I am extremely privileged to have been included in a Tandem Blogging "experiment" with some of SA's most gifted bloggers. Fortunately I bring the average IQ down to a palatable level so you all can relate a little better.

Every week 9 SA Bloggers are given a random title, and asked to create a piece around it. We each publish the piece on our Blogs at 2pm every Wednesday. This week's title was "The Art of Boredom". Here's my piece... 

(See below the Post for the links to other Blogger's work!)

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"7 February 1993

The last 12 months have been nothing short of sensational. I never in all my life expected my work would ever receive such acclaim.

When I first wrote A Few Good Men in 1985 I wanted to take a stab at the political game of megalomaniacs. When will humanity rid itself of these arrogant imbeciles who continue to make the lives of their contemporaries a living hell? I fear the worst sometimes. Fortunately people like Rob Reiner and Tom Cruise restore my faith in humanity.

Why Rob would ever believe in the play the way he did, and take a chance on me, is still to this day a mystery. I knew I had something special in A Few Good Men, but getting people to believe in your vision can be one of life's toughest challenges. I think back to failing my sophomore year. I almost called it quits. But thank God for that fail. I could've easily become an actor, and missed out on penning my baby.

She is just that. My baby. What Tom, Demi and Jack did with those characters though took a baby and made her a dazzingly radiant beauty queen. I am just so proud.

But I fear my own future. What now? Have I peaked too early? I never dreamed I'd ever reach such lofty heights. But will Hollywood still want me? Am I done before I've even begun? I have so much more to give!

I anticipate my greatest challenge in the coming months: Mastering the art of boredom. I have all I could ever have wanted. I have no need to continue creating.

But maybe that's the key? Maybe my next piece could rise from the mire of a bored soul?

The art of boredom.

That could make for a good film? Well, for now, I think I'll try and master boredom's art before conquering its challenge."

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Fictitious excerpt from Aaron Sorkin's diary. 

Check out what the other great Bloggers came up with below:
Megan: www.meganshead.co.za/
Sarah: https://medium.com/@ricegirl2
Dave: www.meganshead.co.za/
Nick: https://medium.com/@nick_frost
Brett: https://brettfish.wordpress.com/
Cath: https://cathjenkin.wordpress.com/
Scott: http://squidsquirts.blogspot.com/ 
Kerry: www.kerrycontrary.com/

This "s**t hitting the fan" message is a prime example of the mindsets of most of humanity: Default to view things negatively. (This default is the reason the 'Rapture Theory' became the most popular End-Time theory after World War 1).

Now, yes, what is going on in KZN is atrocious. And yes, it IS a negative situation. No doubt about it. But the way we spread messages and the messages we send go a long way in the kind of atmosphere we perpetuate in our communities.

(The very reason this xenophobia has exploded is because the rhetoric within these communities has translated into action) DID YOU KNOW THERE IS A MARCH FOR PEACE IN THE DURBAN CBD BEING LED BY THE KZN PREMIER AND ASSOCIATES TOMORROW?
For every 1 post I have seen noting this, I have seen TWENTY negative thoughts making comment about the violence.

Humanity loves stories. We love to comment and give our 2 cents.
But CHANGE requires ACTION. Not comment.

We each have the power to contribute to ending this violence. We do.
And it starts by a simple action: Viewing these horrendous circumstances through a different lens.

What lens you may ask? For starters: One that sees the root of where this violence all started. A root of uneducation. A root of poverty. The pain of the past.

When we view these attacks through this lens, immediately there is an empathy which arouses a need to contribute to preventing this from happening again.

The s**t may be hitting the fan. But how much s**t is it? And what percentage of people are actually activating this violence verse those that are mere sheep-like followers?

There is a much better way to warn our fellow citizens than by opening a line with "s**t hitting fan seriously".

Garissa, Kenya. That was SERIOUS "fan s**t". Us privileged picket-fence dwellers don't know "fan s**t".

