Interlude: Gratitude

This space is never personal or at least it is never meant to be personal. Well, this is the second time (that I can recall) that it will be personal. The thing is, I am grateful and there is nothing more personal than gratitude. You are the only one who can really know how grateful you are. It does not matter why I am grateful. It is enough for you to know that I am grateful; for a whole bunch of people and for a whole bunch of stuff.

In the middle of this gratitude or around it I am not sure - is life as we have come to know and despise. Nelson Mandela was hospitalised (for whatever major or minor reason) and the whole country was pretty much shitting itself (to quote a friend). I could not for the life of me understand the point of all those journalists camping outside the hospital for two days and two nights. What was this about? Was it about who gets to tell the story of the passing of Nelson Mandela first? Is this not one of those rare moments where a journalist is at peace with being scooped? I concede, Nelso Mandela is news. Everything about him is news. He is also a father, grandfather, husband and ex-husband and all other things that we are and would like to keep private. I concede also that many would not want him to die; even though 92 year olds do die, mostly unprovoked.

So, why camp outside the hospital so that we (journos and those who follow them), get to be the first ones to know of the passing of one Nelson Mandela? Is it because we have come to own the man? Maybe he is South Africa personified but I have my doubts. Make of it what you will but I was in church today and the priest kept asking this: "how do we hear the stories we are told and how do we tell the stories that we tell?" I am not sure what to make of all that but I guess there are many sides to a story. So maybe the journos just wanted their side to be first - whatever that means.

In other news, the people of Egypt took to the streets in defiance of the security forces and in support of their demands that their president or is it prime minister, I forget - resign. Depending on where you stand, this is democracy in action or of course, lawlessness. Whatever it may be, Egyptians seem to have decided that enough, is enough. Some have said that this may give new energy to the people of Zimbabwe. Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

I am grateful that I am not part of any of the demonstrations and fighting for rights or peace or liberation or change. While all this was happening, there was joy elsewhere and music and sunshine and smiles and laughter on the faces of children and old people. For that I am grateful, again.