Photo courtesy of Trevor Ball. See Pg 27.
Groundswell of Good in the Cape of Good Hope Salvation doesn’t come to us from the top. It isn’t handed down to us by our leaders and government, though many of us spend our lives waiting for just that... for life to improve because of policy changes made by ‘major’ players. Over the past few months, I watched with a growing fascination and sense of wonder as the Hout Bay Facebook community, individual by individual, began helping each other. I’ve seen attitudes change and understanding born, I’ve seen that the ‘major’ players are the people in your life who have a direct impact, the ones on the ground, who make a difference. Be it Positively Hout Bay, Hout Bay Organised, Hout Bay Massive or any other group, people out there are communicating with, and learning about, each other. Dialogue goes back and forth, politics raises it’s head and one can almost hear the predicted group sigh, but from that comes open discussion. Instead of tempers being allowed to overrun a meeting, digitally, we are able to follow a thread, absorb what each member is saying and contribute if the urge arises. Oftentimes, I find myself agreeing with both ‘sides’ because I haven’t been forced to pick one. And in most cases the discussions end in an offer of help that leads, yet again, to positive change in Hout Bay. Big or small, favours are crisscrossing the valley almost constantly: a helping hand, legal advice, employment, an elusive recipe or a fancy car on loan for a special occasion, the people of Hout Bay are reaching out to each other in innumerable ways, and no matter the size of the favours or the amount of your time that you offer, it is all life changing.
Sales & Marketing Fiona Mills fiona@thegoodtimes.co.za 084 555 7999
A bold statement, but think about it? In every positive interaction we build community. In each caring moment, someone who felt alone and hopeless learns that there is a community out there who cares about what happens to it’s members, a community who wants the best for everyone. For too long now, we have lived divided, isolated and afraid. And in fear, we remain cold and disconnected, strangers in a town of thousands. By being disconnected, by not knowing the people we all share space with, we feed fear.
Just smile and say “Hi!” Yet this gentle bubble, this slow growing, luscious groundswell of communication and goodness that is percolating right here amongst us, gives us good reason to hope for a better tomorrow. A kind word, gratitude for a kind service, eye contact, the gift of one’s time and meaningful interaction build us a community of people who care about their neighbours. Positivity breeds positivity (the same can be said for it’s opposite) so, instead of keeping your head down and trying to make your way safely through your life without too much disruption or chaos, fearing the ‘what ifs’ and bemoaning the ‘why me’s’, lift up that chin, smile at the world, make eye contact with a stranger and just say ‘Hi!’. You MAY make a new friend, you WILL improve someone’s day. Keep it real, join the groundswell and enjoy Issue 2. Oh, and don’t forget: we are unapologetically “Ra-Ra!”
Content & Layout Jess Morgan jess@thegoodtimes.co.za 082 777 3024
Advertising Brooke Irving brooke@thegoodtimes.co.za www.thegoodtimes.co.za
Published by Fiona Mills & Jess Morgan
Silikamva High School