"There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return." Nelson Mandela.
It is that time of year again; a time when, as a nation, we are invited to hop off the (me) rry-go-round and commit 67 minutes to helping others. With annual Mandela Day coming up on Wednesday 18th July, some will have already decided on what they are going to do with their time, others will be scouring local websites or newspapers looking for ideas whilst some of us may have ‘forgotten’ that it is happening.
Whatever it is that we end up doing, it is important that we get involved. The people who tend to participate in such days are usually those who give of their time all year round anyway. But this day is meant for all citizens of South Africa and indeed the world. Whether we are young or old, male or female, working or unemployed, Mandela Day is a time when we stop saying, "why don’t they do x,y and z" - and each participate in the building of our nation. It is a day when we all lay a brick.
One way to decide what to do on Mandela Day is to ask yourself what really gets up your nose and spend 67 minutes doing something about it. I am convinced that more people would get involved with initiatives like this if they involved themselves with issues that really concerned them. Ask yourself what winds you up the most. What causes righteous indignation to well up from the pit of your stomach? In our local parlance – what makes you gatvol?
I have a friend who absolutely detests the sight of litter. Whenever he sees litter, he begins to twitch nervously. If he is driving at the time, his fingers begin drumming on the steering wheel and he straightens up in his seat as if preparing for battle. When he starts to bang his teeth together repeatedly, you know the tirade is not far off: "Why the hell can’t they just put their litter in the bin? Is it SO hard? They can drop it next to the bin – why not IN the bin?" Now, no prizes for guessing what my friend should spend his 67 minutes doing come 18 July.
The best reason for my mate spending his 67 minutes collecting litter is that the experience will give him a sense of satisfaction. He will feel good about himself as he sees his street a little tidier and this will encourage him to do it more than once a year. Borrowing from the Mandela Day website (www.mandeladay.com), he might just be inspired to "make every day a Mandela Day".
If my friend had forced himself to trudge off to the local old age home with a box of shortbread and a copy of "The Old Man and the Sea", you can be sure that those 67 minutes spent reading to the aged would be the last he ever spent doing anything good.
So, what really annoys you? You could get out your Rolux and mow the uncut grass verges because these really cause your blood pressure to soar. (By the way, don’t spend your 67 minutes of mowing moaning about where your rates go and how this isn’t your job. Today, it is your job!)
If you don’t like mowing but you still want your verges cut - or your potholes fixed or more street lighting installed - you could spend 67 minutes meeting with your local ward councillor finding out ways you could help him or her to get this stuff fixed.
If nothing gets your goat, how about doing stuff you enjoy. You could make a meal for a sickly neighbour because you love to cook. You could give 67 minutes of your professional time as a doctor, physio or occupational therapist to a local children’s home. The horticulturalists amongst us could do some gardening in a public space.
Whatever it is, do something that you want to do, that you enjoy doing – that isn’t necessarily a big stress. This way it won’t be a once off on Mandela Day and 18 July will have served as an inspiration for something that becomes a part of your life.
One of my favourite and most challenging quotes was spoken by founder of the Methodist Church John Wesley. He said: "My role is to improve the present moment."
This year, let’s not make excuses. Let’s use Mandela Day as a catalyst for a personal journey; a journey that sees us all inspired to play our part in improving the present moment for our people and our country.
Justin Foxton is founder of national awareness campaign "Stop Crime Say Hello", "The Baby House" in Umhlanga, Durban and the Kwa-Zulu Natal Adoption Coalition.
This article first appeared in The Mercury
Steuart has done some 500 talks on South Africa's progress since 1994 and SA's prospects for the future' 
