By Suntosh Pillay
“Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity.” This is Immanuel Kant’s short but potent definition, offered in 1748.
About 260 years later, his paper on the question of Enlightenment remains powerfully persuasive and prophetically relevant. It may even help us expose immature public office bearers.
Is Julius Malema immature (let alone to ask if he’s enlightened!)? No doubt. No long philosophical treatise necessary there. Of course he will disagree; accusing me of using a Western, even antiquated (though he won’t use that word) version of growth that is incompatible with the cultural milieu from which he’s from. But Kant is not a bad place to start.
But what about our nation’s leader? Surely he should be the most mature of us all? Is he?
Kant goes on: “Immaturity is the inability to use one’s understanding without guidance from another. This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another.”
The public sphere is horrified at, and even chastising, our president. Young people are offering him guidance on how to carry out his sex life. Can you imagine? A man past retirement age getting bedroom advice from people who weren’t even born when he was 40 — and well-needed advice, too! Surely he does not lack understanding — the ABCs are easy enough for a statesman to comprehend — so it must be, as Kant says, that he lacks resolve and courage. Oh dear.
Were we blinded by Zuma’s initially well-received public appointments? (Reflexive note: I’m not entirely sure who the “we” is). When we saw the faces that filled his cabinet — men and women, black and white, from the left and right — did we not all breathe a sigh of relief and think about maybe, just maybe, giving him a chance? I think we did. Zapiro took the shower head off, after all.
But wait — was Zuma trying to hide his immaturity in matters of national governance by ensuring his cabinet would create the façade of a mature president?
Kant notes: “It is so easy to be immature. If I have a book to serve as my understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience, a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on, I need not exert myself at all. I need not think, if only I can pay: others will readily undertake the irksome work for me.”
Laziness and cowardice are the sources of immaturity, according to Kant. Our president must therefore address his lazy and cowardly attitude. Too lazy to put on a condom; too cowardly to stay faithful to his wives. Too lazy to keep the promises he made to a nation; too cowardly to apologise on his own accord without public pressure. Too lazy to give us concrete measurables in his national address; too cowardly to tackle the rot of corruption and cronyism that is eating away at his party’s ideals.
Lazy enough to quote someone like Mandela at length, but too cowardly to live up to such inspiring ideals.
Will the ANC’s president have the courage to use his own thinking faculties to further South Africa? He fought for a democracy. Democratic ideals are part and parcel of the era of enlightenment. Sapere Aude, Mr President. Dare to be wise; this is the motto of the Enlightenment, after all.
Suntosh Pillay is a clinical psychologist who writes independently on social issues.
My president lack the leadership quality, i am the one who voted for the anc at last years election, because i believe what was done by other comrade was wrong(cope)and because they have a personal problem with Mr Zuma.I still love the ruling party,but i only got the problem with Mr Zuma.There has been infighting in the orgasition and there allience.that has been seen by the whole South Africa up to now but Mr Zuma has choose to keep quite .The one men on his top six( Mr Mantashe) Malema has siad all what he wanted to say about the men using different media .but he has not defend him.Today we have heard the NUMSA riasing thier angerabout the whole issue because Mr Zuma fial to solve the problem as the head of the ANC. Bab Zuma Vuka manje usunguhongameli wezwe hhayi womuzi wakho
Thanks
Suntosh. The President, and many of our current leaders, believe that because they are struggle heroes they are untouchable. They are in for a surprise. I challenge ANC members to insist that their leaders come clean on what happened in Quatro, in Angola, in 1984? And until they explain that – to show them the middle finger.
@ enlightenment
Oh, dear, the opportunities for deliberate misunderstanding of the term boggle the mind…
Juju: There is no such word in the Pedi dictionary.
Uncle Jake: Isn’t that what killed Michael Jackson?
The late unlamented Minister of Health: The Medicines Council will never approve it.
Winnie: Where’s my +50 sun block?
Angie: Not on the curriculum.
Vavi: ‘Enlightenment’? just another word for Capitalism.
Mbalula: We’ve already got blue lights! What do you want from us?
Ghost of Mbeki: “Dancing in the dark..lalala…dancing in the dark”
Hehehe. Well thought out and eloquently put. Governments of the world take note…
as Thabani me too got a problems with the ruling puties. I does not votes for the ruling putty ANC becarse the are stupid and cannot think. The educatsun of the pres stinks.
