Find A Path With Heart

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Volksrust Recorder - Column / Rubrieke 10 Recorder 22 May 2015 Change Your Story With Jacques de Villiers Find A Path With Heart Spoiler alert. This article is going to make a case for “the journey is more important than the destination”. On this plane, there are no permanent destinations except for one: death. Of course, depending on what you believe, death is either an end-point (you die and that’s it, game over) or a starting point (you go to heaven/hell or you reincarnate into something else). So, whatever your destination is, it is really a path to nowhere. “How can that be?” you may ask. “Paths lead to destinations, they can’t just go nowhere, surely?” Well, yes and no. All paths lead to temporary destinations and then we find other destinations. We never stay in one destination. Let’s take our life path. Our parents meet and get married. They conceive us. We make it to primary school, then high school, then (if we’re lucky), university, then our career, we marry, we have children, we become grandparents and finally our time arrives and we are no more. Our children and our grandchildren will go on a similar journey. Each phase of our life and the events that colour it, are temporary destinations. Maybe you buy this argument; that there’s no destination. But, let’s say you don’t buy the argument and you do believe that (besides the final destination, death) there are many destinations. Ask yourself this question. “Whenever I’ve reached a ‘destination’ have I actually become happier and more important, stayed happy?” I think if you’re really honest, your answer has to be “no”. For example, for most of us our wedding day was supposedly the happiest day of our lives. Ask yourself if you still feel that happiness in that marriage today? So, destinations and happiness are temporary notions. So, what’s the answer? For me it is about the path I take. Find a path with heart. I’ve taken hundreds of paths in my life and because I believe that they don’t lead anywhere, if I’m on a path that doesn’t feel right to me, I get off it. Why? Because I’m on this planet for such a short time, I don’t have time to waste on a path that doesn’t have heart and bring joy to me. And, the more joy I have in me, the more capacity I have of loving and caring for my fellow man. I believe our journey is about finding paths that bring joy to us and that make our hearts sing. And when our hearts sing, we make others’ hearts sing too. Neem verantwoordelikheid Ware kinders van God neem verant- woordelikheid vir hulle eie lewe. Dit impliseer hulle het opgehou met die blameer speletjie. Ek staan soms verbaas na sommige mense se verskonings oor hoekom hulle sekere dinge gedoen het. Wat my die meeste skok is dat mense letterlik met “die hand in die koekieblik” gevang word en nog steeds hulle self verontskuldig. Die Here Jesus het ons die vermoë gegee om self te kan besluit. Ons het die vermoë om self te besluit. Soms lyk dit of sommige mense dit nie ver- staan nie. Self die mees goddelose mens het die vermoë ont- vang om tussen goed en kwaad te on- derskei. Dit bring my by jou en my as kinders van die Here. Ons het die Heilige Gees ontvang. Die Heilige Gees in ons praat gedurig met ons en herinner ons aan die Woord van God. Ek en jy het geen ver- skoning nie. Ons kan reg kies en reg leef. Nou praat ek nie van volmaaktheid nie, want ons is nog nie daar nie. En ja, ons gaan nog baie foute maak. Tog leef Christus in ons. Ons is nie meer dieselfde mense nie. Ons leef, dink, hanteer en reageer anders as voor ons Jesus aan geneem het. Paulus stel dit baie duidelik. Rom 8:11-14, “En as die Gees van Hom wat Jesus uit die dode opgewek het, in julle woon, dan sal Hy wat Christus uit die dode opgewek het, ook julle sterflike liggame lewend maak deur sy Gees wat in julle woon. Daarom dan, broe- ders, is ons skulde- naars, nie aan die vlees om na die vlees te lewe nie; want as julle na die vlees lewe, sal julle sterwe, maar as julle deur die Gees die werke van die liggaam dood- maak, sal julle lewe. Want almal wat deur die Gees van God gelei word, dié is kinders van God.” Christus het nie halfpad uit die dood opgestaan nie, nee die Heilige Gees het ‘n volkome werk ge- doen. Dus: As ek beweer om kind van God te wees dan sê ek eintlik die Heilige Gees het ‘n volmaakte werk gedoen. Omdat Hy ‘n volmaakte reddingswerk ge- doen het kan ek en jy ook alle sondige of vleeslike gewoontes aflê. Ja kind van die Here - jy hoef nie meer te sukkel met ‘n humeur, rook, vloek slegte drink ge- woontes ensovoorts nie. Ek en jy kan waarlik oorwin en in oorwinning begin leef. Onthou ons is geroep om heilig of eerder “anders” te leef, sodat die wat nog nie Christus in hulle lewens ontvang het nie, Hom deur ons heilige lewenswandel kan ontdek. Groot uitdaging maar tog moontlik. Hoekom? Dieselfde Gees wat Jesus uit die dood opgewek het leef in ons. Dieselfde krag- werking is werksaam in ons. Paulus skryf ook: “As jy in Christus is, is jy ‘n nuwe skepping, die ou dinge het verby gegaan, kyk alles het nuut geword” Daar is geen middeweg nie. Of ons leef vir Chris- tus of die wêreld. So wat glo jy werklik? Hoe lyk jou lewe of optrede? Word Chris- tus verheerlik? Ons kan nie anders as om diep vrae te vra nie. Paulus skryf die vol- gende aan Timoteus. 2Ti 2:19 -21, Ewenwel, die fonda- ment van God staan vas met hierdie seël: Die Here ken die wat syne is; en: Laat elkeen wat die Naam van Christus noem, afstand doen van die ongeregtigheid. Maar in ‘n groot huis is daar nie alleen voorwerpe van goud en silwer nie, maar ook van hout en erdewerk; en som- mige tot eer, maar ander tot oneer. As iemand hom dus hiervan deeglik rei- nig, sal hy ‘n voor- werp tot eer wees, geheilig en bruik- baar vir die Here, toeberei vir elke goeie werk.” Neem van vandag af verantwoordelikheid vir jou eie lewe. Luister na die Stem van Heilige Gees. Doen afstand van alle ongeregtigheid, sodat jy gereinig, heilig en bruikbaar vir God kan wees. Vrede Pastoor Johan Venter *BRIEWE* LETTERS *BRIEWE* LETTER *BRIEWE* LETTERS *BRIEWE* LETTERS* Questions raised after meeting regarding Amalgamation with Msukaligwa Muncipality Notice is hereby given in terms of Section 19 of the Local Government Systems Act 32 of 2000 that the Council of Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality will amongst other reports consider the 2015/2016 Budget on a Council meeting which will be held on Tuesday, 26 May 2015 at 11:00 in the Council Chambers, Volksrust. Members of the community and interested parties are invited to attend and observe the proceedings. PB MALEBYE MUNICIPAL MANAGER NOTICE NO: 30/2015 Municipal Offices, Cnr Adelaide Tambo Street and Dr Nelson Mandela Drive, Private Bag X 9011, Volksrust 2470 DR PIXLEY KA ISAKA SEME LOCAL MUNICIPALITY ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING: 26 MAY 2015 I wish to write this letter to inform the community of Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, about the loosing battle they are fighting against the ruling party of the Municipality. Ladies and Gentleman, fellow members of the community of Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, last week I was invited to attend a Stakeholder meeting at the Municipal Offices in Volksrust. I was under the impression that it will be an arranged meeting by our Municipal Officers to request our support to fight and object against the proposed amalgamation with Msukaligwa Municipality. We were a contigency of about 50 people. The Honourable Chairperson got the meeting going quickly and promptly allowed the Honourable Mayor of Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme to inform the Stakeholders of the reasons for the amalgamation. I was blown over to hear that Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme was a non-viable Municipality and that Msukaligwa Municipality was Dysfunctional. Per definition it means that Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme should not exist anymore. It also means that Msukaligwa spends its money better, altough they are owing Eskom about R120m and we owe Eskom nothing, except the current spending. Seven to eight years ago we were the 2nd best Municipality in Mpumalanga. All of this after we heard at the Public Participation Process two weeks ago that it was the other way around. It was clearly indicated that Msukaligwa was the Non-viable Municipality. The second shock came, as the Honourable Mayor inform the meeting, that it was because of people from this community who kept on complaining about service delivery, that the Minister had to take matters into his own hands and the result will be the marrying of the two municipalities. People like you and me, who only asked for service delivery to take place as agreed upon between the people of the community and the people elected by the community to deliver such services. It means that you who live in Vukuzakhe, and you who did not receive your house as promised by the Government, or you who are complaining about streets full of potholes, or you in the country side, who must let your child walk barefoot to school in the winter, because the bus does not pick them up that far, you are the reason that we must now amalgamate with Msukaligwa. This coming from the Honourable Mayor, who clearly stated to the meeting that the Government whom he support, and who are ‘bias to the poor’, will do what is best for the ‘poor people’. My question to you Honourable Mayor: If you are bias to the poor, why do you sell them out, as being the reason that we must amalgamate? Telling them openly, because people of this community kept on complaining to the Provincial and National Departments. Secondly, if we are not viable, why do you brag in the meeting Honourable Mayor, that we are delivering our mandate with the little money we have, and we owe nobody? If you run a business and you manage not to increase your debtors book daily, and you still make ends meet, it is a business under stress, but it is far from being non-viable? Maybe poorly managed, but not non-viable. A question that came to my mind during the meeting also, why will anybody push so hard, stating it clearly, that no matter what the people say, the amalgamation is basically a done deal. The amalgamation will save Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme in the region of R20m per annum due to administrative positions that will fall away, and no longer be required. After all you only need one Mayor, one Speaker, one Chief Whip etc. Why push something if you know you stand a chance to loose your work, or do you push it, because you know your work is safe? What about the other people??? Is everybody safe, or are only certain people safe? And that then is my question Honourable Mayor, do you know who has been promised what? Fellow community member, the biggest shock of the day, must have been the reaction, when we where asked to vote, informally luckily, who is against and who is for the amalgamation. Out of a possible 50, of whom the most was Ward Committee Members, only two opposed the amalgamation. At the Public Participation Process which was held on 30 April, out of +-200 community members, the people responsible for electing Counsellors and Counsel Members, there was none who opposed the amalagamation. After hearing that they who represent the poorest of the poor in our community, and accepting that there is no clear plan on the table to where you have to go to query your municipal account in the future, and agreeing that they will stand a chance to loose their right to represent you(loose their job as Counsellor/Ward Committe Membership) and knowing in their hearts, that this process is far from over and not to the benefit of Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, they support the Honourable Mayor. Also, not taking into consideration, that we will be amalgamated with a Municipality who will most likely from June 2015, be 9 hours a day without electricity, have problems supplying water and allow you to find a taxi to query your bills. A closing argument, Honourable Mayor, I wish for you to respond, truthfully and honestly, to this letter. I know this is not just the questions in my heart, but also in thousands of other community members of our community. Honourable Mayor, if you really listen to your community, and speak to them, and not try to influence them, we will have a chance of redeeming our community from its fate, and restore it to its former but also future glory. Cllr. Dup Du Plooy Letter to the Recorder

