I have been following the brouhaha over the proposed schools’ pledge with great interest and it has made me question whether there is such a thing as a South African identity or a South African nation.
Most of the supposed outrage over the pledge comes predictably from white South Africans who have said things like: “I am not going to allow my child to say this pledge while there are so many crooks in power” or “I am not going to pledge allegiance to corrupt politicians”.
Now, I am not a fan of the pledge. I think it is too long and convoluted. But I understand the intentions behind it and I support those wholeheartedly. I also understand, like the Minister of Arts and Culture Dr Pallo Jordan pointed out a media briefing at Parliament this week, that the words to the proposed pledge come from the Constitution.
Yes, those same words that have caused the outcry, about “the injustices of the past” come from our Constitution that has been proclaimed as one of the most progressive in the world. So white South Africans who have a problem with the wording of the pledge have a problem with the Constitution.
It is important to point out too that the pledge is not to politicians individually or collectively but to the country and its Constitution. Surely that cannot be bad: the Americans have been doing it for years.
But back to the South African identity issue. It seems like every time black people talk about the injustices of the past, white people get upset. It seems that they do not want to be reminded of the injustices of the past.
Yet we cannot get away from these injustices because in many ways, they are still with us today. We have a skewed economy — where most poor people are black and most rich people are white — because of the injustices of the past. We have sprawling dormitory townships where there is little else for people to do but sleep because of the injustices of the past.
We have a huge unemployment rate and a skills shortage in certain areas because of the injustices of the past.
The only way we will be able to deal with these problems is if we recognise them.
It sometimes seems to me that many white South Africans wanted us to become a so-called rainbow nation overnight -– after more than 300 years of colonialism and other forms of oppression and more than 50 years of apartheid — without dealing with the effects of these years of colonialism and apartheid.
It also seems that many white people feel guilty whenever black people speak about the injustices of the past. They seem to think that black people are pointing fingers at them directly.
I don’t think that that is the intention of black people when we harp on about the injustices of the past. It is not meant to point fingers or apportion blame on anyone. It is meant as a way of looking for the root of many of the problems in our society so that we can deal with them
Of course, not all our problems are rooted in this unjust past. There are many problems that have their roots in democratic South Africa and I would be the first to acknowledge this. But it seems that many white South Africans are quick to pounce on the “new” problems while wanting to wish away the problems that have a long history.
I believe the way to deal with this is to acknowledge where we come from and agree on what we need to do — as South Africans — to move forward.
We all have a stake in the success of this country. I do not intend to move to any other country and I am sure that the vast majority of South Africans also have no intention of emigrating.
Those of who have decided to stay owe it to future generations to sort out the many problems we have, but it needs to start with an acknowledgement of where many of these problems come from.
Failure to do so will mean we will continue to have tension between whites and blacks and we will then probably never be able to become one South African nation. That would be a pity.
“I don’t think that that is the intention of black people when we harp on about the injustices of the past. It is not meant to point fingers or apportion blame on anyone. It is meant as a way of looking for the root of many of the problems in our society so that we can deal with them.”
You acknowledge and important point: many whites see it differently, and this needs to change. We need to discuss this more. We need to become more conscious of this.
I am not a fan of the pledge. It reminds of the days I had to sing die stem during assembly at school. But i think by discussing the ‘injustices of the past’ we will improve our consciousness of these injustices. Something many whites in this country need to do.
Dear Ryland
To quote you:”Now, I am not a fan of the pledge. I think it is too long and convoluted.”
Did you actually read the pledge? It’s not long actually a few short lines- so I don’t understand why you say it’s long?
Perhaps you were reading that of another country?
Savaga
“So white South Africans who have a problem with the wording of the pledge have a problem with the Constitution”
I have a MAJOR problem with the way the constitution is being used or should i say ABUSED to further the racial policies of this government.
How can we not? Our children are being prejudiced against on the basis of their skin colour, in employment, in promotion, in sport selection, in university selection, in obtaining bursaries. Why would we not have a problem? We can go anywhere else in the world and not have to face this racism, and alas many have, to the detriment of ALL South Africans.
Yes, that is no different to what happened to non-whites under Apartheid. But two wrongs don’t make a right,….. it makes a country full of hypocrites. You didn’t like it, but we should stop whingeing and embrace our guilt?
