 Positive initiatives such as Lead SA and SHOUT are blossoming in the face of increasing crime, violence, poverty and corruption. Is a positive mindset enough, or are we fooling ourselves?
Faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the form of crime, violence, corruption and poverty, South Africa has fought back on a tremendous scale this year, armed with initiatives such as Lead SA and SHOUT. Lead SA, a Primedia Broadcasting initiative, stresses the importance of the small things in life, such as smiling, performing small acts of kindness and rejecting a negative outlook on South Africa and its future. SHOUT, an anti-crime initiative, is a trust founded by SA celebs Danny K and Kabelo Mabalane following the senseless killing of reggae musician Lucky Dube. These initiatives, it can be argued, build national confidence and pride – but is this enough to bring with it the dawning of a new era for our country?
The power of positive thinking
In his book The Power of Positive Thinking: 10 Traits for Maximum Results, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale stresses the importance of faith and a positive mindset in achieving goals and results. Peale feels that the biggest difference between people is their attitudes, and that this alone can determine the success or failure of an individual. On maintaining a positive, confident outlook on life, he suggests focusing on three key elements in one’s inner conversation ¬– the running narrative built up out of our thoughts, habits, beliefs and ideas that we have with ourselves every day. These three elements are also referred to as the Three Cs.
Firstly, make a Commitment to yourself and others, to your dreams for the future, to your self-worth and to your beliefs. Be enthusiastic about this commitment, and try to give it life in your daily interactions with people and yourself. Secondly, it is important to keep your actions and your thoughts under Control. Don’t rein them in, but keep an eye out for negative or harmful patterns in your behaviour and your relationships. Stop any destructive, self-deprecating or disrespectful behaviour, because it is not conducive to building and maintaining a healthy, happy individual mindset. Lastly, Challenge yourself and your beliefs. Approach every day with confidence and look at areas you’d like to improve upon as challenges.
Although it is up to every single individual to think positively and to make the abovementioned changes in his or her daily life, positive thinking has a tendency to be quite infectious. Initiatives such as Lead SA and SHOUT seem to operate on the principle of the global consciousness – although a healthy mindset cannot stop crime and violence from happening, it can create an environment in which destructive and harmful behaviour is unacceptable, changing minds slowly but surely.
All for one, one for all
Initiatives that place emphasis on community-building and the use of individual strengths and force to make a change in society do not have much need for manpower, arms or machinery when they have the most powerful human tool on their side: the human will. Lead SA, which encourages all South Africans to abide by the law and to lead their peers and fellow citizens by example, has recognised the power in unity and has applied its energy to reminding South Africans of their heritage, their similarities, and their future together. Is this vision enough to cause a change for the better in our country?
Tangible rewards
Lead SA and SHOUT are special initiatives in that they are concerned mainly with affecting the intangible: people’s hearts and minds. They have, however, had many success stories, which serve only to reinforce the confidence and power of will they have bred in many South Africans. Their projects with the likes of the Crime Line tip-off service, Heartlines, and SA: The Good News have served to strengthen South African devotion to and confidence in the cause, with tangible rewards as a result of a conscious effort to retrain generations’ worth of negativity, hopelessness, and despair.
Says Primedia Broadcasting CEO Terry Volkwyn, “I think that people can do a lot of little everyday things that make a difference and it has to start somewhere with the small stuff.” I tend to agree.
About the author: Kayla is currently a first-year Journalism and Media Studies student at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. She is the editor of the Comment & Analysis section of student newspaper Activate and she a writer for the Politics, Business, and Features sections, as well as a sub-editor for the paper. Her other subjects are Economics, English, History and Sociology. She devours books and sees herself as one of the blessed few who actually enjoy working. She is involved with student society SHARC (Student HIV/AIDS Resistance Campaign) at Rhodes and has recently graduated as a certified Peer Educator. She is the community engagement representative for the African Drum Society and is currently working with up-and-coming student society Common Ground in the same capacity. She loves watching art films and her guilty pleasure is shopping.
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