Hero or Sponge?

Analytically browsing today's news to see how much good news there was in comparison to bad, I happened upon this article: Baby saved from rubbish dump. Sadly ... no! Hang on! I am ashamed to admit that I succumbed to exactly what I'm trying to fight: all these negative stereotypes about South Africa, staged as 'facts' by the media. Right up until the 'n' of South African I typed before I thought, "No ways, this HAS to be a universal problem. We're not the only country that struggles with poverty... or postnatal depression..." But before I jump up onto my beloved soapbox, let me just say that I am impressed with News24 and Die Burger journalist, Kobus Pretorius, who managed to make this story more than just a wallow-in-more-apathy story by proactively introducing us to solutions to the problem and the heroes providing these solutions. (Check out - and support! - Molo Songololo in any way you can. "Molo Songololo" is Xhosa for 'Hello Millipede'!)

Isn't it strange how, when I initially read the news story, my first reaction was one of, "It's such a South African problem." This knee-jerk reaction is what the scaremongers and our mainstream media rely on - and in some ways, it feels to me like we're being controlled like puppets by our media. Think of all the times the news hypes something up, like petrol increases, swine flu, the recession, only for it to pass by with very little of the impact they forecast. I like to call this 'awfulising'; that is, when something gets spoken about from a completely blinkered and biased perspective. You will even notice this in your everyday interactions with colleagues, family and friends (and, let's hope not, maybe in yourself!) Awfulising functions like the most vicious circle, devouring any joy and hope in its path. Awfulising is a a sickness that starts with one and corrupts us all. A pandemic. The sad paradox is that the very opposite is true of truth and peace and loving joy: it is almost a Sisyphysian struggle to reverse the damage wrought by being relentlessly negative - but thankfully, it is not impossible. I think victory begins with us as individuals. We can choose what we allow into our lives (i.e. choose the newspapers you read etc.) and we can choose how we convey ourselves through life. Do we allow the negativity in the news to paralyse us into passive, unthinking sponges? Or do we confront the news with our emotions and minds fully engaged, ready to do whatever it takes to make a difference? Don't get me wrong - I'm not advocating saving the world. It's about being a proactive human being in your own world. For example, take the story of the little 8-month old abandoned princess. Read the story, and minutely examine your gut reaction and your thoughts. Instead of allowing your mind to be controlled by stereotypes, decide to examine the situation more deeply. Hunt down the real facts behind the story. Brainstorm ways in which you could personally effect change. Even if all you do is change your own mindset from an awfulising one, this will make a magnificent difference! It affects how often you smile, how deeply you feel, how you talk about things. This is as contagious as the sunniest smile!
Reading about Molo Songololo, I wracked my brains for ideas on how I, personally, could help them help our children. Because I don't have oodles of cash, at the moment all I can do is send a small amount in donation. But what I do have plenty of is contacts and access to the internet. Solution? 1. Email the charity to find out how I could specifically help them, also asking interview-like questions. 2. Write a story about them, with their contact details, for publication. 3. Generate dialogue about them with my friends and contacts to raise the charity's social profile (and hopefully their budget too!) and increase awareness of the issues surrounding abandoned babies. I could also suggest blankets, clothes and food be donated to Molo Songololo (and yes, I am STILL crimson from that ridiculous faux pas on live bloody radio! lol)

PLEASE leave your ideas about how you initially react to 'bad' news (if you're brave enough to be that honest!) and if you would like to join me in my quest to revolutionise the South African media one editor at a time ;)

PS. SAfm want to feature me again - this time for a ten minute slot on their Sunday evening show (faux pas and all!) And this weekend, I'm going to be interviewed as part of a documentary about returning South Africans! The media are taking notice! So leave your name as part of your personal commitment to this revolutionary adventure!

PPS. After reading page after page in the world's news about abandoned babies in Chine, Argentina, England, America, Germany and Kenya (to name a few), my heart bloated helplessly with anguish... I couldn't bring myself to look at another article about just how many babies are left for dead - and that's why, instead of writing about it as a world-wide disease, I told you about Molo Songololo and how to become a hero yourself!