Are you against racism? or are you against being the victim of racism, but happy to be the perpetrators?
treat all South Africans the same, irrespective of colour race and creed, and then we can share a common identity.
The source of a problem is far less relevant than the solution. Empowering the problem is not in any way going to enable a solution to take effect. It is impossible not to know about aparthied and its repercussions. However, 14 years have passed since apartheid and we are virtually only 1 or 2 steps away from it.
Apartheid has been likend to Nazism. The world used weapons of mass destruction to bring Naxism to its knees. The combined Allied offensive on Germany reduced the country to rubble. However, 14 years after 1945 (When Germany was rubble) we arrive at 1959 where a semblence of order and developement existed. This was done without much ado about the Nazi regieme.
We in South Africa managed to end Apartheid through a unique process that resulted in the handover, through a democratic process, of a vaible infrastructure and a reasonable anount of Goodwill. The question is;
‘Have we done well in the last 14 years based on our start-off point or are we still talking the talk but behind the scenes operating a hidden agenda?’
Germany currently dominates the European Union economically with a GDP in the Trillions. Simalarly South Africa dominates Africa in terms of GDP although our figures rate only in Billions. The issue is that South African business is the only functioning asset in Africa and thrives despite the influenct of politics, not becasue of the influence of politics.
So, are we as a counrty empowering the regoin by consistenly focusing on our faulty past or are we stalling the process of developement because of some hidden agenda in South African Politics?
The regoin of Southern Africa functions at a small percentage of its potential and with proper developement initiatives and effective corpoarte governance would be one of the wealtiest regions on the planet. Why then are our leaders consistently squabling over the crumbs left over from Apartheid when we could be developing a national wealth porfolio akin or greater than the wealth in Germany?
“We have a skewed economy — where most poor people are black and most rich people are white — because of the injustices of the past. We have sprawling dormitory townships where there is little else for people to do but sleep because of the injustices of the past.”
Therefore, the obvious reason why the government dredges up the past is to justify the continuance of discrimination against whites. It is no accident that this pledge was proposed precisely at the juncture where Eskom proved the pernicious consequences of affirmative action. Whites’ anger is born of the realization that this government will rather see this country become the next Zimbabwe than scrap affirmative action.
““We have a skewed economy — where most poor people are black and most rich people are white — because of the injustices of the past. We have sprawling dormitory townships where there is little else for people to do but sleep because of the injustices of the past.”
It’s 14 years after liberation. While no one expected overnight miracles, we’d expect these things to look a little better by now if the government was doing it’s job where it’s supposed to. At this stage, I’m increasinly comfortable in calling many of the worst things products of the present government’s failure as much as of the apartheiad legacy.
I have not seen one article in MnG about this pledge and as it is my only source of news – this is news to me! Where can I read about – or read the actual wording??
HEY! I just found it. I do not see anything wrong with it at all. It certainly doesn’t put one’s country up there with dog. I like it especially if it means my kids will be able to teach me how to say “!KE E:/XARRA //KE”
@Ryland- My first impression after hearing about the pledge I knew that white South Africans are not going to agree to it. They prefer to sweep issues of past under the carpet and then we move on, yet they don’t want to equality with black people, that is always their problem, not wanting to be equals with blacks.
@ Will- Scrap Affirmative Action? I always wonder what the DA has to say about Affirmative Action. Do people really believe we need to do this? Please tell us, we need to know DA. What are your policies towards fixing the injustices of the past?
Maybe this is one of the issues that needs to be tackled here on though leader.
“Surely that cannot be bad: the Americans have been doing it for years.”
not the best justification guy, the americans have been doing lots of things for years, one must be very carefull not to introduce indoctrination in to education, i believe that, it’s like objectivity in journalism, just don’t do it
So lets just change the streetnames, that should solve it yeah.
“Are you against racism? or are you against being the victim of racism, but happy to be the perpetrators?”
- Well said, amused reader.
“We have a huge unemployment rate and a skills shortage in certain areas because of the injustices of the past.”
- Mr Fisher, it was our present govt that destroyed education and skills development by (1) introducing OBE, (2) retrenching a 3rd of state-employed teachers and (3) closing hundreds of training colleges.
The following quote needs clarifying:
“We have a skewed economy — where most poor people are black and most rich people are white — because of the injustices of the past. We have sprawling dormitory townships where there is little else for people to do but sleep because of the injustices of the past.”
