CHANGING THE SELF: Self-criticism

Falling into the frenzy of self-pity can be a wicked emotional and psychological knock-out blow for an individual that has witnessed trauma beyond their wildest existence. In the mist of self-pity, lingers self-doubt and self-criticism; blaming and beating yourself for the things that you have done.

Self-criticism is all about an individual acknowledging and responding to critics or responses on the things that they have done in their lives. Criticism come in two different forms – there is constructive criticism, and there is destructive criticism. Constructive criticism aims to build ones character traits and pave the way to their reasonably idyllic future, when destructive criticism aims at violently debilitating and finally exhausting ones character and self.

Destructive criticism is when an individual fails to face up to their own mistakes, thus succumb to blame-shifting, which is one of the major selfish acts an individual can ever do to themselves, their community members, their partner, their family or relatives. When one consistently blames others for their own failure and fall short of owning up to their own doing for the failure, everything they do becomes destructive. Alternatively, destructive criticism is dished out by people surrounding you to make you negatively quill your ambitious ways.

A subtle destructive criticism comes when an individual, persistently beat themselves up emotionally and mentally for abusive things that were done to them by others; at times abusive things that they themselves did without planning to do them; in some cases, failure to achieve their goals in life due to the inability and lack of skills to reach that particular goal, therefore the failure becomes an abrasive stain to their inner self. Condemning themselves into the dark psychological wilderness of self-pity, which at times may lead to suicide.

Constructive criticism also emits mirrored ideological view points with a different psychological aurora each time an individual is criticized. Firstly, constructive criticism comes negatively, when viewed from a personal view point, aimed at criticizing your persona, disapprovingly and not what you do or did, can strengthen your inner self when you learn to overcome it. Which does improve yourself self-belief and self-assertiveness in things that you do – meaning, it bring growth to an individual.

Secondly, when your work or your behavior is criticized constructively, aimed at improving the quality of your work or your behavioral pattern it brings betterment in your pursuit of living your destiny, psychologically, and physically - the type of environment you live in or aim to chase your destined life in. It is constructive criticism from other people, that gives you a different ideological, artistic, stylish view point from what you thought was the accepted, or uncharacteristic that aligns your mental-self, emotional-self to greatness. Constructive criticism separates a genius from the ordinary in the fraternity of thinkers, artists, workers and sporty individuals.

It is important to know that people view a different person differently from what is constituted as being normal in every community. Therefore, an individual that excels or is seen as strange physically, mental and spiritually will be criticized for who they are or what they are. This negative form of criticism is does drive individual to commit cruel psychological and physical atrocities to those different from who or what they are. Leading to psychological and physical trauma.

At a certain point of your life, assiduous critics and psychological constitutional barriers arise; therefore alter your course to self-worth, self-love and transcending love. We all view criticism differently, evidently react differently towards certain critical moments, however when we chose to react negatively towards certain critical moments in our lives, we end up destroying the positive phenomenal aurora aimed a uplifting our Self. Criticism, whether be it noble or wicked can aid in assuring the path of growth for the Self. It all depends on how you take it.

WORD TO A NEW CRITICAL MOMENT ANALYSIS REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE LAW

Taking the law into your own hands, resides beyond the regular criterion of society at large – it resides in the frameworks of total iniquity . When society fails to adhere to the rules and regulations that are aimed at imparting peace and stability within its jurisdiction, a chaotic state is affirmed.

South Africa has witnessed many such occurrences of a chaotic state in regards to many issues of governance that require more bureaucratic, political attention than others – namely corruption. Decisive steps need to be taken towards municipal, legislative and government malpractice that is very rampant in our society. Bureaucratic, political steps that will assure effective governance to any political order, be it socialistic, capitalistic or democratic (Notwithstanding totalitarians).

Criminal activities and criminals come in many forms, without any doubts, however bureaucratic crime or white-collar crime is one massive driving force behind lesser misdemeanor crimes. Bureaucratic crime, is an instigating pestilence behind vigilantism, which led to numerous unexpected sporadic attacks on foreign-nationals, in many parts of the country. Bureaucratic crimes were fully driving these xenophobic attacks. Many vigilante groups are seen as apolitical, when in actual fact their core stems around politically driven affiliations.

The policing structures of our country, from walk-about policing, to National Intelligence was centralized to focus mainly on what was broad to the fore by the infamous, crime fighting unit, the Scorpions. The Scorpions had a punitive shortcoming with the bureaucratic elite, due to its investigative aptitude, and for enforcing punitive legislative measures upon bureaucratic, political criminals without favoring their aristocratic ranks in society.

