“I earn that I eat, get that I wear; owe no man hate, envy no man’s happiness;” William Shakespeare
“It is a far, far better is thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known.” – A Tale of two Cities
Despite the euphoria of winning a rugby world cup and the jubilant celebrations around the country as the Webb-Ellis trophy has been displayed for all to see by the Springbok parades, the harsh economic realities of challenges facing our country as stated by the finance minister this week, and the raging wars around the world, and especially in the middle east, should cause us to pause and realize that these are indeed dark and troubled times. But we must have hope that things will be resolved for the better.
On the 11th of November, Remembrance day (also known a Poppy Day) is observed in many countries, It is a day to recall the end the First World War hostilities and to honour and remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve their country during times of war, conflict and peace, and especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice of dying in service of their country in wars fought across the world. This is also the opportunity to acknowledge those innocent civilians who have lost their lives in conflicts and through acts of terrorism. I am sure during these times of war and destruction people thought they would never end.
Despite all that is happening in different parts of the world, the wanton destruction of property, the seeming disregard for the sanctity of human life, and the resultant breakdown in the social fabric of communities around the world, I am reminded that we will “hear of wars and rumours of wars, with nations rising up against nations, and kingdom against kingdom” all accompanied by “famine and earthquakes in various places” These are described as being “the beginning of birth pains” and that we should not be alarmed when such things happen.. 
Yet, despite these dark and troubled times, and especially with so much pain and suffering being experienced throughout this world in which we live and move and have our being, we cannot afford to panic or get down-hearted because ” they don’t mean that the end has come” and there is much to hold on to and to look forward to.
All of the above plays into our own mental health, as the worries of what may be or what might happen can begin to dominate our thoughts and conversations and take us to a place of despair for what is happening all around us. Instead, we must have a confident expectation for a better and brighter tomorrow and live each moment and each day with optimism and an expectation for a future that we can start by building right now, with even greater possibilities and solutions that we can even imagine right now.
What we all need is a good and healthy dose of respair, which is allowing ourselves to feel a fresh hope and a recovery from despair. We need to look not inward but outward at the needs of others, and in doing so find the sparkle in life amid all the gloom. Then we may develop a sense of “sprezzatura”, which is a careless, thrown together nonchalance or indifference to life’s curveballs that will allow us to cope with such challenges.
At Whitfields we endeavour to listen, care, and deliver, through the services we provide to the community schemes we manage. We undertake to provide informed, relevant, and updated information to the scheme executives on the applicable governing legislation for their scheme, and how it impacts the scheme where they are appointed. Additionally, we will strive to provide them with the necessary direction and advice as to how they can best manage their schemes, and in doing so we will strive to we meet our client’s expectations in terms of the service we provide.
Hopefully, in being cognisant and aware of the needs of others, and in being able to offer tangible help and empathy, we might experience “confelicity” which is finding joy in someone else’s happiness….
‘This month we at Whitfields celebrate our 30th Birthday. 30 years of service to you.
Thank you to all our clients, trustees, owners, service providers and partners for finding joy in our happiness as we celebrate our success. We would not be where we are today without our wonderful staff. From 2 founding employees in 1993, we now boast a staff complement of 123 which serve the needs of our clients every day.
Thank you to each person who has travelled with Whitfields over the past 30 years.
Please remember : Your contribution matters.
Happy Birthday to the entire Whitfields team!
Let us continue to listen, care, and deliver!