Monday, June 16, 2014

Ramblings of Gogo

My grandson Tifiso,

When I received your letter I was greatly alarmed that things were not well on your side, since it’s been a while since I last heard from you. Frankly, your last correspondence was when you were complaining about the ill-treatment you were getting from your colleagues in government, for your supposed honesty. I warned you that that would happen. How are you holding up the values I brought you up with? Holding and perhaps letting go a little sometimes? Eh?
   I see that the gist of your letter is that you were put in quite a bad position when your immediate boss “ordered’ you to do something which you did not feel was right because it was—since you couldn’t bring yourself to mention it bluntly in the letter—very illegal. Well, didn’t I tell you, mzukulu, that you would be put in such positions, and you told me that it would never happen to you? I do not mean to taunt you, just merely reminding you because you didn’t listen to the advice of your elder.
   You are asking me what course of action you should take. Here is my advice: I do not know. What do you expect me to say? All my life, I have raised you to pursue the truth and pursue it relentlessly, and without fear. For starters, did you tell your supervisor that you were not comfortable with doctoring receipts and such other shocking bureaucratic perversions you mention in your letter? From what I can surmise from your words, you made no attempt of declaring your position in the matter, and that was where you went wrong.
   I know that you were perhaps afraid of the consequences that would follow not executing an order from above: you would have to forget about a promotion for good in that department, and, of course, risk being treated as a pariah. If I may ask, what happened to the standing orders that all government departments must follow? Did you ask this boss gentleman or lady (good Lord forbid) about what the standing orders said on this issue? Did you not know what they stipulated?
    Have truth and honesty, anything to do in the lives your current generation? In our time, most men would speak the truth and live with himself in poverty, with a clear conscience, than to compromise it and pretend as if all was well. You probably think it’s just the old age that’s making me rant. No, it’s hardly so. Such nonsensical ideas that are popular these days, as that a man could stand for truth in a past era, and not in the modern age, are steeped in the false premise of what Mr. Chesterton called “Thursdayism” (I am sure you still remember the book by Mr. Chesterton? The Man Who Was Thursday). The danger of your generation is not that evils in society are diminishing, but that we have lowered the standards with which to detect them. Again I paraphrase the words of the gentleman mentioned above. Mzukulu, you have the chance to set the tone of your work life—indeed of your whole life—right now, while you are still young. If you fail to stand for what is right now, I am afraid you are preparing yourself for a tedious life of trying to fit in the world.
   These are the last spurts of my pen (I would be happy if you bought me two more, and give them to the driver of Man-to-Ngomane Transport, who will then give them to me when I go to town next week), and I address your last concern. Yes. It is more likely that you, the small fish, would get charged, paraded in court, convicted and thrown in prison for this crime. No matter that your boss set you to it. And I hear that the Southland Corruption Commission is doing a fine job in frying the small fish.
   Alas, the rheumatism has really taken its toll on my bones, and therefore I must end my letter here, and wish you well on your budding career.

Your Loving Grandmother


Gogo Sati Likati.