Simon’s X-Ray Vision A simple lesson in love and tolerance, through the eyes of a South African child. Simon goes to high school with some really special friends from across the ‘Rainbow Nation’, if you look at who attends: Judah is a Rasta, with a crop of funky dreads, Naz and Fats are Muslims, who wear scarves around their heads, Krishna is a Hindu; Zachariah is a Jew, and, though most of them are Christians, there are kids of every hue. But Simon has a problem! He just doesn’t understand how ugliness can flourish in so beautiful a land, because at every lunch-break, instead of playing games, children bully one another, yelling out such spiteful names. They criticise and pick on all the most defenceless folk; and anyone who’s ‘different’ is treated like a joke. They call Xolani “Fatso”, and Patricia “Try-for-White”, and they say that Jan’s a Hotnot, which for Simon isn’t right. Though Zenzo’s kind and gentle, schoolmates often make him cry, by taunting him with Moffie (but no one can answer why). André stutters badly; poor Rafiqah has a scar, and Willow has two mommies, which the others find bizarre! “Lerato is a witch,” they jeer, “with beads inside her shirt”, and David’s an Umlungu. (Simon reckons that must hurt!) Jean-Claude is from the Congo, and Tonderai’s from Zim; Sure, they speak in foreign accents, but that doesn’t bother him, for insults based on origin are thoughtless, mean and bad and Simon hates all nicknames that make other people sad… They call him “Simple Simon”; Yes, they’ve said it to his face, but he knows he isn’t stupid, so he doesn’t feel disgrace, although he sometimes wonders what they say behind his back, for he’s been told he looks Chinese, although his mom was black! He’s heard about Apartheid, xenophobia and hate, but while others point their fingers, Simon really can’t relate. He’d never judge a person by the colour of their skin, their religion, culture, language, or the shape that they come in. He finds it strange and curious that we should feel apart, with each of us united by our fragile beating heart. He dwells on the absurdity of cruelty and blame, when just beneath the surface, we’re essentially the same! Simon often thinks he’s lucky that he simply doesn’t see all those superficial issues, which so bother you and me. You cannot tell the contents from the cover of a book, so how can you condemn someone for how they sound or look? For Simon, terminology like “brown” or “black” or “white” is rendered blank and meaningless, without the curse of sight. He’s heard that in God’s image, earth’s populace was made, so surely the Creator is composed of every shade? He’s never seen a rainbow, but he knows that they are real, for perceiving and believing things is based on what you feel. Now, though Simon has a problem, and he doesn’t understand how ugliness can flourish in so beautiful a land, his inner vision tells him there is hope for humankind, because he’s heard that “God is Love”, and love, like him, is blind. Simon’s X-Ray Vision A simple lesson in love and tolerance, through the eyes of a South African child. Simon goes to high school with some really special friends from across the ‘Rainbow Nation’, if you look at who attends: Judah is a Rasta, with a crop of funky dreads, Naz and Fats are Muslims, who wear scarves around their heads, Krishna is a Hindu; Zachariah is a Jew, and, though most of them are Christians, there are kids of every hue. But Simon has a problem! He just doesn’t understand how ugliness can flourish in so beautiful a land, because at every lunch-break, instead of playing games, children bully one another, yelling out such spiteful names. They criticise and pick on all the most defenceless folk; and anyone who’s ‘different’ is treated like a joke. They call Xolani “Fatso”, and Patricia “Try-for-White”, and they say that Jan’s a Hotnot, which for Simon isn’t right. Though Zenzo’s kind and gentle, schoolmates often make him cry, by taunting him with Moffie (but no one can answer why). André stutters badly; poor Rafiqah has a scar, and Willow has two mommies, which the others find bizarre! “Lerato is a witch,” they jeer, “with beads inside her shirt”, and David’s an Umlungu. (Simon reckons that must hurt!) Jean-Claude is from the Congo, and Tonderai’s from Zim; Sure, they speak in foreign accents, but that doesn’t bother him, for insults based on origin are thoughtless, mean and bad and Simon hates all nicknames that make other people sad… They call him “Simple Simon”; Yes, they’ve said it to his face, but he knows he isn’t stupid, so he doesn’t feel disgrace, although he sometimes wonders what they say behind his back, for he’s been told he looks Chinese, although his mom was black! He’s heard about Apartheid, xenophobia and hate, but while others point their fingers, Simon really can’t relate. He’d never judge a person by the colour of their skin, their religion, culture, language, or the shape that they come in. He finds it strange and curious that we should feel apart, with each of us united by our fragile beating heart. He dwells on the absurdity of cruelty and blame, when just beneath the surface, we’re essentially the same! Simon often thinks he’s lucky that he simply doesn’t see all those superficial issues, which so bother you and me. You cannot tell the contents from the cover of a book, so how can you condemn someone for how they sound or look? For Simon, terminology like “brown” or “black” or “white” is rendered blank and meaningless, without the curse of sight. He’s heard that in God’s image, earth’s populace was made, so surely the Creator is composed of every shade? He’s never seen a rainbow, but he knows that they are real, for perceiving and believing things is based on what you feel. Now, though Simon has a problem, and he doesn’t understand how ugliness can flourish in so beautiful a land, his inner vision tells him there is hope for humankind, because he’s heard that “God is Love”, and love, like him, is blind.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 21:06:18 +0000