Happiness creates a rippling effect in a community. So for 2009 to be a positive year, we all need to adjust our perspectives a little, writes Peter Hughes. And yes, even in South Africa, we have a lot of good news stories to put a smile on our faces. Note the efforts of some individuals feeding the homeless, creating jobs or rising above their bleak circumstances to come out on top. There’s even the promise of a maturing government. And all of this in the most beautiful country on earth.
Happiness is a collective phenomenon, according to James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis of the Universities of California and Harvard, who have just published a paper in the British Medical Journal. This wasn’t a casual bit of research. It took place over 20 years and involved some 4 700 people. It also showed that you’re not only affected by people with whom you have regular close contact, but that the influence extends to three levels of separation.
In other words, the attitude of friends of your friends’ friends, of whose existence you’re not even aware, impacts on your attitude and zest for life and vice versa. In a nutshell, if you’re surrounded by many happy people, you’re likely to be happy now and happier in the future. As obvious as this may sound, for the first time there now seems to be definitive scientific proof of this fact. Your attitude impacts society like a pebble impacts a pond. It radiates out and just as happiness, optimism and positiveness spread, so do sadness, pessimism and negativity.
Now, let’s consider our collective interests as citizens of South Africa. Unless we have growing profitable businesses, which provide us all with the capacity to live happy fulfilled lives, we’re buggered. We’ve no chance of achieving this in an unhappy, pessimistic and negative society. Stuart Pennington realised this some years back and established SA Good News, a group of people working towards sending out positive ripples of good news. “I just can’t understand it,” said Pennington, talking at a recent farmer’s day. “When you talk to a Canadian about some of the atrocious potholed roads in Canada they immediately respond ‘yes, there might be some bad ones, but most of them are fine’. In South Africa the response is ‘Ja, you think this is bad, wait until I show you some of our other roads’.”
What the hell’s wrong with us? I’ve just driven 450km from Harrismith to Nelspruit in a more or less straight line past some towns I’ve never even heard of, all of it on beautifully tarred roads with little or no traffic. For a country with such vast distances, our roads are of the best in the world. Try a little off-motorway cross-country travel in Britain and see how long it takes, and what your state of mind is when you reach your destination. We’re surrounded by so much that’s positive and downright outstanding, yet so many of us only see the problems.
What about the farmer’s wife in Limpopo who built a business employing over 1 000 people, mainly women? Traditionally gifted in the art of embroidery, these people work from home to create exquisite wall hangings, cushion covers and place mats with traditional mythological and animal motifs. Their work is sought-after all over the world and becomes collector’s items. What about the fact that in November tractor sales rocketed by 27% year-on-year and harvester sales by a staggering 250%. It says a lot about the economy of agriculture at the moment.
What about the incredible integrity of our system of justice where a judge ruled in favour, with costs, of the Magudu Game Company?
In that case a progressive group of farmers worked collectively to build a new game reserve, only to be challenged by new communal owners of one of the farms acquired under land restitution. Despite the sensitive political nature of the case, the new owners were sent packing by the judge. Where else in Africa do you think this would have happened?
What about Margaret Mokoka, 60 years old, who in 1992 started a feeding scheme for homeless children. She and her husband were caring for 10 children in their garage. Today Lerato Love Homes is an organisation of three homes caring and educating 92 orphans. And then what about Noko Chelopo, who came from an impoverished home in Limpopo and without help from political connections or soft loans, built a highly successful engineering and labour brokering business in Burgersfort? He didn’t need BEE. He’s just damn good at what he does. And then there’s the unprecedented maturity of our young African democracy. A president has been removed without bloodshed and the party that liberated the majority from minority oppression is splitting, and the people are starting to gather around policies and principles rather than race or ethnic origin? Has this ever happened before in Africa, or for that matter in the Middle East, Eastern Europe or in any of the states of the former Soviet Union?
I could go on, but if you’re in need of some good news stories, go to www.sagoodnews.co.za. You’ll be overwhelmed. If there’s one New Year’s resolution to make this year, decide to send out positive ripples and become a force for good in our beautiful country.
Consider using the following techniques:
- When you hear people whining, especially ill-informed moans, speak up. Your silence signifies assent.
- Walk away from loudmouths who won’t listen to reason and who do nothing but find fault and sow negativity and discord. Cut them dead and encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same.
- Make individual contributions, it’s your duty. Report crime, pick up litter, give to the needy, create jobs, focus on the positive, give credit where it’s due and seek solutions rather than problems. To quote Alan Knott-Craig’s message to his staff at iBurst: “Seize the day; life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about dancing in the rain. Go out and dance in 2009. |fw
