Fleetwood Arise – Awake

by Siva Naidoo

When the Chairperson of Fleetwood Homeowners association – Mark Banfield asked me to write a piece for the Fleetwood Times, I asked him what I should write about.  Marks response was and I quote:

“Hi Siva, we have always liked the fact there was a community feeling amongst the residents of Fleetwood, During the Covid Lockdowns and associated stresses we have become disconnected with our neighbours.  An article which talks to community solidarity would be great.”

Marks response in many ways made me think. It reflects the dilemma we face in the world and in our nation state. We are increasingly disconnected with our true self and consequently we wittingly or unwittingly start to disconnect with others.  For some this separation is a silent killer which often leads to one becoming anxious which is a precursor to depression.   The global economic meltdown accompanied by the advent of the Covid pandemic had not made things any easier.   Some have lost their jobs whilst small business owners are struggling to keep their doors open

The July unrest which brought death and destruction to infrastructure and property exacerbated the situation.   

So, this is the objective reality that all of us are currently confronted with.  

This begs the question: What is to be done?  It also begs the question: Who Am I? 

What is my purpose? How do I achieve it?

I start with the premise that I am a spiritual being enjoying a physical experience.  I have a deep and abiding respect for all creation, and I recognise that taking birth as a human being is the highest form of all creation.  I must love myself first – self-love is therefore critical for living a happy, contented, and balanced life.   I believe that all of us are truly embodiments of love.  We were not born to hate.   The commandment – love thy neighbour as thy self is so relevant in these trying times.  

You might not realise or understand this – that we are all connected to one another.  We are essentially spiritual beings enjoying a physical experience.  We are all created by one God.  We are all made up of the 5 elements-air, space, water, fire and earth.  We are One – not separate beings – isolated from one another. 

So dear residents of Fleetwood Estates let us learn to respect one another. If we disagree with each other lets do so in a non-antagonistic manner.  Let us play the ball and not the person. Disagreements are a fundamental necessity in a healthy democracy.  Let’s remind ourselves that we are sparks of Divinity.  We need each other – no man is an island – Loving is caring and sharing.  As residents at Fleetwood Estate, we must recognise that we are interdependent on one another.  We must respect one another; It remains the cornerstone of developing a relationship of trust amongst one another.  Showing gratitude is another important value that we need to imbibe in our daily lives. It is also opportune to pay gratitude to the hardworking Board of Directors of Fleetwood, all of whom are volunteers, for professionally managing the estate with integrity, honesty, responsibility, accountability, openness and transparency.

Together we can build a family at Fleetwood.  Yes, we can.  Community solidarity is something that we must continue to strive for.  Its in our mutual interests to do so.

With love and light

Siva Naidoo

Unit 2 @ Fleetwood estate