Transcript of Find A Path With Heart

Page 1: Find A Path With Heart

Volksrust Recorder - Column / Rubrieke10 Recorder 22 May 2015

ChangeYourStory

With Jacques de Villiers

Find A Path With HeartSpoiler alert. This article is going to make a casefor “the journey is more important than thedestination”.On this plane, there are no permanent destinationsexcept for one: death. Of course, depending onwhat you believe, death is either an end-point(you die and that’s it, game over) or a startingpoint (you go to heaven/hell or you reincarnateinto something else).So, whatever your destination is, it is really apath to nowhere.“How can that be?” you may ask. “Paths lead todestinations, they can’t just go nowhere, surely?”Well, yes and no. All paths lead to temporarydestinations and then we find other destinations.We never stay in one destination.Let’s take our life path. Our parents meet and getmarried. They conceive us. We make it to primaryschool, then high school, then (if we’re lucky),university, then our career, we marry, we havechildren, we become grandparents and finally ourtime arrives and we are no more. Our children andour grandchildren will go on a similar journey.Each phase of our life and the events that colourit, are temporary destinations.Maybe you buy this argument; that there’s nodestination. But, let’s say you don’t buy the

argument and you do believe that (besides thefinal destination, death) there are manydestinations. Ask yourself this question.“Whenever I’ve reached a ‘destination’ have Iactually become happier and more important,stayed happy?” I think if you’re really honest,your answer has to be “no”. For example, formost of us our wedding day was supposedly thehappiest day of our lives. Ask yourself if youstill feel that happiness in that marriage today?So, destinations and happiness are temporarynotions.So, what’s the answer?For me it is about the path I take. Find a pathwith heart. I’ve taken hundreds of paths in mylife and because I believe that they don’t leadanywhere, if I’m on a path that doesn’t feel rightto me, I get off it.Why? Because I’m on this planet for such a shorttime, I don’t have time to waste on a path thatdoesn’t have heart and bring joy to me. And, themore joy I have in me, the more capacity I have ofloving and caring for my fellow man.I believe our journey is about finding paths thatbring joy to us and that make our hearts sing. Andwhen our hearts sing, we make others’ hearts singtoo.

