Here’s what I have been thinking about this Christmas Holiday

Far too little attention is paid to the role of societal culture in the success of countries.

By “success”, I am referring to countries that systematically lift their people out of poverty, while building and sustaining institutions of democratic accountability.

But when one dares identifies the crucial role of “culture” as a contributing factor to a country’s success or failure, you are accused of racism. (And paradoxically, if you don’t resort to blaming “Western culture” for the relative failure of many countries in Africa, you are also racist).

Seeking out the truth and telling it is a very dangerous pursuit in these woke times, where cancel culture still reigns. Fortunately, however, speaking out is getting easier now that we have moved past the peak of the wokeness pandemic.

It is also easier because Elon Musk has helped remove the major botnets from Twitter, that turned social media into a tool of annihilation, aimed at destroying anyone who did not agree that Western Culture needs to be eradicated because it is supposedly the root cause of all oppression in the world.

Which brings me to the cultural attributes I believe are indispensable for any society to succeed. By compiling this list, I am not implying that every individual in a successful society will have these attributes. Many won’t. But a critical mass do, and live by them (often unconsciously as a result of their socialisation). And I have often wondered how large this “critical mass” has to be to anchor a society in the values that ensure sustained progress.

Here is my list of ten cultural attributes, in no particular order, because taken together, they form a coherent whole.

1) Respect for the Rule of Law, and Equality before the Law.

2) Personal Responsibility -- especially for the children you are co-responsible for creating.

3) A commitment to seeking objective truth, and speaking it, while respecting the right of others to do the same.

4) A sense of personal agency, rather than victimhood and dependency.

5) A problem-solving (rather than a problem-accepting) mentality.

6) Valuing and preserving institutions and infrastructure that work and have societal value, while continually seeking to improve them for all.

7) Promoting the “public good” rather than merely seeking personal advantage.

Understanding the value of time and using it productively.

9) A sense of duty to contribute more to a society than you extract.

10) A strong work ethic.

My sense is that by each one of these measures, South Africa is slipping backwards.

But no-one dares raise these crucial issues for fear of the backlash.

Instead, we hide behind feel-good phrases like “Ubuntu”, which mean little in practice, unless they are made manifest in the above list of practical applications that define Ubuntu-in-action.

So that is what I have been thinking about this holiday. And what I can do, in the new year, to promote this culture in our country.

This article first appeared on Helen Zille’s Facebook page.