Our destiny in life is mapped out without our always knowing its course in advance. Indeed, we can set our dreams, but these do not always work out, nor can they be achieved without our input towards their success. Sometimes we set ourselves aims, and change them as we go along the path of life. There are many reasons why this might happen. First, such aims may not have been realistic in the first place. Second, our interests might change altogether, necessitating a change in what our goals of life are. Third, it might be that when we began we lacked the tools we needed to see those aims coming to fruition. All three factors have impacted my life thus far.

MY EARLIER WISHES

I first wanted to be a white person. This wish was informed by the politics of the time when I was much younger. I was born in the late 1970s at Osizweni, near Newcastle in what was then the province of Natal. Judging from what I heard when I was very young, white people lived much more comfortable lives than did the majority of the African population in the country. To be white, therefore, seemed like the greatest achievement I could set for myself. I was too young to know that this was not a realistic dream, and eventually was forced by circumstances to change this goal. Yet it was once very possible in my mind and I thought I could achieve it.

My second wish was to be a police officer. I recall vividly that when I was in Standard 4 (Grade 6) our class teacher, Mr Nkosi, asked us what careers we aimed at. I gladly responded that I wanted to be a police officer, and went on to give reasons why I chose this career option. Back in those days, police were given a lot of respect, which is a far cry from what police are subjected to today. I am critical of some of the changes that have taken place in policing in South Africa since the 1990s. I am glad that I later changed my career aspirations, for I would not have wanted to be a police officer under current political conditions.