January | 2014 | FVZS Institute Blog | Stellenbosch University
08 January 2014, written by fvzs
Hamba Kahle Regter Jan Steyn
As Suid-Afrikaners wat in 2014 ons 20ste jaar as ‘n demokrasie (of proses van demokratisering soos een van my kollegas dit sou beskryf) vier is dit nogal maklik om te vergeet dat hierdie dispensasie nie sommer maar net ontstaan het nie. Inteendeel, dit het met bloedsweet, pyn, vervreemding, verlies, ens. gekom. Die uitkoms: ‘n land met nuwe moontlikhede wat ‘n plek wil waarborg vir elkeen van sy burgers.
Gelukkig onthou die huidige geslag wel dat vele individue, ons vaders en moeders, help bou het aan die moontlikhede van hierdie demokrasie. Die bekendste hiervan is natuurlik wyle Nelson Mandela en hy, in sy wese en persoon, vergestalt wie en wat ons wil wees as ‘n land. Naas Tata Madiba is daar egter vele ander wie op die voorgrond en agter die skerms help bou het aan wat ons vandag het en waaraan ons daagliks verder moet bou.
Ons land het een van hierdie individue, Regter Jan Steyn, op Maandag 30 Desember 2013 gegroet. Steyn het oor etlike dekades as regskenner, regter en as iemand wie geglo het in die moontlikhede van ons land, hard gewerk om te verseker dat ons ‘n samelewing word wat meer reg laat geskied – aan al sy burgers, ‘n land waar ons vry kan wees om te wees en sê en doen wat ons wil – met die verantwoordlikhede wat hiermee gepaard gaan, en ‘n land wat meer gelyk is – waar ons mekaar ken en mekaar se hande kan neem. Dink maar aan Steyn se besonderse regsfilosofie, sy besoeke aan politieke gevangenes, insluitend Nelson Mandela, sy daarstel van die Urban Foundation, en vele meer. Hy laat voorwaar ‘n merk wat nie net die 1994-ervaring moontlik gemaak het nie, maar wat ons help om nuut te bly dink oor ons eie rol en die moontlikhede van ons pragtige land.
Ek het Steyn oor die afgelope paar jaar ook leer ken as iemand wat moet moeite en mening wil investeer in die moontlikhede van goeie leiers en veral iemand wie belangestel het in die ontwikkeling van ‘n nuwe generasie leiers. Dit val my by dat Steyn persoonlik op die dag van die bekendstellng van die FVZS Instituut my kantoor geskakel het om te bevestig dat hy so gou doenlik met my wil ontmoet om saam te soek na moontlikhede vir die FVZS Instituut. Dit wou hy om twee redes doen: hy wou sien dat die nalatenskap van Van Zyl Slabbert voort bly leef en hy wou verseker dat die impak van hierdie ryke nalatenskap ander inspireer om ook hul rol te speel in ons samelewing. En juis dit het hy oor die afgelope paar jaar gedoen.
Die FVZS Instituut groet Jan Steyn dus as ‘n vriend, as iemand wie geglo het in die moontlikhede van jongmense en as iemand wie ons steeds bly help om die pad wat ons moet stap nog duideliker te sien. Mag sy voetspore regoor ons land en ons streek nooit verdoof nie.
Dr Leslie van Rooi, Hoof, FVZS Instituut
Regter Jan Steyn was ‘n trustee van die Abe Bailey Trust en het deur die Trust gehelp om die FVZS Instituut te vestig en uit te bou.
07 January 2014, written by fvzs
To serve, to be, to interact
“We are all equal. It is the fundamental point of departure for transformation. It is the paradigm that should guide us” – Roelf Meyer
It is easy to get blinded by the arbitrary lines society claims divides us. Language, nationality, race, culture, tax-bracket; these are all things used to perpetuate the lie that division is the only means of existence. During our latest Emerging Maties get together we dealt with the idea of community interaction, a concept seemingly unrelated to my aforementioned statement. But I believe that it is a matter intrinsically tied to our previous topic (Global Citizenship) and is not only relevant, it is also essential. Creating that fraternity and togetherness makes the giving so much easier. So often we see the trend of faux-activism, people who pretend to care about an issue only because it is a hot topic and trendy to do so. Arbitrarily giving away money or wearing a badge for a week saying “I Care” does not constitute community interaction. It is something that entails getting involved with people, seeing how they live and speaking to them about their world. It requires engagement which in turn necessitates direct involvement leading to a connection being made. And that is ultimately what it is all about. It’s not a passive act nor is it one where you merely give away a few hours of a free weekend so that you can feel good about yourself. It’s a ‘give and take’, for each hour spent needs to be a learning experience. You need to impart yourself into another person’s life and come back better than you were before. This is a fact that I think many people forget when they proclaim themselves to be interactive in their community. As much good as you’re doing in this person’s life, they too are teaching you something. Teaching you to be humble, showing you their world and helping you to understand that we are all connected.
This is a fact what I previously stressed and is one that I cannot allow to be left unheard. There is too much division in the world, the ugly mess we call society demands it of us. It is easy to accept this as the norm, to ignore the person you pass in the street, to pay no heed to the cashier behind the till; in doing so we lose a part of our humanity, that intrinsic aspect that makes us more than apes with an overly developed corpus callosum, a togetherness that defies geography and breaks down barriers. To even question how far our community extends is an absurd notion, since it has no boundaries, its limit is nowhere. Everywhere you go you’re part of a community, and helping those who cannot walk the road alone should not be a question, it should be a given.
This blog article was written by Alexander (Alex) Dyers. Alex completed the FVZS Institute Emerging Maties short course in 2013 and regularly attended the FVZS Discourse Café’s. This article was written as a personal reflection by Alex as a participant of the Emerging Maties short course after the Community Interaction session