I have been watching the saga of the French football team and coach with interest. And the way the French have handled it thus far.
For some time now I have felt that we have no real role models any more. Most kids have no idea who Ghandi is, but they sure know who Wayne Rooney is. Kids have to be coaxed to care but they easily love labels.
That is something I love about our rural children. People feel sorry for them because they don’t have much. They don’t feel sorry for themselves at all. Some of these kids walk 2 hours plus in the cold and dark to school every day. And you know what? They are happy. They wave and smile and spend all day outdoors. They help their elders without fuss. They have more than us when it comes down to it. It’s just not things they have.
Nelson Mandela comes from that sort of childhood. He returns to his home village of Qunu regularly to connect to his roots and traditions. Qunu is a modest place by most standards.
Let’s hope a tipping point for all this materialism has come and that we are returning to care based values.
