I have approximately a 2.5km walk from my place of work to the place I live, on the other side of the Cape Town CBD.
Today I saw 3 separate people littering.
The first, very close to my office, was an individual among a number of labourers on the back of a bakkie (a small pick-up truck) that threw a almost empty roll of electrical tape into the road. Being the kind of person that has accepted as my responsibility a subset of the problems of society, I picked up the roll of tape and disposed of it in the bin.
On my way to the bin, I passed a guy that threw a piece of paper, quite nonchalantly, into the street. Now, I was still pissed because of the previous guy, so removing my headphones, I rebuked the guy publicly, asking who he expects to pick up the paper he just threw, etc. I feel that this is necessary as (i) it reminds the person that this kind of behavior is noticed and perceived negatively by at least some people, (ii) it hopefully challenges the person to question whether what they did is right, (iii) and I hope it causes the person a tiny bit of public shame that I hope will cause him to feel some guilt at his transgression. My behavior may also have reinforced the perception that whites still live under the misconception that their black neighbors are in some way subservient to their white overlords... obviously this is not my intention, but some people may have viewed it that way.
The 3rd person was just some woman threw a cigarette butt into the road. At this point, I had run out of social currency and simply ignored the person.
Before arriving home I also saw a brawl between what looked like a security guard and a male-female couple. They all looked to be in their twenties and none of them were "street people". I could not tell who was in the right and who was in the wrong, all I know is that it was two against one, with the "authority figure" being in the numeric minority. The fight was quick, violent but without significant repercussions. Being the kind of person that I am, and listening to an Audiobook on morality, I wanted to help; but could not identify who was the perpetrator and who the victim. Instead I watched hoping that the violence would not escalate. Others around me also watched and some even looked ready to join the brawl (as I was), although whose allegiance they would choose was beyond my guessing. The fight was over with the couple leaving the area, and the security guard did not take pursuit.
So, what can we "learn" from all...
Is Cape Town a bad place? No, I don't believe so. In fact I still believe that Cape Town is probably the best place to be in South Africa.
Am I disappointed in these people? Yes, of course. I want people to get along, and to accept their roles of responsible citizens in society.
Are these people bad people. No, I very much doubt it. Careless? yes. Lacking foresight? Yes. Lacking an understanding in how government resources are allocated? Yes.
But more than anything it reminds me that we, as a world society, are not yet at a point at which we can put down tools and say that we have done enough good in this world.
I would love to see the emergence of a society (not based on religion so as to be inclusive to all), that sets an example of how to live their lives as responsible citizens of society. A society that teaches, not about morality necessarily, but about economics (and a million other disciplines) so that people can be brought to understand that the money spent cleaning the curb could have been spent feeding a child, or building a school, or creating a place of psychological healing.
But if a society like this is built, who will join it?
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