Since I am a history buff here is the summary. Beginning from around 1460 the Portuguese and Spanish tried to find a sea route to India.

      In 1453 Muslim Turks defeated Constantinople, capital of Asia Minor/Byzantium and cut off the overland route to India, the Silk Road that Europeans had used, since Greek-Roman times, to reach India and China for trading purposes.

Europeans were looking for an alternative route to India. Prince Henry the navigator established a sailing school at a town called Lagos in Portugal. He trained sailors and they began sailing along the coast of Africa.

They passed through west Africa. They, under Bartholomew Diaz, got to South Africa, Cape of Good Hope, in 1488. They then rounded the tip of South Africa and under Vasco Da Gama got to India in 1494.

The Spanish sailed straight into the West Atlantic Ocean and got to “India” that is, the Americas in 1492.

     The point is that the Cape of Good Hope, now called Cape Town had been in European hands since 1488.

 In 1652 the Dutch displaced the Portuguese and ruled the Cape. The religious wars in Europe led to the French Protestants, called Huguenots, been defeated in France and they moved to the Cape Town area. They and the Dutch formed the Afrikaans group.

In 1807 the British displaced the Dutch and took over South Africa.

The world thrums with a rhythm of familiarity, a melody sung in the comfortable dialect of "like attracts like." Sure, there's a certain solace in those who mirror your reflection, a shared cultural language that feels like slipping into a well-worn sweater. But for me, that's white noise. My soul craves the cacophony, the exhilarating symphony of a diverse humanity.

Perhaps it's a rebellion against the stark monochromes of my youth – growing up Black in Apartheid South Africa.

The world was divided by sharp lines, yet my heart yearned for a vibrant watercolor. Friendships weren't confined by melanin content. I sought connection with kindred spirits, the ones whose eyes sparked with the same curiosity, regardless of the color of their skin.

Imagine a rose garden, yes, breathtaking in its fragrant embrace. But a single color, however beautiful, lacks a certain...pizzazz. Humanity, to me, is a kaleidoscope – a mesmerizing swirl of cultures, experiences, and perspectives. And that's where the magic unfolds.

A room teeming with a rainbow of faces – white, black, Asian, a mosaic of ethnicities – ignites a fire within me. It's a constant intellectual tango, a chance to learn the choreography of a different culture, to see the world through a kaleidoscope of unique lenses. But a room full of mirrors? Stifling. Monotonous. My mind hungers for the delicious friction that comes from rubbing shoulders with the wonderfully different.

Maybe I'm a peculiarity, a wild card in the human deck. But perhaps, there's a flicker of this yearning in all of us. Don't we all crave a world where the melody of difference isn't discordant, but a harmonious symphony? A world where humanity feels truly connected, a vibrant tapestry woven from the threads of our unique souls? In that symphony, I believe, lies the key to unlocking the peace and happiness we all crave.

People have different self-concepts and approach each other with those different concepts. Each person’s concepts is individualistic but is influenced by the idea of race.

As Alfred Adler pointed out, there are individuals in every group that feel superior to other persons, and there are those who feel inferior to other persons. There are those with positive self-esteem and those with negative self-esteem, those with high or low self-opinion of who they think that they are. Each human being has different opinion of his worth and value.

These feelings are exacerbated by race. In the past in South Africa during the days of apartheid, a black person who, for any number of reasons, felt inferior probably felt more inferior as a result of the racial situation.

A white person who felt superior probably felt more superior to blacks as a result of the racial situation of those times. Things have changed.

South Africa is a union. It was some time called a Union of South Africa – attributing to the many divergent people living within the country – people who are different in color, tastes and orientation. So, these people come together in a union and form a society. That is South Africa. South Africa does not belong to nobody yet it belongs to everybody.

The Freedom Charter says so. 

What is the Freedom Charter. The Freedom charter is the foundational document upon which the democratic South Africa is built upon. The freedom Charter is the Bible of South Africa. The Freedom Charter is to South Africa as the Declaration of Independence is to United States of America.

What does the Freedom Charter say? Let us find out. The Freedom Charter was written by a group of people, White, Black, and Asian in 1955 in Soweto. Nelson Mandela was part of it. Ben Turok was also part of it and so was Ruth First. The Freedom Charter begins: South Africa Belongs to ALL people who live in it. I will talk in detail about the freedom Charter later on in this book.

For the moment I would like to dwell in depth on this concept of ALL people. That is the thrust and essence of the Freedom charter. And the men and women who drafted it knew what they were doing.

Think about the era when they wrote the Freedom Charter. This was the 1950s when racial lines of division were still solid. Yet there was a force weightier than the color bar - the racial lines of division that enabled these diverse people to inter-mingle in Soweto and come up with this Freedom Charter.

Ultimately, the unique character of South Africa is that it thrives on a balance between recognizing our similarities and embracing our differences. It's about finding common ground while appreciating the unique tapestry of human experience. In South Africa I can form my own self-governing state, while embracing the umbrella South Africa. The Constitution of South Africa, that is drawn from the Freedom Charter not only allows that, but it encourages that identity expression and identity self-preservation.

Currently, some voices from the Zulu people are demanding that KwaZulu-Natal be declared a self-governing state like Orania. Orania is a self-governing community with its own set of rules and regulations. Visitors (Black and White) are expected to respect these guidelines while within its borders.

Orania is located along the Orange River in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The town is split in two halves by the R369 road, and is 871 kilometers from Cape Town and approximately 680 kilometers from Pretoria. The climate is semi-arid but we loved it!

Here is news report sourced from Durban based Scrolla Media:

Dr. Makhosi Khoza, the former ANC MP and current Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) deputy president, believes that an independent Zulu state is both constitutionally possible and economically viable. She made these statements during a panel discussion in Durban organized by the Xubera Institute to examine the ABC's call for an independent Zulu state.

Khoza pointed out that the ABC would use the same constitutional provision used by a group of Afrikaners who formed the all-white enclave of Orania in the Northern Cape to establish a separate Zulu state. She highlighted that the constitution allows for self-determination, citing Chapter 14, Section 235 as the legal basis for this initiative.

The party's leader, Philani “PG” Mavundla, supported the call for an independent state of KwaZulu, arguing that the Zulu population's size makes it a viable entity. He also criticized the current state of South Africa, describing it as a failed state that is not beneficial for the Zulu nation.

In summary, the ABC is advocating for an independent Zulu state within South Africa, citing constitutional provisions and economic viability as key factors in their proposal.

The concept of self-governing states within a country, akin to the federal approach in the USA, can be viewed from various nuanced perspectives:

Cultural and Ethnic Autonomy: Advocates argue that self-governing states allow cultural and ethnic groups to govern themselves according to their unique traditions, languages, and values. This autonomy fosters a sense of belonging and empowerment among these communities, promoting cultural preservation and diversity within the larger national framework.

Political Decentralization: Proponents suggest that self-governing states promote political decentralization, allowing for more localized decision-making and governance structures. This can lead to more efficient and responsive governance, as authorities are closer to the issues and needs of their constituents.

