All That We Are

watch original V-Blog in Persian

Recently I published a book. It's a compilation of letters that various prominent South Africans have written, sharing who has inspired them to be who they are today. So politicians, media people, sports people, artists, scientists and the like wrote about their role models and heroes or heroines. Although, of course, the answers were very different, there was a clear trend. I can say that in 80 percent of the cases, the first and foremost influence was the mother.

Yes, our mothers nourish us, they are our first educators, we trust them, we love them. They pass on their knowledge to us, their philosophies, their views, their beliefs and we take those on. We accept what our parents and traditions teach us, because they come with the milk that we receive as babies.

But let me ask you a question: Let's say Joe and Jim both have moms. Joe's mom tells Joe, "Joe, purple flowers are a blessing from heaven. We must fill our house with purple flowers." And let's say Jim's mom tells him, "Jim dear, purple flowers are a curse, we cannot, under any circumstance allow such deviations of nature to enter our home". Which mother is right? Is there any way in the world that they are both right and that Joe and Jim should both wholeheartedly accept what they are told?

I think not. I think as well-meaning and sincere as our parents and guardians are, there comes a time in our life where we must grow up and independently investigate truth. We must question what we have been taught for generations. We must ask ourselves whether those things we have been brought up to believe are really true? And we must do that by asking questions and searching. Seeing with our own eyes and hearing with our own ears.

Many people feel like they are betraying their traditions when they do this. I don't think it is a betrayal to think independently. I think we can love and appreciate our parents and most of all their pure intent, while openly testing the beliefs that have been passed down to us...