The Scorpions unraveled diminutive white-collar crimes which pointed a big tinted finger towards influential heads within the South African political circles; when the puzzle of these diminutive crimes were adjoined to be a compendium of one large bureaucratic misgivings in our political history - which of cause led to the political demise of one beloved African Renaissance’s son. The Scorpion’s sting fell off, when its intelligent head was chopped – giving raise the soothing Hawks.

A bureaucratic crime is discovered, a political head goes to prison, to secretively sweep the conspiracy under - millions of Rands aimed for development go unaccounted for under false companies. Nine months in total bliss, a few shakes here and a few shakes there, Eureka! The bars are off.

The country has seen a neo-Political atmosphere with our commander-in-chief President Jacob Zuma and his appointed, reshuffled and reappointed cabinet of Ministers – with Julius tailing the Mine Nationalization issue with his young bureaucratically ambitious cadres. Capitalism or monocracy?

The major issue with President Zuma’s cabinet is the Media Appeals Tribunal and the newly proposed Information Bill, that will force the Media or journalists, by law to reveal their sources; overtly allow government officials to hide damning information against officials from journalists and the greater public. The frameworks of total iniquity will come with these projected diplomatic legislative chess pieces, that will see South Africa become another China, and Gambia with its freedom of expression curtailed by an authoritarian hand that induces propaganda upon its citizenry.

The jurisdiction of the law can never serve its society fully, when its bureaucratic elite wields the power to impose issues of greater public significance without placing those issues on a Referendum, to weigh-out the pros and cons of those particular issues, within the public domain.

No political party is bigger than the Constitution, the law of the land – accordingly, no political party is exempt from operating within the jurisdiction of the law. In our Democratic State, no bureaucratic heads shall take the law in their own hands, and deem others fit for persecution. The People shall Govern!


WORD TO A NEW LAW ABIDING GOVERNANCE REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

CHANGING THE SELF - FORGIVENESS

Reaching a correct rational resolution with the Self, takes times when an individual’s emotions, psyche and physical self-love, is in disarray. We do dark things in our lives, that we are not proud of however, in doing so there is always a choice to revert to our old humane Self, if we are prepared to restore the eternal love and everlasting light that has always shone within. Change within the bounds of the Self, is a realistic and an undeniably possible remedy for an individual who is troubled, to eradicate the blueprints of its dark ways. It is all activated by the right attitude towards reconciling your mental faculty, with your emotional faculty – it all starts with Self-forgiveness.

Self-forgiveness, is a thought and life altering process aimed for the betterment of the Mental, Emotional, and Physical. It is an emotionally excruciating task for one to do a mental, emotional and physical introspection and retrospection, of what they have done in their lives to make their inner Self alter its course from reaching the omnipotent light.

To blame yourself for things that you did, because you did not know better or lacked the knowledge of taking the appropriate choice, is not an amusement. It is the seed that spreads the roots of self-loathing, self-alienation and self-destruction. The seed and roots that harvest the fruits of hate and dark persona, which bears the trees of self-annihilation.

When an individual vehemently abhors something or someone, without concrete base of why they detest so much. The darkness within them consumes them, thus dictates the terms of how they will react towards that particular thing or someone. Consequently, the rational is lost, replaced by madness and diabolical thoughts; culminating to an unwanted end.

What does it mean to forgive yourself? Self-forgiveness starts with Self-respect and Self-love. When you respect and love yourself, you see life in a different light, as opposed to hurting and hating everything in it. Self-forgiveness means, recognizing and acknowledging the source of your psychological and spiritual dilemma, and taking ownership for your part. Self-forgiveness means, taking the suitable steps in changing your false psychological and spiritual attitude, towards your behavioral and thinking pattern. Self-forgiveness means, knowing that you own your inner Self, your thinking and emotions – no other person can touch your inner Self, unless you allow them to. Self-forgiveness means, reconstructing the events that took you to a dark place and mending the ‘HOW’ it happened. Self-forgiveness means, reconciling your inner Self with the source, the light; and redeeming yourself from the darkness that has shrouded your soul. Self-forgiveness means, forgiving those that have wronged you and asking forgiveness from those that you have wronged.

Self-forgiveness means, knowing that life is an intellectual and physical game that you have to win, without resorting to ways that will hinder your Self-respect, Self-love, Self-consistency, Self-belief and Transcending-love. Self-forgiveness means bringing peace unto yourself.

To truly forgive yourself, means changing, re-developing your inner Self and your personality in a way that honestly alters erroneous habits. It means to physically act out the inner resolution to forgive yourself, without going overboard, or being too enthusiastic about your psychological and physical recourse.

Kirk Franklin, one of the best Gospel luminaries in the world once noted, “If your inner man catches up with your outer man, then you will be a great man,” It is the inner Self, the light that shines from within that will help you transcend your life to a perpetual plain of Self-love, Self-respect, Self-growth and inner peace.

