I lost my voice, and I don’t think I have the zeal to find it. I’m at a point in life or maybe it’s the time of the year when I just can’t be bothered to have an opinion.
My favourite saying, which I so skillfully conjured up in the shadows of my mind is that ‘opinions are like farts.’ Okay, maybe I can’t be credited for coming up with that phrase but that doesn’t stop me from using it like a kid with a new toy or a top of the Billboard 100 song. I’ve just come to a point where I don’t like the smell of my own farts, and therefore, I will eat less to limit my farts.
I lost my voice, and I don’t care if it’s found or not. What’s the point of having an opinion anyway? This doesn’t mean I’m going to flow down the river like driftwood. It also doesn’t mean that I’ve lost my standpoint. The energy to fight for that viewpoint has been depleted, and there’s no way to replenish it currently.
I lost my voice, and I think I should blame year-end fatigue. It’s a real thing, but should our moods and energy levels really be controlled by a manmade timetable? Everything else is governed by the time of day, week, month or year. So why not conform. I have no audible opinion on this because, in this day and age, what good comes from opening your mouth and airing your opinion? The stench of your farts has lost its appeal.
I lost my voice but as I sit here and type this, I might as well laugh because I seem to have found a voice to share the fact that I have none. This beckons the question, have I lost my voice or have I lost the urge to use my voice?
I lost my voice and I think I know how. There are too many voices singing at the same time and instead of there being a harmonious chorus, it’s a mash pit of solos. Some beautiful voices sing sweetly but it’s hard to draw them out within all the clutter. Some singers are just singing off key and need a little guidance, and some just can’t sing to save their lives, and there are those singing just to disrupt the others. If I add mine to this, it wouldn’t make a difference.
😏🤪
I lost my voice, and for now, I think I’ll just sit and listen.
I should call this piece, “Rise from the ashes” but then I think to myself, how many times am I going to be rising from the ashes? When will there ever be a time when I’m the flame that’s burning and showing perpetual light?
I’ve been away for too long from this platform. If I was a parent and this blog was my child, social services would be at my door every other day or maybe I’d already be in prison for neglect. I mean there was only one post here last year, and I blame the F1 blog as that took up a lot of my time and energy. Even that got sketchy toward the latter stages of the season because being a fan and writing up on the sport are two different things.
As a fan, you sit and watch and enjoy the show. As a writer, you have to know random facts like, it took Sebastian Vettel only 9 seconds to pick up a penalty and he holds the record for the quickest penalty received in Formula 1 history. In the 2006 Turkish GP (Say a prayer for Turkey and Syria), Vettel got a $1,000 fine for speeding in the lane during first practice. Or, another interesting fact is that no Australian has ever won the Australian GP to date. The chances of that changing anytime soon are super slim since there’s no Aussie on the grid.
You can’t have a normal life of watching the races and simply enjoying them without having to take notes after every incident or overtake, and last season had a whole load of overtakes. Especially after the Ferraris cocked up again, which happened more times than not.
Anyhu, this isn’t the place for F1 banter. Time to revive the soul of the pen but it seems creatives are now an endangered species. Cry foul Shakespeare, the art you helped created is being threatened by the bots. Yes, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is here to steal your job. I sound like a local who’s at a protest against migrant workers though this worker is going to take everyone’s job and doesn’t discriminate along the lines of race or gender. Finally, we are all equal! Hmmm, maybe not because those who commissioned this technology are safe and will continue to make millions from this capitalist brilliance.
I’m not against technology or advances in it to make our lives better and easier. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to share my rumblings if the internet had not been created or this ancient machine I’m using to type (hush now my dependable laptop dinosaur, I still value you). The thing with AI is what value do we humans have at the end of the day if everything is going to be done artificially? Surgery can now be done by machines which eliminate the need for a whole surgical team. I’m sure you’ve heard of ChatGPT and the marvels it’s creating. You can get a whole book written in Shakespearean (old Elizabethan I) English using the platform by simply typing the subject topic and the rest will be done for you.
