Raising Hope

Looking back at 2014, my best memory is seeing Eminem live on stage in Cape Town. Other than Eminem and a couple of other amazing concerts, this year was pretty much a turd for most people. Filled with heartache, loss, disappointment and outrage, this year kicked our asses all up and down the street.

We had entire planes disappearing, Oscar Pistorius getting a light sentence that can only be described as a vacation from being a celeb, Dewani getting away with murder, wars, beloved stars dying, even more beloved stars under scrutiny for rape and child molestation, the racist attacks by police officers in Ferguson, girls being kidnapped in Nigeria. It’s like humanity just refused to get its shit together in 2014. Ugliness everywhere you looked. And then we also got the Ebola virus. EBOLA! The motherfucking Ebola virus! I didn’t even know Ebola still existed. Is that not enough to prove how undeniably shit 2014 has been? EBOLA!

At least we were given a few good movies to distract us from all the kakness. I could list them all but the one that stood out for me at the time I was writing this was Lego Movie. Probably not the best, probably not the most thought provoking (there were some brilliant disturbing dramas this year) but you know what, it was by far my favourite distraction and it flat out told kids that there is a veil that blindfolds society – a veil called “Everything Is Awesome”. Best part is the message at the end. HOPE.

That reminded me of a lecture I attended at a mosque a couple of years ago. This American dude sat there and started talking about what I expected to be a boring religious topic, but it was so much more than that.

He said that religion is a concept, an idea. Call it whatever you want, in any language you want, but ultimately, this way of life comes down to one concept. It’s not a Christian concept. It’s not a Jewish concept. It’s not an Islamic concept. Shit, it’s not even a religious concept. It’s something universal that everyone from the Dalai Lama to the most militant atheist believes in. It’s the idea that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope. The very existence of man is derived from hope. It’s the core of our being and we won’t get up in the morning without it. Whether you believe in praying to a cloud in the sky, doing a tiny good deed for someone else, or that adopting that orphan and raising him or her in a loving home with two good parents will contribute to the betterment of tomorrow, it still comes down to hope. It separates us from the animals and it should be the thing that brings us together, regardless of what we believe.

With that said, Ramzee & The Jillybean sends you all the compliments of the season, a happy and safe new year and one wish… That 2015 brings everything you hoped for.

That is all.