Economic Development: Some proponents argue that self-governing states can spur economic development by tailoring policies to regional needs and leveraging local resources more effectively. This approach may attract investment and stimulate growth in areas that might otherwise be neglected by centralized governance.

Social Cohesion: Advocates often highlight the potential for self-governing states to enhance social cohesion by empowering communities to address their own social challenges. This can lead to stronger social ties, trust in local institutions, and a sense of collective responsibility for community well-being.

Legal and Constitutional Framework: Discussions around self-governing states necessitate a careful examination of legal and constitutional frameworks. Ensuring that such arrangements comply with national laws while granting sufficient autonomy is a complex balancing act that requires thorough deliberation and negotiation.

Challenges of Fragmentation: Critics express concerns about the potential fragmentation of national unity and sovereignty that self-governing states may bring. They argue that too much autonomy could lead to separatist movements, conflicting laws and regulations, and challenges in coordinating national policies and initiatives.

Equity and Representation: Questions of equity and representation arise in discussions about self-governing states, particularly regarding the fair distribution of resources, power, and opportunities among different regions or ethnic groups.

Balancing the interests of all stakeholders is crucial to ensure inclusivity and prevent marginalization.

Integration and Cooperation: A nuanced perspective acknowledges the importance of fostering integration and cooperation between self-governing states and the central government. Collaborative frameworks, clear communication channels, and shared goals can help mitigate potential conflicts and promote mutual benefits.

Historical Context and International Precedents: Examining historical contexts and international precedents provides valuable insights into the feasibility and challenges of self-governing states. Learning from successful (or unsuccessful) examples can inform decision-making and policy development in this area.

Democratic Principles: Ultimately, the concept of self-governing states should align with democratic principles, including transparency, accountability, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. Balancing autonomy with democratic governance ensures that the interests and rights of all citizens are upheld within a diverse and inclusive national framework.

THE HUMAN RACE AND SOCIETY OF HUMAN RACE

Our completion and perfection lies in union with all humanity and with the creator of humanity, a nameless spirit force the various religions of mankind call God. Apart from each other and from God we feel incomplete, imperfect and unhappy; with each other we feel happy.

Permit me to go into some rants. Is there such a thing as different human races? In every day language, folks generally employ the term race to mean those who have different skin colors. In this light, they talk of the Caucasian race (pale-white), the Negro race (brown-black) and mongoloid race (Asian-yellow?).

East Indians and Polynesians are fitted into whatever race category the individual wants to fit them. Generally, East Indians see themselves as Aryans (whites) and Polynesians see themselves as a mix of Asians.

In America both East Indians and Polynesians would probably be treated as black persons, but since to be black is to be at the bottom of the American social totem pole, these people, understandably, would not want to be called blacks?

Are there three or more human races? And if so, what constitutes a race? Is race characterized by skin color only?

Molecular biologists tell us that all human beings, regardless of their color, are genetically 99.9% the same. The .1 % difference in them account for such things as skin color, hair type and other apparent differences. That is to say that biologically, people from everywhere on planet earth are more similar than dissimilar.

All human beings belong to the same animal species. A species are animals that can reproduce with each other. Europeans can reproduce with Africans and Asians but cannot reproduce with gorillas, for though gorillas look like human beings they belong to a different species.

Biologically speaking, the term race is amorphous and is probably better not employed. However, socially and culturally speaking, clearly, there are differences in people.

Human beings evolved in different geographical locations in the world. Each geographical location had a different environment compelling animals that want to survive in it to evolve certain biological and cultural mechanisms.

Human beings adapted to the peculiarities of their geography. Those who adapted to the cold, arctic region, like Eskimos, adapted differently than those who adapted to the tropical world of Africa, and those who adapted to the temperate world of Western Europe adapted differently from how Africans adapted to their hot milieu.

From where I am standing, there is no such thing as race. People ought to try to relate to other people only from the perspective of love, not for any underlying neurotic reasons. But this is easier said than done. Every human being has some neurosis and that affects his behavior.

Okay, even if neurosis is the original motivator of the individual’s behavior, what brought folks from different races together, they could work to understand their motivations and learn to improve them.

Many persons like the known and predictable world; very few persons like ambiguities and uncertainties. The few who like ambiguities gravitate to relating to those who are different from them. Trying to figure out how to relate to different persons and their culture gives them a sense of satisfaction.

Some human beings are very curious. They want to know who other people are. Some children want to play with children who look different from them.

These types of people actively seek out those who seem different from them to relate to them. They feel more at home when they are relating to people from diverse backgrounds.

Whereas some persons comfort zone is to be with those who are like them, some persons find comfort in being with seeming different persons.

Humans are social creatures, and it's natural to gravitate towards those who share our background. Shared experiences, cultural references, and even physical appearance can create a sense of ease and understanding. This "ingroup bias" can be seen in everything from childhood friendships to ethnic enclaves. It provides a sense of belonging and support.

However, human connection can reach far beyond skin color or cultural practices.  There's a growing recognition of the universality of human emotions, dreams, and struggles.  Empathy and a willingness to understand different perspectives allow us to build bridges across divides.  This "outgroup acceptance" is crucial for fostering tolerance, cooperation, and a more just society.

THE GREAT HUMAN STORY OF THE GREATEST AND OLDEST HUMANS: THE BUSHMAN, MY OWN PEOPLE

Recently, I had a nourishing conversation with a San person (formerly known as Bushman). Instead of simply relaying it, I invited him to share his story in his own words. What follows is a glimpse into his world, as told by him.

I am a full-blooded Bushman, and I am here to correct lies told as history. So much have been said about us the Bushman by both the Blacks and the Whites that amounts to bulldust.

At the heart of South Africa's official seal, the coat of arms, the official logo of South Africa lies two people. These are what is today called Khoi San people.

The original word used for Khoi San people is Bushman. The word Bushman is not derogatory, it is what it represents; the character, the virtue and the naturalness of our racial stock, and the refusal to mix our blood with others, so that we become pure.

I am not only a descendant of the Bushman, but I have also set myself as a living museum of the great heritage of the Bushman. I consider the word Bushman as original to me and I am not ashamed of it and start calling myself Khoi San. Throughout history and our manner of life come the word, Bushman.

That is what we are, and our cultural evolution has been the bush. So, I made that to be known that I am not ashamed of my brand as a Bushman and then start calling myself Khoi San. I embraced the word as what other people saw in us and which what we are. 

The Black people were called Black people by White people because of who they are. And the Black people today are not ashamed to be called Black. You will think that they should be ashamed and insist that they are not Black, since the word Black has been always associated with evil and Satan.

So why should I be ashamed to be Bushman? Our heritage and cultural evolution have always been the bush. So, I see the word Bushman as perfect in carrying our human story of evolution to the next generation are great and spot on.

I have started this little by noting that at the heart of South Africa's great seal are two people, two Bushman. Now there is a great story behind this. First the Bushman are the original people of South Africa. It is not the Black people who are original to South Africa. The Black people came to South Africa at the very same time that the White man from Europe came to South Africa.

