I hate how the greatest minds that will eventually come out of this generation are being fed this idea that to be great, you need to fit into this box that has been designed for you by minds that lost their relevance long ago. I watch how we think, how we perceive things and the way we go about doing the things we do on the day to day. The archaic practices of the past seem to cling to us like moss. We don't fully realise just how they slowly grow on us, manifesting themselves in the way we speak and see things until it's too late and they've blinded us completely.
I'm still building up my understanding in all of this. I'm not fully weighing in on the situation right now, that will come later because I don't have all the information I feel I need to be fully capable to have an informed opinion.
Just watching this situation in Stellenbosch, actually, the country as a whole, I can't help but feel saddened. I'm at a loss of words when I see the new outrage that has been brought up. If it isn't students fighting one another to tell the other why their outrage is insignificant, it's grown men and women trying to point out why others should be seen and feel insignificant. If there's one thing I cannot stand, it is the type of person who comes to you guns blazing, fixing to force feed you their deeply ingrained doctrine. I understand that everyone has a differing view and opinion to the next person and that, I am more than okay with, it's when people are not willing to see and understand that everyone will have a differing opinion and theirs isn't necessarily the correct one when the problem arises. There is nothing stopping you from bringing across what you believe and in the same turn of the coin, taking in and understanding what I believe too. It really isn't that hard. I can only put it down to a pigheaded, blind ignorance and what could possibly be fear.
You cannot tell me all these issues we see around the country do not stem from a sense of fear. The "Afrikaaner"(and I'm only picking on them because of the relevance) in South Africa fears that his culture is dying. As the youngest in the world, it would make sense for it to be wiped out if it were not given enough nourishment. As transformation comes, this plays on the mind and in an effort to safeguard what they hold dear, they lash out. In an effort to keep their sense of belonging intact, they try to undermine those trying to find their feet and in doing so, begin to exclude not only the people of colour in the country, but also the English speaking white South African. Most of the focus though, unfortunately, is thrown on race and it becomes a savage, fecal flinging match between the two sides and in a place like Stellies for example, there is no hope. How can you as a South African, turn to another and tell them they are not good enough to be at a place where they are more than able to afford and get through academically and tell them they don't belong just because they're of another skin colour? Is this not ignorance? Is this not a fear of change?
But what gets me is this. How can these new minds, these fresh ideas, these new visions that we need to keep this wonderful country afloat be shut down like this? By an institution that many find to be one of the very best. How can you possibly justify giving certain learning packages in one language and then be shocked when people fail to understand? English, as we all know, is the universal accepted medium and I would understand if things came as standard in English and then other language options were given, with the very same material in them like any other right thinking university would do. Many a time I've heard from friend, black an white, how certain things get left out of certain packages and they then have to scramble to find all they need. It's almost as if the creative is being killed by the rigid codes of the Institution.
Of course this is only my opinion on something I am still wrapping my head around but what I fear is that by the time I do, it would be too late.
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