The dark side of Paradise

Ok, I know I am always raving about South Africa and what a beautiful place it is. It is in fact true and I am doing it for a reason, but it has a dark side too. Crime. If I take into account how many times I have directly been a victim of crime, then I can count it on my one hand. Indirectly I think all South Africans have been victims and suffer. We pay taxes to be protected by the Police but at the same time have to fork out money for security companies and putting up burglar bars and devices to make some of our houses look like Fort Knox. All in an effort to feel safer and feel protected. The reputation of the country as one with the highest murder rate doesn't benefit the population either and tends to steer international travellers to other destinations. Not to think about all the good and skilled people we have lost who all went looking for safer conditions somewhere else in the world.

Well, yesterday I was a victim of crime. When I arrived home I could hear from the sound that the alarm made while deactivating it that it had been triggered earlier in the day. Usually the security company will phone first and then go to the house to see if anything looks suspicious. This call usually goes to my wife, so I wasn't surprized that I did not receive any calls from anyone. When I walked into the main bedroom the evidence was there...it was a break-in. The blinds were moved away and some stuff including an empty jewelery box was lying on the floor.

Mr Burglar was very kind to remove the glass from the window pane without breaking it. That saved me a couple of bucks, because all I had to do was to put it back in. He also saved me a lot of money by not taking much. He (I assume it was a "he") got inside without activating the window alarm. By removing the glass he didn't have to open the window which would've automatically activated the alarm. What he didn't know was that there was also a motion detector in the room. This probably gave him a shit fright because it was clear that he grabbed the first thing he could lay his eyes on and then got out. A jewelery box with not much in it. It could have been worse, he could've emptied my house if he had the time. But being the optimist I always try to be, I see the positive side...he didn't. At least this time I got my money's worth for the alarm that I had installed.

This whole episode made me think. Do I take my bags and move to Australia, or do I stay put and still enjoy what this beautiful country has to offer? Do I take out more insurance or do I let go of earthly possessions that does not really make me a happier person? Do I become suspicious minded about every person that passes my house or do I still believe that there are more good people around than what we are made to believe? It is not a nice feeling when someone entered your house without your permission, you feel violated. But there is only two things on this earth that really means anything to me and that is my friends and my family. The rest they can take. So I will protect my friends and family with what I have and pray that I never become one of those statistics...and in the meantime I will be more vigilant and do as much as I can to make South Africa a safer place. But I will carry on with life as normal and enjoy my life as I used to. And my bags to Australia? Well they can just stay where they are a little bit longer because I am not planning on going anywhere just yet.