Is it even possible to legislate humanity? The more I read regarding the state of world affairs and the lack of response from governments, especially our own, it is becoming clearer to me that our solution for the scourge of Gender Based Violence is not going to lie in legislation.
Effective legislation and the implementation thereof, is costly and time consuming. In addition South Africa has lots of good legislation, it is the implementation of the legislation that is falling short.
Post Covid-19 governments worldwide are struggling for funds as the global economy plunges. South Africa constantly ranks as one of the top 3 countries in the world for GBV, the mountain we are climbing is higher than most and we all know how corruption keeps on channeling funds much needed by the citizens of the country into the pockets of cadres, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves. We are truly living in “lala land” if we think that government is going to solve our societal problems timeously.
From my perspective we need more humanity. As individuals we need to recognise the strength within us and we need to use that strength positively in our community. It is definitely more realistic to expect the rebirth of humanity to stem from a social services perspective.
And when you take social service down to its core component, we are talking about a family unit and the values that arise from good parenting and mentorship. Both which are sorely lacking in a society that is constantly in fight, flight or freeze mode. Maslow tells us that the very basis of our needs are physiological i.e air, water, food, shelter . The next tier up is safety. Do you know any South African that will comfortably tell you there is no immediate threat in their lives?
Only after having the launching pad in place can we as humans really move to the tiers of love and belonging. However life is not linear and it is possible through love and belonging to help find and create the lower rungs for yourself and others. This I believe is what humanity is and where we as individuals can all play a role.
What is that role an individual can play?
- Well if you are reading this you most likely found it on the internet, share the content. It’s a small action on your side, it could have ripple effects.
- Consider becoming a mentor for a child, a person in business, a colleague who seems lost.
- Pay attention. Be present. Make space for others.
- Consciously decide not to buy a sandwich for lunch every day and donate the savings to an NPO.
- Have discussions about the challenges our country as a whole faces and listen to learn.
I want to leave you with a quote from Glennon Doyle Melton
“The amazing thing about love and attention and encouragement and grace and success and joy is that these things are infinite. We get a new supply every single morning, and so we can give it away all day. We never, ever have to monitor the supply of others or grab or hoard.”
May this be the era that sees the turnaround South Africa so desperately seeks.
Up To Me are of the opinion that many of our challenges arise from our incredibly unequal society. The most unequal in the world, economically that is. For this reason we strive to educate, empower, support and network with women who are keen to make their change!
Debbie Engelbrecht 25.02.2021 is an executive of Up To Me, MD of Staff Training and an accredited Enneagram IEQ9 Practitioner