WORD TO A NEW SELF-FORGIVENESS REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

SUICIDE AND THE SELF

The mind is a powerful tool that controls every person’s impulses and the functionality of the physic. However, it is the Self that distinguishes and polarizes an individual’s character traits from all other personalities in life. The Self is a personal imprint, synonymous with the fingerprint, the footprint and the eye imprints, with its unique impressions from one individual to the next individual. The mental combined with the inner Self aids in developing a light or a dark personality, with of cause, a very realistic recognition that every mammal, from birth, is bestowed with an inner perpetual light, to love, nurture and restore goodness unto others and the world. So, what turns an individual to be suicidal?

A Suicidal thought is what is known as an ‘Emotional Disorder’, with a very apprehensive, devastating end – mortal death. Suicidal thoughts are initiated by a depressive state that is formed through some kind of emotional deprivation.

An emotional deprivation that was created by a shock or lack of mental/spiritual stimulation, or a hugely Self altering despondency that altered the Self from its innate light to what is known as darkness. The Self needs experience to strive; experience that develops your mind which makes you wiser and fortunate or unwise, therefore misfortunate. And those experiences are forged in a societal environment that each of us exist in – with its dark and light areas.

The Self, which is the beaconing emotive, clandestine, inborn spiritual entity in every individual is shaken by some experiences, that tip the scale of personal light into the darker mental and emotional peripheral areas of existence, which kills hope, eventually reaching the very nucleus of being, the inner light – driving an individual into an emotional paralysis, descending the inner light into a deeper dull emotionally uncontrollable abbacy. Sending the body and mind to a depressive state – an Emotional Disorder.

This occurs to individuals due to the inability to handle unwanted emotional, mental and physical social environmental impacts, such as rape, verbal abuse, alienation, and physical abuse. A supportive notion, that your environment and experiences shape your perception, thus your personality. However, to those individuals that are unhappy about their physical makeup, their self-loathing drags their physical structure to extinguish the light from the Self.

The inability to deal with your emotions, is what is referred to as ‘Emotional Blocking’. When an individual blocks out their emotions, to what is the real course of their emotional state, they go into a state of self-denial and their action, whether be it an emotional outburst or an emotional withdrawal from their environment, makes them lose their physical and their inner emotive inhibitions. Losing control of any situation makes an individual hyper sensitive, consequently pushes them to take irrational action, which in some cases is a disturbing end to the Self.

When an individual falls into a depressive state, it becomes difficult for those around them to reach out and touch the inner dying emotional flames. A psychological retrospection and introspection of an individual through counseling sessions, can help digress steps of a suicidal individual ambling towards a jagged edge, preventing a probable fall to their premature, hopeless, self-loathing death.

Your thinking affects your quality of life and when your thinking fails you, your life and your path to transcending growth fails. This applies to a suicidal situation too. When you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, darkness will consume you, destroying your inner light.

Inner strength, that emanates from the original light, the Self; is needed in championing the course to: Self-love, Self-consistency, Emotion-self-expediency and Transcending love. Humanity originates from the unending love of the light. Light, that is the conqueror of darkness, bestowed to every individual at birth. Light, that gives hope in sorrowful moments. Light that doesn’t take but,potently gives life and hope.

WORD TO A NEW SELF RESOLUTION REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

A RESOLUTION WITH THE PHYSICAL AND THE SELF

Striving for perfection is humankind’s ultimate revolutionary goal to its evolution. Self-regulation and the ability to make sound choices towards yourself development, are the fundamental facets that make you who you are and how others in your environment perceive you. As individuals we are born with different, personal, bodily and mental frameworks that we did not choose, however were by natural selection, presented as a gift to our loved ones for the world to marvel at.

There are individuals that are not happy with their physical makeup and how the universe chose to present them to the world, albeit they are blessed with everything that they want and need in this world. Thus such individuals turn their anger against life and the people around them, in order to alleviate the ‘freakiness’ from the Self or from the physic that carries the Self.

We as humankind can never eliminate the process of Natural Selection in nature. It is through Natural Selection by nature with its natural phenomenon that life is decorated and stylized with the flamboyance of physically gifted folks, mentally gift folks (Geniuses), dwarfs, albinos, the semi-physically disabled, the physically disabled, transgender, transvestites, Gay and Lesbian folks, ordinary folks (argumentative), orators and mutes, outreaching philosophers, pop stars - musicians and film stars. (Although it must be noted that some disabilities are not through natural selection but through accidental happenings that are beyond anyone’s control) It is by this phenomenon that different trends and standards are set in life, which ultimately constructs a societal border between the strivers towards ultimate perfection or self-actualization and those that turn towards self-loathing, self-alienation and self-destruction – the ‘freakiness’ that needs to be alleviated.