Although the observation is true, one has to consider that the sanctions placed on South Africa because of apartheid and because of the apartheid governments massive military budget, there was very little money available to anyone come 1994. Many, who had stashed some made a run as soon as they could. An assesment of wealth creation shows that almost all of the current wealth was created in the last 10 to 12 years. Clearly this excludes some of the wealthiest ‘old money’ but those individuals make up less than a few dozen and have mostly embraced the processes of the current legislation through their businesses. The failure of the government to address this issue is not based on legislative issues as our legislation as it stands is pretty good. Mostly ignored by the government but good none the less.
The main reason for the diversity in the economy is based on the politians direct misrepresentation to its electorate in terms if creating an attitude of entitlement. The electorate have been lied to and believe they are entitled to ‘automatic’ enrichment. There is nothing for nothing in economics. Its a principle that cannot be changed. Like gravity.
In my experience, the failure of BBBEE at EME and SME level is because the BEE delegates firmly belive that they are entitled to ‘enrichment’ and are not willing to partake in proper value added services or corporate governance. Upon investigation this phenomonom most often manifests istelf after a promises are made by polititians, thus creating an unfair entiltement issue.
Stop lying to the majority and they will perhaps start understanding the true function of a growing democracy. Then perhaps we can get BBBEE into the mainstream where it belongs.
I think you miss 2 points
1. To build a nation the children should be told to look forward to the future and to join hands in doing so. The opening line divides the children and does not unite them. Change the sentence to read something like this:
‘Recognising that our past enabled us to create a free, united and proud country, we honour those who came before us.
etc etc’
Now there is no finger pointing, no ‘I told you so’.
It is rather ‘united we stand and forward we go’.
2. Apartheid was adopted by a ruling elite as it was better than Soviet style communism. Now if we had had a majority government in power in say the 1960′s we would have most certainly have had a Soviet style communistic government.
Now I ask you (and Traps) to do a blog on where you think that would have taken our country and so what injustices of the past we would now be talking about considering the communism failures / purges (Stalin, Mao, etc) around the globe?
(ie do you think that a black communistic government would have done any better than the white apartheid government did?)
It would be nice if we could wind back the clock and restore South Africa to its pre-Colonial Iron Age . . .
Then we won’t have to deal with injustices of the present being excused by injustices of the past.
The expectation is that the “truth” simply IS contained in the historical view of black people. That, if white people hold a different historical view, such a view is wrong. And that they much realign their view with “the majority”.
Well, it will not happen. The “injustices of the past” may indeed exist, but the past did not contain ONLY injustices. They were chock-full of justices too. And that the manifold advantages bestowed by white colonial rule made SA the most prosperous state in Africa. So prosperous that millions of free Africans chose to live and work in SA, the “injustices” notwithstanding.
Now that is also a valid historical view, amply evidenced by the facts.
The Pandor Pledge fails to give any recognition of this valid view. It’s unbalanced.
And unacceptable.
Most white people are rich because of apartheid.
Well I am white, was forced out of my 20 year long career to make way for demographics. While employed by government I battled to make ends meet.
Out on my backside and after a few months close to crying poverty – unable to sell anything to large companies because of BEE and unable to find another Job because of AA I turned overseas.
I live in South Africa, employ chinese people who live in China – (why should I support AA employment or BEE business) and sell my products to the USA/UK/South America and a little in South Africa.
Now I am better off than I ever was under the Apartheid system and that is despite, not because of the new system.
It is a fact of human nature – that we rise to overcome adversity, that adversity challenges us out of our comfort zones and regardless of what artificial engineering is employed – people are ingenious and innovative.
Of course I have often considered mimicking my Chinese operations, setting up an assembly plant here locally, and employing sales people and installers as well as assemblers – but frankly the challenges of doing business here as a white person are too prohibitive for such investment.
In addition — most young white people are moving overseas, making fortunes and coming back. For instance a young white, unable to find employment in their career field in a lowly position in the casino industry is today a millionaire and director of a Casino in Macaua and supports his white family back here in SA.
Likewise with another I know in the courier industry, in places as far afield as Russia, Saudi-Arabia, Iraq, Argentina – now a millionaire and supporting his extended family in South Africa.
many of our white kids are overseas on oil rigs and ships, in other regions of Africa we find husbands – All sending back dollars to Africa.
