The basic principles remain valid however as they relate to the fundamental psychology of human beings and the role of words in this psychology.I have previously addressed a number of issues which are potentially impacting the success of the South African experiment. An experiment in peaceful regime change that caught the imagination of many around the world. An experiment that continues to be monitored. In this piece I will look at another facet of what is absolutely vital to the success of the "rainbow nation" -- language -- words -- psychology: 1. An early hard lesson – words and psychology are harder than concreteWhen I started out doing what I do today, I was of the opinion that psychology was "for sissies" – I was an engineer, I KNEW how to design things that worked, "the soft issues", psychology, were "fluff and stuff" that I did not need to know about.As I entered the world of non-tangible projects I walked "slap bang" into a series of projects in which I discovered that, in fact, psychology, and the words that create psychology, were harder than concrete.A person who has adopted a mental position or stance and is resisting change or refusing to change is much more difficult to identify than a block of concrete in the road and a lot more difficult to move.
Blocks of concrete, buildings and similar physical world components standing in the way of change can be simply blown up and trucked away. A human being who is mentally standing, arms akimbo and saying "you want me to do that? Try me and see" is much harder to identify and much harder to shift.As a person who has passionately believed in this country all my life I now find myself reading the words that are being spoken by diverse people, listening to conversations and listening to what is NOT said and I am DEEPLY concerned.So this article is intended as a technical discussion of some principles that I hold are vital to understanding the dynamics of our lovely country and to charting the future of peace and prosperity that we all so earnestly desire.I have come to understand that in order to succeed one must ensure that failure does not happen.Thus, where I discuss negative aspects or factors that may cause failure it is within this context – the context of an engineer who is passionate about engineering and therefore who is passionate about success being achieved by NOT failing.2. Words design and build engineering systems and …There is a lot of talk these days about nationalizing farms and mines without compensation and other talk that, for many, causes deep discomfort.What is a farm, a mine, an economy?An economy is the consequence of a symbiotic interaction between different people with different knowledge and experience, who interact to create value such that there is sufficient value created that the people who created the value have something left for their own enjoyment.But let us step back a moment.How does a farm, a mine, a building or a bridge come into existence?Fundamentally all significant things, technologies and methodologies come into existence through an exchange of ideas between human beings and then an interaction between human beings to make the thing a reality.A bridge is designed by a person who has the knowledge and experience to identify the need to get to the other side of a river or gorge, communicating that need to someone who knows how to design a bridge.That person then produces sketches and drawings which are annotated with … well, words, a drawing is valueless without the words and numbers that explain what it is about, what materials are used, what dimensions apply, etc.The system or structure is painstakingly created by human beings using words to communicate to other human beings what needs to be done – "excavate a rectangular hole, three meters long and two meters wide until you reach bedrock" would be one such instruction. Design and construction requires a continuous stream of words between human beings who understand the meaning of those words – if I use the word "bedrock" and you do not know what "bedrock" is we are stuck right there until we find a common understanding that allows you to determine when the hole has reached bedrock.Mines, like farms and like bridges, are the consequence of symbiotic interaction between human beings using words to conceptualize, design and direct the action of other human beings towards the desired outcome. Remove the human beings who have the knowledge and experience to operate the mine and we are left with a hole in the ground and infrastructure sold for scrap as in the recent failure of Aurora that was widely reported. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
4. Words operate by associationAs with the case above, words work by association – "Lion" has no meaning until some basic impartation of knowledge takes place. "Lion" has a different association if one has seen a poor quality photograph; or if one has studied in detail a book full of close-up photographs and many pages of text; or if one has actually seen lions in a zoo or in a game reserve; and a much greater association if you have been chased by a lion; attacked by a lion; or lost a leg or a loved one in an attack by a lion."Bedrock" in the preceding point carries with it different meaning depending on the depth of one's understanding of geology."40,000 potholes a month" has a different significance if you actually spend your life repairing potholes.And, so it goes.Calling people "thieves" or "criminals" carries with it a particularly unpleasant association and, by association, opens the door to mental pictures of how one might deal with such people. When this is publicly widely stated and repeatedly reported it triggers negative attitudes in the minds of those who are NOT branded as thieves and criminals and also in the minds of those so branded. This is particularly so IF they consider the label to be inappropriate or, in fact totally unjust and uncalled for. This leads to other negative word associations and potentially strong and hostile negative reactions.Such words are being bandied about in certain quarters and, having been spoken to those they have been applied to, they are increasingly generating very negative responses. One of those negative responses is that people are leaving, another is that they are mentally "resigning", giving up. There are other responses as well that are even less desirable.