The unhappiness that an individual experiences from how they are physically structured by nature, can stem from numerous variables that makes up their psyche – how they perceive the world and its coexisting organic matter, in-turn how the world perceives them – meaning the people in their lives or surroundings. Self-denial forms a huge part of why an individual’s Self wants to hide away from the world, combined with their homogenous makeup, emotional-self and emotional instability. The emotional instability that is formed due to the lack of self-actualization and self-consistency of who they are from the core. Such individuals cannot find contentment in their lives, because of the duality between the Self and the physicality that was naturally selected by nature; therefore their existence leads to a whirlwind of contempt for the Self and social imbalance for that particular individual.

The pursuit for perfection to alter the unassuming errs of nature, drives such individuals to the extreme of all things, where at times their emotional instability can be mistaken for ultra-ambition to achieve the unachievable and tame the untamable, alas it is the definitive cry out for help. Those who do not see the tell-tale signs, will praise and applaud the misdirected and compensate them without knowing the self-loathing that drive the pursuit.

Your thinking affects your quality of life and when your thinking fails you, your life and your path to transcending growth fails. You can definitely change the way you think to change your future for the better. The way you judge yourself affects the makeup of your psyche - behavior affects the Brain, which crafts your addictions or recurring behavioral patterns.

Take a young beautiful lady, that thinks that her nose is too ugly and thinks that influences the way men think about her thus a shape her relationships for the worst. What this young lady doesn’t realize is that, her attitude towards her appearance, her nose in this case, belittles her entire existence. This can lead her to a place where she is emotionally unstable, and a social outcast due to her resolution about her outer appearance.

The pursuit of happiness begins with the pursuit of excellence. When an individual is unhappy about their outer physic, whether their female with masculine emotions or male with feminine emotions, it is imperative that a path to harmonize the physical and the self, in order to pave the right way to self-actualization is realized. To cast out self-criticism and find a balance with the three essential - Mental, Emotional and Physical. The point of excellence can be reached if one learns to acknowledge and synchronize the inner Self with the outer physic.Love yourself and eliminate the freakiness.

WORD TO A NEW SELF RESOLUTION REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

WORD TO THE DAWG OF SELF

At times we have to take precautions for things that we say or do; recourse for things that we do or aim to do, and this applies to being a boyfriend, a husband and a father. The implications of saying something to your loved one, then do something totally different to the contrary, can have dire consequences, not only to you as an individual but, to everyone that admires you as a person.

Take a ‘dawg’ as a metaphor for instance – a ‘dawg’ that barks viciously at anyone or anything that comes in their path or appears unexpectedly, then suddenly attacks, that is not facetious, its brutality with rabies. A man that sells their face on things that they do not intend on keeping, bears similar traits of a vicious deadly dawg, that will attack unexpectedly, hurting everyone in their path.

The desire to be the best father in the world transverse with keeping your word and is attached to what is known as the emotional-self. The emotional-self, especially in children needs a willing father figure, with a supportively willing mother figure. Failure to give the emotional-self a supportive base, leads the self lacking in any form of love or meaningful contact, thus leads the self to what is known as ‘emotional deprivation’ – mutating an individual’s self to what I call the ‘Dawg of Self’.

A dawg of self is a penny-pinching, selfish, unruly and unemotional man that leaves a woman to raise their children on their own, or any individual that care nothing about other people’s psychological welfare. A man that grew up in an emotionally deprived environment, without a father figure, is most likely to experience emotional instability when dealing with emotional attachment, when women are involved, therefore are the individuals that are prone to repeat the circle of emotional deprivation. The implications of saying something to your child, then do something totally different to the contrary of what was promised, can have dire consequences, due to individual irresponsibility. (This does not apply to all male figures)

Emotional deprivation leads an individual’s emotions in disarray and can lead to a depressive state at times. To some individuals, emotional deprivation of any kind can create what is known as emotional bias or hatred towards a specific thing (s), person (s), or group (s) and can be devastating for an individual to carry, emotionally and psychologically. An individual’s behavior turns to move away from the normality and expectancy of their responsibility. Self emotional deprivation brings an untimely death to an individual, years before their actual death.

Parents, who become parents when they are not ready or without the assistance from their elders, draw negatively on their shortcoming, consequently become angry at themselves or the world thus applies their selfish acts upon others, particularly their own children. An individual’s anger that was shaped from their emotional deprivation, does filter through to their children; constituting to some form of abuse or limitation to their children – the dawg of self.

A man (or a woman for that matter) that sells their words on things that they do not intend on keeping, bears similar traits of a vicious deadly dawg, that will attack unexpectedly, hurting everyone in their path; ultimately destroying the emotional self and the purpose of the self.