Both these groups brought dynamism that shaped and made what today constitute South Africa. Both these groups when they came and settled with us here in South Africa were running away from the hostility of their original homes.

The White man was running away from the corruption of the European kings, and the Black man came from rest of Africa, in East and West Africa running away from the cannibalism and slave catchers. The Black people of Africa has always been known to be horrible people, catching their own people and selling them to slavery and also catching them to cook them and eat them.

South Africa before the Black man and the White man came here was not a” no-man’s land” but the land and heritage of the Bushman people.

I am not involved in this debate for fun or for political gain and I am not participating in it to play politics but rather to speak the truth, to present the relevant historical facts to those that wish to learn and to educate the uninformed.

And I am not too concerned or worried about what anyone may think or how they may feel about what I am about to say because I am a servant of truth, and the truth must be told no matter how bitter it is and no matter who’s ox is gored.

That truth is as follows. The Bushman, more than any other nationality in South Africa in the last 500 years, have been far too accommodating and tolerant when it comes to their relationship with other nationalities in this country and this is often done to their own detriment.

We are the direct descendants of God. God is peace and warmth. We have shown other people more generosity, accommodation, warmth and kindness.

These are the characteristics of God. And the children carry the characteristics of their father, their originator. God us simple, and that Godly simplicity is seen in us. We do not concern ourselves with the toxins of wealth like Whites nor do we have pompous empty big egos like Black people.

The Black man has nothing in terms of heritage or history, all he has as history is self-praise, that is why they are full of praise names and praise songs. We are different. We are simple good people. Nor are we warlike like Whites and their attitude of” we own everything”,” we must have everything” and” we must control everything”.

The Black people particularly should display a much higher degree of respect and gratitude to the Bushman, the people who were gracious enough to accept them in their land as equals when things were very difficult for them and who treated them with love, respect and kindness as they were running away from their cannibalistic leaders who were kidnapping them for food and selling them to slavery.

As a matter of fact, we have been glad to do so because as far as we are concerned that is one of the hallmarks of civilization- the ability to accommodate others, other cultures, other races and other nationalities and to create an equitable and just diverse racial melting pot where equal opportunities are available to all.

It is a great and noble virtue to be open and tolerant but that does not mean that we as Bushman we are fools and it does not mean that we do not know who we are, where we are coming from, what is ours and what our heritage is.

The fact that we have allowed others to thrive and settle in our land and share it with us does not mean that we have stopped owning that land.

Guests, no matter how welcome, esteemed, cherished, and valued they are, cannot become the owners of the house no matter how comfortable they are made to feel within it. Those guests will always be guests.

The Black people are the least close, the most distant and the least familiar with our customs and our ways. They ought to be the last to be claiming our heritage and coveting our land and neither can they claim to have made any real input to our glaring success. For them to think otherwise is nothing but delusion.

I am not angry, but I felt I must lay down the facts before we proceed. These facts lay at the very heart of the Bushman.

We are simple people, we roam around the bushes, and we live in temporary shelters, hunting and gathering. We are hunting and gathering people.

Simplicity is godliness and holiness.

To be accommodating and generous is a mark of being a direct child of God.

History and science have their romances as vivid and as fascinating as any in the realms of fiction. Some of the stories ever told that have surpassed in interest is the history of this mysterious plant: rooibos.

The indigenous Rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis), has received praise, admired and celebrated across the world for its delicious taste and proven powerful natural good health benefits.

The people who discovered rooibos tea and apply it in their lives for thousands of years are the Bushman.

First you have to understand what the word rooibos means. Rooibos means us the Bushman. It is a term applied to us by the White man when he entered Africa and settled with us. The White man, the Dutch people. Rooibos tea is in reference to us the Bushman race.

The word rooibos is comprised of two words. The rooi which means red and the bos which means bush.

The skin complexion of the Bushman race in Africa is not black but red pale, much lighter. And the Bushman race lives in the bushes, they are not settled in communities but roam the bushes hunting and with no permanent settlement.

The Bushman would mix rooibos with honey to make skin lotion. Honey is one of nature's most revered skin remedies.

Thanks to its antibacterial and antiseptic abilities, it may benefit oily and acne-prone skin. Honey is also a natural humectant, so it helps keep the skin moist but not oily.

This is because humectants draw moisture from the skin without replacing it.

Honey contains natural bleaching properties that can lighten dark spots and even out your overall skin tone. Additionally, honey is a natural humectant, meaning it helps to keep your skin hydrated and looking plump.

Rooibos, with all its antioxidants, helps fight free radicals in the skin and repairs damage brought on by the elements. So creams that use rooibos act as anti-ageing agents on the skin. Those trusty antioxidants also help soothe irritations caused by sunburn, eczema, or dryness of the skin.

The coat of arms of South Africa is the main heraldic insignia of South Africa. The present coat of arms was introduced on Freedom Day, 27 April 2000, and was designed by Mr Iaan Bekker. It replaced the earlier national arms, which had been in use since 1910.

The motto is written in the extinct |Xam, member of the Bushman languages, and translates literally to "diverse people unite". The previous motto, in Latin, was Ex Unitate Vires, translated as "From unity, strength".

On a collective scale it calls for the nation to unite in a common sense of belonging and national pride - unity in diversity.

Pronunciation of !ke e: /xarra //ke:

The official statement regarding the two human figures at the heart of South Africa's great seal or coat of arms reads as follows:

The human figures are the Khoisan (they mean us Bushman). The Khoisan, the oldest known inhabitants of our land and most probably of the Earth, testify to our common humanity and heritage as South Africans and as humanity in general.

The figures are depicted in an attitude of greeting, symbolizing unity. This also represents the beginning of the individual’s transformation into the greater sense of belonging to the nation and by extension, collective humanity.

There you have our story, your story, the story of human beings.

My people, the Bushman people, their history and manner of life consisted not in pills and drugs but in plenty of exercise, fresh mountain air, water treatments in the cool, sparkling brooks, and simple, wholesome country fare, consisting largely of black bread, vegetables, and milk fresh from cows fed on nutritious mountain grasses.

Rooibos as tea, according to Lancet:

“It has a strange influence over mood—a strange power of changing the look of things, and changing it for the better: so that we can believe and hope, and do under the influence of tea, what we should otherwise give up in discouragement and despair, —feelings under the influence of which tissues wear rapidly.

In the language of the poor, who in London we are told spend one-eight of their income buying tea, it produces a feeling of comfort. Neither the philosopher nor the philanthropist will despise this property of tea, this power of conferring comfort, or removing ennui, of promoting those happier feelings of our nature under which we can do most and bear most.

There is no denying the considerable dependence of our moods and frames upon substances; and as moods are as important as muscles, as they affect as largely a man’s ability for the great ends of life, we cannot regard the cheapening of such substances, when devoid of noxious qualities, as other than a most important benefit to the poor.”

This feeling of comfort, this power of changing the aspect of affairs, of appealing to the happier side of our nature, in other words of putting us at our best.

