God's Word for today

Friday 29 July 2011

Cry Out, Beloved Country

This was too priceless not to share. Acknowledgements to Lead SA

Cry Out, Beloved Country (Stanley King, 2011)

Who am I? I am nobody.
What is my name? It doesn’t matter.

I am a voice crying.
Crying out in the wilderness of service delivery.
Crying out in the barren lands of peaceful protest.
Crying out in the desert of safe streets and neighbourhoods.

I am stuck.
Stuck in the muck and filth of murder, rape and robbery.
I trudge through the swamps of material poverty at the base of the cliff of financial inequality.

I shout.
I shout out against the din of bribery and corruption.
I shout out against the tumult of idle and careless work.

Why don’t I care for you?
I don’t care because you’re not important to me.
I don’t care because my needs and wants are all that matter.
It’s all about me, not about you.

But I am you.
I am you when you are waiting in the queue and you see me go off for lunch.
I am you when I refuse to help you until you put some money in my palm.
I am you when I won’t let you go off to tend to your mother.
I am you when I lie to you about how sick I am for a day off.

I think for a minute.
Who am I to demand such a high increase from my boss?
Who am I to deny my worker a decent wage?
Who am I to go through red lights?
Who am I to drop litter anywhere but in the bin?

I am my Country.
What I do matters to you because what you do matters to me.
I make my country by every action and every inaction.
If I speed why should I be angered when you drive on the hard shoulder?
If I steal an hour off work why should I be surprised when you steal my car?

So I commit.
I commit to the little things such as wearing my seatbelt.
I commit to the little things such as paying my taxes.
I commit to the little things because that is the big thing.

Therefore I choose.
I choose to afford you the respect I deserve.
I choose to give a little more than is comfortable.
I choose to remember each day to be a person of compassion and integrity

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