Is it Christmas?

 21 December 2023

11:31

I get up everyday and I try to make the most of the time that my body will allow. It is rare to get a day that is comfortable and pain free but it is a treasure. Today is not such a day but a day good enough to write a few words.
 

It's 4 days to Christmas and the world is still in a shocking place of conflict, war and naturally occurring disasters. So much suffering and pain. I find myself grateful that my suffering is not within a war zone or disaster area. The images of children and vulnerable people being brutalised because of man made destruction and war is the hardest thing to bear. I think about Sudan and the war killing civilians because of 2 generals craving power. I think of Gaza and the relentless bombing as Israel purses Hamas to avenge the atrocities of 7/10. I think of Ukraine where Russian aggression and Putin's lust for their land has destroyed so many lives and livelihoods.
 

Where is Christmas? Where are the leaders?  Where are the peace makers? The only beauty and hope is in the hearts of people struggling to survive. They never give in but fight for the most important right we all have - to live.

Reflections

So I wake up everyday and look up at the ceiling. That is not unusual when you are lying on your back. I am always on my back at night and my carers turn me onto my side in the morning. I sleep on my back because I  am paralysed and I have found it to be the least likely to cause pressure points and doesn't require me to reposition during the night. Being unable to move your body makes the world into a different place. Simple things get complicated. Just going to sleep is a lot of fuss and preparation. Typically half of an hour is needed for the important task of positioning the body and getting the bed covers correct. This is important because a badly aligned body is at risk of pressure points and pain. This lowers sleep quality and increases the risk of skin damage. So I do spend time getting setup for the night because it is so important for my sleep and health.

 

When I wake up and I look at the ceiling i see the light fittings. Actually I see each light fitting twice and so on with every detail in the room, everything is doubled. The accident which paralysed me also left me with optical nerve damage. So I now have an eye that looks sideways when I look straight ahead. Unfortunately the damage creates a large separation between what the left eye and the right eye see. It is literally like seeing everything twice which isn't like getting double payout but more like double the confusion. For a long time in hospital, when I first started to come round after 3 months I was convinced my room had 2 of everything. 2 doors , 2 cupboards and 2 lamps. Somehow I never noticed the 2 doctors and 2 nurses. It was a confusing time. I didn't know I was seeking double and the people around me didn't know. I suspect that people noticed my right eye staring crazily to the right as if it was looking at something in the background but nobody ever said anything.

 

To correct double vision is not difficult for minor deviation. When the damage is as bad as mine is the solution doesn't work very well and overall you still get some effect and deterioration of the eyesight. Another adjustment to my world as I have tried to work out the impact of my accident. So double vision is not double value but more like double trouble.

Wake Up South Africa

South Africa in the early years of freedom was looked up to as an example of justice and hope for all. Everyone wanted to be photographed with Nelson Mandela. South African representation for woman and LGBTQ+ was an example to others. In the last 2 decades we have seen corruption, mismanagement and lawlessness result in poor growth and a weaker economy that is disabled by a broken power grid.

This has been like watching a slow motion train crash. Each stage was avoidable but failing to fix it early piled on the cost to repair the problem and stop the decline. Now load shedding is a daily occurrence. There is no hint of improvement. The government has a land rich in natural resources, bursting with creative people and with natural beauty that attracts millions of visitors. Yet it is looking toward corrupt, criminal regimes like Putin's Russia and hoping for handouts from China.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 I was offended by the act of brutal imperialism. Russia had been interfering in Ukraine for years and in 2014 annexed a large territory of Ukraine called Crimea. Putin has been on a mission to build a Russia that fulfils his geopolitical view of the world. He has systematically moved Russia toward a corrupt dictatorship with a news agenda set by the state and with all opposition suppressed or jailed.

I was offended by the invasion because Ukraine is a peaceful civilized country and as a neighbour to Russia has many family links and relationships; it is simply an act of ego driven insanity to plan and then execute the plan to bomb and kill your neighbour to grow your territory. This seemed to have echoes of WW2 and Hitler's crazy plans. I was offended because many would die and suffer when the world was in a perilous place facing climate change and the need for unity.

I began to see the world divide into 2 groups - 1. those opposed to Russian brutality and 2. those who were neutral or supportive. While the size of group 2. was small it was disturbing that countries could support the invasion of a peaceful neighbour. This was an illegal act.

I was confused when SA refused to condemn Russian aggregation, by abstaining in UN votes calling for Russia to withdraw. My dismay continued when SA joined in naval military exercises with Russia and China. I was confused and ashamed of my country when I have always been so proud of the democracy we had become in 1994.

I didn't realise how far the SA government had moved away from justice and fairness until the International Criminal Court found Putin guilty of war crimes, which means that he is eligible for arrest if he enters any country that is a member of the ICC. SA has long been a member of the ICC and we have played a role in establishing the procedures. However, since the ruling against Putin, SA has talked of leaving the ICC.

Wake up SA! Your country is beguiled by an evil dictator. Your government is drawing you into his orbit where you will see that corruption and lies will drive you into dispair and into a lawless state.