We all go through emotional deprivations that forge and merge our personality with other coexisting personalities, either in a good way or a wrong way, in this habitual place called life. A recourse for the self, to emotional deprivation, that mutates the self into the ‘dawg of self’, is acknowledging your position and feelings about how you as an individual were raised to eliminate emotional instability. To reach an emotional resolution or emotional maturity one needs to create a loving environment, where the self will find contentment and self prosperity. Let’s take precaution and dually responsible action to our actions.

WORD TO THE NEW DAWG REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

WEARING YEARS

In this life we try to make it all, nicely fit
When we run with all, our yearning feet
Nearing to these so, likely wearing years
As a jacket of time that has lost its wears
Tears no more when eyes have it all known
Wallets with press pinchpennies in our own
When we run with all our mix cheerful beat
Towns, parks and clubbing places, we meet
Simplifying framing gears of time, that is fear
The sounds we hear shapes the mind to peer
Life is a journey with endless flames in space
Vaguely vanquishing souls to a sleeping place
Those that have lost the ties of love relation
Who’s emotions in motion to store in fashion
A razzmatazz in flowing clubs and in derbies
A remembrance of smiles in wearing years



“Those that embrace the power of love, find the power of light.” Linda Sakazi Thwala

WHEN THE SELF CRYOUT

Finding a balance in life is what defines the freedom of the Self and aids towards achieving the best homogeneous relational within the three essentials of the Self. We all want to acquire perfection in this world, however acquiring perfection can only be attained in the ethereal, heavenly realm. The only thing that we humanly beings can strive towards achieving in this life time, is a good sustainable, enlightening, building, content-filled environment for the self; where each individual is able to live their purpose fully, without cry outing for attachment or unnecessary affirmation of existence from destructive places or preying individuals.

There is a popular maxim that says, “Too much of a good thing is poisonous” This relates with your daily interactions and daily interchange with your environment and people around you. When an individual places themselves in a destructive obsession to a place or self-destructive addiction to a substance, then that individual is crying out for HELP. Attention seeking behavior.

Too much self-indulgence is self-destruction, especially when you as an individual go out, seeking for a thing or something that will make you physically or mentally whole. A person that is desperate to achieve a higher percentage from an exam of something that they cannot grasp fully, thus spends fifteen hours reading, reading, reading on without understanding or taking a study-break, achieves nothing but madness and total failure, because reading without understanding only adds more confusion in an already confused mind – too much undirected reading.

This also relates to too much partying, and always seeking for some sort of escapism, from what life is expecting from you, yourself appointed goal, your destiny. Procrastination leads an individual to idleness - a life without purpose and without direction. The self, your authentic core may cry out for what it needs, its purpose in life and the way it should journey, however life’s obstacles may hinder that destined journey, at times deterred by people surrounding you as the traveler towards your destiny, or by you as an individual.

When your journey reaches a blockage, or an unexpected impasse, your purpose in life seems unreachable and too distant to achieve, thus leaves the self in emotional and mental disarray. At times the suppression of what your journey must be as opposed to expectations; by your parents, your friends, your aunts and uncles, your siblings, your classmates, your colleagues, can lead one to realize that life has no purpose and that no one cares. This may drive an individual to conform to things or ways that will ultimately push the Self into the state of inertia for life, or self-destruction.

Over-indulgence in anything can lead to two different character defining objectives. The one objective can gradually build an individual to be better at what they do, be better humans for the betterment of life; the other objective can gradually break an individual, temporary or for a lifetime. We as individuals get court up in what we do daily, not realizing that the things we do define our way of life and how our purpose or directive to make humanity better is constructed, by how your views to life relate to other people’s views, merged with your purpose or destiny.

In life, no one knows how you feel emotionally or how your mental faculty is figured, unless you speak out your problems or do something that makes people notice that help is needed. When the Self is seeking attention, its objectives may be emotional and psychological affirmation of what it is destined to be, which is growth; or it may be emotional and psychological degradation due to seeking or needing debilitating emotional and physical attachment to verify their existence, which is conformation or docility to a destructive environment.

When the Self cry out, it is in need for new breathe to enable it to move towards achieving its goals, therefore aids to attaining its destiny in life. Your life starts with the self-love and self-light that is in you and is emanated by your temple in the world. Finding a balance in life, is a crypt to your destiny.

WORD TO A NEW PENDULUM OF SELF REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

SELFLESS TRIBUNAL???

The proposed Media Tribunal, is a selfless travesty to a selfless course to our struggle, and contradicts everything that the African National Congress stood for and stands for today. A tyrannical era of passive and sporadic semi-armed resistance was fought to attain a Democratic, Liberal South African State. What is self-governance and freedom, when the politicians that govern our country want their actions and unruly discretion go clandestinely unnoticed and untouched? Where is freedom in that notion?