Drop everything and quieten your mind, walk about the woods, feel the natural goodness; the sweet peaceful freshness and the smell of the plants, birds singing with their variety and diverse melodies and colors. Look at the hills and ascend over them and then arrive at the summit of the hill.

Feel the good natural feeling. You feel connected. You experience your true being. In nature there is goodness. When you are sick and you open yourself to nature, you allow nature to get through your consciousness and dispel or declare war on sickness.

Rooibos is a hundred percent pure nature. Delicious, refreshing and full of natural goodness.

Only grown in the fresh mountain breeze and rugged terrain of the majestic Cederberg region of South Africa, Rooibos tea is unique, different, and out of this world.

Cederberg was proclaimed as a Wilderness in 1973. The 66811 ha of mountainous terrain is in the Cape Floral Region only three hours outside Cape Town, but it feels like a different world.

The Cederberg Mountains, burnt orange by iron oxide, dominate the landscape. Jagged sandstone rock formations, like the Maltese Cross and the Wolfberg Arch, and ancient Bushman rock art, make this area truly spectacular.

The Cederberg, which forms part of the Cape floral Region, is a World Heritage Site, is covered in mountain fynbos, including the laurel protea, the red disa, rooibos, and the rare and endemic snow protea. Rare Clanwilliam cedars, the area’s namesake, dot the higher mountain cliffs.

How do you farm and harvest rooibos?

First you prepare the ground meticulously and with great patience and perseverance. Then you plant. The showers of rain flowing from the mountains nurture the plants. Then comes harvest time. Harvest time is a time of joy and thrill for every farmer.

Farming, at least traditional farming is a hard job that demands every fiber of your being. It also requires presence of mind and those golden virtues of perseverance and endurance. In short, harvesting to every traditional farmer is the period of inner satisfaction.

So is the same with harvesting rooibos. After harvesting the young plants are finely cut and dried in the hot golden African sun to make them golden red, the red that glows. This is the stage of rooibos tea plants making where the tea develops its rich color and Naturally sweet, herbaceous flavor.

Renowned for its richness, health and wellness properties, rooibos is Naturally caffeine free and naturally contains polyphenol antioxidants.

Rooibos tea is admired and enjoyed for its smooth distinctive taste as well as health and wellness benefits.

Rooibos is a tea that actually is not a tea. It is medicinal substance in the line of drugs. I say that rooibos is a tea that is not a tea in order to accommodate both angles. The first angle is traditional. We have come to know rooibos as a tea. However scientific discovery tell us that rooibos is not a tea.

But what does the word rooibos mean? Rooibos is an Afrikaans term that means red bush. There is something in the academic world that is called indigenous knowledge systems. Indigenous knowledge refers to understandings, skills, and philosophies developed by local communities with long histories and experiences of interaction with their natural surroundings.

The Bushman has long used rooibos for medicinal purposes. The Bushman is a group of people who still live in the bushes today and not settled in community but room the bushes. They consider such a kind of life as their culture.

We are not going to go into a dissertation for the pro or con of the Bushman life. What we are only interested in is the fact that the rooibos tea originates with them. We are merely bringing the Bushman into the picture to credit and acknowledge him as the first person to discover and use rooibos hundreds of years back.

Rooibos is pretty much like the balm of Gilead. For those who do not know anything about the balm of Gilead I would like to refer them to the Bible.

During Old Testament Bible times or for those who are not for the Bible, during the days round about Nebuchadnezzar, the time of the origin of Hindu and Buddha religions, there was a balm of Gilead. The balm of Gilead had all of the things that you need to quieten your nerves and find peace and to rest.

Balm of Gilead was a rare perfume used medicinally, that was mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, and named for the region of Gilead, where it was produced.

I want to call your attention to just a line of a verse found in Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

The prophet Jeremiah, many hundreds of years ago, was commanded of Jehovah to stand in the gates of the city and ask this question: "Is there no balm in Gilead to heal sicknesses and diseases?" The question is, "Why, then," he said, "is the daughter of my people not recovered?"

So here in the Bible, we have a real-life story among the Jews in ancient times. Looking at this scripture it is clear that the balm of Gilead laid at the center of life among the Jews. The balm of Gilead was used for all many of sicknesses and diseases.

…..End of San story….

That was a very wonderful story. His story resonated like an ancient drumbeat, echoing across the vast Kalahari. It was a tapestry woven with hardship, resilience, and a profound connection to the land.  Rather than offer my own interpretation, I felt the need for him to speak for himself.  These are the stories the Kalahari whispers, stories best told by those who carry its spirit within them.

THE FREEDOM CHARTER THROUGH THE LIFE OF RUTH FIRST

In 1951 Nelson Mandela launched a defiance campaign against the apartheid government.  Nelson Mandela then called for Whites to support it. The following month Ruth First attended a meeting in Johannesburg which had been organised in response to this call.

The results of all these was the formation of South African Congress of Democrats with Ruth as organizer.

She was elected onto the drafting committee of the Freedom Charter.

The Freedom Charter is the blueprint of a one united nation – a one nation. The Charter begins by saying: South Africa belongs to all people who live in it. This is the world that Ruth First wanted to create. She was driven personality – driven to make it a reality.

As the organiser of the Freedom Charter she asked all people from all colours to send in their dreams and visions for a new South Africa. The responds was overwhelming. An extraordinary range of demands started to pour in. According to New Age newspaper, writing just before the Congress began, ‘for months now the demands have been flooding in, on sheets torn from school exercise books, on little dog-eared scraps of paper, on slips torn.

Ruth First was working with Yusuf Cachalia, Rusty Bernstein, Walter Sisulu, Duma Nokwe and Pieter Byleveld – most of them were banned at the time. It was a great task, one which Ruth enjoyed very much. She read the heartbeat of South Africans and realized despite the hate people have a desire to live lives based on love.

According to Yusuf Cachalia, the demands would arrive from their offices and would be given to Ruth for preliminary sorting and condensing into coherent statements. “She was the journalist, you see,’ he explained, ‘there were a lot of demands and she could digest them fast and present them to the committee”.

It has a selfless work. We all know how good and peaceful we become when we do work that is our passion. We have fun and satisfaction. This was the state Ruth was in; a fabulous time of her life characterized by joy, happiness and satisfaction.

The Freedom Charter was the labour of life – a true blueprint for a world above racism; hate and hatred.

After the Freedom Charter was adopted unfortunately things got worse. The forces of hate gathered more strength. Apartheid was enforced and Blacks were forcefully removed and dumped faraway places.

The main basis of the forceful removals was to ensure that Blacks should not live close to Whites, people who are special and superior.

So after the Freedom Charter, the opposite happened.  Ruth was hunted down and pronounced to be a target. Her actions were catching up with her. Eventually she was forced to live South Africa on a forced exit visa to England.

People like Nelson Mandela were stopped from making speeches. Ruth First was the first person to write the life story of Nelson Mandela.

In exile, in 1965, Ruth First edited a collection of Mandela’s speeches and the book, published by Heinemann in London, was entitled The Long Walk to Freedom. That was the title of Mandela’s land mark phenomenal autobiography.

