A friend of mine and I were having an honest conversation about our partying life or going out habits.

So, if you are familiar with the territory of Khayelitsha, my friend, you know what the month end weekend means for most people, #Isukile.

This speaks to another kind of vibing, when you and the girls or guys decide, let’s do this, let’s go out. Mind you none of your pockets are friendly to your desires but so what? Let’s do this!

Engulfed with excitement to engage in substances of altered consciousness, you prep, dress, show up, and hit the road.

The mid-afternoon drill hits, you arrive eParkini, chill, chill, chill, ayisecase Rands is next! But Rands and their curfew (rolls eyes) and so Ace Groova Lounge soon follows thereafter. Now although I have never had the power to stay long enough kwaAce to see what happens after that, I know Solly is next and then the sun is up.

I’m assuming that this is the last stop if not, hayi guys! Let’s assume you are off to sleep.

And then the problems begin, you have to be at work at 8 or 9am, you have a meeting, commitments, you name it.

Your body cripples, klontjie, headache, your body says NOPE! And your mind, ambitiously tells you, ‘come on we can do this’ and your disheartened spirit whispers, ‘flip, why did I subject myself to this torment?’ And so you go about the day, half asleep, barely present, others don’t even wake up.

Ninani why? Why do we subject ourselves to this gratuitous violence and risky behaviour? We are sales agents of Satan for alcohol to be honest.

We regret, we say never again, come next weekend, slapped with selective amnesia we shout #It’sGoingDown!

…and the cycle continues and what we don’t understand is that, we lose ourselves and endeavours in this process. Some of us lose our jobs because what we don’t understand is when we separate from Ace or Solly and head our separate ways, Aphelele will not hold you accountable for not being at work and when it boils down to the heart of it, Aphelele will not secure a job for you once you lose this one, Aphelele will solely comfort you to the next bottle.

This narrative is common amongst the youth, common to me, I say it as a reflective note to me, mntase what are you doing with your life really? What are you running away from? What is so disheartening in your life that you would rather face it with clouded temporary judgement sis?

Finally, what kind of circles are these that are so endeared to your entertainment and peaks of adrenaline but absent in your strife for greatness are you so keen on holding? There is no epiphany here, no silver lining. I am solely stating that perhaps, just perhaps we need to rethink this lifestyle. Radical shifts sometimes come with resistance, let’s think about that for now.

Tell us: Do you agree with the author’s views about the youth of today?