That sounds pretty cool and all but think of the impacts this has on academia. How many students are going to cheat through assignments using AI-generated work? Darren Hick, a philosophy professor at Furman University, and Antony Aumann, a religious studies and philosophy professor at Northern Michigan University caught their students cheating by submitting AI-generated essays. The problem was the essays were too well-written and the information they contained was wrong.
Let’s say the students’ work was correct and they passed, how many new graduates are you going to trust in your workplace? Do they really have the knowledge claimed by the paper their results are printed on? This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are people who have created AI platforms than can create songs in the voices of various living and dead artists. So you can basically have a song written in the same style Tupac rapped but have it sung by Machine Gun Kelly. This mashup idea sounds cool but this is wrong on a million and one levels. Just ask the black history expects to explain further.
What makes us human? Is it our ability to create technology that makes the job easier and thus makes us lazy? Is it the fact that we are all different and can create things with a certain authentic and exotic touch? Can AI-generated art carry the same unique signature across the board? Do copyright laws apply to AI-generated content? Are we all going to be living in copy-paste houses dressed in the same white suits as if we’re in Arkharm?
I understand the hype with some of these programs and platforms and I do make use of some of them, but are we going a bit too far with this? As a wordsmith, I can see the portions of food on my plate lessen as time goes on. A fossil is what I feel I am becoming, with my use diminishing to some code that a computer somewhere can use as inspiration for the next award-winning tragedy. Something I myself have struggled to conquer.
“To err is human,” but that is now a lost art as perfection and duplication thrive in our society. How long will our voices be relevant? Maybe it’s time to settle as an echo in the wind, audible only if you want to listen.
It’s a new month and by some strange coincidence, we have already gone past six months of 2022. Wild if you ask me.
This is the first time since December last year that I get to write here and actually post something that does not require a reference nor a set structure to the way I write. I am simply here as the vessel of expression without capitalistic constraints. Freedom to shout, scream, speak, heck, I’ll even sing if your lend an ear.
With the way I berate capitalism, you’d think I’m a socialist. I don’t really think I fit into one category. I do align myself with a lot of socialist principles and values, but I’m not a capitalist because I haven’t benefited yet as the capitalists do. Though I think I would be the more morally just type of capitalist. One who isn’t limited to making a profit at every turn and actually caring about the people around and most importantly, the environment. Sign me up for an electric car whilst you’re at it, and not this has nothing to do with the current fuel prices.
The Court Jester
So into the month of June and of course, the June kids have started claiming this to be the best month of the year, blaaah blaaah and all that sour apple sauce but we know Julying. Haha, I crack myself up. For context, I’m a July kid, so I’m obviously going to be biased.
On a real, it is a beautiful time of the year in the southern hemisphere as winter sets in and the colours around us start changing. Citrus trees are in their prime with that sweet and sour vitamin C we need to fight the running noises and scratchy throats. Doesn’t seem like an apple a day is sufficient enough to keep the doctor away.
So much has already happened this year and I haven’t added my voice to it. I highly doubt it was missed but once in a while, it’s fun to fart in public because opinions are like farts.
I’m sure by now you have all Heard that Amber will remember today as the day she almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow! Yes, the jury and the court have ruled in favour of Johnny Depp in the defamation lawsuit.
It’s good for society as a whole, taking action against falsified reports of abuse. As much as we are for punishing an abuser, we need the justice system to do the same for those who have been falsely accused. Give voice to all. And in that same breath, I’m glad to see lawmakers reverse their stance on what is deemed underage sex. They are in the process of changing the age of consent from 16 years back to 18 years. I don’t know why there are grown-ass men out there complaining or wanting to challenge this. Can y’all pedophiles go seek some serious therapy.
