The Seven Blunders of the World

I love sharing stories that help shape the moral and ethical thinking of people to make South Africa, and indeed the world, a better place.

Today, my story is linked to the Durban-born author and socio-political activist, Arun Gandhi, grandson of the legendary Mahatma Gandhi, who spent 21 long years in our country.

Arun Gandhi, who died two years ago, once told the story of how, at the age of 12, he was taken to India to live with his famous grandfather, apparently to learn ways of coping with anger and violent reactions. He remembered how he learnt many valuable lessons over those two years.

"Those two years changed my life for the better."

On their final day together, shortly before the Mahatma was assassinated in 1948, he thrust into Arun's hand a list written on a piece of paper. It turned out to be the now famous Seven Social Sins (also sometimes referred to as the Seven Blunders of the World), which Mahatma Gandhi listed in his search for the roots of violence worldwide.

As Arun recalled: "He called these acts of passive violence. Preventing these is the best way to prevent oneself or one's society from reaching a point of violence, he would say." 

The list read:

Wealth without Work.

Pleasure without Conscience.

Knowledge without Character.

Commerce without Morality.

Science without Humanity.

Worship without Sacrifice.

Politics without Principle.

To this list, Arun said he added an eight "blunder": Rights without Responsibilities.

As author Peter Gomes later commented: "We live in a world in which these social sins flourish as much today as they did in Gandhi's time; surely the battle against them is still worth waging."

So true.

High tea with a difference

If you are ever invited to attend high tea, what would be your expectations?

One of those stuffy, pretentious, hoity-toity affairs where the rich and refined come dressed up to the nines to make small talk as they sip tea and nibble daintily at finger sandwiches, Victoria sponge cakes and freshly-baked scones, like they did in 19th Century England? An occasion where rigid etiquette rules apply and the slurping of your tea is deemed the height of rudeness?

Well, it doesn't have to be that way, especially if you're planning to be in Durban to attend the Heritage High Tea on April 13.

Organised by the 1860 Heritage Centre, it promises to be a smorgasbord of simple, pukka Indian delights - from steamed mealie bread, hot puri patha, vada, potato and tinned fish samoosas to crunchy sev and nuts, delicious kebabs, and jaw-dropping goolgoolas. And that's just a mere sample.

To sweeten your palates, there's also a variety of mouth-watering and slurp-inducing koeksisters,  donuts, poli, soji and the ever popular snowballs, all washed down with tea with condensed milk, masala chai or fruit punch - and all and all.

Hey, stop licking your lips like that!

And it's all for a good cause too. The heritage centre hopes to raise funds to digitise its valuable archive collection, which includes old newspapers like The Leader, Indian Opinion, the SS Singh Collection, indentured documents, Freedom Struggle Veterans Collection and the Curries Fountain Collection.

I hear word about the high tea event is already spreading as residents from the Midlands, Northern Natal and Joburg have begun enquiries about arranging similar events in their areas. You can find out more by calling Yatin Singh at 072 331 4017.

Stealing in billions

For someone who had to count both fingers and toes to get to twenty, a billion rand is a figure almost impossible to conceive. The last time I tried figuring it out, my calculator crashed. Yet, it's now become critically important for the man and woman in the street to understand what a billion means. And that's simply because that's how high our corrupt politicians, business leaders and tenderpreneurs have set the bar for their success.

And all that money that's plundered or misappropriated by these scoundrels belongs to you and me. Yes, a billion is a figure that's difficult to comprehend, so to help put it into some perspective, an advertising agency has come up with this calculation.

* A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.

* A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.

* A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

* A billion days ago, no one walked on the earth on two feet.

Dennis Pather is a retired newspaper editor, author and columnist. Email him at [email protected]

* From newsroom gofer to award-winning editor, join South African media legend Dennis Pather on a fascinating trip down memory lane in his captivating memoir, Copy Boy. This heart-warming journey takes you inside the newsroom, filled with laughter, hard-earned wisdom, and the power of family. As a special offer to readers of POST, you can now get a copy of Dennis Pather’s fascinating new book, COPY BOY, for just R100. WhatsApp 078 593 0585 for delivery details or 083 452 2831 for direct collection.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. 

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