Do gooders

Behind the Badge

Last Wednesday, Behind the Badge – The untold stories of South Africa’s police service members(Zebra Press) by Andrew Faull was launched. The book is a collection of interviews with current and former policemen. Their interesting commentary about policing under apartheid, transformation after 1994, solving cases, ethics and the psychological toll of police work gives a greater understanding of what it means to be a member of the police force – and that might help bring more empathy to your encounters with cops... good or bad.

Made for Goodness

Later the same day, Desmond Tutu addressed the crowd who’d turned up for the launch of Made for Goodness (Rider Books), which he wrote with his daughter Mpho. I’d never realised quite how tiny Tutu was, and this was all the more noticeable as Random House Struik’s strikingly tall Stephen Johnson ‘introduced’ him. The Arch certainly doesn’t lack geniality and charisma though. And his message is big.

Despite the evidence of man’s inhumanity to man, demonstrated not least by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, father and daughter both maintain a strong conviction that we are ‘made for goodness by goodness’.

By way of illustrating this point, Tutu asked the audience to think of the physical manifestation of anger and hatred in our bodies, in contrast to our experience when we’re experiencing more positive emotions.

According to the cover blurb, ‘we can find our way back to goodness by changing our attitudes, by practising forgiveness, and by prayer. Then we will begin to see the goodness and beauty of others... If our view changes, this in turn makes all the difference to the way we act. And how we act towards each other affects not only ourselves but everything in our world – for the better.’ (Kinda reminds me of the ripple effect in that Hunter ad.) I’m all for making the world a better place, so this book is high on my list of must-reads.

how 2 help

And the next one will prompt some must-dos, I hope. The latest edition of how 2 help provides pointers to the practical application of goodness. This guide to 46 sustainable projects in Cape Town outlines the story behind each, how to get hold of them and, as the title suggests, ways to help. A handy grid and a timetable make it easy for you to match your interests and time to suitable projects. All profits from the sale of this book go to the projects in the book. how 2 help is available from most book shops for R120. Updates for the Joburg and Durban editions are in the pipeline. So what’s stopping you/me...?