I know of white children forced out of employment in lowly jobs in the printing industry, now running signage and Cable installation companies in the USA in the UK. Many of these people are employing white and black and spanish Americans/Britons etc.
So if it serves your self delusional bent to justify why black people are having it so hard and whites are having it so easy —-feel free!
@Tlanch Tau: Its not a case of whites ducking the issue – The oath should be an inspiring unifying anthem for young impressionable minds, most of whom weren’t born during apartheid
A mantra, a vision, a mission statement that builds unity of race spirit AND COMMON PURPOSE. If we need mea culpa’s we go to church.
Go to Brazil and other multi ethnic succesful countries – the first thing they say is I AM PROUDLY BRAZILLIAN! (not afro, chinese, asian, portuguese, previously disadvantaged, deeply indoctrinated victim).
Sucessful countries in developing world, Asia and pacific rim are achieving 8-10% growth in GDP which drives winning nations suppliing jobs and reducing poverty and the dispair it engenders. Our obsession with BEE, AA, croney deployement and acceptance of mediocrity in all sheres of life is sucking the energy our of SA We are battling to get beyond 3% despite our incredible potential and thats why we are poor exconomically and in spirit.
We need inspiring leadership and a nation proudly South African Our oath needs to address that, or its just another hymn to our learned helplesnness and inabilty to pull ourselves out a ditch of self pity and selfishness
“It seems like every time black people talk about the injustices of the past, white people get upset. It seems that they do not want to be reminded of the injustices of the past.”
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been careful to add adjectives like ‘some’ and ‘most’ to my generalisations. It takes a little away from a strong, concise statement, but surely our history has made it clear that it’s always important to qualify our generalisations? (You’ve done so in several places in this article, but not in the punchiest bits.)
Yes, a great number of white people are infuriatingly blinkered. Many are an embarrassment to their very friends and family. But for the sake of creating a light at the end of this tunnel, Ryland, don’t sacrifice accuracy or fairness for rhetorical effect. Please allow for the fact that a significant number of white people are fully aware of the injustices of the past, how they have benefitted from those injustices, and how they play a part in addressing them.
I think the problem that most people have with the opening section of the pledge is that it forces kids (especially those of western decent), people who had nothing to do with the actions of their parents, or requires them to feel guilty about apartheid. This i think is wrong, it does not foster or work towards the goals of the pledge. A pledge is any regard should be forward thinking and positive, not dwelling on the past or asking people who had nothing to do with the past to take responsibility for it.
but regardless of all that the pledge needs to be take by the leaders of this country first, if they want the children of this country to uphold the constitution then they need to do it first..lead by example… and by that i mean not just by taking the pledge but upholding it too.
The DA is totaly against AA. They call have on a number of occasions called it a racist policy.
I guess you missed this one, so i repost it:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Most white people are rich because of apartheid.
Well I am white, was forced out of my 20 year long career to make way for demographics. While employed by government I battled to make ends meet.
Out on my backside and after a few months close to crying poverty – unable to sell anything to large companies because of BEE and unable to find another Job because of AA I turned overseas.
I live in South Africa, employ chinese people who live in China – (why should I support AA employment or BEE business) and sell my products to the USA/UK/South America and a little in South Africa.
Now I am better off than I ever was under the Apartheid system and that is despite, not because of the new system.
It is a fact of human nature – that we rise to overcome adversity, that adversity challenges us out of our comfort zones and regardless of what artificial engineering is employed – people are ingenious and innovative.
Of course I have often considered mimicking my Chinese operations, setting up an assembly plant here locally, and employing sales people and installers as well as assemblers – but frankly the challenges of doing business here as a white person are too prohibitive for such investment.
Hi Mom, look; no land, no sea, no mountains, no rivers, no fynbos,
Now Pallo and Pandor are asking us to sing a new mantra,
————————————————————————————–
To couple the injustices of the past with the “Pandor Pledge” is indeed unhelpful, if not mischievous in intent. The injustice of the past need to be rectified and the processes towards resolves refined.
We need to remove the pathological gaze at the Afrikaner community as the supreme culprits of history and focus more widely as to who the perpetrators were and in some instances still are. In his “Colour of Money” the writer Ronald Suresh Roberts shows other than Afrikaner players and allude to why they are left unscathed.(?)
