Patricia Glyn is a familiar face and voice to South African audiences, having been in broadcasting for 15 years. On radio she’s remembered best for ‘Patricia’s People’ – a programme which profiled the great explorers, scientists, historians and eccentrics of the world. On TV, she’s hosted many different shows, among them the controversial documentary series ‘Point Blank’.
I Am Driven By | Curiosity, and a very low threshold of boredom.
My Highlights | In terms of my career: my former radio show, Patricia’s People, the 2 000 kilometer walk I did from Durban to the Victoria Falls in the footsteps of my ancestor, and my three best-selling books.
A Key Talent | I have failed at several endeavours that meant a great deal to me, such as becoming an opera singer. And I have been savaged in the South African press for some of my riskier programmes and projects. These have made me somewhat fearless about failure and other peoples’ opinions. I play to, and with, my strengths (which are not traditionally income generating, such as writing and professional speaking), I work with passion and I NEVER chase the money. If I fail, I either jump higher or move onto something else. Life is change and change is growth. Failure is part of the deal, so get used to it.
Principles I Live By | Ghandi put it best when he said: ‘In order to find ourselves we need to lose ourselves in the service of others.’ For me, contentment and fulfillment come through self-forgetfulness and philanthropy. We live in a country with dire need around every corner, both human and animal, and those of us who are in a position to help are duty bound to do so. Those who don’t get involved in things greater than themselves lead increasingly diminished lives – and boring ones!!
Performing At My Peak | I don’t always perform at my peak. None of us do. We spend most of our time breathing out, extending, reaching, chasing but there are times when we need to breathe in, to restore our energies and think deeply about the next step.
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | I am working hard to ensure that the ancient knowledge of South Africa’s last San/Bushmen, the Khomani, is handed on to the youngsters of the community. In 2011 I had the great privilege of taking an old, wise Bushman by the name of Dawid Kruiper into the Kalahari with his family for two months. We visited and documented the places of his youth, traditional hunting grounds, birth, death and heritage sites and his children learned from him the things he wanted to pass on before he died. I wrote a book about this extraordinary odyssey called What Dawid Knew. Proceeds from the sale of this book go into a Trust which I’ve founded for Khomani heritage preservation and I am now doing similar journeys into the Kalahari with other elders from the community so that they can tell their stories. I just hope I can work fast and hard enough to see this work done before the last of our Khomani elders pass on.
The Meaning Of Life | The quest for meaning is, and always has been, one of humankind’s greatest obsessions. We don’t know the answer yet, despite what the world’s religions would have us accept.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | Stay true to yourself.
Advice On Building Wealth | The idea of living life in order to become ‘rich’ is disgusting! Enough is enough in all things.
The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | A world in which farm animals are treated with dignity and respect and one in which people follow a vegan diet. Our attitudes towards animals are utterly schizophrenic and illogical, in that we decide that we’ll love, honour and protect our dog, but treat an equally sentient creature, like a cow, with horrible cruelty.