I can’t believe in 2022 we still have to have a debate on age of consent. Then again there are a lot of mind-boggling events occurring worldwide. Quite recently we woke up to some culturally disturbing facts about Sweden on Twitter and Reddit.
According to Swedish culture and there are Swedes on the socials who have confirmed this, they don’t feed their children’s friends when they come over to play at their house. There were stories of kids being asked to stay in the room playing whilst the family had their meal downstairs. And now we have the #SwedenGate inquiry. Swedish culture is being judged left, right and centre, and you know what some of those who have commented on the matter have said? “It’s completely normal and it’s their culture.”
Some people from different backgrounds are riding on this wave and go further as to lambast the masses for not wanting to accept the Swedish culture as is and if it’s good for them then who are we to want to change it. Sounds rosy and all but the same people forget that they, well not them, but their forefathers left their countries to go and change the cultures of many different tribes and areas. How many times have we read in the history books that the Mayans or African cultures were savage and they needed to be educated and so forth.
Utter bollocks if you think we are just going to sit by and accept such cruelty as a norm to the Swedes. If you can’t be hospitable in your own house, worse still to children, then what are you going to do when your neighbour calls for help in the UN meetings? I guess like IKEA, they’ll send you some parts and ask you to fix it yourself.
When in Sweden, pack your own lunch then.
Before I disappear into the deep dark crevices of paid writing and stressful deadlines, Disney dropped the ball big time when they cut ties with Johnny Depp before he was convicted of any crime. He was one of their best actors and the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise is nothing without him. They owe a huge apology and now we want to see Amber Heard dropped from her employers in the same fashion.
It all comes down to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, my favourite circuit for many reasons. Besides the fact that it looks stunning under the desert lights, it’s a fast track with loads of opportunities for some good action. Also, did I mention it looks stunning? It’s the Monaco of the Arab Emirates, just without the history and need for as many safety car laps. Dock your yacht trackside and indulge in the oil-rich opulence.
Right off the grid, this is a race Max Verstappen and Red Bull won last year. You would be inclined to believe that history could repeat itself and few would argue that it isn’t possible. The difference though between this year’s finale and last year’s one is that the Mercedes looks faster and just a tad bit more solid than they did last year. Red Bull had already started putting in the work for the 2021 season by the time the final race came about and Max was in finer form, not that he isn’t right now but he’d be better channeling the spirit of last year’s drive if he wants to win this race.
And how things have changed! We have a world championship title still on the line going into the final race. Be it irony or a random racing gods coincidence that both drivers have the exact same number of points, down to the half a point they both scored earlier in the season when the rain that makes the races more interesting, actually put a downer on the weekend. Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton had already won the respective championships by the time we got to Abu Dhabi and there was no need to push too hard. The race for Valtteri Bottas on the other hand, who finished second was one of saving pride and for Max who took pole, it was a warning for what we were to expect in this 2021 season. And what a season it has been.
Advantage Lewis/Max?
With four races left Lewis was 19 points behind Max and not having won since Russia, I recall saying you’d be unwise to count him out and believe the title race was a foregone conclusion. Heck, many Mercedes fans and fans of the sport were saying it too. He has fought back with some brilliant driving and finally, some good strategy from Mercedes, oh and not forget having the best wingman in the sport. Three victories on the trot and Lewis seems to have the upper hand going into the weekend. What’s more, the Silver Arrow is in dominant form.
As a fan of the sport, I have been impressed by the season Max and Red Bull have had. They have risen to the challenge in many of the races. Christian Horner and Max have both played some trump cards all season long. Some like Bernie Ecclestone might say that the pressure being put on Max is unfair, but I guess he forgets that Red Bull is constantly camping at the stewards’ office for any infringement committed. Toto Wolff and Mercedes do it too, so really the mind games are coming from both sides and all should be fair.
How each driver handles the pressure is the difference and it’s showing. In 1997 there was one point separating Micheal Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve yet none of the two won the race. The pressure of the championship caused a collision between Schumacher and Villeneuve which led to the former retiring and handing the title to Villeneuve who finished sixth in the race.