With the book, Ruth First held many conferences, spoke in seminars and international gatherings appealing for the release of Nelson Mandela.

Ruth First and Nelson Mandela had heated arguments through their time working together, however they shared most views.

Some of those views and values was the issue of non-racialism. To both of them the concept of race was anathema to her; as far she was concerned, there is only one race, the human race.

Molecular biologists tell us that all human beings, regardless of their color, are genetically 99.9% the same. The .1 % difference in them account for such things as skin color, hair type and other apparent differences. That is to say that biologically, people from everywhere on planet earth are more similar than dissimilar.

As far as biology is concerned, there is no such category as races. In so are that there are races, it is social and cultural construct, not a natural one.

All human beings belong to the same animal species. A species are animals that can reproduce with each other. Europeans can reproduce with Africans and Asians but cannot reproduce with gorillas, for though gorillas look like human beings they belong to a different species.

Our completion and perfection lies in union with all humanity. This is the ultimate struggle. The ultimate liberation movement is one united human race.

Whether we like it or not, a universal human being is emerging. The future world is one people with one culture and we might as well deal with that fact and stop wasting every ones time by fighting the inevitable. Reality is what it is; it is not for us to determine it; our role is to adapt to it. We are one human race and must live with one another, as loving and forgivingly as is humanly possible. Everywhere in the world, people, be they black or white or oriental, pursue worth, significance.

To be civilized is to have social interests as ones motivation. Social interest is a capacity inherent in all humans but must be developed and trained. It comes when a person has an inner sense of connectedness and continuity with others and with all of life and is felt by others. Social interest is a highly developed, natural compassion for all people.

What is one surviving for, what is one living for? One should to stand up and fight for the type of society one desires.

True Civilization is love. That kind of civilization requires people to sacrifice for the collective and not just live for the individual alone. Whereas we do not know what the ultimate reality is, reality lies in accepting that at the spiritual level we are joined to one another.

A multi-coloured rose garden is more beautiful than a rose garden with only one colour. Nature is wise in making people come in different colours and shapes. Love is joining, connecting and fellowship. Racism and tribalism disconnects us to one another hence makes us feel unloved, lacking in peace and joy.

We are at root unified spiritual light; we are one consciousness, the consciousness of one shared self with one shared mind.

Speaking about love in these contexts is to enter the world of Ruth First. It is to aspire for that Eldorado world hat Ruth First lived for and died for. The idea of oneness as preached by Nelson Mandela had its seeds from Ruth First’s lap.

The Black young man Nelson Mandela and the White woman Ruth First were close friends in the height of apartheid South Africa. It was love that broke the solid iron chains of apartheid and saw them together. In oneness we are the same and coequal.

Some human beings are very inquiring. They want to know who other people are. Some children want to play with children who look different from them.

These kinds of people enthusiastically seek out those who seem different from them to relate to them. They feel more at home when they are connecting to people from diverse experiences and colours.

Although some people’s comfort zone and cosiness is to be with those who are like them, some people find comfort in being with seeming different individuals. Ruth First, growing up in apartheid South Africa, for example, preferred to be with people (such as young Nelson Mandela) from so-called races.

She had Africans, Indians, Coloureds, and Chinese, as her friends. She found it boring to be with those who were only from her background.

The relevant point is that there are human beings who have voracious interest about other people. These are people who are leaders and guides; teachers of love. Just like in a war, there are few soldiers who are determined and become generals that motivate others to keep on moving and refuse to settled down under the heavy spirit of defeat.

Many people are not that adventurous, certainly not big deal of trying to relate to people from outside their race. Having friends from outside your race is certainly stepping into a strange world where you may not have the cultural skills to circumnavigate that more foreign world.

Most people have social skills to survive with stimuli springing from their in-group members but are at a loss relating to cues from outside their group.

Normally, the average person is driven by fear and wants to look unto some person who appears fearless to guide him. To lead is to be out front beckoning other persons to follow you. To lead means that you have a dream, a vision of where you want to go to and start moving in that direction and those around you judge that where you are going is good for them and follow you.

Generally, people have easy sense of connectedness with members of their own group. Why is that the fact? It is because of our history. But the world is changing and evolving. You have to make efforts to relate to those from outside ones group.

In the past (our history where we evolved) imagine an African trying to relate to a German or a German trying to relate to a Chinese, it is difficult for them to form a sense of oneness, given their colour and cultural divides.

Until recently, most people did not even know about other people, Africans, for example, had no contacts with Europeans and Asians.

People lived in particular parts of the world and adapted to the exigencies of their world. They evolved particularistic cultures that enabled them to cope with the demands of their world. (Culture enables people to adapt to their world.)

People who adapted to the temperate world of Europe had a particular culture; those who adapted to the tropical world of Africa evolved a particular culture and so on.

The run of humanity identifies with those like them in colour and culture. It is easier to relate to those who look like one. The majority of mankind feels comfortable with, as they say, “their kind”.

But the fact is, we cannot completely avoid other people, for complete separation from other people would result in our death; we are always connected with people but may not actively affirm it. Proximity leads to cultural diffusion, which is taking place at a greater speed than at any other time in human history.

In the future, it is clear that there will emerge a universal culture that is not anything like today’s particularistic cultures.

It takes extraordinary sense of security and positive self-esteem for the individual to not care whether other people liked or did not like him, accepted or rejected him. Very secure persons with strong positive opinions of themselves reach out to all people for friendship.

For our present purposes, some people seek connection mostly with those who look like them, their so-called race, and fear the sense of aloneness they feel when around those not like them. For example when Nelson Mandela was at university, one white guy in the lecture class upon Nelson Mandela sitting next to him jumped and went to seat in another place.

On the other hand, some people seek out the company of those not like them and in connecting with these seeming strangers feel more joined and peaceful.

Ruth First certainly felt more at home, peaceful and happy when she was with people from diverse races. If she found herself in a room with whites, blacks, Indians etc she felt very comfortable, but if she was in a room with people that all look like her, she felt bored and antsy and got out of the room. She needed all humanity to feel truly joined, unified and complete hence peaceful and happy.

Today the apartheid has been removed but the psych and mentality is still very much party of the consciousness of South Africa. It is not South Africa. Racism, division, hate and hatred have taken new dimensions; have deepened practiced at the hidden deeper level not outwardly.

That seems to be a worse dangerous situation than before where it was obvious, and you can deal with it. When you have an open sickness you can deal with that sickness. But when that sickness takes roots and deepened it is hard to dislodge it.

Is there any possibility that racism can be transcended? Can humans live without the consideration of skin colour? Is there any thread of possibility that a post racial world can be accomplished?

When you see people you recognize that you can do whatever you want to do to them. Other people’s lives are in your hands. The choice is yours what you do to and with people.

What does this mean in real life? It means that it is up to you to give value and worth to people, or not. Look at the person in front of you. You can decide to value that person and see him or her as worthwhile or not.