It would be of great help if this process if pursued soberly and free of vulture capitalists, is steered towards closure, and towards reconstruction and development.
There is no typical South African nor is there a South African nation, but within its boundaries have many individual and individualised identities and an assortment of “communities”, premised on “race” and interest of which many are polarised against each other. Much of this polarisation still lingers from, past “divide and rule” strategies and in parts the impact of the last thirteen years’ brought about by agents who benefit financially, politically and otherwise at the expense of the poor.
Historically some communities are more equal than others; part of our gift to the future is to stop this (Dutch – English- Afrikaners –“Blacks”?).
Samir Amin contends, ….”the present epoch is surely characterised by a (re) awakening marked by collective social identification which are starkly different by those defined by a membership of a nation state or social class. He further defines this reawakening as regionalism, linguistic and cultural assertion, tribal or ethnic, devotion to a religious group, attachment to a local community” and claims that these forms has “taken place in the West, East and the Third World” and “constitutes an important aspect of the crisis of the state, and more particularly of the nation state” This crisis according to him is, “ brought about by transnationalisation of capital and globalisation of economic life”.
Currently the engendering of patriotism is happening all over the world from Japan, to France, to England. America, to Australia to Pallo and Pandor in South Africa
Is it coincidental ?.
In a country frenzied with violence a huge part embedded in our colonial past; including rape – a non sexual crime, an act of control and power alluding to powerlessness, coupled with landlessness alienating our people from nature, and from enjoying and harvesting (by law) our rich ocean reservoirs it is understandable that people would behave in the way that they do.
It is also understandable that the government via Jordan& Pandora (J&P) would want to intervene as “patriotism is based upon the idea of the nation and its central institution the state”. And is definitely in crisis.
That the “rainbow nation” construct towards nation building has failed in the lifetime of the architects is a poignant lesson for all South Africans. That it was rejected by daily showing of disenchantment by people that it was designed for is an indictment. The failure of the “rainbow nation” construct proffers many narratives, answers and ways for us to come to grips with and offer critical tools at evaluating how P&J implement their patriotic programme and its meaning for all of us.
The nation building programme (African (Roman) Renaissance (French)) has been in the making for many years now and it is most probably the most participatory, non partisan process the country has ever experienced. Parts of it have been inherited from the Black Consciousness and Pan Africanist Movements and the then Congress cultural movement and individual cultural workers and artists including academics of all colours and hues.
Theoretically the African Renaissance concept has been worked at for more than thirteen years and though it has volumes of good, bad and ugly arguments it has not seen the light of day (in any coherent form) in the popular press.
When Paolo Jordan dropped and tested the flag issue the idea was mauled and rubbished by usual suspects in the media, while others’ protests signalled a “fear, of regimentation and compliance to the state”. Pallo’s silent and graceful or tactical withdrawal was even more fascinating, and any ensuing debate regarding government’s intent as to how the flag (symbol) was going to be utilised was lost. What could have been the beginning of a debate around the introduction of patriotism evaporated? Everything was left fluttering in the air, and now, Pandor drops and tests the Pledge (“There is nothing wrong with the pledge as it stands”) and reinforces it with the idea that it is enshrined in the constitution, it is within the law.
The constitution, one of the most lauded South African documents but the least understood by people that matter, the natives was written (mainly) by a professional class of matriarchs and patriarchs fresh from exile. It was done for the people and not by the people therefore the vast majority of South Africans see no continuity and connection to it. I surmise who up-to now do not know what it is, leave alone understand its content. Would singing every morning inculcate an understanding or engender a respect for It.?
I would encourage people to appose the implementation of Miss Pandor’s Pledge until the constitution is taken to the people – referendum towards understanding,
(Empowerment and political literacy?) affording for people the opportunity to get to locate, understand, appreciate and internalise or decide to reject it based on subjective understanding found on material conditions.
Do we need nationalism/ patriotism as a tool(s) to develop our nation?
Can it work with such a high rate of illiteracy and unemployment and so few if any strong non- aligned networks and forums amongst the poor?
What are the checks and balances and who are the ombudsman and ombudswoman – (judiciary?) Will they do a Faust on the people or will they protect the nation against undemocratic forces and opportunistic entrepreneurs who could see a good buck in patriotism.