We certainly hope we do not see the same happening in Abu Dhabi, what with the numerous incidents involving the championship contenders this season. Technically Max could “take out” Lewis and win the championship as he has the race wins advantage with nine wins as opposed to Lewis’ eight. I mean we saw this sort of extremely aggressive driving from the Red Bull driver in Saudi Arabia. It was not pretty.
Another crazy strategy, indulge my tomfoolery for a bit, the support drivers from Alpha Tauri and Williams take out the big boss’ rival. We obviously do not want to see any of this and it could be very dangerous. We want clean awesome fun and I’m sure that is what Micheal Masi will reiterate to both teams.
Emotions are already high at this point, we just hope they do not spill out to force a safety car or two.
Ready Your Cameras
Besides the driver’s and constructor’s titles to be decided, there are a few other picture-perfect moments to look out for this weekend:
After five years with the Silver Arrows, Bottas has achieved ten race victories with the team and 20 pole positions in qualifying. He has 67 podium finishes under his belt, the majority of these coming as a Mercedes driver and he is hoping to win a fifth constructor’s championship with the team, whilst being the ultimate wingman and helping Lewis break yet another record.
For all the slack he has gotten, this is going to be one of the most important drivers of his life and you know, I believe like a true Fin, he knows how to “Finish”.
Cool as a cucumber. Kimi hopes into the car for his final race in F1 after an illustrious 20-year career that saw him win the 2007 championship with Ferrari. He has 103 podiums to his name and is the most successful Finnish driver in the sport.
His responses have always been brief and straightforward, you might call them cold but that’s the Kimi we have come to be accustomed to and what do you know, we actually loved the sometimes cynical cold responses.
Alpha Romeo are losing both their driver at the end of the season. I should not say losing both since they decided to let go of Antonio Giovinazzi after what seems to have been a better season by the Italian.
The Mid-table Battle Rages On
The battle for third place has not been settled yet but Ferrari has the advantage over McLaren going into the last race. Ferrari has made up a lot of ground to reach their respectable tally of 307.5 points, while McLaren has slipped to fourth with 269 points after an impressive start to the season. They seem to be struggling more since the second half of the season started, definitely not what Zak Brown was aiming for. They just have not had the consistency and Ferrari have done a lot better this year. Returning to the glory days maybe.
The fifth position on the drivers’ championship is also still up for grabs. Charles Leclerc 158 points, has a slight lead over Lando Norris’s 154 points and the former seems to have the advantage in the Ferrari. Throw Carlos Sainz who has 149.5 into the mix and seventh currently and it will make for an exhilarating battle to the chequered flag.
Fifth and Sixth have not been settled either. Alpine with 149 points are ahead of Alpha Tauri who have 120 points. Although Pierre Gasly has been carrying the Red Bull sister team with some stellar and consistent drives all season, the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso have clawed back the points with some good teamwork and good point scoring drives. Over the past few races both cars have looked fast but the lack of experience in Yuki Tsunoda is what might cost Alpha Tauri fifth position. We hope to see better from the young Japanese driver next season as he certainly does have the skill to be in the seat.
The Rest Of The Lot
George Russell aka Mr. Saturday goes into his finale weekend as a Williams driver and I’m sure he’ll want to finish strong after securing his first points for the team in Hungary. He has 16 points right now, a few more would not hurt.
There are quite a number of in-house battles for points going on. The Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are separated by 8.5 points and we saw both drivers putting it all on the line battling hard in Saudi Arabia.
Alonso and Sebastian Vettel both lead their teammates Ocon and Lance Stroll by four points and ten points respectively. We wait to see if both World champions can continue their dominance over their younger compatriots.
A lot has been said of Nikita Mazepin who has earned himself the bad boy title of F1 this season. He might be missing on many people’s Christmas lists but I’m sure many would love to see “Mazespin” make it to Q2 as he is the only driver not to have done so this season.