Let's change our viewpoints, and see this as a call-to-responsibility as fellow South Africans to rise up and take back our beautiful Rainbow Nation.

For starters, I will be at tomorrow's March. Will you be there with me?

The world is getting better. It will take A LOT to convince me otherwise. In spite of this fact, humanity is still fighting the scourge of religious extremism causing atrocities like the attack on Garissa University in Kenya yesterday. 147, mostly students, dead. The day before "Good Friday". It is simply wicked.

I think humanity's greatest fights right now are that of religious extremism and climate change. And these WILL be fights humanity wins!

This Good Friday, we remember that Jesus went to literally infinite lengths (from the heights of Heaven to the depths of darkness) to reposition mankind to where and how he was originally positioned at his creation: In the image of God Himself at the top of a sustainable ecosystem which he was designed to manage.

This Good Friday, mankind's infinite value and greatness was validated. Within humanity is greatness we cannot even begin to fathom. Those that are filled with hate are simply the products of a recovering system which was deeply broken. They are simply believing lies about themselves and their fellow humans. They themselves carry greatness within their DNA. Despite their actions.
I see it throughout history. Acts of terror, war and hate are decreasing (and have decreased) at a percentage we can barely comprehend. Mankind is better today than it ever has been. And it is only getting better.

It is only a matter of time before al-Shabab, ISIS, Boko Haram and the few others are defeated. Mark my words. It may take time. And it will take sacrifice for which I and my fellow humans are forever indebted.

Humanity is too great to allow these lies of hate to perpetuate themselves. People are waking up. We are children of God. We are better than that. We are children of Light and Love.

Thank You Jesus for Your inconceivably immense sacrifice that rescued us from our self-inflicted houses of hate.

Dear friends,

I am taking this Blog Post down. For now, anyway.

Firstly, I call all of you friends. Including Brendi Richards. For we are all fellow humans living on the same planet.

I realise my Blog Post has caused quite a bit of hurt for many of you affected by crime in South Africa, especially Brendi Richards. My name-calling was unnecessary and thoughtless in my exuberance. And for it I sincerely, sincerely apologise.

I realise Brendi and many others have been violently abused at the hands of heartless criminals in South Africa, and this is nothing to make light of. Something I should have been more considerate of in my outburst. I do not make light at all of what Brendi and others have faced at the hands of South African criminals, and I deeply sympathise with all of you.

I too have been affected by crime in South Africa, having been mugged once at gunpoint, once at knifepoint, and once beaten for my cellphone (three times). My father has been held up in a bank heist, and tied up in his home along with his secretary while the house was looted. He has also been held at gunpoint in his car while thieves took his cellphone. My mother and sister were attacked in their driveway by would-be hijackers, but supernaturally my mother, calling on the name of Jesus, literally chased them away with her prayers. I have had my car stolen at Pavilion, and my wife's parents have had their home broken into while at work.

So it is not like I have not been affected by crime. Please understand this. I am not coming from a naive or ignorant perspective. I am just an extremely positive guy and choose to see the best in everything. I am very aware South Africa has a crime epidemic and something must be done.

Again, please forgive me for any hurt I have caused. I can't take that hurt back. I am so sorry. All I ask is that you find it in your heart to forgive me.

I sincerely mean it when I say I love all of you. Even those who say they have no respect for me, or call me a "little s**t" etc. I am sorry you would feel that way about me but you are entitled to your opinion and I do hope you can see past this situation and know I am not out to hurt anyone. If you would be so kind as to delete your comments I would be extremely grateful, but if not, that's understandable.

I will be responding to your comments in due time. But it will require a fair amount of emotional energy which I do not have at this moment in time. So the best thing to do right is to take the Blog Post down. But I do look forward to engaging in healthy debate about this topic some time in the near future. Until then, let's move on from this unfortunate situation.

Again I apologise for any offence. And once again plea your forgiveness.

All my love,

James Preston