Media freedom, is an essential cornerstone to what is known as Democracy. It is the strength that keeps political and social relations flowing in a harmonious plateau. Media freedom is a partner to breathing, living developmental policies of our Constitution. The Constitution enshrines the seeds that will build our country into the best Nation in the world, including the transparency to the dissemination of information, without bias or prejudice ideals.

Media Tribunals are aimed at denying South African journalists their freedom to impart societal and political information about corruptions and corrupt individuals. Placing objective reportage in a bad subverted view, is an undeniably imprudent and inhumane, dictatorial stance that has subjected journalists around the world with unnecessary torture and destructive imprisonment. Where is a Selfless Struggle there?

When a governing cabinet constructs a Democratic State, from a directive of a solid Constitution, with corrupt individuals standing in the shadows, trying to undermine the power and control of the hand that voted it to power, by overlooking and substituting its demands to a better life; to jobs, housing, good health plans and education, with acquiring wealth and going to overseas tax-sponsored holiday trips with hedging diplomatic reasons, without considering what their position and duty is to the very masses that helped to construct the Democratic State, with a directive of a solid Constitution. Then, that individual’s pillaging mentality, needs to be placed in the public eye for scrutiny.

The Media’s Ombudsman and other regulatory ‘watchman’s judgmental heads are the only heads that have to reign over journalists without imposing or denying the media its fundamental right to do its job. Journalist who falsify information, are not the only ones that are guilty of that falsification. The responsibility of clarifying information falls with the person that gave information, the journalist that acquired that particular information, the sub-editor and the editor that has to check for the authenticity or source of that particular information before it goes to print. Why should political parties regulate the media, when the media has the Press Ombudsman and the Press Council?

South Africa has come a long way to emulate the ways of Zimbabwe or the ways of Cuba. The responsibility to what future generations of our land will have to deal with, starts with how we view our society - politicians included. The Media’s freedom is linked with the freedom to speak, write and acquire information without infringing on other human beings’ right to life, and National Security. An ideal to a selfless struggle does not exempt an individual from a lawful reprimand when a white-collar crime has been committed and when National Security has been compromised.

WORD TO A NEW FAIR MEDIA REGULATORY REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

THE PITFALLS OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS TO RELIGION

HISTORY teaches us clearly that the battle against colonialism does not run straight away along the lines of nationalism. For a very long time the native devotes his energies to ending certain definite abuses: forced labour, corporal punishment, inequality of salaries, limitation of political rights, etc. This fight for democracy against the oppression of mankind will slowly leave the confusion of universalism to emerge. The lack of practical links between God and the mass devise a moment of the struggle that give rise to tragic mishaps.

In my opinion, it is not necessary to talk with Africans about African culture. However, in the light of the above statement one realizes that there is so much confusion sown, not only amongst casual non Africans, but even amongst Africans themselves, that perhaps a sincere attempt should be made at emphasizing the authentic cultural aspects of the African people by Africans themselves.

Since 1652- we blacks have been experiencing a process of acculturation. It is perhaps presumptuous to call it acculturation because this term implies a fusion of different cultures. In our case the confusion has been extremely one sided. The two major cultures that met and fused were the African culture and the Anglo –Boer culture .Whereas the African culture was simple and unsophisticated , the Anglo –Boer had all the trappings of a colonialist culture and therefore was heavily equipped for conquest. Where they could, they conquered by persuasion, using a highly exclusive religion that denounced all other Gods and demanded a strict code of behaviour with respect to clothing, education, ritual and custom. Where it was impossible to convert, firearms were readily available and used to advantage. Hence the Anglo –Boer was the more powerful culture in almost all facets. This is where the African began to lose a grip of himself and his surroundings.

It was the white missionaries under the veil of Christianity who confused the blacks with their new religion. They mythisized our people with stories of hell. They painted their God as a demanding God who seek worship “or else”. People had to discard their clothes and their customs in order to be accepted to the new religion .Knowing how Africans were, these pseudo- Christians stepped up their terror campaign on the emotions of the blacks with their detailed account of eternal burning, tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth. By some strange and twisted logic they argued that theirs was scientific religion and our was superstition. This cold and cruel religion was strange to the indigenous people and caused frequent strife between the “converted blacks” and the “resisting blacks”, for the “converted” have imbibed the false values of white society. The converted blacks were taught to ridicule and despise those defended the truth of their indigenous religion .With the ultimate acceptance of western religion down went our cultural values.

What I have tried to illustrate here is that in South Africa, religion has always rested under the white envelop. Not only have the Whites been guilty of being on the offensive habit but also, some skilful manoeuvres. They have managed to control the responses of the blacks to the provocation. Not only have they kicked the black but they have told him how to react to the kick. For a long time the black have been listening with patience to the advice he has been receiving on how best to respond to the kick. With painful slowness he should now beginning to show signs that it is his right and duty to respond to the kick in the way he sees fit.