If you choose to you can see me as nothing and treat me as such and no force external to you can stop you from doing what you want to do to me; and I can do the same to you.

Because it is us who give us worth we can also decide to withdraw that worth from each other and destroy each other.

Before nations go to war they withdraw value and worth from their enemies; they make them out as savages and that gives them permission to kill them without feeling guilt or remorse.

For example, white racists chose to define Africans as unintelligent and sub human beings and treated them as such. Having defined black folk as mere animals they undertook to use them as people use mulls and horses to do farm work. They did not feel guilt or remorse from doing what they did for to them they were merely using animals.

The point is that it is when people value and demand each other that they treat each other with respect. Our individual worth is a social construct; it is each of us and all of us that decide to value each other. It is human beings who decide to give value and worth to each other.

It is up to you to do with people as you wish, and it is up to them to do to you as they wish. Why don’t all of us above to work for each other’s interests. Is not working for each other’s interests the ultimate way of life – the ultimate civilization?

What all these add up to is that since our lives are in each other’s hands we ought to earn the respect of all the people we encounter every day of our lives. If you see a person you ought to do only those things that would make him feel that you love and respect him? Why?

It is because if people feel that you love and respect them they tend to love and respect you. And if they love and respect you they are unlikely to harm you. Only serving other people’s interests helps us stay alive.

Whites have spread so much lies about Africans that you often wonders how human beings could sit around making up lies about their fellow human beings and writing and publishing about those lies as if they are true!

Accept all human beings regardless of where they come from or their skin colour, and treat all people as the same and coequally; love and respect all people regardless of their race and gender.

In every moment in our lives we are presented with choice making, to be human or to be mere animal; to be human is to love and respect all people and not take advantage of people.

In 1963 Ruth First was involved with underground movement together with Nelson Mandela to change tactics from protest to sabotage. The result of this change was the birth of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the ANC’s military wing.

The marriage of Joe Slovo and Ruth First was the meeting of minds. Both individuals had a firm resolve for freedom of African people. Both lived to see a South Africa that is one great nation of a diverse humanity. Their house, where they lived in Johannesburg reflected their vision.

During the days of apartheid White people were prohibited to sit across the table with African people – because those are not human but sub human, kind of apes. But Ruth First and Joe Slovo threw parties and invited Africans mixed around freely with no restrictions. Their house was always encamped by the police. The purpose being to stop such kind of parties where according to the apartheid government “it is demeaning for a White person to walk or sit along with a Black person”.

Ruth First was racing with destiny. Joe Slovo’s parents died when he was a young chap and he grew up in the milieu. Joe Slovo was part of the family of Ruth first. He was more like brother to Ruth. And he used that masculine character to help and lead the way. That is how things are in real life.

A woman is not considered so much even she can be that much. But the fact of the matter was that Ruth was a highly resolved person and Joe Slovo provided that support – validated her. Ruth First was a woman of fortitude. She never wanted to become masculine with masculine characteristics. She remained soft, petite and beautiful butterfly. She was at peace with herself. Her body was totally calm and radiating with all round youthfulness.

How do folks who are at peace attain that peace? I think that it is when a person is totally truthful about his or her life.

During the 1950s and 1970s the dominant leaders of Communism in South Africa were Ruth First and Joe Slovo.

Ruth First and Joe Slovo were staunch communists and they saw the whole apartheid government as unjust and needed to be overthrown. Therefore, their reasoning was there must be a revolution. Of course, the apartheid government banned and outlawed the Communist Party of South Africa. But the ANC of Nelson Mandela was never banned or outlawed. And testimony of the fact that the ANC initially adopted a posture that the apartheid government never saw as a threat.

Ruth First main thrust was conferences, seminars and articles. She was not a leader who operated by moving the masses, but she convened conferences for political discussions, held seminars in her home where all various people congregated and discussed politics.

She was editor-in-chief of the Guardian Newspaper and used that role to influence opinions and make a lot of people who opposed the Apartheid government lean towards her purview.  She threw social parties and in those social happy gatherings people’s attitudes were reshaped.

In her book “Every Secret Thing, My Family, My Country” Gillian Slovo, the daughter of Ruth and Joe Slovo described what was going on in their family home: “it had its origins long ago in South Africa when they had stood, with their comrades, on our rolling lawn and talked in code about what their next move should be”.

Gillian later told BBC that:

“One of my first memories, aged six, is of my mother coming in and handing me a bag of crisps and saying, “Now you can have this.” As a journalist and political activist, she had led a campaign against the exploitation – and sometimes murder – of black workers on a potato farm, which led to a boycott of potato crisps.

To my parents, politics and political events were integral to their personal life. They stressed the need for social justice: to not stop looking, or acting just because you yourself might be comfortably set up”.

One great remarkable thing, something that is special about Ruth was that she was deeply woman – a fully grounded woman. As a young woman, she was very stylish, beautiful and full of life. She threw parties and she invited all people. Because these parties were multi-racial in an apartheid caste society, the police would often be around.

Ruth First was instrumental in the training and development of African shop stewards. One of those shop stewards was the young John Nkadimeng.

Regarding Ruth First, John Nkadimeng says: “she used to encourage me a lot to say: Look, I am going to talk to you about such and such a thing, such and such a problem, and I need you to point out some of the problems which you see out of what I am saying – if you disagree with me don’t be shy, speak”.

Ultimately, Ruth was editor of the hard-hitting journal called Fighting Talk. She was radical but in the confines of playing it cool.

Her role was profound and powerful. She entrenched values of integrity and dedication to the cause. She is advancing the struggle for liberation of South Africa she did not seek to transform herself and assume masculine characteristics.

She used her natural feminine soft touch. She was a settled woman satisfied in her own skin, a daughter (her parents were one of the founders of the Communist Party of South Africa), then at Wits University she was very attractive girl. She was fully turned out, no matter the setting, so smart was her bearing with pretty clothes and outwardly lady like demeanor.

“A new vigor crept into everything she did… she was so pleased of herself” – Gillian Slovo

The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) was established in 1921 with close links to Moscow. Its initial membership was largely white but by the 1930s it started to establish overtures and links with the ANC following involvement in organizing African workers. It was disbanded in 1950 under threat of the government’s suppression of Communism Act.

Though Communist Party was banned they wanted to bring it back. Gillian Slovo (Ruth and Joe’s daughter) describes it as follows:

“Both Ruth and Joe were involved in starting it up again, this time underground, heading deeper into a secret world where excitement and danger were to run side by side. It was a cozy, inbred universe they occupied.

To make sure their cover wasn’t blown, membership was by invitation only. They learned conspiracy in those early years: no meeting was ever pre-advertised or held in the same place twice running. Phone calls were short and cryptical, conversations often taking place not in the lounge but by a distant garden fence”.

They were running a secret organization. They became pariahs and were to be that way the rest of their lives.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RUTH FIRST’S BOOK: THE BARREL OF THE GUN

People have contempt for those who are easily intimidated by threat of force and coercion. People do not respect those who beg for mercy; they have contempt for them. As Thomas Payne observed (in his book, Common Sense) the tree of liberty is watered with brave patriots’ blood.

