By Kabelo Mollo
After reading my column on-air a couple of weeks ago, my colleagues chastised me for the negativity in back-to-back columns. I tried therefore, to have a more positive outlook last week, and intend to carry on in that same vain this week.
Fortunately, my social media feed has been filled with it, thanks to a couple of interventions. The first being a space held on Tuesday that reflected on 200 years and the legacy of Moshoeshoe’s leadership.
Despite what it seemed, much of the conversation sought to build and ventilate matters. I hope the listeners took that away. A few days later I asked social media users to name three good things about the Lesotho they live in. The question received many responses from people with similar but different views on why it’s so good calling Lesotho home.
The most popular responses were about safety and security, access to land and its tenure, clean fresh air and water and no load-shedding. Other views shared included the homogeneity of society, the freedom for all groups to co-exist without real stricture and the freedom to express any and all views.
An important point to consider as the American congress goes about stifling free speech with its pending Tik Tok ban. More interesting views related to the beauty of the women, the great taste of the beer (that’s not really ours is it) and the ease of access to leaders and leadership. I really enjoyed the numerous answers I got to that question.
Let me tender my own three good things about the Lesotho I live in. The first is community. There is an inherent sense of belonging here, warts and all, the place just feels like home. Second, natural splendor. Some years ago we had a few friends over for my brother’s 40th birthday celebration and one lady commented on the continuous mountain views.
She pointed out that there were mountains everywhere and that provided a sense of safety. As I get older I tend to appreciate that more and more. Finally, for good and bad the people are great. In the main, they are friendly, helpful and just trying to get by. I have told the story before of the old lady in Mafeteng who sacrificed her own view of the royal convoy so that an outsider like me could catch a glimpse. Truly heart-warming.
On a lighter note, two more suggestions proffered were that ours is not a very tall society, so at 5’4 the gentleman in question was of pretty much average height. I chuckled because at almost 6’1 I often feel like a giant in our society, and I’m really not.
And finally one of my favourites was related to how pretty the women are, and boy are they not least of which my own wife whose beauty astounds me every day.
I hope the question awakened something in us, perhaps a reminder of how lucky we are and the fact that the glass is in fact half full. What are your three good things about the Lesotho you live in?
