Living in an Experiment

I was born into an experiment. One that so many people predicted would fail. The world watched expecting us to fling knives at each other or let loose flames. We did not. 

I don’t remember much about my childhood, but I know that desperation did change those around me. We grew closer, began to fall in love with this experiment and with each other. And that was just the start.

The experiment is not over. Nor will it ever be if I can help it.

And yet, the world I live in is not a utopia. It was not created by scientists who meticulously planted every single tree to fit a pattern. Instead, pieces fell together over time. My entire country was shaped by decisions guided by hope, but ultimately advanced guesswork. That led to errors, some that nearly brought the experiment crashing to an end, but still it continued.

Just like with experiments, it is important to take a step back every now and again in order to change your perception of the situation. We are often so focused on the negative news stories we find, that we forget to celebrate the successes that have been achieved. Over 20 years ago South Africa was a place of brutal relations between fellow citizens. This mindset has shifted thus uniting thousands of people.So far our social experiment has surprised the world by changing the course of an entire nation; nevertheless there are still challenges for us to face. But, is that not the case with most experiments?

An Update

A lot can change in two years.

In my final year of high school I succumbed to the advice of those around me. I sentenced my creative being to the depths of my heart, so that my mind would not wander from the subjects I needed to master. But even as I fought the fledgling ideas that refused to be quietened, I never succeeded in hiding my creative side. This portal to my brain may have been silent though I never stopped writing. I have files of blog posts I wrote but never published, because of others’ words that I started repeating to myself.

I now know that ignoring my creative side because I had to “minimize the distractions” was counter-intuitive. I spent more time suppressing thoughts than it would have taken to ponder them. However, I have emerged from this time of reflection with more wisdom to share with the world. I hope you enjoyed my time of hibernation because now I’m back and ready to open the minds of my readers.