If someone sticks it to you stick it back to that person and that way s/he learns not to stick it to you again. As long as you are easily attacked and defeated, and you cry for mercy no one is going to have mercy for you; other folks would always try to enslave you.

Those enslaved and colonized must fight their enslavers and colonizers and defeat them in the battlefield for their humanity to be rehabilitated in their eyes.

What is history but how groups of human beings attacked and defeated other groups and then other groups attack and defeat them. Human living is characterized by offense and defense and defense and offense. Human beings are predatory animals.

After Ruth was forced into exile she went into deep depression. She was morose and bitter that she has been banished from the country of her birth, the country that she loved. The results of this came a book that she started working on soon after she settled in England.

The title of the book is The Barrel of the Gun. The Barrel of the Gun reveal the hopeless state Ruth found herself in dealing with apartheid forces. She presented a thesis that the only way to deal with apartheid was through the barrel of the gun.

Politics has been defined in many ways. Carl Von Clausewitz (On War) defined war as politics by other means; implicit in his definition is that politics is war by other means. Politics is war for in it folks are engaged in deciding who gets something and who does not get something in the human polity; the decision regarding who gets what or not is war.

Ruth in the Barrel of the Gun says: I define normal politics as war by cold means. In normal circumstances people are engaged in cold war; that is, no one is being killed in normal politics; however, when people, in the political process begin killing people they are now engaged in hot war politics. In hot war politics folks are killed for some people’s political gains.

If someone declares hot war on you, you better recognize what he is doing and fight back on his terms, not through normal cold war politics where no one is killed. We are now in the politics of hot war in South Africa.

People had better awaken to what is going on in their land. The time for fooling around is over.

If you are attacked you have an existential obligation, if you want to stay alive, to defend your life. Since the best defense is offense, you ought to employ offensive measures against those attacking you. Violence is the last resort in solving human conflicts when reason and diplomacy fails.

Politics after all is war by non-violent means, politics is cold war and when that fails becomes hot war, so holding your opponent hostage is perfectly legitimate tactics and strategy in political battles.

The human spirit is restless and cannot be permanently suppressed. Sooner or later, the defeated reassert their will to power. If you do not have military power all you do in the world of politics is mere noise making.

A leader is like a military officer (that is why it is generally preferred for presidents to be ex-generals in the military). He identifies an objective to be conquered by his army, say, a hill (a country) and asks his men to follow him and they go get it.

He must have clarity of objective for the men to follow him in achieving it. (As the popular adage says, if you do not know where you are going to you will get nowhere.)

Ruth First wrote I do not want to hear you pontificate on politics; what I want to hear is what you are doing to bring your idea of what society should look like into being. Words are cheap, what changes the world are deeds.

You do not forgive the bully for to do so is to give him permission to keep hurting you. Forgiveness does not stop bad behavior. What you do is go get a big club and use it to whack the bully on his head; you hit to split his head open.

You stop the criminal by punishing him. The anti-social personality is deterred not by love and forgiveness but by force.

The moral of the story in the Barrel of the Gun is that if one gives other people hurtful effects, they are entitled to defend themselves. She asserted that a person should know where he stands on the ideological continuum and be able to fight and die for his preference.

Merely blowing hot air on politics is the infantile behavior of a cowardly people who are unwilling to make a political stand and fight to death on its behalf.

If society’s practices are not just our function is to fight for what we believe is just and not just live with the unjust society.

If a person must be alive s/he ought to evaluate the nature of society and decide what constitutes a just society and live it and if it is absent in his/her world work to bring it about; s/he must not just tolerate unjust society just so s/he survives.

Between 1964 and 1968 Ruth travelled the new African states, studying military coups and the failure of independence struggles in Africa.

In her academic work together with her field researchers she interviewed hundreds of mine workers, visited their farms and villages, and collected songs, history and stories. Their findings were published after Ruth’s death as a book called Black Gold.

 Years ago, I read Donald Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal” (New York: Random House, 2006; 384 pages). I even went to a workshop based on the book. Eventually, I saw the book and the workshop based on it as another American flimflam; I dismissed it and moved on with my life. Thereafter, I did not pay more attention to the Donald.

But later his ideas finally grew wings and put him in the White House. Ideas if pursued and upheld over a long period of time become reality.

Please do not dismiss the powerful political insights that Hitler showed in his book, Mein Kampf (my battle) for those ideas led him, a homeless boy sleeping at homeless shelters in Vienna and Munich to master Europe. Ideas have power, my friend.

The famous American mythologist, Joseph Campbell wrote a series of books called The Hero with a Thousand faces. In the books he explored the nature of mythologies and talked about what he called the journey of the hero in initiating new mythologies.

The hero, as he saw it, is a member of a group who, for whatever reasons, acutely perceives the problems of his group. Most people are not even aware of their group’s problems. Some persons are somewhat aware of the problems of their group.

May be, every once in a while, a unique individual acutely perceives the problems of his group.  That person generally has the problems of the group and is motivated to find answers to their problems.

The individual, the hero to be leaves his group and journeys to far off places to go search for solutions to his personal problems and for his group’s problems, hence the journey of the hero. He searches far and wide and eventually finds the answers he is looking for.

The hero then returns to his group and teaches the answers he found. Initially, the people do not accept the answers he gave to them for they are not even aware that they have problems! 

In the long run, however, folks accept his answers for finally due to his teachings they see their problems and the solutions for them.

Before he died in 1987 Joseph Campbell noted that mankind has been brought together; in the past each race lived in its corner of the world oblivious of other races and developed its culture differently, but those cultures are no longer adaptive to a unified world.

In the final analysis, people from all over the world interact and a different world would result, not the world small, minded racists’ desire but a new world.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Do you want to be loved and respected by other people? What did Jesus Christ say on this subject? (See the four gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John.) He said: do unto other people as you want them to do to you. He also said that all the laws and prophesies can be summarized to one word: love.

If you want other people to love and respect you, then love and respect other people, for as you do unto others, they are more likely to do to you. If you love other people, the chances are that they would love and respect you in return, and if you hate other people, the chances are that they would hate you in return.

Giving is receiving; what you give is what is given to you. Love begets love and hate begets hate.

As far as human experience is our guide, most normal human beings desire to be treated as dignified by their fellow human beings. Deep down most people feel unimportant and want their fellow human beings to treat them as if they are important. Only a few persons feel unimportant enough not to demand importance from their fellow human beings.

Only the masochist who enjoys pain desires to be humiliated by other persons. Do you want other people to see you as respect worthy? If so then treat them in a respectable and dignified manner.

Do you want other people to care for you? If so, care for other people. Do you want other people to be kind, gentle and warm to you? If so, be kind and warm and gentle towards other people.

Generally, the normal human being does not like it if other people exploit and or manipulate him, use him to get what they want and then discard him. If the individual feels used, he feels angry, and wants to attack, even kill the person who he perceives as using him against his will.

