http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/161829
There are many wonderful things about the institute, but one of them is the activity we start the day with, our class is divided into groups that go and work somewhere on the farm/institute for the day, whether its in the garden, the building or one of th schools.

I wrote this poem as we were in the midst of a very busy week, starting to attempt comprehending sustainability as the complex issue which it is.

Washing windows

Washing their windows
Each is different
Each frames a different perspective
Little spiders and insects sustain their lives in the dust
My newspapers are words crumpled
together that cleanse the pane

A bucket of water
My friend on the other side is washing her side
Each different perspective
Comprehending the world


With our windows
That sing when we pit
Against dirt
Immersing in mud our cloth
Clearing and clarifying
Phenomena
In the end really reflecting
With deliciously muddy feet
I’m washing my windows
]]> Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:23:00 EST http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/161829 -33.9333333 18.85-33.933333318.85 http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/154585 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:21:00 EST http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/154585 -33.9333333 18.85-33.933333318.85 http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/154583 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:20:00 EST http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/154583 -33.9333333 18.85-33.933333318.85 http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/154581
Umzi (www.umziwethu.org) has many amazing aspects and qualities which you can research on their site, I won't repeat them here. I just wish to share one thought I had.

The effect of the exposure to nature on anybody.

As wild and as raw as you can access. Which happens to be difficult these days. How wild is an area that has been fenced in? No matter how large it is? Well that is an issue for a different time.

Central to the program is the opportunity for youth to experience nature. To engage and get dirty, get tired and get high!

To sing and dance and sleep and breathe.

When I did my training as a kindergarten teacher we used to expose the young children to nature as much as we could. The reasoning was that children aquire their fundamental morality before the age of 7. As you know some religions aim to convert or involve children with their message before 7, because it actually becomes a bodily function of the persons being.

To me morality is body, not mind. I can think as much as I can about an issue and that thought may be good, or bad. I agree that thoughts lead to actions, but it is here, in my actions, where I impact the most upon the world and those around me.

Morality is about how I act. What I do.

The youth in Umzi are directly having a real moral upgrade without the moralistic handicap that people often carry.

Coming from an environment where behavior was dictated by whim, the order in the natural world creates a platform for deep and comprehensive growth.

For me this was incredibly apparent when I visited the project. The skills and the mentorship and the other parts are all indispensible.

But the sacred earth creates something more.

May Umzi be blessed and prosper.]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:59:00 EST http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/154581 -33.9333333 18.85-33.933333318.85 http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/140819
I'd like to start connecting with more like minded souls out there.

Currently I am enrolled in a Bphil in Sustainable Development in South Africa.

I'm starting to read through the literature, and it is incredible and sobering!

I intend to use this blog as my journal as I continue and I hope I will receive many comments and views.

Here we go then.]]> Sat, 20 Jan 2007 11:45:00 EST http://wesselbongani.tigblog.org/post/140819 -33.9333333 18.85-33.933333318.85