For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
In October I attended the funeral of somebody for whom I have a great deal of respect and fondness. She was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident, and everyone expected the memorial service to be a particularly emotional and sombre affair. Indeed, when her daughters spoke, it was particularly moving. But not because her loss... Continue Reading →
Every year from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10th December (International Human Rights Day), we are encouraged to support the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. I am an activist by nature, and these are issues particularly close to my heart. In... Continue Reading →
It is easy to feel despondent these days when one sees what is happening in world politics. It seems that the Western world is becoming progressively more right wing. With populism on the rise, and extremism dominating our discourse, reconciliation and peaceful multiculturalism seem like a pipe dream. That saddens me deeply. I have laboured... Continue Reading →
One of the big questions in South African education at the moment is how to “decolonise” the curriculum. It is a question that has been around for decades, but has been gaining traction lately, thanks to the recent student protests. It is, I believe, absolutely essential to address this issue if any meaningful form of... Continue Reading →
nThe relationship between people and stars is a strange one. We depict them as symbols of hope and aspiration: “Reach for the stars”; “You are a star!”; “stars in her eyes”. Gazing up at them is both a terrifying and a comforting experience for me. The knowledge that the starlight has traversed trillions of miles... Continue Reading →
I dislike dancing, which is sad, really, because I am a sociable person, and it is a prerequisite skill in many social contexts. I am quite possibly the worst dancer in the world. If somebody decided to make a reality show entitled So You Think You Can’t Dance, I would win it by a country... Continue Reading →
“The moon!”, said Nathan, my three year-old son. We were standing on the porch in the early October evening. I was a little self-conscious, because he had been insisting on running around without any pants and the neighbours’ house is on a slight rise, overlooking ours. “I see two moons,” I remarked. I couldn’t help... Continue Reading →
When I published Teddy a couple of weeks ago, one of my friends commented that its nihilistic outlook and my Christian faith might seem at odds. My response was that I believe that nihilism and faith are not so far removed from each other as it might seem. The concept of Nihilism is largely... Continue Reading →
I think one of the most damaging obstacles to the modern Christian understanding of God has come in the form of three innocuous letters. It is not the word they form that is the problem, but where that word has been placed. That word is “the”. Hardly an offensive word, I concede. How on earth,... Continue Reading →
Teddy you inhabit my earliest memories, Teddy: an echo of solace and reassurance like me, you came into the world naked; wrapped now in the red granny knitted for you to cover up a shame you never felt, unlike me and as our realm filled with adventure you became a viking warrior,... Continue Reading →
Vapors In The Wind 