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Latest INSIGHTSMeeting the Need that Meets Me
“Purpose”; “meaning”; “calling”– these and similar concepts have become very popular in recent times. For many of us, it is no longer enough to work hard to support our family and pay a weekly visit to our place of worship be that mosque or mountain. We want to be a...
Rejecting Racism Point Blank
Over many years I have struggled with how to deal with racism when it rears its ugly head in conversations with friends, family or colleagues. This struggle has become ever deeper as I have worked on owning my “recovering racist” status and as I have made great Black...
Shifting the Needle on Patriarchy in South Africa
2018 has been a particularly challenging year for many of us. As wave after wave of stinking effluent has rained down on us from the various commissions of enquiry; as the impact of State Capture has begun to be felt and as the economy has faltered, the citizens have...
On Being a Recovering Racist – a Lifetime’s Journey
It is not simple being a recovering racist. Just as I think I am making progress I go and make a rookie error that leaves me aghast at my lack of progress. I recently met a friend and colleague at a restaurant in Durban. At the next table was a black lady and a white...
Thuma Mina – Send Me: Thuli Our Superstar
Last week, Professor Thuli Madonsela – patron of our NGO The Peace Agency – spoke at our annual fundraising ball. From everyone who was there, it was an exceptional night and Thuli Madonsela contributed in no small way to this success. A great deal has been written by...
The Truth Will Set You Free – But First It Will Kick You In The Guts
I was recently invited to be part of a small speaker panel at a local church in my home town of Salt Rock, Kwa-Zulu Natal. As I prepared for the session, I became overwhelmed by all the bad news that is currently surrounding us in South Africa. I tend to steer clear...
Moving Beyond the “Harvey Weinstein Extreme”: the Next Phase of #MeToo
The #metoo campaign has had a profound impact on the world. Many women have been empowered to speak about abuse at the hands of men and a few of the more powerful of these have seen their careers ruined. Some will go to jail. With the campaign has come the inevitable...
First Do No Harm
“Primum non nocere” is a Latin phrase that means "first, do no harm." Apparently, all medical students are taught this fundamental principle and it basically means that when faced with a problem, it may be better to do nothing, than to risk causing more harm than...
NGO’s Need Cash Donations To Survive
Do you ever give donations to charitable organisations; orphanages, places of worship, animal sanctuaries, community safety organisations, education initiatives, anti-corruption groups – that kind of thing? If you do, then you make up a small but vital part of the...
Broadcasting Standards Fall Short When Vigilante Justice is Celebrated
Not long before one of those, “let us know if we aren’t living up to our mandate not to promote gratuitous sex and violence on radio” announcements, East Coast Radio’s morning DJ Damon Beard described in some detail a video that has now gone viral. In it a man on a...
Sowing Seeds of Hope for South Africa
What a joy it always is to receive my weekly attitude adjustment from my friend and colleague Steuart Pennington - the founder and CEO of the website South Africa the Good News (www.sagoodnews.co.za). It comes in the form of his newsletter that always strikes a...
What is Your “One at a Time”?
Today I was touched by an e-mail forwarded to me by a dear friend Dr Leann Munian. She is a Paediatrician who was writing a farewell note to her colleagues before transferring to another hospital. In the note she wrote a fascinating line about a major shift in her...
