I gave this article this title because South Africa is still a very racist country. We’ve gained independence in 1994 and can’t even set an example for other countries considering our history that I, as a traveller, faced racism abroad. Racism has followed me throughout my life. The worst thing was that I left South Africa thinking it’s better out there; in the rest of the world. It’s better for sure because it’s not in your face, but it’s undoubtedly done undercover like coming at you from underneath. A hand which denies kids entry in a school which you don’t even see. I mean, think about it, that is what Brexit is about currently. Right? Racism and hate against foreigners is a complexed issue because religion and race make it complexed.
I thought South Africa would set an example because we have recently gained independence from racism, but I was wrong. It drives the well-educated and wealthy out of South Africa, and affirmative action attracts educated people from abroad like the way apartheid did, and now we have a country that is filled with xenophobia, racism, sexism and judgements (cultural).
I am writing this article not because I want it to be controversial, because I want to bring conflict or to provoke. I’m writing it purely because I think about our youth who still are not touched with Black, White, Coloured and Indians and even further are not affected by Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Buddhism etc. When you read this article please, just reflect peacefully after all, what is anger going to bring? We didn’t even get it right by being angry up to today that India and Pakistan are still fighting over Kashmir. Once upon a time, India was one until religion wanted a piece of it to be independent. Similar to Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, Scotland and England, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, Catalonia and Global Spain and I’m sure there are few more countries I missed here.
I’m writing this article because the belief of having just one religion in the world is actually going to be impossible because of new aged beliefs/ideas around spirituality. The world is seeking equality, between women and men today and because religion has always had rules for women and for men. With the world becoming an ever-changing movement there are more and more people in mixed marriages, and more and more people are believing in the concept of keeping your individualism within your romantic relationship/marriage or partnership just want to attain a healthier lifestyle, equality, happiness and even more, a meaningful life.
A few days ago, I was asked, “Aunty when you were a child, my age did you feel like you also were close to being a superhero? Didn’t you wish you had superpowers like Thor, Superman, Spiderman, Flash etc.?” If back then, I knew what I know now, I would have had the superpower of believing in myself and my own power as a person. I wouldn’t let anything, i.e. religion, race, gender, failure, sexism, money, and a whole lot of things define my power.
So, shouldn’t we be teaching kids that they are powerful to every person in this world and not of service to people in their religion only? We’re here to use our potential the best way we can, so why are we limiting that? Isn’t humanity already one race in being man/women, i.e. flesh, blood, veins, brain, hands, legs, think, feel, touch, taste and hear?
In my book The South African: True Colours; a book based on true story, I say the following. This was coming from the main character at sixteen years of age.
Page 173
“Up to now in everything that you learn it becomes apparent to you that Black people stuck together to fight and reclaim their position around the world so did Whites, but with Indians, they certainly don’t achieve anything because they can’t put their religious differences aside and stand up and fight as one. How else can there be a change for the better for the Indian community here in South Africa? How else can they be recognised as one race if they’re busy bickering with one another and set themselves as different because of their religious differences? You are part of the two and a half percent of South Africa’s Indian and Asian population.”
When you have a town being run or the power given to a person with the most money in South Africa you’re not going to get anywhere if they run it first with the religion in mind (the religion they come from), then second for everyone else who is not part of that religion. Just saying…think about it.
This is what this main character grew up questioning.
I’m just writing this article for those kids who are being forced to believe or buy into something that is “man-made power” rather than kids buying into their own force with all their experiences added up together. Now can you imagine how much experience that is they keep growing? That having respect for every human being as opposed to only having respect for people in your religion or race.
To put this in perspective, I am releasing another book in October 2019, a children’s book that every child in this world will be able to afford. It aims to teach children about a new aged belief, and that is believing in their own power and enhancing their own ability through basic tools that every one of us has even as adults. Today only some of us know, seek change, want to do something for our inner wellbeing. We’re tired of what we’ve been told all our lives, the stories that people want us to believe that when intuition is guiding you, it’s the stories that you bought/buy into that make you ignore your intuition.
When all the chips are down one doesn’t turn to a religion they turn to God, and if you don’t believe in God you turn to your higher self directing you to a belief… maybe you’ll call that the Universe… I don’t know, but to find the way out for the highest good for you, belief is key. That something else that holds the belief together inside YOU. That makes you a co-creator…7 July 2019, 16:22, T. Dench Patel
T. Dench Patel
Thank you for the comments and support. Thank you for offering to donate if there was a donate button on here. I prefer not to take donations. You can support by either purchasing one of my books (Paperback or Kindle), The South African: True Colours, The South African: Roamer or my children’s book Light. These books can be found on Amazon mainly and other sites in your country.
The audiobook for The South African: True Colours is available on iTunes, Apple and Audible. The South African: Roamer and Light will be released soon.
Note: Do keep referring back to this site as much as possible, as I grow, a more profound perspective may form and so I will always come back to each of these articles to reevaluate them.