Thabani…. an organisation is only as good as it’s leadership. If the leadership, in your opinion, “leaves a lot to be desired” ….(ooooh boy, I am being nice aren’t I?)… U need to leave the organisation!!! Unless U change the leadership and THEN restore “the lot to be desired”!
I left, and I feel such relief !
Oh! …… AND I can live with myself! The sentiment has GONE!
This guy in the mirror, when shaving every morning, can look himself in the eye and say “hey!…you’re ok”
My criticisms are issue driven and not influenced or coloured by concerns for “the organisation”. Your criticisms seem to be as well.
You’re on your way, Thabani…thinkers we need, those who question we need.
Yes men? … Those who try to defend the indefensible?..
I dont think so.
U go guy!
tzME
@ carl: the idea that being part of the struggle renders you “untouchable” is unfortunate indeed. But it is also a subtle (perhaps too subtle) indication that the struggle was more about black rule than racial equality or even true democracy for that matter.
@ siobhan: Good one. Made me laugh!
@ marius: If only govts of the world would take note…. if only.
Kant: An anal retentive with a huge guilt trip about being a domineering chauvinist who thought everyone else were guilty like him and therefore needed the same punishment. It is what happens when you grow up in a strict religious home that forbids even clean fun. His name could do with respelling.
Sentiment: that which gives life colour and fun.
Logic: that which gives life reason.
Voting with your heart could thus make for colourful and fun times, but not necesarilly sensible ones.
Zuma is no leader and Juju, well, we all know what Juju isn’t. So, nothing the “president” does will fix anything, it will just smear more dung over the cracks.
Why don’t we dare to point out that our current political parties are all remnants from the hairy past and fall short of what is required? Yes, Helen, even you, or more people would vote for you…
Why don’t we look around for the people who’ve had success in building up (leaders) and ask them to start a new party, a nation building party? Cope doesn’t count, it’s just a split-off ANC party with all its hubris and left over sentiment from the past. We need several such parties with clear agendas and NO COLOUR BAR, that is so old. Earth Party, Religion Party, Techno Party… Get creative and let’s build.
tzME: you go, guy, too!
Thank you for a most engaging,and provocative piece of writing.
Enlightenment and immaturity in the same box… who would have thought to wrap it all up with a condomless man.
X Cepting: Too true; but searching for best practice in leadership development and getting the people who are involved in this involved in politics will be a mission. There’s something about the nature of people who get into politics that is perhaps a little different from your average Joes. Creativity and Politics just don’t gel together. But I hope it will! And I will definitely vote for this Nation Building Party.
Yes, admittedly difficult but not if we take an interest in what is happening around us. By “we” I mean the masses, not the Mandela Rhodes Scholars who are already converted and should be teaching the masses this skill.
I’m thinking names like: Nyameko Barney Pityana (kept UNISA to world standards in education in the face of stiff opposition) to just mention one.
You are right that historically politics attract a certain type of person. Why? Why can we not change this? Why can’t we stipulate that only people who has changed our society for the better are allowed to be politicians. Why should we always follow the rest of the world in everything they do, even their scandals? (I’m so tired of hearing about Obama, even he will fail in SA.) Why should we always strive to be “also”? Why can’t we look at the problems we have and work out the solutions for ourselves, from first priniciples? Why can’t we learn to listen to solutions with an open mind and give constructive criticism instead of scorn? We are our own worst enemies.
While I am no follower of JZ, I do believe that people are usually mature/enlightened in certain areas (say politics and communication) and less so in others (sexual responsibility and adultery for example).
Surely,we aren’t going to be taken in by this apparent lack of maturity.The whole farce is a thin veneer…feigning ignorance,blaming apartheid,culture clash,etfrickin cetera.Simply tata ma chance to see how cowering the masses are in the face of abuse of authority.Even the intelligentsia/intellectuals(?) have left the building.Suntosh you might as well set up a kiosk doing tarot readings (outside tuynhuis),you can disect this any way you like,but if this was the avant garde of the struggle.i.e.the conscientised, I believe was the buzz-word at the time,the consciences must come teflon coated.