30/09/2022
LESSONS FROM BEGGARS DIRECTING CARS AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS!
I got back to South Africa late last night and I walked into a dark house with no water. When I woke up this morning, we had water but no electricity. It's been a crazy day trying to work around the load shedding schedule at work and then on my way home, the traffic lights weren't working, BUT there were beggars directing traffic in an attempt to ease the congestion.
I am always amazed at the dichotomy presented at these traffic lights. Guys with no jobs and no money are literally doing the job of the very government that is largely responsible for these guys being in the position they're in, in the first place.
I don't see how they make heaps of money by doing directing traffic, yet I can't help feel that it gives them some sense of purpose and allows them to create some kind of value?
Either way, this is the South African mentality. We get s**t done, and even when we're getting the s**t kicked out of us, we do these things with a smile. How incredible?
Having been in Europe for two weeks, I saw firsthand how broken the world is at the moment. Inflation is rampant that side, electricity bills have increased 400% in London, airports and restaurants are all advertising for vacancies they can't fill because governments around the world printed too much money during COVID. I could go on and on, but my point is, things are broken everywhere I look.
We don't appreciate enough that every aspect of the world runs in cycles. Right now, we are experiencing a slight "winter" around the world because of the compound interest effect of bad decisions that we have made while things were good. I'm also more convinced than ever that COVID is a symptom of the problems we're facing and not the cause.
That said, summer will dawn upon us once again. But until then, the people that are going to thrive in this current state are the ones that will stop holding onto the victim card and make things happen despite the circumstances.
These guys at the traffic lights today reminded me that we all get to choose how we respond in tough environments. Also, despite my own pressures, I have so much to be grateful for.
You can either treat this post with cynicism or you can get to work. That is the beautiful privilege of choice that we all have. I want to choose wisely and I hope you'll join me!
