The tale of a broken, struggling young man in Dubai draws me to sympathetic mode. Its amazing how destinies and fates are all intertwined and when you least expect it, the hand of destiny could draw you to a path unforeseen. When we thought we had seen it all and the rest is well thought of, our defenses are up and ready for what we believe is the limit to which the hand of destiny can lead us to.
The ambitious young man in question was cruising gaily with an aim not to miss the green light at the intersection and all that was on his mind was to reach home to his young wife. The poor, worn-out, malnourished laborer who was standing by the road with the aim of suicide on a pedestrian crossing decides to eventually take a leap and accomplish his extremely desperate plan which would hopefully earn his family the so called “blood money”. Unaware of the laws of the land, the driver who was cruising homeward would not commit any crime by accidentally bringing him to the other side of life as he so planned. The scene horrific and the driver may never be able to recover from but sadly this is how their destinies were intertwined.
Being a man of honor he decides to pay the “blood money” to the poor laborer’s family by obtaining a loan for which he foresaw payable over time. He wanted to make it right, even though the grisly incident was irreversible and will always be. The world economic crisis then strikes and his losses his job and is forced to stay on a low-paying job just to be able to foot his bills and clear his debt. To those who may read what I write, you may never be able to empathize with the fate of this man. Some of you may so, well, “shit happens” and I understand your point. We all have crosses to bear but how often do we believe that our neighbor’s cross doesn’t concern us? We take fore granted the fact that his cross may fall on our pathway and make us trip over.
Well, we may never be able to make it all better and the pain may not be lessened when we offer an ear to listen, but we should not live in ignorance with the belief that you only have your cross to carry. Even if you may not make it any easier but the fact that we could listen, work to make our neighbor have a smile on their faces, offer advise when they ask for it or even the simplest of gestures be fair to one another could make our crosses lighter. The burdens may then be easier to bear. For a moment, you were the employer of this poor laborer who is back-breaking in the construction of your sky scrapper, what would you have done better? Could you have given him better living condition to make him not feel less of a human being? Would you have tried to help him understand that he too has a right to life just like any of us? I am not trying to sound a saint and in many occasions I have take fore granted the opportunity to make the world a better place.
We may not change the world in one day but you can be the subject to inspire change. It starts with the small baby steps, from the rich to the poor, young to the old, employed and the employer. We all are in this together. Every single life under the sun has a right to be here, while our time on earth is on; we should try to make it a better place. When the laborer cried, who dried his tears, when he went to his demanding job on empty stomach who gave him a piece of bread? He walked by you the other day on the pavement, why did you shy away? He needed you and me but what he saw was how he was all alone.
Act today and tomorrow your cross will be easier to bear. It may be your gardener’s neighbor who thirsts in the scorching sun, the delivery boy who almost collapses under the heavy weights he bears to your door step; taxi man; door bell man; it may be the person you stare right in the face every morning. Believe me when I say it’s “a destiny intertwined”.
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Sunday, 13 December 2009
TWISTING STORMS
I believe that many a times in our lives, we plan, plot and program solutions mainly in the future “psychological time” frame. We believe that tomorrow, the solution you plotted up today will be the answer. Appears as though you can see the future through a crystal glass; today is just a bad day but tomorrow with the “sun rise” this problem will go away. What a delusional way to think! I have to objections on planning and I have been known to be a “good planner”.
Albeit if you read carefully through my words you will note that I referred to the “psychological time”. This is a time frame which never arrives, it’s a way of sugar-coating our scapegoats and forgetting that all we have is this moment. The plans may come to implemented in the future “clock time” but how surprising it is for us that a new problem wakes up. The old trouble is gone but a new one is at the door. The stormy past appears to have gone but alas!, its has taken a new twist. The winds have changed directions and perhaps gained momentum. We are left clueless and perhaps with no more “way out”.
But who knew things would turn out this way? In the process of planning, it seemed like a well laid plan. How did everything go from bad to worse, you ask yourself? How did the seemingly meaningless arguments lead to a divorce? The innocently rude teenager turns out hardcore criminal? The meaningless flirt led to an affair? The manageable credit card debt crippling us to bankruptcy or better, abuse of pain killers to a drug addiction? The examples are endless. But these are some of the situations we find ourselves in but dismiss them by saying “tomorrow” I will talk to my better half, “next week” I will phone my bank or pay my credit card, “next month” while on vacation I will sit up with my teenage daughter/son for a heart to heart talk; “next year” I will stop taking the depression/sleeping pills. I will visit my sick grandmother “next spring”; I will apologize to my spouse “tomorrow” night over dinner….
We store our monsters away and re-direct our storms. But how surprising it is when they take a new twist and return in full force? What was dismissed as a sweet madness brings us to our knees and no more scapegoats “one last time’. The stormy phase of our life has returned with a new twist. No where to hide and no possible way to correct….. “It could always be worse” a saying of the wise men.
There is hope however, and it all starts today or better this moment. That’s all we will ever have. doing all we in this moment, living through pain, working out our issues in this moment and when we need help, swallowing our pride to find possible solution within the “present time” frame. It may take a miracle but be conscious of the storm, shield yourself when possible, don’t wait for it to take a new twist and gain momentum. The second, minute, day, month, year or decade may never come.
Our procrastination may fuel the stormy phase of our life situation that we have today. Let the tears flow, the pocket run empty after clearing our debts, the stress dissolve and hearts love…this “moment”. The storm is twisting!!