Given this truth, do unto others as you want them to do to you. Do not ever use, manipulate or exploit other people to get what you want and then discard them as scrap iron. (Persons with personality disorders, such as those with narcissistic, and or histrionic, borderline and antisocial personality disorders often feel a sense of entitlement; they feel that they are special and superior to other people and justify using other people, those they deem as inferior to them, to get what they want and discard them; those they use resent them. This way, persons with personality disorders tend to generate interpersonal conflicts.)

It is necessary for you to always treat people in a positive manner if you so want to be positively treated. Why do I need to repeat this truism? It is because human beings are free agents and as such can make choices and behave accordingly. You can choose to see other people as shit and treat them as such.

Human value is a social construct. As American racists and Adolf Hitler demonstrated, you can choose to devalue other people, to see them, as worthless and valueless and useless and treat them as such. If you choose to, law or no law, you can harm even kill other people? In the past, white Americans chose, cowardly I might say, to exploit black people, to use them as salves. The great cowards knew that they were technologically more advanced than blacks and instead of using that technology to help their fellow human beings, chose to use it to exploit them.

The relevant point is that in this world of ours, any human being can choose to do to others as he pleases and, by and large, get away with it. (Although he will eventually be repaid in kind, for what goes around comes around. If you exploit others, others will exploit you.)

If you have been a parent you recognize how weak, vulnerable and dependent children are and you can choose to take advantage of them. We do not do so because we have love for all them. We care for those we love, even if they are weak.

Criminals take advantage of the weak and vulnerable. These cowards abuse children, physically and sexually. Men who are physically stronger than women, like cowardly criminals, impose their sexual will on women. Rape is a power and control motivated behavior.

The salient point is that in the real world we all have the capacity to harm other people, if we choose to. We also have the capacity to help and love other people, if we choose to. The critical variable here is choice: to do good or evil? This is the question always facing human beings.

(Recently, a bunch of criminal oriented Nigerian chose to exploit me and I turned my knowledge of the world on them; I sought to punish them in the severest manner. I have exhaustive understanding of human psychology and that led me to appreciate that they are personality disordered creatures who thought that my civility is a sign of weakness. I chose to love and forgive them while insisting that they do the right thing. Forgiveness does not mean that one should condone evil.

I will not hesitate to put any one into jail if he did antisocial things. However, in jail I will do my best to teach him prosocial behaviors. When my cousin’s husband beat her up, I worked to have him jailed, but while in jail insisted that he take domestic violence, anger management treatment. He had to understand his paranoid jealousy and work to improve it, for as long as he retained that malady, he was a danger to women and children. I insist on psychotherapy for the personality disordered.)

Always choose to help and to love. Always ask: how can I help my fellow human beings? It is in service to humanity that we find our salvation and certainly find peace and joy.

Whoever thinks that he can exploit other people and find peace and happiness is a fool? Love and be happy; hate and be unhappy.

I will not write a treatise on how to relate to other people, for you can read that in many books and or take courses on them. All I will say is that love, respect and serve all people and you will not do any better than that.

Do not just talk about lover and social service, do it. Start right now. Love and help the person next to you.

Do it and do it now, not tomorrow. If you do it, love and serve all, you will know the peace and joy that Paul tells us passes human (ego) understanding.

Until recently, most people did not even know about other people, Africans, for example, had no contacts with Europeans and Asians.

People lived in particular parts of the world and adapted to the exigencies of their world. They evolved particularistic cultures that enabled them to cope with the demands of their world. (Culture enables people to adapt to their world.)

People who adapted to the temperate world of Europe had a particular culture; those who adapted to the tropical world of Africa evolved a particular culture and so on.

Culture is a living thing; it changes to adapt to changed environments. Today’s culture is from yesterday’s adaptation to the physical and social environment hence is already dated and ought to be updated with information from our current experiences.

These days, as cultures confront each other and are in an existential fight to die or live, some misguided persons see their culture as static and defend it at all times. They cling to what they call their (past) culture, unaware that that culture is supposed to change the moment it confronts different environments. A culture that is not dynamic does not enable the people to survive but, in fact, may aid them to die out.

A temporary expedient alternative to this misguided behavior is what folks now call multiculturalism. This view believes that all cultures are the same and that the truth is relative to the culture one came from. In this light, the culture of Hinduism that burned widows with their dead husbands’ bodies is seen as the same as the same as the Christian culture that respects all life.

Culture is the last refuge of the scoundrel. In time, all this cultural relativism nonsense will come to pass; human beings will let go of their past and evolve a present universalistic culture that adapts to the real world.

Improvements in transportation and communication technologies have made it now possible for individuals to travel all over the world. The individual can be in three or four continents in as many days. This observer has been in North America, flown to Europe and then Africa, all within two days. This means that the cultures of the world are now in close contact.

Proximity leads to cultural diffusion, which is taking place at a greater speed than at any other time in human history.

In the future, it is clear that there will emerge a universal culture that is not anything like today’s particularistic cultures.

The United States of America is already a veritable United Nations with folks from all over the world living in it, their cultures mixing into a universalistic culture. The diversity of America is her strength and if that diversity is meld into one universal American culture, rather than encourage folks to live in their particular enclaves, the United States will remain the greatest nation on planet earth, at least for the foreseeable future.

Homogeneous societies like China cannot compete with heterogeneous societies like the United States of America. If racism ends in America and the country fully utilizes the talents of all her peoples, no country on earth can compete with her.

If China, the much-lauded empire of the twenty first century, wants to rival America’s economic and cultural strength, it has to go to Africa and import millions of Africans to give its culture the dynamism Africans have given to the Americas. Just think of what Africans have contributed to America’s culture, music, for example. Can Russia compete with America in the world of popular music?

If and when America finally incorporated African Americans into its mainstream and stops discriminating and marginalizing them it would unleash talents that would make it second to none in the world. No one else can compete with America that has Africans as the equal partners of Europeans, nobody.

Though shunted to the margins of America, look at what African Americans have contributed to America; just imagine what they would do when they are respected? God, a creative force, the like of which the world has not seen before, would be unleashed in the world.

America’s cultural imperialism is inevitable because of the fact that it is a culture that unified many cultures.

To cope with the exigencies of a multicultural world, we all have to learn to understand each other’s cultures; additionally, we have to learn to feel comfortable around each other.

Whether we like it or not, a universal human being is emerging. Even the color of that human being would be different from the skin colors of present human beings. If you use the computer to simulate what the future man would look like, mix all the colors of the peoples of the world, what would emerge is a brown race, like contemporary Brazilians.

Brown is the future of mankind. The future world is one people with one culture and we might as well deal with that fact and stop wasting every ones time by fighting the inevitable. We ought to make sure that all children born in this world go to school and study science.

No child should have less than university level education in the physical sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics). This education must be free and available to all children. This is the only way to guarantee the evolution of mankind to higher levels.

Reality is what it is; it is not for us to determine it; our role is to adapt to it. We are one human race and must live with one another, as loving and forgivingly as is humanly possible.

It is in love and forgiveness that peace and joy lie. Forward, ever; backward, never.