"Staying ignorant is a choice in a time of information." That explosion of wisdom was dropped on me by a grade eleven learner on a Zoom call on Friday. i was in a conversation with a number of young people talking about leadership when Katie threw that one into the mix. After a bit of a morning Google it looks like the original author might be someone who i used to enjoy reading in [...]
It feels important to talk about the last time i got it wrong. And to be honest, this is very likely not even the last time, but it is a recent time that i am most aware of. Panel of Whiteness A couple of weeks ago, 2 August to be exact, so almost 3 weeks, i was invited to speak on a panel for the Global Business Round Table on a topic related to [...]
i was given an opportunity to visit the Strandfontein site yesterday where around 2000 homeless people are being held. On Good Friday i had written this post about Strandfontein which had gained a fair amount of traction. Based on stories i had heard from people who are very well connected to some of the people who were at the site and also some articles i read and videos i watched. So when a friend [...]
One of the biggest takeaways for me from our Philippines trip was finding some solid rhythms and disciplines. Particularly in the second month which we had put aside to write. Val found us a stunning spot in Honda Bay on Palawan Island and we moved in for a month. For me the main focus was on finishing the race book i had started a few years ago that had just been busied away into [...]
If the variety and chaos and lack of aggression of the Traffic in the Philippines is the first thing that hits you as it did me, because of how in your face it is, the Hospitality and Generosity of the Filipino people will hit you in your heart. i have always found it quite a hard piece to navigate when time after time in my life it has been the poor who have consistently [...]
A reflection from our time spent in the Philippines regarding traffic... My wife tbV [the beautiful Val] and i have just returned from a two-month trip to the Philippines which was pretty amazing. If you're interested in how that came about, you can read some of the story over here. i am hoping, however, to share a few thoughts and reflections from our time there and hopefully in not-too-long pieces that are easy to [...]
Birthdays are cool, once you get past that number ticking up vibe. For me birthdays are always about the people - how can i get to spend as much time with as many people who i really love as is humanly possible. Which is why i used to always drag mine out to a week - have as many different occasions for different friends from different spaces to congregate. But they are also about [...]
Sho. Racists? i just don't understand you. Except that it HAS to be othering. That's all i can think of. The cure for racism then has to be connection... That was a thought that came to mind as Val and myself sat on the pavement just off De Waal drive last night, about 100m from our house, watching the incredible festivities that were a part of an African wedding reception taking place across the street.How [...]
i have so-called white skin. i don't hate my skin colour. i hate that it has been elevated above the skin colours of so many other people. i hate that some people see themselves as 'better than' simply based on the accident of their skin colour. When i talk about defeating whiteness that is what i mean. It is not at all about hating the skin i, or people who look like me, have or [...]
Dear South Africa... And so the letter begins. A letter penned to a nation. Well, not 'penned' per say, because who does that anymore? Typed. A letter typed to a beloved country. But what type of letter might that be? How would yours look? Would it be filled with hope or be more likely to resemble a tired, worn out missive of anger and accusation? Might it call people out to be what we've seen [...]
