Hidden Beauty

As I drive through my neighbourhood in the morning, on my way to work, there are a lot of images I see that disturb me. But slowly but surely, we are turning our community around.

I get mad at people sometimes when they talk about Heidedal and all the bad things that accompany it. It angers me most when they generalize. They see people drinking and fighting and automatically think we are all like that. They think we are all drunkards.

They see young school girls walking around with their big bellies and think that is what all young Coloured girls are destined to become: young mothers. Young mothers who have no future. Young mothers, who have no education.

They see young boys getting drunk and high, and they think that is what all Coloured boys do. They think this is all they can do. They think our boys have no ambition in life.

But with every neighbourbood, there is good and bad. It is sad that they can only see our bad. We have so much good in our community, but people do not see it. They choose not to see it.

Young women in our community are turning things around. But those are not the stories we hear. Marizanne Scott, Chantal Martin, Stefani Lockman and Monique Maritz (Barbara Faith Foundation) noticed something as they drove to work in the mornings too. They saw that even in the cold Winter months, children had no jerseys on as they walked to school. So, with the help of social networks, friends and many willing people and companies, they were able to raise R13 150 in 13 days and hand over 263 jerseys to the children of Olympia Primary School. You would think that a simple jersey may not mean much, but it means the world to a young child, sitting in a classroom, unable to concentrate because of the cold. A simple jersey can help a child focus on learning in class instead of the lack of heat they are experiencing.  But that is not a story that people outside Heidedal hear often, and so we receive no positive feedback. They do not hear about our young superwomen who help our community. They do not hear about women like Marizanne, Chantal, Stefani and Monique, who inspire others to give where they can, to do more and to uplift their community. They do not hear about our strong women who make things happen. They do not hear about our women who give selflessly of their time to make the lives of others’ better.

Uncle Bubchu has his own soccer team. He has groomed young men into potential football stars. And yes, he is recognized in the community, but outside people do not realize the role this man plays in the lives of these young men. He keeps them out of trouble, he teaches them how to be disciplined and dedicated. He motivates them to do and be better. But no one sees this. No one sees the men who step up and help our boys become the men they ought to be. They do not see the strong men we have in our community. They do not see the men who use their strength to do well.

No one sees the mother who cries at night because her child has sold her furniture and household appliances to buy drugs. No one sees the tears she sheds and the prayers she makes to God because she wants a better life for her child. All they see is a drug infested community. They do not see our pain. They do not see that we are human and we hurt too. They do not see that we hate the effect that drugs have on our community.

No one sees the family who takes in a little child and cares for him as though he were their own, because his parents are too drunk to care about him or his well-being. They don’t see how this family loves and nurtures him, feeds him, clothes him and makes him feel like he has a place he can call home. They do not see that although this family does not have riches, they are still willing to share with those who are worse off than them. All they see is a community controlled by alcohol. All they see are the people who have become slaves to alcohol.

In every place, you will find the good and the bad. I feel that I live in a community that has both good and bad, but the good goes unnoticed. We are a misunderstood community. We are a misunderstood people. But one day, you will understand us.

Today, take the time out to understand, instead of merely passing judgment.

The misunderstood have feelings too. We are human too. We too seek to be understood.

Try to see past the bad and once you manage to do that, you will love the beauty that lies beneath J      

Take Care

Miss Stone