We all revere Nelson Mandela. I would even suggest that many of the young leaders in the country, be it in the political or business spheres, aspire to be like him and profess to subscribe to his values.
But there is one area of his teaching that seems to have fallen by the wayside. While imprisoned on Robben Island Mandela used to exercise in his cell for 45 minutes every morning. He said: “I have always believed that exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind.” Sage words then and still true today.
Even in his youth Mandela was a fitness fanatic; boxing was one of his favourite pastimes. The results were there for all to see, and to this day Mandela boasts a lean, statuesque form.
The refined missionary school-educated gentlemen of that bygone era took pride not only in their intellectual pursuits but also in their grooming and wellbeing. Pride in one’s appearance and the cultivation of sporting interests were signs of discipline and were thought to add to the overall allure and standing of a man.
Why then have we spawned a generation of young men who increasingly sport large, unseemly wobbly bellies that belie their youth? It is referred to as a beer belly, but in South Africa it could quite easily be called the BEE belly.
A rotund shape protruding from behind a fashionable shirt seems to be the order of the day. And it is not just middle-aged men who have overindulged in pap and beer who bear this hallmark, but young go-getters in their prime.
Traditional folklore would have us believe that a fat man is a wealthy and happy one. The isiXhosa word for a well-to-do person is isityebi — translated directly it means “the fat one”. Many of our chaps have clearly taken this meaning quite literally and are expanding their girth in proportion to their fattening bank balances. It is terrible.
I know weight is a sensitive issue for both men and women, but we are dealing with a growing problem of obesity among all age groups and genders. We know that, biologically, women have always carried extra layers of fat, whereas men have been less predisposed to being overweight because of genealogy. That has changed.
Many young women seem to be going the extra mile to defy biology. They are working out and eating well because they want to be healthy and attractive in a world that demands they be as hot and clever as Michelle Obama, as nurturing and strong as the late Albertina Sisulu, and as commanding and authoritative as Condoleezza Rice.
What do these big bellies mean other than the obvious — that people are eating too much and not expending the added energy on any form of exercise? Two of the deadly sins, sloth and gluttony, are clearly at play here. But it also seems to speak of a different kind of lethargy, one brought about by excess. The times we live in are awash with the good things in life — easy money, fast and pricey cars, fine liquor, and plenty of impressionable and undiscerning women, whose attention can be gained without much effort. So why bother being disciplined and pleasing to the eye when things come so easily?
Describing the state of the black man post-liberation, writer Bessie Head wrote: “It was as though he was hideous to himself and, in an effort to flee his own inner emptiness, he spun away from himself in a dizzy kind of death dance of wild destruction and dissipation.” I suspect this applies to some in our generation of young men.
How refreshing, then, to see the likes of Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo taking ownership of their weight and starting to pursue healthier lifestyles. Dhlomo just ran his first Comrades marathon and Motsoaledi is now a keen walker, happily admitting to having shed several kilos as a result. He is now reportedly trying to spread the gospel to both his parliamentary and Cabinet colleagues. We wish him luck in this regard.
I also hope that the younger generation will seek to emulate the example set by these two leaders. Ultimately, we cannot love you if you do not seem to love yourselves.