A billboard on an apartment building in Cape Town’s CBD. (Nardus Engelbrecht/Gallo Images)
Lockdown has been a time of learning and self-discovery for many South Africans. Howard Feldman explores what he and those around him have learnt over the past sixty days.
Monday morning 1 June was the day that South Africa stumbled
into Level 3 Lockdown.
Although we eagerly anticipated this milestone, there were
many aspects that seemed to catch us by surprise. Parents had no idea whether
to make school lunch or not, runners weren’t certain if they could join a group
and golfers, rather sadly, looked to the heavens, both to check the weather and
for some sort of sign that they could once again participate in an activity
that they know brings out the worst in them. And that they swear each time that
they will not play again.
What I hadn’t anticipated was being asked on my morning show
what I had gained during Lockdown? At first I panicked because I thought the
question was meant to be answered in kilogram, but then I realised it was a
reference to the positive benefit of the sixty plus days spent working from
home. As I considered the ways, I put the question out to listeners and
received some of the most delightful answers.
One person told me that they had discovered their green
thumbs and now grows her own herbs. Another had learnt to bake and yet another
had found out that she need not have been afraid of her children. She had spent
most her life in high powered positions in the banking sector but has loved
being at home with her girls.
My co-host had realised that she could manage without wine
every day and that she had been pleasantly surprised by how much she had loved
looking after her brother who had moved in with her as his university had
closed.
I learnt that I am not a technical ‘special needs’ and that
I can manage to figure things out when I set my mind to it. I also realised
that I like my kids more than I had thought I did. They in turn have benefited
from me being around, to the extent that my 18-year-old son, who is dyslexic,
has started reading novels (a huge accomplishment for him). He also plays a
mean game of Bananagrams and holds the family record. I have learnt further that
being an author does not guarantee expertise in the game and that sometimes
simple words are the most powerful.
Since this discussion I have asked a number of people the
same question. I have loved the answers because they almost always contain an
element of gratitude.
“I realised how truly privileged and fortunate I am,” said
David, “to have job security at a great company. There are people out there
losing their jobs and struggling to feed their families. Here I am ordering
stuff online to make my home office a bit more comfortable. It feels utterly
wrong, but I don’t know how to fix it.”
Tom learnt that, “Eating healthy home-cooked food every day
is actually possible… and actually cheaper and more surprisingly fun. And
spending time in the kitchen is ‘mindful’ time isn’t it? Still haven’t figured
out how to get my kids to eat vegetables yet – but that’s the next mission!”
Steyn learnt that “I am more of a handy-man than I thought,
having been forced to jump onto tasks that I would previously have outsourced –
often needing to McGyver it due to not having the right equipment. I also
learnt that if the world ever turns into an apocalyptic wasteland, then
pineapples might just become the dominant currency.”
Jake learnt a surprising lesson about fellow South Africans.
“At the start of lockdown I did not think South Africa would be able to cope
with the shutdown of the economy for even a week. I had incorrectly predicted
that we would face civil unrest after a month or so when funds and food ran
out. I have learnt that people of South Africa are far more resilient and resourceful
then I gave them credit for. I have never been so happy to be proven wrong.”
Nomkhosi said that “during this time I couldn’t help but
think how grateful to be employed while many fellow south Africans have lost
their jobs. I have learnt how important it is to stand strong and more than
anything to be grateful for the small mercies we receive.”
Covid-19 has taught me that numbers can be manipulated, that
graphs and statistics are fun and are often fictitious. It has taught me
further that even though South Africans spend 35.7% of their adult lives
complaining about government and their “irrational” and perplexing approach,
there is something unique and very special about this strange and wonderful
place. Most importantly I have learnt to appreciate just how blessed and how
fortunate we are.
– Howard Feldman is a keynote speaker and analyst. He is the
author of three books and is the morning talk show host on ChaiFM.