5. Words build morale and tear it down, start wars and end wars, define love and destroy loveWords build morale and tear it down.A very powerful book on building constructive relationships between human beings is "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie -- see Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/
Words are, in a very real sense, the very essence of advanced society and human interaction.We have a choice every moment of every day to utter words that build up or words that tear down.And … the harsh reality is that it takes far fewer negative, destructive words to tear down and destroy morale than it takes to build it up.It takes far fewer words of distrust to destroy trust than it takes to build trust.And, from where I sit, there are too many negative words being uttered by African people in public life in South Africa today for the good of the nation. Deteriorating morale is far more prevalent than is healthy.From where I sit "kill the farmer / Boer" is language I will not accept and will not tolerate. I have family who farm. I regularly receive reports of farmers who have been brutally murdered or beaten up. My entire grounding in language and words tells me there is a solid and unavoidable correlation between the words and the deeds.I cannot comprehend how anyone who claims to want goodwill in this society can argue for the singing of that song and I even more cannot comprehend how they can talk of appealing the recent Court Order (2011) against singing “shoot the Boer”.With this context you will see how I find the two video clips above so TOTALLY unacceptable.We need to speak constructive words over this nation.We need to SING constructive words over this nation.
6. "Sorry" one of the most important wordsI have learned over many years that I make mistakes.And, I have also learned that when I make mistakes the most powerful words are "I recognize that I have … and I want to apologize unreservedly for what I have done" or simply "I am really sorry, please forgive me".What would it do for the psyche of this nation if those who have insisted on championing "shoot the Boer" were to say "we have realized that these words cause great discomfort to a large number of people, that was not our intention, we are truly sorry for the pain and discomfort we have caused and we apologize unreservedly and commit to never again sing or speak those words"?Whites NEED to hear this LOUDLY and PUBLICLY from President Jacob Zuma IN PERSON.
7. "No" another very important wordThere is a time to say to someone that what they are doing is unacceptable.We should NOT have to let things get so out of hand that we are so angry that we are able to mobilize ourselves to say "no". All that is required when confronted with unacceptable behaviour is to say "I do NOT accept that behaviour, kindly cease at once". And, surely if the other party is seeking to build relationships, build morale and build a nation they will go out of their way to understand why the other person is upset and to change their behaviour or their words in a constructive manner.People who do this are ambassadors for peace.People who go the other way are ambassadors for war as much as they may proclaim alternative agendas. I think particularly of President Jacob Zuma in the Videos above.It would NOT be necessary to hold "disciplinary hearings" if leaders said "no" consistently and clearly when behaviour was out of line.It is people's words more than anything else which direct our behaviour and influence our attitudes.There is a need to say "no, we will not …" and to be clear about it – either it is government policy to seize farms and mines without compensation or it is not. Why are we CONSTANTLY fed mixed messages?If it is not then all that is required is "no, we will not …" and if it is then it is time to be open and honest with all the people of this country.
8. Silence – a very powerful wordAn extension of the previous point – silence.Some years ago I attended a speaking course on "the nine types of silence in public speaking" which discussed at length, with examples, how silence can be used for emphasis in speaking.Ever since then I have become intensely aware of silence as an element of communication. In particular, a long silence will get people's attention and, if too long, will make them uneasy.So it is in the public arena – when a person in the public eye makes statements that are widely reported, especially when at some level that person purports to represent the powers that be, those who are impacted by those statements pay attention and look for those in power to either confirm or deny the uncomfortable statements.Ultimately, the harsh reality is that when someone in a high profile position allied to government states that farms and mines will be nationalized and government does not robustly countermand those statements and say "NO" the unavoidable conclusion is that government actually is saying "yes" – there is a saying "a deafening silence" and that is what has accompanied certain public utterances for an uncomfortably long period of time now.When that person calls whites "criminals and thieves" and there is silence one has to conclude that the leadership of the ANC agree and that rumours that Julius Malema was actually the spokesperson of the ANC to the masses were valid and that it was only when he overstepped the mark and criticized his sponsors that he was disciplined.People are drawing conclusions, those conclusions are not favourable, and they are taking measures in response. Reports indicate that well over one million people -- highly skilled and highly educated and therefore highly economically active people, including their families -- have left South Africa since 1994 and indications are that the exodus continues. A recent report indicates that "800 graduate professionals are leaving South Africa every month".
9. Words, will determine the success or failure of the South African experimentFor those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the loss of these people is starting to threaten the technology framework and infrastructure of this rainbow nation, whether in education, in engineering, in … the drain is happening. Racially flavoured words about "too many …" and "not enough …" are sapping morale and sending a message to many that they are not welcome and should get out while the going is good.The trillion dollar question is whether the economy of this country can thrive despite this loss – words will determine the outcome.Other nations go out of their way to attract graduate professionals and business people. As one of those people I have to say that the message I am consistently receiving from the ruling elite in South Africa is that I am no longer welcome in the country of my birth – I wonder if that really IS the message they want to send?If not, it is time for course correction, it is time for clear, concise, consistent communication that says that ALL South Africans are welcome and valued in the country of their birth. Words will make or break this country in the months and years ahead.”Either President Zuma and the ANC condone the murder of white South Africans or they do not -- all their words and their silences at this point indicate that they DO condone these murders -- they will have to change their language radically and consistently if I am to conclude that they are opposed to these murders . https://www.facebook.com/GEVREKTEVOLK
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