Its been hard to ignore the fact that there's a World Cup happening in our backyard at the moment. Its been something we've been building (literally and emotionally) towards for the last several years, with equal doses of pessimism and excitement. I'm looking forward to seeing the long-term benefits to our economy and nation, as the rest of the world has a chance to see what a truly amazing place South Africa is. The truth is, once you've lived here, its hard to be happy anywhere else.
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| Flag Wrapped Tree outside the Africa Art Centre on Florida Road |
Huge amounts of money have been spent on things like building brand new stadiums, fixing infrastructure that wasn't too bad before, and tidying beaches, parks and other public places. None of which would and should probably be a high priority in a country, where there is such an extreme between rich and poor. Where the AIDS epidemic has effected almost everyone to some degree, and where many essentials are spoken of as priorities, but are in actuality, neglected.
But honestly, I'm not sure that I'm unhappy that money has been spent on these "superficial" things. You can't deny the effect that this World Cup has had on uniting a nation obsessed with pointing at our differences, rather than celebrating what makes us unique.
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| Natal Mahogany wrapped with South African Flag for the World Cup |
The money that has been spent on revamping our Durban beachfront, or creating parks where there were empty lots before, or planting trees to beautify the neighbourhoods, would never have been spent on these 'less important' things. Sadly, creating beauty is seen as unimportant in our needy world.
But beauty is what inspires us, its what takes our minds off of the mundane. Beauty affects our emotions, and
perceptions. It changes the way we feel about ourselves. I'm not advocating choosing something pretty over buying food to eat. But if we're not looking, we might miss the fact that the beautiful doesn't always have to be sacrificed to the practical.
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| Wrapped Trees lining the streets of Durban for 2010 |
Very often, beauty doesn't have to even be costly. Sometimes, it just needs a different perspective,
new eyes, or the desire to appreciate.
5 comments:
Couldn't agree more! It has to be both bread and tulips (or roses), that's what makes us human.
And in Cape Town we have been enjoying huge amounts of indigenous plants going in along the roads.
In twenty years time the capital development costs will be forgotten and the infrastructure will still be appreciated - what's more the cost will be seen as cheap, not extravagent as now. Gardening in Polokwane... all I've seen is a row of exotic palms along a town entrance in this most un-palmy part of the world. Somehow they survived the blast of winter which arrived the day of our first local match :) For the rest - verges have been cleared and an odd 40 year old 'industrial art' park given some colourful fresh paint. And did I mention the flags all over the place...
Hello,
You know what ? Enjoy and then, when it's over, try to keep the best of 2010 world cup.
In our busy lives, sometimes filled with much irrelevance and warped priorities, it's important to appreciate beauty.
I agree with Town Mouse, it's not either or, it's both.
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