Emerging Values of our Society as South Africans

This is to remind all of us that we have a calling to weave in South Africa’s morals and values in our storytelling thus enabling our citizens to be Ambassadors of Ubuntu.

Below is a recap of the issues at end and the purpose of committing to our Moral Regeneration Agenda.

Morals and values are the code we live by in a civil and just society. They are what we use to guide our interactions with others, with our friends and family, in our businesses and professional behavior. Our values and morals are a reflection of our spirituality; our character. They are what we hope to model for our children and the children around us, because children do watch us as they develop their own sense of right and wrong. Everyone knows their importance, don't they?   This was reflected at the 8^th April 2002 Moral Regeneration Summit held at the Waterkloof Airbase which subsequently led to the establishment of the Charter of Values.  In this conversation it was clearly debated that it is a well known fact that apartheid was more than just the denial of political rights to the majority of South Africans.  Apartheid, backed by patriarchy, permeated all institutions of society and destroyed the moral fibre of our society.  The system was based on:

·                     Institutionalised state violence

·                     The dehumanising of South African citizens within the context of ongoing violence and oppression

·                     The migrant labour system that destroyed the family unit

·                     The exploitative labour system that haunted the human personality

·                     The education system that failed to convey sound human values

·                     The racially-based religious system that failed to provide a moral leadership

·                     Patriarchy that undermined the dignity of women and disempowered South African women

·                     The media engendering misinformation and propaganda, and not being an instrument for facilitating the development of shared values.

·                     Divide and rule - BANTUSTANS

“In short, the whole South African social order was unreasonable, immoral and incompatible with the basic principles of justice, equality, freedom, honesty, integrity and compassion contained in the great religious faiths of the world.”

Furthermore it is also that the battle for the creation and sustenance of shared values for our society is a long-term challenge that we have to deal with.  Some of these manifestations include high levels of:

·                     Loss of Ubuntu (caring for others in general)

·                     murder

·                     robbery and theft

·                     rape

·                     women and child abuse

·                     abuse of people with disabilities

·                     abuse of the elderly

·                     domestic violence

·                     widespread alcohol and drug abuse

·                     drug trafficking

·                     use of public office for personal gain

·                     white collar crime

While the above manifestations are clearly visible, there are underlying manifestations of those moral problems that Moral Regeneration efforts must confront.  These include:

·                     the devaluation of people

·                     Racism in key societal institutions

·                     Sexism and gender oppression as practiced by many South Africans in their daily lives and in societal institutions and the socialization of children

·                     Undermining and abuse of the Bill of Rights

·                     Breakdown of the family as a key societal institution

·                     Huge gaps between the “have” and the “have-nots”

·                     Poor work ethic

·                     Culture of enrichment

·                     Individualism and selfishness

·                     Lack of integrity and honesty among some people in positions of influence

·                     Perceptions of slow delivery to the poor

·                     Culture of entitlement

·                     Consumerism and materialism

·                     High levels of poverty

Foundations for Moral Renewal are clearly embodied in our constitution.  The Bill of Rights, in Chapter 2 of the Constitution, contains a number of essential values that specifically address fundamental issues of morality.  These include:

·                     Equality

·                     Human dignity

·                     Life

·                     Freedom and security of the person

·                     Economic, social and cultural rights

·                     Freedom of expression / association and access to information

·                     Political right

These points have all been adopted by the people of South Africa.  Therefore there is an obligation on everyone in South Africa to respect the rights of their fellow human beings, black and white, men and women, young and old.

So have we really become a nation without values and morals? It's just that everyone has their own ideas about which values and morals are the ones we should follow. The choices are as varied.  One only has to look inside the different church denominations to see the diversity of concepts regarding moral behavior. That realization doesn't stop each of us from believing that our particular values and morals comprise the "right" set-- the set everyone else should accept as well.

Another problem is that we, as human beings, are inconsistent in most things--including our morals and values. We tend to compartmentalize them; stressing one type while disregarding another. Some people seem willing to overlook unethical business practices while condemning sexual behaviors and attitudes. Others overlook sexual behavior and attitudes while crying foul over shady business practices. Turning a blind eye upon specific immoral activity seems to happen frequently in politics, sports and in the church. At times, it would appear that morals and values are morals and values of convenience.

Our nine values are:

·                     Respect Human Dignity and Equality

·                     Promote freedom, the rule of law and democracy

·                     Improve material well-being and economic justice

·                     Enhance sound family and community values

·                     Uphold honesty, integrity and loyalty

·                     Ensure harmony, couture, belief and conscience

·                     Show respect and concern for all people

·                     Strive for justice, fairness and peace co-existence

·                     Protect the environment

Please click on the link below for more information.

http://www.mrm.org.za/images/stories/MRM-Charter-of-Positive-Values.pdf

Kind Regards

Yvonne