Neem verantwoordelikheidWare kinders vanGod neem verant-woordelikheid virhulle eie lewe. Ditimpliseer hulle hetopgehou met dieblameer speletjie. Ekstaan soms verbaasna sommige mense severskonings oorhoekom hulle sekeredinge gedoen het.Wat my die meesteskok is dat menseletterlik met “die handin die koekieblik”gevang word en nogsteeds hulle selfverontskuldig. DieHere Jesus het ons dievermoë gegee om selfte kan besluit. Onshet die vermoë omself te besluit. Somslyk dit of sommigemense dit nie ver-staan nie. Self diemees goddelose menshet die vermoë ont-vang om tussen goeden kwaad te on-derskei. Dit bring myby jou en my askinders van die Here.Ons het die HeiligeGees ontvang. DieHeilige Gees in onspraat gedurig met onsen herinner ons aandie Woord van God.Ek en jy het geen ver-skoning nie. Ons kanreg kies en reg leef.Nou praat ek nie vanvolmaaktheid nie,

want ons is nog niedaar nie. En ja, onsgaan nog baie foutemaak. Tog leefChristus in ons. Onsis nie meer dieselfdemense nie. Ons leef,dink, hanteer enreageer anders asvoor ons Jesus aangeneem het. Paulusstel dit baie duidelik.Rom 8:11-14, “Enas die Gees van Homwat Jesus uit diedode opgewek het, injulle woon, dan salHy wat Christus uitdie dode opgewekhet, ook julle sterflikeliggame lewendmaak deur sy Geeswat in julle woon.Daarom dan, broe-ders, is ons skulde-naars, nie aan dievlees om na die vleeste lewe nie; want asjulle na die vleeslewe, sal julle sterwe,maar as julle deur dieGees die werke vandie liggaam dood-maak, sal julle lewe.Want almal wat deurdie Gees van Godgelei word, dié iskinders van God.”Christus het niehalfpad uit die doodopgestaan nie, needie Heilige Gees het‘n volkome werk ge-doen. Dus: As ekbeweer om kind van

God te wees dan sê ekeintlik die HeiligeGees het ‘n volmaaktewerk gedoen. OmdatHy ‘n volmaaktereddingswerk ge-doen het kan ek en jyook alle sondige ofvleeslike gewoontesaflê. Ja kind van dieHere - jy hoef nie meerte sukkel met ‘nhumeur, rook, vloekslegte drink ge-woontes ensovoortsnie. Ek en jy kanwaarlik oorwin en inoorwinning beginleef. Onthou ons isgeroep om heilig ofeerder “anders” teleef, sodat die watnog nie Christus inhulle lewens ontvanghet nie, Hom deur onsheilige lewenswandelkan ontdek. Grootuitdaging maar togmoontlik. Hoekom?Dieselfde Gees watJesus uit die doodopgewek het leef inons. Dieselfde krag-werking is werksaamin ons. Paulus skryfook: “As jy inChristus is, is jy ‘nnuwe skepping, dieou dinge het verbygegaan, kyk alles hetnuut geword” Daar isgeen middeweg nie.Of ons leef vir Chris-tus of die wêreld. Sowat glo jy werklik?

Hoe lyk jou lewe ofoptrede? Word Chris-tus verheerlik? Onskan nie anders as omdiep vrae te vra nie.Paulus skryf die vol-gende aan Timoteus.2Ti 2:19 -21, “Ewenwel, die fonda-ment van God staanvas met hierdie seël:Die Here ken die watsyne is; en: Laatelkeen wat die Naamvan Christus noem,afstand doen van dieo n g e r e g t i g h e i d .Maar in ‘n groot huisis daar nie alleenvoorwerpe van gouden silwer nie, maarook van hout enerdewerk; en som-mige tot eer, maarander tot oneer. Asiemand hom dushiervan deeglik rei-nig, sal hy ‘n voor-werp tot eer wees,geheilig en bruik-baar vir die Here,toeberei vir elkegoeie werk.”Neem van vandag afverantwoordelikheidvir jou eie lewe.Luister na die Stemvan Heilige Gees.Doen afstand van alleo n g e r e g t i g h e i d ,sodat jy gereinig,heilig en bruikbaar virGod kan wees.VredePastoor Johan Venter

*BRIEWE* LETTERS *BRIEWE* LETTER *BRIEWE* LETTERS *BRIEWE* LETTERS*

Questions raised after meeting regardingAmalgamation with MsukaligwaMuncipality

Notice is hereby given in terms of Section 19 of the Local Government Systems Act 32 of2000 that the Council of Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality will amongst otherreports consider the 2015/2016 Budget on a Council meeting which will be held onTuesday, 26 May 2015 at 11:00 in the Council Chambers, Volksrust.

Members of the community and interested parties are invited to attend and observe theproceedings.

