The Ostrich

Our receptionist normally comes and chats to me during her lunch break and I enjoy our little intimate moments. And she asked me how my weekend was, and there goes Miss Talk A lot and I start elaborating on my weekend. Telling her about the projects that we will be running in our community and how I plan to set this up. During our conversation I start to understand where she grew up. What stunned me was the she is an ostrich.

She had, just like some of us, grown up in a crime- and gang ridden area. Children, who grew up in front of her, were now gang members and she shared horrific stories with me. She said she wouldn’t allow her son to go and visit her parents when he became a young adult because of the situation back home. And on top of that she thinks I’m brave for being an ‘activist’. LOL, I almost fell off my chair. Let me tell you what an ostrich is, and then you will understand better.

“When an ostrich is in the position which they must hide from nearby predators, they blend in effectively with their environment. They will simply lay as flat as possible in order to ensure that they are not recognized” (best-orstich-info-online.com).

Does this not sound familiar to us? We grow up in areas where gangs rule, women are raped, boys are initiated into gangs and drug lords are at the order of the day and we just simply blend in. A woman would much rather smile, greet and be polite to hooligans to ensure that she is safe. For fear of being raped or victimized, she rather plays along with whatever the game is.

In order for a young boy not to lose his life or to be down with the crew, he joins a gang. “Hulle is die ouens”. For fear of opposing the drug lords, we just keep quiet and have them ruin our youth and some of the parents even shied their children when told that their children are part of the problem.

Why it that the good people don’t unite and rather be is peacocks showing off their beautiful colours? We would much rather crouch and blend in then swim upstream. My mom always says only dead fish swim downstream. And if we can learn anywhere, nature is our best and surest bet.

We put our head in the sand and crouch low. Get terrorized by freaks and can’t live the way we want to for fear of a bunch of cowards who, on their own, are unable to harm a fly. These cowards rule by fear and we are just okay to let it slide and not do anything about it.

I simply refuse to be dictated to on what, where, when and how I shall do things. Not by some stupid kid who doesn’t know where I’m from, been through and going. I shall not sit quietly and watch these people decide on the future of my unborn children or those of my relatives, neighbours and friends.