Recently some of my values were challenged. And my perspective was highlighted.
- Donald Trump – a man who evokes emotion
- Joe Biden – a man who evokes emotion
- Vladimir Putin – a man who evokes emotion
- Nelson Mandela – a man who evokes emotion
- Piers Morgan – a man who evokes emotion
- Prince Charles – a man who evokes emotion
- Boris Johnson – a man who evokes emotion
- Jeremy Corbyn – a man who evokes emotion
All these men stir something in us. We may never have met them, but we have decided that we don’t like them, or we love them.
How do we decide?
Firstly, like with most things, we just get a feeling. We don’t like the way they say something, we don’t like the way they stand, walk, smile. Human beings can be completely irrational.
The second way is what we read in the press. We must remember that every article we read, is written by someone who, equally, has their own views and values. And, we all know that by taking words and sentences out of context, the story looks different. Or, we can take one phrase from a story and make that the focus, knowing it will evoke emotion, shares on social media or sales of the publication.
The third way is by their actions. But we must be mindful that we get knowledge of their actions from the media, and we read things from our perspective and with our own filters. Two people might hear a speech by a man in an important position. One person will be really upset. And the other person might find it funny. We are all wired differently.
I once received an email from someone who was upset by the fact that I had celebrated Nelson Mandela on his birthday. Nelson is an interesting man. He is adored. And yet, at the same time, he is despised. It is all about perspective.
The Email
“Wow, sorry but in light of the horrendous farm murders and destruction of SA, this praise of a guy who was caught red handed with bomb making equipment, is very bad taste. He also was never tortured, was treated better than any criminal in the world, and would have been executed for his murders if he resided in the USA.
He only had to renounce violence to be released, which he refused to do, and played the role of innocent wise guy tactically to gain a life of luxury and world acclaim while he destroyed South Africa by many changes in laws for his own popularity, notably he has raised the death toll of murder victims by his being worshipped by the ignorant world who turn a blind eye as a result, while a slaughter continues daily of mostly white South Africans in the most brutal ways.
Also he started the slide in standards which have caused people to emigrate in their thousands to UK struggling in most cases to start life with nothing.
I know people still harrowed by the experience of picking up bits of bodies he is responsible for.
His biography was written by a foreign guy who censored his unsavoury history for popular appearance, and this has been the propaganda.
Hardly anything to celebrate about this concerning South Africa and very disturbing to see you promoting the very propaganda that destroys life and people in South Africa.”
Anon
I dug deep to assess why I have always celebrated this man, when he was responsible for the loss of life, he refused to denounce violence, and he was in fact not a very good president. His domestic policies were ineffective.
For me, it came down to these 3 lines in the email I received:
“Praise of a guy who was caught red handed with bomb making equipment”
“He also was never tortured, was treated better than any criminal in the world, and would have been executed for his murders if he resided in the USA”
“He started the slide in standards which have caused people to emigrate in their thousands to UK struggling in most cases to start life with nothing”
Denis Goldberg
I thought about this email, drawing from my personal friendship with Denis Goldberg. When I saw him for the last time before he passed away, he shared a lot of his pain and sorrow about the direction the country had taken, considering the sacrifices he and his comrades had made.
Growing up in South Africa, the African National Congress (the ANC) which was the party of Nelson and Denis. and is also the current party in government in South Africa, was seen as a terrorist organisation. As was Nelson and Denis. But in later years, they became ‘Freedom Fighters’.
And yes, I agree with some of the email I received, but there are some elements that I disagree with. But ultimately, it’s all about perspective. And perspective comes from how we are personally effected by something, the ‘distance’ from the events, and how we WANT to see the situation. And that, is the most powerful aspect of perspective.
