N E W S & V I E W S • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 33 – you just need to find them. Seeing another screen will convince you that we all can make active choices as to which rabbit holes to use, or not. The alternative screen that I recently encountered was from a brewer that I met in the dark recesses of the Bloemfontein industrial area of all places. Amongst the decrepit surroundings, here was a man, a qualified and world travelled chef, who had actively chosen the area for its quirkiness and in which to build a successful brewery, tap room and restaurant. He explained to me that his wife had bought him a beer making kit (in a bucket) many years ago. He had done a home brew or two, enjoyed the hobby and decided to expand. He currently sits with a very big brewing facility in which he brews beverages for the commercial trade, and he even pairs his brews with meals that he creates and cooks himself for extremely popular beer / food tastings. A more positive man you will not find. He told me that he was not fazed by load shedding as he has become nocturnal and draws most of his electricity by night to avoid the daily loadshedding. Solar is his friend. He has employed local people and partnered with them in the enterprise he has developed. He embraces South African culture and makes it work for him making this country his chosen and favourite venue. “OK”, you may argue “How long will it last?” I have no real answer to that but would suggest that an answer to that question is not particularly important. What is important is that this man provides an alternative and positive rabbit hole. A hole with far more positives than the ones which we tend inadvertently to occupy. He offers a different screenshot of life and the human condition in South Africa. He forces us to take stock of our own reality and realise that there are always alternatives. We will always have a choice of hole. Which particular rabbit hole are you going to choose?
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyNjA0