Magnetic Migration: The World in Union

In the light of the worldwide shock, devastation and loss this week I felt a little self centered writing about my 'holiday' up the Garden Route which has been a lovely beach hopping experience with whale spotting, sand boarding, surfing and lagoon canoeing but not a lot of meaning. And so although there are some photos of our 3 weeks on the beach at the bottom of the page, the focus of this post will instead be on my own musings during one BazBus journey.

Looking out to the 'Supertubes' at Jeffrey's Bay

< As we alluded to in the last post we were recommended to travel from Cape Town to Durban using the 'BazBus' a hop-on hop-off service that is set out to give travelers flexibility and ease when exploring the Garden Route and Wild Coast. Although we bumped into a couple of South African travelers on the route, we found that the majority of BazBus users were tourists. Our journey took us to Hermanus, Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Jeffrey's Bay, Port Elizabeth, East London, Umtenweni and finally finished up in Durban. >

Waking surprisingly early at 6 am on Saturday morning I rolled over to find my phone, a BBC update alerted me to the horror that had unfolded in Paris the night before. Following the events on Sky News that morning both Ben and I were dumbfounded. Such a loss. Such a shock. It bought it all back home that this world, despite its natural beauty, was a complete and utter mess. I understand the argument that why Paris, why has this realisation not come about from the devastation in other countries, so I guess it's down to locality. For me, growing up in Tunbridge Wells, neighbouring France was a safe place, Paris was the city of love, and so, just as it was when London got rocked in 2007, this attack was just too close to home. It left me reflecting upon the hurt and pain a few twisted and mislead individuals can inflict upon communities, towns, nations, the world.

(Source: www.rsvlts.com)

And yet, I, alongside many others, have been incredibly moved by the reaction on social media to unite. To show solidarity in the face of evil.

(Source: www.instagram.com)

As I write this we are on a four hour bus journey through the Eastern Cape. During apartheid this area, referred to as Transkei, was established as one of the homelands for Xhosa speaking people. At the time the government of South Africa justified the independence of the area by suggesting it allowed the 'right of every person to have full control over its own affairs' - however the rest of the world saw it for what it was, a means of coloured segregation, a country just for the blacks. The UN openly rejected the integrity of this district, instead insisting that this was a 'sham independence' which was designed to reinforce 'the inhuman policies of apartheid'. This was an area set out to impress the outside world. The outside world was not impressed. Thankfully when Mandela came into power he began to bring peace into this 'liberated' area, the separation dissolved and the residents were reintegrated into the wider country. Ben and I may be enjoying the stunning South African beaches but it's apparent that we are never far away from their past. Never too disconnected from their unfortunate history.

And yet. This country has come through, together. Of course I'd be naive to suggest that all the resentment, the bitterness, the racial attitude has washed away, But importantly they have learnt, as we must, to live together, in a place where skin colour, culture, appearance and religion should no longer matter. So as we drive through this area of historical turmoil I am humbled and reminded of the resilience, the determination and the humanity to put the past in the past and choose to stand together. United. Regardless.

(Source: www.dailymail.co.uk)

As I plug into my iPhone I am listening to the Invictus soundtrack (if you haven't seen the film - make it a priority!), and on it includes the '95 rendition of 'The World in Union'. It was only 3 weeks ago that the 2015 UK rugby World Cup captured the worlds attention. We may have been routing for different teams, may have been wearing different jerseys, but all across our globe people came together as rugby fans, proud of their nations and proud of the game.

"There's a dream, I feel

so rare, so real

all the world in union,

the world as one

Gathering together,

One mind, one heart

every creed, every colour,

once joined never apart

Searching for the best in me,

I will find what I can be,

if I win, lose or draw,

there's a victory for all

It's the world, the world in union,

the world as one,

as we climb to reach our destiny,

a new age has begun..."

Bumping along the highway I am currently sat among an America, two Germans, a Norwegian, a Brit, a South African and two Dutch nationals. And believe it or not we haven't talked about our differences, our conflicting political or religious beliefs. Instead we have found similarities, laughed together about shared experiences and most of all, enjoyed our journey together.

So as I reflect on the terror of this past week, the evil that haunts the innocent I endeavor to remember the good in the individual. To recognise that although we live busy busy lives, that our actions towards our neighbour, our attitudes, our opinions, our reactions need to be centered on peace and compassion.

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love" - Mother Teresa

Prayer requests:

We pray for everyone affected by the devastation in Paris and across the world. We cannot understand the actions of terrorists but we trust that God can work even in our darkest moments.
We are thankful for our safety, especially whilst backpacking for the last 3 weeks. We continue to ask for protection when travelling.
We ask that we are continuously blessed by the welcome, the generosity and the love of family. We are so grateful for the time we have ahead of us, with Ben's Uncle and Auntie in Durban, and cousins further up the coast.
We pray that when making plans for 2016 it becomes apparent which direction God wants to lead us in, especially in regards to visa extensions whilst in South Africa.
May our family and friends at home be safe and that we can continue to communicate easily.