Patriotism, a neutral tool can be used positively and negatively. It can produce a bread line, stop looting when faced with blackouts, can stop crime, clean infested ghettoes, produce industrial murder, encourage communalism, minimise rape, control HIV, end the drug pandemic, destroy gang culture ……………..
American patriotism has manufactured consent to invade and destroy foreign nations while plundering their resource to sustain their fuel driven economies. This was supported by patriots until they discovered that their civil liberties were being eroded and realised the nature of the given patriotism.
Adolph Hitler’s patriotism produced a monolithic human war machine that has set the world back for centuries. Mussolini patriotism wiped out one of Europe’s most thriving socialist movements.
(So) why am I saying what I am saying when there are no real complaints about the constructing of new statues, renaming of streets, airports, cities, celebrations of military parades, yes, why would- should people complain about symbols like flags and anthems/pledges…………….?
Would the South African Pandor&Pallo project, “patriotism be the last refuge of scoundrels” or the beginning of a newness spelling progress for South Africans?
The art of nation building and the engendering of patriotism should be critical from its inception, and critiquing its genesis is being obscured by a leadership besotted with whiteness and what they think and say? And by some “white” writers who want to be praise singers, at freedom’s expense.(Also) Why would white capitalists who have no problem with the political management of the economy not support a patriotism that favours them and keen on seeing “ a business as usual environment. Are all whites against the “Pledge”?
Part of the transition is the sifting of values, and those values can be found within our rich history moulded by workers, artists, intellectuals, politicians, men, women, the old, the young including those whose blood is part of the nourishing of the tree of freedom.
To foist the Pledge, as part of the South African Story so pregnant with life is to disgrace those who have fallen, for they are not dead, enshrined are they in the song, in the poetry, in the dance, in the stories of the land, in the terseness of their love ones’ eyes, in the memory ……………….(Organic filtration?)
Don’t worry mom, I know they still use batons, tear gas and bullets. I will not join any toyi-toyi though I miss it so, guess what, I found an old Julian Bahula (vinyl) LP I will toyi-toyi to, but I promise you even if you feint a heart attack, if the government increase the price of snoek …………
See you over Easter.
I don’t see how any pledge can create allegiance.
I grew up in an Anglican family and this weekend I had to attend a funeral at an Anglican church. Although I haven’t been to church for … let’s say over ten years, I could still recite the prayers and liturgies from memory that I had read when I was 13 years old. And guess what: I don’t believe them, which would throw up questions about my allegiance to the Anglican church.
And now that I had to recall the words, they made much more sense to me than back then. Although back then they were pregnant with mystery, this weekend they seemed rather bland.
And although I am loyal by nature, I would not want to be forced to pledge my allegiance to anything, let alone a country that is not static, but is made up of dynamic individuals, institutions, etc. that may democratically decide to do things that I disagree with.
And I wonder why Brandon (above) does not rise to the challenge of doing business in South Africa as a white person. After all, it will force him out of his comfort zone into ingenuity and innovation.
“I don’t think that that is the intention of black people when we harp on about the injustices of the past.”
What proportion of black people actually harp on about the past? I think it is a minority who access to media and publicity. If you walk into a township these days, which i have done a lot of recently, there is no harping on about the past – if there is any harping, which there isn’t a great deal of, it is about how f’ed the current government is.
@TLS
Doing business is about profit — short and sweet, not sentimentality.
Ryland, I agree that the wording of the pledge is is inoffensive. OF COURSE, it is necessary that the history that led to the creation of the Constitution not be forgotten. The real problem surely is that requiring learners to recite a mandatory pledge is unconstitutional, because it violates their freedom of conscience. And I can see no way past that.
As for that line about the American pledge: I take it your tongue was so firmly wedged in your cheek that you required plastic surgery upon dislodging it.
I am confused as to why a pledge is required. Is it required to instil in kids a sense of responsibility for recognising their privileged position compared to those citizens of colour of the past? A crass attempt at instilling an I.O U. into the damned children? Are kids the problem? Are they unthankful ill disciplined little brats? Quasi criminals? If so should they not really be reading such a pledge at home?
watching the TV program last night i wondered when these television presenters were actually going to call racism against us whites that on national television or are they simply covering up to the fact that they are more racist than our ancestors will ever be.