While I don’t wish to question the basic truth at heart of Christianity, there is a strong case for blacks to re-examine their cultural religion which was bastardised at a helm of evils of colonisation. To the best of my research, I uncover very fundament aspects of black theology through our worship of ancestors. This theology wants to describe God as a fighting God not as a passive God who allows a lie to rest unchallenged. It grapples with existential problems and does not claim to be a theology of absolutes. It seeks to bring back God to the black man and to the truth and reality of his situation. The distinction between people and ancestors appeared to stem from the nature of the relationship between the living and the dead for it is believed that the dead are in close proximity with God. In Christian faith this is known as saint.

This acknowledgement of these beautiful angels opened a channel of communication between the living and those in the afterlife. Unfinished business in black theology is acknowledged and peace is made through rituals and ceremonies. Moments of transition at mile stones along one’s life are marked by rituals. Transitions such as births, initiations, graduations, changes in places of abode, acquisitions of important property, marriages and death are communicated to ancestors. Key ancestors in each household or clan are called by name and asked to participate in the significant occasion and bless it.

Such key ancestors are usually fathers, mothers, and grandparents. Whenever appropriate, ancestors are visited at their graves and informed about matters for which thanks are due and blessings are requested. In the event of personal or work related problems, rituals are performed to appease the death and restore good relationships. These rituals enable the living and those who have passed on to make peace and maintain it. It is this peace that is believed to open up opportunities for present and future prosperity. Therefore, when I survey all this and much more besides, I find nothing to sustain the long-held dogma of black theology, according to which our ancestor practice have become a symbol of fear, evil and death.

I speak of this long-held dogma because it continues still to weigh down the African mind and spirit, like the ton of lead that the African slave carries on their own shoulders. This heavy myth dictates to us that we will never straighten our back and thus discover that we are as tall as the slave master who carries the whip. An essential and necessary element of us blacks is that we all must take it as our task to encourage whoever carries this leaden weight, to rebel and assert the principality of our humanity. This is an important aspect of blacks who still swim in a mire of confusion –the aftermath of missionary approach.

We need to rewrite our history and produce in it the heroes that formed the core of our resistance to the white invaders. More has to be revealed, and stress has to be laid on the successful nation building attempts of men such as Shaka, Moshoeshoe and Hintsa. These areas call for intense research to provide some sorely-needed missing links. We would be too naïve to expect our conquerors to write unbiased histories about us. We have to persistently destroy the myth about our own religion, culture, customs and rituals which were wiped under cruel acts. We must reject as we have been doing the individualistic cold approach to life that is the cornerstone of the Anglo –Boer culture and keep the burning ashes of our ancestors -for to them blessings nourish.

By Cyprian Thwala

POWER AND POSSESSION

The Self is a wonderful place to be in, especially when it has realized, the three essentials contained by the Tree of Self, an individual’s spiritual affirmation and knowledge of the Self contained by the ‘temple’. Power and Possession are characteristics which are synonymous with the PROSPERITY of SELF. A yearning for Power and Possession is a psychological aspiration, which the Self needs to experience within, which leads to a content individual. Out of temple, materialistic or worldly Power and Possession can lead to tyrannical arrogance, when an individual is not accustomed to giving orders or reigning over others in an amicable way.

We as humans, are beings of Power and Possession. It is in our nature to take control in everything around us and in anything that wants to consume, manacle our physical, mental and emotional power. We are beings of rebellion and at times nonconformists in the ways of our forced habitual habitat. When an individual’s survival is, in any form threatened, and their living conditions are reduced to a degrading unruly state of chaos and free-falling pillaging. Is Power and Possession the right path for us humankind? To be in the right place in mind and spirit, is to understand that the material wealth that we are all casing, brings greed unto the world and kills the bonds that people had formed for years or decades.

Power and Possession is aligned with knowing how to talk the talk, walk the walk and walk the talk. Talking the talk is a mental centralism position, linked to your mental capacity – a loud mouth can be as load as they want, with sense or lack of sense, without acting on their rhetoric, it means nothing. Walking the walk, aligns to the impression of physical stimulus which is a form of physical dependence, which can be senseless, ineffective or null and void minus the talk. Walking the talk is an effective acquisition of results to the an individual’s goals in life – allies to Power and Possession. However, walking the talk can be arrogant, cold and lethal when talk turns dictatorial and dogmatically overtly that it shows the dark side of an individual’s hunger for Power and Possession, consequently the walking turns physically aggressive and diabolically uncompromising thus brings chaos unto the world (reflections of World War Two).

