Every five years, voters take to the polls to cast their votes. Every five years, voters have the unenviable task of choosing who they think ought to govern the land. With every passing general election, the choice appears perpetually harder. As the number of political parties increases, the general sense of optimism regarding the future seems to decrease.

As party slogans get savvier, the politicians themselves unwittingly get more unsavoury. Upon keen observation, the general population is more uncertain than they have ever been as to who they would like to be elected. During such times, it would be helpful to have a few guiding principles that frame the thinking around the elections.

PARTY SERVANT VS PUBLIC SERVANT

There is a vast difference between a party servant and a public servant. While the former serves the interests of the party they represent, the latter serves the interests of the people they are elected to represent. Party servants obtain numerous personal benefits during their tenure in office as they attempt to garner favor with their fellow party members. Public servants may not necessarily obtain many personal benefits as they strive to sacrifice themselves to better the lives of the general population.

Being able to make this key distinction is necessary when casting one’s vote. There is enough information going around that speaks to the character of most politicians. Basing our vote purely on campaign slogans and political rhetoric would not serve us well. Politicians will attempt to paint a picture of the nation based on how they want us to view it. We ought to rather be our own ophthalmologists and try to see the state of the nation as it truly is.

One of the most enduring traits of the human soul is kindness. The way politicians speak of their opposition reveals the disposition of their hearts. Debasing and deriding another human being are a sure indicator of a corrupt heart, a heart that does not value the dignity and worth of another human being. The way politicians love their families and serve them is another indicator as to whether one can be trusted with power. If they are deVOTED to their families and their immediate community, they will be deVOTED to the nation. Perhaps it’s time that certain politicians are deVOTED, and opportunities are given to others.

THE MISCONCEPTION OF POWER AND AUTHORITY

Speaking of power, there is a saying that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This could not be further from the truth. Power does not corrupt anyone. Power, like money, is a magnifier. Power reveals the true condition of the human heart. Power and authority in the hands of a heart full of goodness and integrity will be used to serve others. Power and authority in the hands of a corrupt heart breed systemic corruption and decay the very heart and soul of the nation. We ought to be very discerning in terms of whose hands we place power.

Authority is a very precious commodity. When people have been used to abusive authority, mistrust begins to develop. However, the tragedy of being a victim of abuse is the development of a psychological condition entitled “trauma bonding,” whereby the person experiencing abuse may develop sympathy for the abusive person, which becomes reinforced by cycles of abuse followed by remorse. The only way we can break free from abusive authority is to make the hard but painful choice to cut ourselves off from such people. Authority in the hand of a righteous, just, and good person will be employed to build up people rather than break them down.

LINGERING FEAR AND MISPLACED HOPE

The worst decisions are made based on fear. The best decisions are made based on hope and love. Decisions birthed out of fear cast a rather morbid and morose view of the future. Such decisions do not breed any confidence in a better tomorrow. May our votes be driven by our hope in the good citizens of South Africa who endeavour to serve their respective communities. Change begins from the ground up.

When our hopes are placed in the hands of a few politicians, we are bound to be disappointed. While they are entrusted to govern the land and set in place policies that have a profound impact on the economy and livelihood of the common man, no politician on their own can effect positive change. Change on a mass scale is a collaborative effort.

Change starts with you and me. It starts with the everyday decision to make our lives count for the good of others. When we are able to put a smile on someone’s face by loving and serving them, hope begins to rise within us. When the immediate communities in and around us are progressively being transformed for the better, hope will be the air that we breathe. When we are devoted to love and serve the people around us, we will inspire others to do so too.

THE POWER IS IN OUR HANDS

Ultimately, the power is in our hands. We are who we are, not because of what has happened to us but because of the mental frameworks we have developed in response to what has happened to us. Earlier today in conversation with our domestic helper, she echoed the sentiments of many South Africans. The sentiment of hopelessness and despair, laced with futility. I encouraged her to cast her vote, nevertheless. While we cannot control our circumstances, we can control how we respond to them. Pessimism and cynicism have had their day. It’s time for them to be expelled from the fabric of our social consciousness.

Regardless of the outcome of the election, those courageous enough to be the change they want to see will begin to change their world. They may not change the world, but they can change their world. According to Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, latent in the human potential is the ability to transform tragedy into triumph and predicaments into achievements. History proves this to be true. He goes on to say that everything can be taken from a man, except one thing: to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

The story of South Africa continues to be written. May the pen be placed in the hands of authors deVOTED to the good and betterment of others. Such people do exist. They just need to be unearthed.