Last night was one of the first nights in awhile that I slept outside. The weather was rough. A storm had blown down a house that afternoon. High seas and cold howling wind.

I had decided to sleep outside in solidarity with Nigel Bracken, who had organised a sleep out in Johannesburg in solidarity with the homeless.

I wanted to bail. What does my sleeping outside change? I'm in PE anyway.... and Does it make a difference? I don't think so. I kind of know it doesn't, but I want to stand with the poor and the oppressed. I want to fight a good fight and I want to support people who fight good fights.

That brings me to Nigel Bracken. This guy is after the real deal. He gave up a comfortable house in Johannesburg suburbia to move his family to a flat in the dangerous city centre. You can read his story transforming.org.za

That brings me to the core of this blog. We all follow people. We live in a society full of celebrities. They are only celebrities because other people celebrate them. Most of our celebrities are shallow, pointless and frankly full of themselves.

We celebrate people's talents like pastor's who speak well, singers who sing well (or are great at lip syncing), businessmen who are flamboyant, men who kick a ball really well... For some of us knowing and seeing these people gives us an excuse to never fulfil our potential, rather to sit on the sideline and watch them do their thing.



Why not celebrate people who really make a difference like nurses, teachers, social workers, moms, or volunteers running soup kitchens. People who lead the way in transforming society for the better...
We got it wrong. I got it wrong

Who are you following?
Who are you celebrating?

We all need examples. Older brothers and sisters, guides who inspire us to greater things. When we look up to people, that is ok. Just make sure we look up to the right people. Celebrate the people who do things that really matter.

I want to follow the people that I want to become. (Tweet This)



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