Out of temple or out of body acquisitions are meant to make one feel better about life and their individual efforts, however the buck stops there. Steve Biko, father of ‘Black Consciousness’, spoke of the “Noble Savage” (I write what I like: 1978), a relative concept that was not exploited to its peripheral nuances, to what it means to be a savage and yet be noble. A Noble Savage, means a person that is in a position of nobility or affluence, talking the talk, but is savagery in their actions - their way of doing things or leadership quality. A Noble Savage tells you what you want to hear, and does something else to the contrary of what was said. It’s a ‘you my friend with a smile and I’ll stab you in the back later’ type of thing. A Savage of nobility is an earthly dictator that aims to pillage a nation of its wealth and livelihood of its masses without considering, the consequences of their savagery actions.

A Noble Savage, thinks not of the inner spiritual entity that its masses need, coupled with the daily survival essential. A Noble Savage thinks not of their country, other than their possession perception in their pockets. A savage promises numerous things, but delivers zilch. Its yearning and acquiring of Power and Possession is uncompromisingly attributed to destruction to attain respect and honor. A Noble Savage thinks not of its Nation but its self-centered persona in pursuit of Power and Possession.

Out of temple, materialistic or worldly Power and Possession can undeniably lead to tyrannical arrogance, when an individual is not accustomed to giving orders or reigning over others in an amicable way. Power and Possession does not build resonance to acting love, transcending-love and to self-belief, it can assist in maintaining your self-worth, and serving as a humanitarian tool for the betterment of the world and humankind, when power and its possession is used in a proper way, to serve and protect. The Self knows no savagery ways, it is taught to be violent through earthly acquisitions.

WORD TO A NEW POWER AND POSSESSION REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

THE TREE OF SELF: Three Essentials to Self Development

Within the Tree of Self, there are three essentials that can help improve and sustain the branches of self, in accordance to Self belonging. These three essential are: Mental Exercise, Emotional Exercise, and Physical Exercise. The three exercises of the self can help in improving your whole attitude about life during tenuous times and during salacious moments in your life.

It is imperative that your Mental attitude towards life is in harmony with what you believe in, what you are experiencing and with what you want to achieve. The Mental Exercise of self starts with a well grounded educational base (meaning what you read, see and hear), that an individual acquires from their family environment, combined with colorful social interactions or relations with other fellow human-beings. There is an axiom that states: “It’s all in the mind” – your mental attitude determines your latitude and it initializes with a good upbringing or learning to overcome restraining obstacles in your path to attaining sustaining growth.

Growing up in an environment that offers a right mental attitude to life, guards an individual to attain mental strength, adjoined to all your relationships with day to day conversations that help to champion your emotional strength. After all, assorted conversations lead to clarity of the self. Emotional strength is gained through Emotional Exercise. How your parents treated or treat you, how your siblings or relatives treat you, how you treat yourself, how you treat your friends and how you treat your lover; is linked to your Emotional Exercise to life. Controlling your emotions within all your conversations is an essential trait to life and to your mental well-being. Failure to do so, can lead an individual to commit themselves to unwanted violent tendencies that will lead to self annihilation.

Going out for a walk, a jog, weight lifting, or playing any type of sports is Physical Exercise and builds your physical strength, which builds your life’s longevity. Why is Physical Exercise an essential? When an individual exercises, a positive attitude towards life increases and gives mental refreshment and emotional relief, that helps to reduce stress (which is why romantic moments with your partner are also an integral part to improving your relationship, as they combine all three essentials of self). Physical Exercise helps towards self-love; it is when you are in love with your ‘temple’ or body that you learn to love others without hindering their existence or compromising your own path to realizing transcending-love. Physical Exercise is a form of Acting-love.

Love is action – how you are treated, how you treat your family or your lover in a relationship will determine the latitude and longevity of your love; acting love is also an emotional and mental triptych to all your friendships and all your acquaintances – showing hate gives back hate, showing love gives back love. Acting love comes in different forms; one being self-love – the ability to realize that you cannot love another unless you love yourself; two, exuding that love in everything you do; three, talk the talk and walk the talk – act on your promises; four, ability to know when you have faulted and acknowledge that you have; five, good communication – knowing where you stand with your life and where your partner stands in your life is critical.

The branches to the tree of self are the three essential; Mental Exercise, Emotional Exercise, and Physical Exercise – that will build resonance to acting love, transcending-love and to self-belief. These three essential can assist to forming a well balanced self and maintain a resilient love that is never shaken nor destroyed by our brief earthly matters, however a makes an individual a shining beacon, the necessary light in the world.

WORD TO THE NEW THREE ESSENTIALS TO SELF REVOLUTION

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

Sakazi's Mzansi Seven Play