Pseudo Phileo

I am perplexed. Which part of, "Switch off your cameras", does the media not understand? This morning's hi profile court proceedings are not isolated in this matter. However it sure does a splendid job at highlighting simple and blatant disregard for authority. In my opinion there should be legal action against journalists / photographers who purposely disregard instructions to the contrary.

#FirstThingsFirst
In my opinion, the events that played out in the early hours of Thursday morning are merely a physical manifestation of the emotional and spiritual murder that each one of us commits – in some way, shape or form – on a daily basis. We are not nearly aware of the damage which we cause through the judgement that we pass onto others every day, not to mention the pseudo-wisdoms we utter so loosely – particularly where celebrities and well-known people are concerned. Does anyone read the You magazine, Heat, Grazia…the gossip columns of a newspaper? Then we have all been there. The heart with which we come to these magazines a lot of times is one of finding pleasure in the mishap and mayhem which can sometimes be a celebrity lifestyle.
But I digress. It is my opinion that we will only ever be able to make an informed comment about the events in question if or when we are found in such a scenario ourselves. May none of us ever be confronted with such circumstances. But may we exercise the humility needed daily to remove the short-comings in our own lives before commenting on anything that has happened in anyone else’s life – regardless of whether the person is found there by their own accord.

#EqualityForAll?
Please allow me to return now to the matter I started out with. If stones are going to be cast about someone breaking the law by taking another person's life, then the law should be equally applicable to media who make themselves guilty of what is nothing less but contempt of court...surely? I am constantly amazed at how we are able to justify our actions when we are in breach of a law or rule set out in any given context. I am as guilty of this as anyone, and will be the first to admit it – albeit after the fact, more often than not. However I am ceaselessly flummoxed at the ease with which we (current company included, yet again) wave a finger at someone who has overstepped a boundary set by law or rules in any context. Who is actually at fault here? For what reason do we derive so much joy in the misery of another? It shouldn’t matter whether it was through a premeditated transgression or not. It shouldn’t matter whether a person deserves to be treated well or not. I have seen and experienced first-hand the transformational power that lies in treating someone exactly the way which (I may decide) they don’t deserve to be treated. When I have been on the receiving end of such a scenario, it was clear in my heart and mind that I did not want to be treated the way that I deserved to be treated…even if I had the maturity to own up to my mistake.

#ConsiderThis
In light of the aforementioned, I believe that this court case can do much for making us aware of the sad state that we are in as a human race and as a society at large. It is striking how much of human character comes to the fore in such instances. The challenge lies in whether we treat it as something to learn and grow from, to see it as an opportunity to look past someone's resume ("from hero to an assumed zero"). Another challenge lies in our ability to principally live out the Phileo - the Brotherly Love and Ubuntu, phrases that everyone loves referring to and throwing around rather cheaply, it would seem. This in turn begs another question: How much of what we say to one another each day do we really mean? But that is an entirely different blog post

However, apart from this, I would like to suggest that there is much that can be learned and improved upon in terms of the way in which news in South Africa (and beyond) is handled. Could this be an opportunity for us to make positive changes in this regard? Could this serve as a catalyst for an honest and no-holds-barred audit of the state of society at large? In my opinion the true question here is: Is there any possibility that this court case could help us conduct that same audit of the state of our own character, hearts and convictions? In all honesty…at the moment my head is telling me that there is no chance of that happening, or for any improvement to come from this. However, my heart is saying something quite to the contrary. Being a person that has experienced true Hope, I believe in the possibility of change… beyond a shadow of a doubt.