Corruption. Poverty. Lawlessness. Racial divides. Failing education systems. Poor service delivery. The list goes on, and on. All interrelated causes and symptoms of the increasingly negative sentiment surrounding the state of South Africa. All also the reasons many have pointed to in finding motivations to leave the country. Today I make my very personal case for why staying is the seemingly illogical path that may be better to follow.
Let's start with the simple stuff. The tangible, superficial things. For instance, the weather, the scenary and relative spending power. The weather speaks for itself. Warm weather year-round with winter providing - in my opinion - just the right amount of cold to balance it all out. The scenary also doesn't need much elaboration. From the wildfife savanna, to vast mountain ranges, to a diverse and emmaculate coastline. You really don't need to go far to find once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Whether it be hiking, river-rafting, marine activities, swinging through canyons or jumping one of the highest bungees in the world. It always feels like there's a local attraction - that you've yet to experience - waiting for you, just around the corner. Better yet, these experiences - as well as living in general - are likely to cost you less than most other places around the globe. Yes, this doesn't help if you are also bound by the local economy; but, globalization is key in enabling you to earn global and live local. In any case, let's get onto more notable aspects than those that are easy-to-point-to.
As the adage goes, home is where the heart is. I don't think the importance of this can be overstated. Family, friends, culture, history - all fundamental ingredients to the recipe for what makes you an individual. Knowing this makes it vital to keep them near and dear - because they are essential in reminding you about who you are at the core, and why you do what you do. The difficulty comes with maintaining balance in these regards. You want to hold onto the what makes you uniquely you, but you don't want that to limit yourself in terms of how far you're willing to get out there to learn new things, and grow. Albeit, I did say this motivation would be from a personal perspective. And, for me, staying represents the balanced approach. To be specific, at the moment I'm able to visit close family at least once a week. I'm surrounded with infrastructure, people and social norms that breed familiarity. Yet, there are a multitude of escapades in close vicinity that I've yet to take on. And taking them on I am - one-by-one, at a rate that I'm genuinely content with.
Still, let's not veer away from the challenges that are so prominent in South Africa at the moment. Without getting into the details, a concoction of unfortunate circumstances, decisions and events - made by individuals and collectives alike - have led to a flailing economy with a growing set of worrying symptoms. Safety, healthcare and job security are just the tip of a pile of concerns on the mind of all South African citizens. In my life, this represents a big problem. However, while there are of course a host of pedantics to consider, it comes down to a single question - will I embrace the challenge or will I run from it? Many will say the problem is too large to undertake as an indivual. What I would say in turn, is that the South African problem is a collective one, and that any collective solution must inevitably consist of individual resolutions - of which I'm happy to make mine one. It is also, perhaps most importantly, about principle. If I am willing to run from one of the bigger problems in life, very little stops me from evading smaller problems as well. A dangerous path because, quite certainly, overcoming challenges is what builds character and without character it's so easy to lose your will.
So yes, there are difficulties and yes, they are immense; but, inevitably there will be difficulties everywhere. In the end, circumstance is relatively inconsequential - you can choose to focus on the good no matter where you are and what your surroundings look like. For me though - at least for now - choosing to embrace the chaos that is South Africa, fundamentally represents the type of decisions I want to undertake for the duration of my life on this planet.
"Hard times create strong men;
strong men create good times;
good times create weak men;
and, weak men create hard times."
- G. Michael Hopf