Albeit if you read carefully through my words you will note that I referred to the “psychological time”. This is a time frame which never arrives, it’s a way of sugar-coating our scapegoats and forgetting that all we have is this moment. The plans may come to implemented in the future “clock time” but how surprising it is for us that a new problem wakes up. The old trouble is gone but a new one is at the door. The stormy past appears to have gone but alas!, its has taken a new twist. The winds have changed directions and perhaps gained momentum. We are left clueless and perhaps with no more “way out”.
But who knew things would turn out this way? In the process of planning, it seemed like a well laid plan. How did everything go from bad to worse, you ask yourself? How did the seemingly meaningless arguments lead to a divorce? The innocently rude teenager turns out hardcore criminal? The meaningless flirt led to an affair? The manageable credit card debt crippling us to bankruptcy or better, abuse of pain killers to a drug addiction? The examples are endless. But these are some of the situations we find ourselves in but dismiss them by saying “tomorrow” I will talk to my better half, “next week” I will phone my bank or pay my credit card, “next month” while on vacation I will sit up with my teenage daughter/son for a heart to heart talk; “next year” I will stop taking the depression/sleeping pills. I will visit my sick grandmother “next spring”; I will apologize to my spouse “tomorrow” night over dinner….
We store our monsters away and re-direct our storms. But how surprising it is when they take a new twist and return in full force? What was dismissed as a sweet madness brings us to our knees and no more scapegoats “one last time’. The stormy phase of our life has returned with a new twist. No where to hide and no possible way to correct….. “It could always be worse” a saying of the wise men.
There is hope however, and it all starts today or better this moment. That’s all we will ever have. doing all we in this moment, living through pain, working out our issues in this moment and when we need help, swallowing our pride to find possible solution within the “present time” frame. It may take a miracle but be conscious of the storm, shield yourself when possible, don’t wait for it to take a new twist and gain momentum. The second, minute, day, month, year or decade may never come.
Our procrastination may fuel the stormy phase of our life situation that we have today. Let the tears flow, the pocket run empty after clearing our debts, the stress dissolve and hearts love…this “moment”. The storm is twisting!!
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
OPEN THE DOORS TO YOUR BARN…
An article in one of Kenya’s newspaper reels me into deep reflection on the unbalanced life cycles in the world today. I see a picture of a man poorly bandaged, lying on a stretcher with helpless relatives watching on. The hospital is crowded, doctors scarce. I can’t help but reflect on the instances when I have walked into hospitals without queues and attended to within minutes. Places staffed with nurses that could outnumber the patients.
I am not a wealthy woman and I have my areas of struggles but the sight is pitiful. How human beings lie on wooden beds without cover and wait for medical help that is out of reach. Who is to blame? In this case, humanity. We are all responsible for the self centeredness that has inflicted humanity. Few may care but even in the midst of these many still pursue selfish gains such as huge pharmaceuticals testing dangerous drugs on the defenseless population, a Hollywood star seeking to obtain huge figures on the next movie.
Poor children die in the arms of helpless mothers, infants sucking breasts without milk, injured bleeding profusely to death all in wait for help. But where does help come from? Will the situation get any better? What a different world it would be when few individuals ceased to take priceless wine at one sitting in the hope of entertainment and gave a drop of water to the thirsty throat that yearns for it. How vain we all are in what we seek. When some hope for a drop of milk, while we bath in milk tub at an exotic spa resort. A child in need of a spoon of honey, I cover my skin with jars of honey at one go.
I am not pointing fingers instead trying to bring an awakening to the fading humanity, to reach out to those who still have hearts that care. You may have no dollar to give but a gentle hand to help the blind man across the street would do. Instead of watching the figures grow in your bank account watch healthy children grow to the future society. The wise men say “give and it will come back to you”
For those of us stifled with greed I say a gentle prayer for you tonight to open the doors to your barn and reach out to that breath that will soon be gassed out. What a wonderful world this would be if we could just give not necessarily in monetary value but even your skill could be gift to someone in need.
We could heal the world if we could open the doors to our barns, it could be as cheap and a simple hug to an ailing elderly person or even a smile to the lonely person dying of depression. Time is now to stretch out your hand and help….heal the world.
I am not a wealthy woman and I have my areas of struggles but the sight is pitiful. How human beings lie on wooden beds without cover and wait for medical help that is out of reach. Who is to blame? In this case, humanity. We are all responsible for the self centeredness that has inflicted humanity. Few may care but even in the midst of these many still pursue selfish gains such as huge pharmaceuticals testing dangerous drugs on the defenseless population, a Hollywood star seeking to obtain huge figures on the next movie.
Poor children die in the arms of helpless mothers, infants sucking breasts without milk, injured bleeding profusely to death all in wait for help. But where does help come from? Will the situation get any better? What a different world it would be when few individuals ceased to take priceless wine at one sitting in the hope of entertainment and gave a drop of water to the thirsty throat that yearns for it. How vain we all are in what we seek. When some hope for a drop of milk, while we bath in milk tub at an exotic spa resort. A child in need of a spoon of honey, I cover my skin with jars of honey at one go.
I am not pointing fingers instead trying to bring an awakening to the fading humanity, to reach out to those who still have hearts that care. You may have no dollar to give but a gentle hand to help the blind man across the street would do. Instead of watching the figures grow in your bank account watch healthy children grow to the future society. The wise men say “give and it will come back to you”
For those of us stifled with greed I say a gentle prayer for you tonight to open the doors to your barn and reach out to that breath that will soon be gassed out. What a wonderful world this would be if we could just give not necessarily in monetary value but even your skill could be gift to someone in need.
We could heal the world if we could open the doors to our barns, it could be as cheap and a simple hug to an ailing elderly person or even a smile to the lonely person dying of depression. Time is now to stretch out your hand and help….heal the world.
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