We have lived through many changes in the last few years and I don’t think things will ever be the same again.
I have read stories about how the world became a very different place after the World War II.
It was such an impactful event, that it was able to shift all of humanity’s collective psychology.
I believe the same is happening at the moment for this generation.
And of course, the Coronavirus has got a lot to do with it.
It’s the first event in modern times that affects virtually every person on the planet in some way or another, so we have no option, but to feel some effect as a species.
But that’s only the most obvious change in the way the world works.
The change in the world’s political rhetoric has quietly crept up on us, being far more insidious; and I’m wondering whether this will now be the new normal for us.
It appears politicians are no longer interested in quietly serving their electorate, being seen as principled, taking a moral stance, highlighting important causes or elevating society’s ethics through their own words and actions.
It appears politics has become the new cushy job, bringing with it fame, privilege and in many cases, unimaginable riches.
And the way it’s being done is by robbing us of our taxes, our sense of neighbourly peace and social cohesion.
From Donald Trump to Pakistan’s Imran Khan, to the UK’s Boris Johnson to Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro to our very own Julius Malema; wisdom has been replaced by a populism that’s characterised by a divisive narrative that serves only themselves and their bank accounts.
These men claim to be patriots, but they don’t appear to have any interest in bringing people together for the sake of peace and progress.
They have a narrow worldview that plays on fears and misinformation to create false targets for the ills of our times.
Malema going to Senekal in the Free State and saying the farmers are not being killed is an example of such antagonism.
He knows very well that it will cause friction, but instead of using his supposed intelligence to lead his young followers into innovative ways to resolve conflict, he chooses to stoke the existing flames.
Trump does exactly the same thing.
Having the flamboyant gift-of-the-gab the way they do, comes with a responsibility to use it with caution.
In the end, their rhetoric benefits only themselves and their immediate circle of family and friends.
It is carefully thought out to play to the worldview of their supporters and keep them in the luxury they have grown accustomed to.
It is also a sad indictment of our own gullibility as an electorate and the poverty of our pool of leadership candidates.
It would serve us well to remember that phrase the old people use to say: “empty tins make the loudest noise!”