PB MALEBYEMUNICIPAL MANAGER NOTICE NO: 30/2015

Municipal Offices, Cnr Adelaide Tambo Street and Dr Nelson Mandela Drive, PrivateBag X 9011, Volksrust 2470

DR PIXLEY KA ISAKA

SEME LOCAL

MUNICIPALITY

ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING: 26 MAY 2015

I wish to write this letter to inform the communityof Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, about the loosingbattle they are fighting against the ruling party ofthe Municipality.Ladies and Gentleman, fellow members of thecommunity of Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, lastweek I was invited to attend a Stakeholder meetingat the Municipal Offices in Volksrust. I was underthe impression that it will be an arranged meetingby our Municipal Officers to request our supportto fight and object against the proposedamalgamation with Msukaligwa Municipality.We were a contigency of about 50 people.The Honourable Chairperson got the meeting goingquickly and promptly allowed the HonourableMayor of Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme to inform theStakeholders of the reasons for the amalgamation.I was blown over to hear that Dr. Pixley Ka IsakaSeme was a non-viable Municipality and thatMsukaligwa Municipality was Dysfunctional.Per definition it means that Dr. Pixley Ka IsakaSeme should not exist anymore. It also meansthat Msukaligwa spends its money better, altoughthey are owing Eskom about R120m and we oweEskom nothing, except the current spending.Seven to eight years ago we were the 2nd bestMunicipality in Mpumalanga.All of this after we heard at the PublicParticipation Process two weeks ago that it wasthe other way around. It was clearly indicatedthat Msukaligwa was the Non-viableMunicipality.The second shock came, as the Honourable Mayorinform the meeting, that it was because of peoplefrom this community who kept on complainingabout service delivery, that the Minister had totake matters into his own hands and the resultwill be the marrying of the two municipalities.People like you and me, who only asked for servicedelivery to take place as agreed upon between thepeople of the community and the people electedby the community to deliver such services.It means that you who live in Vukuzakhe, andyou who did not receive your house as promisedby the Government, or you who are complainingabout streets full of potholes, or you in the countryside, who must let your child walk barefoot toschool in the winter, because the bus does notpick them up that far, you are the reason that wemust now amalgamate with Msukaligwa.This coming from the Honourable Mayor, whoclearly stated to the meeting that the Governmentwhom he support, and who are ‘bias to the poor’,will do what is best for the ‘poor people’. Myquestion to you Honourable Mayor: If you arebias to the poor, why do you sell them out, asbeing the reason that we must amalgamate? Tellingthem openly, because people of this communitykept on complaining to the Provincial and NationalDepartments.

Secondly, if we are not viable, why do you brag inthe meeting Honourable Mayor, that we aredelivering our mandate with the little money wehave, and we owe nobody?If you run a business and you manage not toincrease your debtors book daily, and you stillmake ends meet, it is a business under stress, butit is far from being non-viable? Maybe poorlymanaged, but not non-viable.A question that came to my mind during themeeting also, why will anybody push so hard,stating it clearly, that no matter what the peoplesay, the amalgamation is basically a done deal.The amalgamation will save Dr. Pixley Ka IsakaSeme in the region of R20m per annum due toadministrative positions that will fall away, andno longer be required. After all you only need oneMayor, one Speaker, one Chief Whip etc. Whypush something if you know you stand a chanceto loose your work, or do you push it, becauseyou know your work is safe? What about theother people??? Is everybody safe, or are onlycertain people safe? And that then is my questionHonourable Mayor, do you know who has beenpromised what?Fellow community member, the biggest shock ofthe day, must have been the reaction, when wewhere asked to vote, informally luckily, who isagainst and who is for the amalgamation. Out ofa possible 50, of whom the most was WardCommittee Members, only two opposed theamalgamation.At the Public Participation Process which washeld on 30 April, out of +-200 communitymembers, the people responsible for electingCounsellors and Counsel Members, there wasnone who opposed the amalagamation.After hearing that they who represent the poorestof the poor in our community, and accepting thatthere is no clear plan on the table to where youhave to go to query your municipal account in thefuture, and agreeing that they will stand a chanceto loose their right to represent you(loose theirjob as Counsellor/Ward Committe Membership)and knowing in their hearts, that this process isfar from over and not to the benefit of Dr. PixleyKa Isaka Seme, they support the HonourableMayor. Also, not taking into consideration, thatwe will be amalgamated with a Municipality whowill most likely from June 2015, be 9 hours a daywithout electricity, have problems supplyingwater and allow you to find a taxi to query yourbills.A closing argument, Honourable Mayor, I wishfor you to respond, truthfully and honestly, tothis letter. I know this is not just the questionsin my heart, but also in thousands of othercommunity members of our community.Honourable Mayor, if you really listen to yourcommunity, and speak to them, and not try toinfluence them, we will have a chance of redeemingour community from its fate, and restore it to itsformer but also future glory.

Cllr. Dup Du Plooy

Letter to the Recorder