Through my eyes

Author: Kasia Yoko
Date: 2019-09-13

There are some seriously angry women walking around in our country. Women who have had enough, enough of the bullying and abuse.

Enough is enough and the strong message of caution has been delivered through the protests on various platforms. Enough is enough and if this culture of violence continues, you will be exposed and you will be made an example of.

Recently while chatting to one of my customers, we raised the issue of South African abuse statistics. We were lamenting over the sad and pitiful state of our country's crime data.

Why, oh why are there sucha high number of violent crimes here Personally I contribute this rise in violence to the dire state of our economy. When economy is tight, some people don't see a way out and they lash out at their loved ones, its always the nearest and the dearest that receive the hardest blows.

But my customer shook his head in disagreement and said; "It's not the money Kasia, its because people in this country have moved away from God." It took me a while to register what he said and when it came to a conclusion, I had to agree.

There was a time in our ever-evolving world, where the church stood firm behind family values and where people feared God and His wrath

There was a time when the church was the haven of safety and compassion. Where you could go and talk about your abuse and then something was done about it, because there was a caring preacher or a empathetic pastor, who were not scared to stand up to vicious bullies, because he had God on his side. There is no one like this in our community now, none that I know of.

So many of us have turned our backs on God and we no longer feel like our actions will be punished, I mean let's be real, how many offenders spend time in jail How many people believe that their actions will constitute a lethal reaction

Last week has brought devastation and despair. Women are in mourning. Old wounds have been re-opened, new wounds formed. In truth last week, while heightened in its level of disruption, was just another week like every other. Unfortunately, every week, every day, every hour in this country is a travesty of justice. Most South African women have stories about harassment and violence. Women and children are hurt and abused almost routinely. This is not the first time that we have been shocked into protests, or been too numb to get out of bed. Or too scared to let our children go to school.

I sit here in my dark cold office, its way passed home time and I want to cry. There are so many emotions running through my veins, but I'm too weak to attempt to describe them, so I will just repost this little prayer it's the closest thing I can find to feeling better.

Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred let me sow love

Where there is injury, pardon

Where there is doubt, faith

Where there is despair, hope

Where there is darkness, light

And where there is sadness, joy

O divine master grant that I may

not so much seek to be consoled as to console

to be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love