Reflections of a Deejay (1)

     Life demands that we take stock of our mistakes, successes and the lessons we learn along this journey. Life is also full of surprises. Two years ago, if somebody had forewarned us about the current happenings, we would have probably asked the news bearer to go to hell or get their mental faculties checked.  Even if we had believed, no amount of preparation would have been adequate to see us through this dark period in history. The irony is, almost two years later, nobody has the slightest clue how or when this is going to end; which leaves plenty of room for more surprises.

But one thing is slowly becoming more apparent - life as we knew it may never be the same again.  

During this pandemic, a lot has happened. Here are some interesting observations;

 

If China sneezes, the world catches a cold

Let me first state for the record, that this pandemic could have originated from any country in the world. China was just unlucky this time around.

China’s influence in the world has been clearly downplayed especially by the west. It is much bigger than we imagined. From Bhutan to Timbuktu, you will find evidence of China’s direct influence. In every corner of the world, China is present or has been there. That explains why no country in the world has been spared the virus. China might be ranked second in terms of wealth and business volumes, but clearly it holds the number one slot when it comes to the most influential country.

 If the virus, for example, had originated in the US or Europe, it would not have spread the breadth and length of the entire globe.  It would have been most probably like Ebola in the DRC, confined only to a small region.

 

 Things we tend to hold in high esteem are overrated

We tend to attach so much importance to material wealth; cars, houses, investments, jobs, money, circle of friends among other things. Society aggravates this mentality even further, as it defines ‘success’ and sets certain standards. According to societal opinion, a ‘successful’ person is a graduate, earns a six-figure salary, owns an up market home, nice car, an equally ‘successful’ spouse, blah blah blah…

This definition puts a lot of pressure especially on men, who are considered the breadwinners or ATM’s. Some go to great lengths to achieve this expectation to the extent of committing murder, suicide, selling drugs, human trafficking and much more. I also have a feeling the rampant corruption in this country is linked to people trying to meet the societal standards of ‘success’.

Enter corona, and reality struck. We realized our long held beliefs were a strong indication we had our priorities all wrong. All our plans were thrown into disarray. Jobs went to shit, education paused, investments crumbled, cars were sold or repossessed by banks, our influential friends deserted, and the fat bank accounts were quickly reduced to a balance of 0.00.

Then it painfully dawned on us. The simple things we always took for granted with a sense of self-entitlement were actually the most important. Like life, freedom, family and good health; and they are all free-of-charge.

                                   

                                       (Afrocinema continues shortly)………….

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