Who was it that said SA is a country with PTSD, living with generational & present trauma? That person was correct. Trauma from having lived under Apartheid. Trauma from unemployment so much so that many give up looking for work. Trauma of fear of crime. Cry, the Beloved Country
I can imagine the levels of trauma have increased in lockdown. My therapist (I have Chronic Anxiety) was telling me the other day that there has been a marked increase in admissions due to stress, depression, anxiety, PTSD etc over the last few months
This trauma is exacerbated by the daily stories of corruption. Scandals so big that in other countries governments would resign. Here, daily, there is a fresh scandal. We have become desensitized, a defense mechanism from the trauma of knowing we’re governed by crooks.
I really don’t know what the answer is for this collective trauma is. All I know that compassion, kindness & reaching out to understand the lived experience of each other’s lives would help greatly. Take care of your mental health, it is very tough & can cause irreparable damage.
There is cognitive bias across races in SA. I’ve seen it here on Twitter. This may seem fluffy & silly but it isn’t. Why don’t you ask one person today, whose life, race is different from yours what their lived experience is? And share yours? Compassion, trust will result.
We all have our individual and common lived experiences. I am a woman in SA, that is my lived experience with its associated trauma. Trauma I share with many other women. I wish it wasn’t. But it is. I live in fear of violence, rape, kidnapping etc. Daily. I carry it with me.
Also important is to stop negating lived experiences. Many do so through their ideological lens, paternalism, dismissive of legitimate experiences of racism, fear, rape etc. I don’t know if it there is a point in discussing an issue this complex on Twitter, but I gotta try y’know
Have a great week, South Africa. 
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
