Springboks are more than just a team

Madam – The Springboks are more than just a rugby team from South Africa – they are an inspiration.

To be honest even though I don’t watch much sport, I am an avid supporter of our teams when they play at an international level. From Bafana Bafana to the Proteas and the SA Cricket team and the Springboks, nothing in this country symbolises unity more.

When SA lost to Japan I think we as a nation were united in our disappointment and grief. But then we came back with a stunning win over Samoa, which is considered a good all round team, and this brought so much pride you could practically feel it across the entire country.

I just wish we could take that same pride at our teams and use it in our towns. There is so much negativity at the moment in Newcastle, and not just over the electricity bills. Everywhere I go I see people who are worn down by the stress of trying to survive, children who walk around with so much apathy and community members who have stopped caring.

You only have to visit a few of the Newcastle social media pages to know the state of the town’s people has changed. We have stopped supporting each other and instead choose only to blame, point fingers and moan.

There have been so many good stories published in the paper of how much we as a community can accomplish when we stand together united. So where has that unity gone?

We are quick to show our vocal support and disgust for sports teams but not so quick to look closer at our own neighbours.

We have started to thrive on sitting behind our social media and picking on people and businesses, without doing a single positive thing to support and encourage instead. In truth it makes me sick. Newcastle people, you make me sick right now. You should all take a hard look at yourselves and ask yourselves if your attitude is what you would like to be faced with every time you connect with someone else.

If the answer is no, then at least try and support your fellow community members instead of bringing them down. Every single person in this town has something positive to contribute.

So why are we not doing it? In letting the negativity win, we are slowly losing our humanity.

Disappointed