Kali's View: The new dawn that never saw the light of day

Brenda Kali is the CEO of Conscious Companies and the Founder of the Conscious Leadership Academy.

Brenda Kali is the CEO of Conscious Companies and the Founder of the Conscious Leadership Academy.

Published Dec 16, 2018

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JOHANNESBURG - The season to be jolly awakens my inner child and the spirit of love and generosity it invokes is infectious. 

I initially thought that I would write about Christmas and how much I love this time of the year from the decorative lights to the cheesy jingle bells blaring through malls. 

However, on reflection I have to talk about the frenzied December that we had experienced thus far. In fact the frenzied year we have had from Ramophoria to the new dawn that never saw the light of day. But we South Africans are a resilient bunch. We take the hate mongers, the looters, the murderers, the criminals and the corrupt politicians in our stride. Either that or we have grown thick-skinned and become blasé about the beloved country. 

“Truth, although severe, is a real friend” is a centuries old Spanish saying that is apt in the current staggering headlines and dismal delinquency of our erstwhile leaders. An unguarded bellow is all it takes for us to witness the convulsions of a failed leader like Tom Moyane who just refuses to quit, or the hate eaten leaders who call for death and destruction. In a country that is as complex and forgiving as ours, do we sweep aside the unthinkable betrayal of state capture, the violated trust of a once noble ruling party, the loss of decency and morality from some of our lusty leaders who sexually exploit our young women and the sheer greed and muddy accounting of our some of our celebrated captains of industry to salvage a modicum of sanity? 

As a nation, our historic panorama of a creative race of disparate, diverse people negotiating the hateful rhetoric, arrogance of white monopoly, inexplicable lack of accountability, disregard of our poor, abuse of our women and children and the blatant everyday racism is a heavy price to pay on the psyche of any country.  So this begs the question – where do we find the emotional resilience to deal with the onslaught of the irrational rhetoric that is becoming the new normal and the electioneering jargon in the months to come?

When do we move into a portal of normality and when are our leaders going to end the dishonourable compromises they seal behind closed doors? When do we hold accountable those who are bent on destroying the fabric of this society? These are some of the soul searing questions to contemplate as we hurtle into the new year. 

The 4th industrial revolution heralds a new age of consciousness but we have a moral, ethical and governance crisis on our hands. Those who take on the mantle of leadership must shift this. At some point they must realise that they are called upon to take the hero’s journey and face the demons, travel through darkness and find a way into a South Africa that is less brutal, more gentle, less corrupt with its citizenry participating in its economic recovery. That’s what Ramophoria was supposed to be. That is how I saw the promise of a President’s new dawn. 

Sadly, the realistic expectations of what should have been and what is – is sobering. However, there is hope that there are a handful of conscious leaders who are the voice of integrity, driven by moral purpose, reasoned thinking and balance to save the day but there is only so much they can do despite their best intentions when mired in a pit of venom.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, I pray that they have the moral courage to extract themselves from the paralysis of  their self- imposed inaction and display conscious leadership. It is my wish as we anticipate the new year that we, the citizenry of our beloved country, find the hero within us. Happy holidays!

Brenda Kali is the CEO of Conscious Companies and the Founder of the Conscious Leadership Academy. 

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