One More Time
Whether you are a Lewis Hamilton or a Max Verstappen fan, get your champers ready and hold onto your hats, it’s going to be an epic finish!
Call me babe. Hold my heart in yours. My heart yearns for love fullness. Sacrifice divine, hearts intertwined.
Head pressed tight against your bosom. Heart beating fast in my ear. I feel your breath deepen and hear your voice soften as you caress my hair. Your dreams shared in intimate embraces. I’m here to quell the anxiety and bring peace to your soul.
In you, I’ve found a gentleness that has my heart singing in the softest mezzo tenor God created. This is love untold, unfelt. Stuff the legends once foretold. Unfortunately, they weren’t meant to live long enough to see the prophecy come true.
Heavens open and angels rejoice. The boy has become a man for he has found one for a mate. One she deems worthy of her patience and grace. One she can show the endless depths of love. Service unbound.
No tear shall be shed for every fantasy shall be fulfilled. Happiness is a drug given for free here. Scars faded by the love so true, so pure. Hurt is a thing of the past and the past shall fall away like a scab. There to protect until the new skin covers up yesterday’s hurt.
This love was in the wings waiting to reveal its glory. And now that it’s here, it shall last till the Lord returns for His faithful servants. And when He comes, oh! won’t he be proud of this love shared? Blessed union, blessed before all ages.
The scriptures in the bible were lost, hence why the masses cannot preach of it. It was meant to be found by two who could truly become one with the Lord our God as guide and protector.
It has been a while since I shared my opinion. I have a whole storeroom full of them but I’d rather not say them out loud, what with cancel culture at its peak. Then again you can’t cancel me. You don’t even know me. Yea, I’m pulling my tongue at you.
So I guess here it is, in the famous words of me and some other people who will want to have a claim to this phrase; opinions are like farts and everyone has them, hope you can stand the smell of mine.
Cues Outkast’s track Roses. “I know you like to think your shit don’t stink.”
We have come to a golden age where everyone’s opinion seems to matter. It sounds a bit cynical because really no opinions matter, but social media has given the platform that media is meant to give. Voice to the voiceless and all that jazz. You do know the media is the fourth estate of the government or something like that. Google it under media theories, it’s too far back a class for me to remember word for word. No, you can’t blame the grey hair, I just haven’t had to discuss this from a scholar’s standpoint in a long while.
Anyway, back to opinions, and I’m not saying that people should be silenced because that’s not the society we want to live in. We all have the right to say what we want. Wrong, we actually don’t. See the right to freedom of speech is only guaranteed as long as what you say doesn’t infringe on another individual’s rights. Basically, you can say whatever you want to me but, you also have to be willing to face the consequences of your words. I mean what’s a broken jaw or a few teeth missing, you got to say what you wanted.
I know it has been said a lot and I guess will have to continue saying it until everyone understands it fully, there are consequences to our words, the same way there are consequences to actions. I only raise this because our “social spaces” have become breeding grounds for a whole lot of toxic nonsense. Blaaah, I used the word toxic like the millennial I am. Such an overused word. It’s losing its substance. Although it is befitting for this chat. I think of all the hate speech spewed on Twitter directed to foreign nationals, to different tribes in the same country, heck just have an opinion that’s worth listening to and see your name get dragged through the mud.
Instead of creating a healthy space for dialogue, we hide behind our screens and keyboards under pseudo names and talk ‘trash’ about people. I understand why some members of our decaying earth choose not to be on social media. The well has been poisoned, unfortunately. I think sometimes of the Zim Twitter brand space. Some of the things said there can really ruin your entire month. And I don’t like drawing negative attention to the country. It just has to be said and I guess other nationals feel the same about their country’s brand on social spaces. We aren’t doing ourselves or the people around us any good with a lot of the content we say.
I know many who have muted certain topics and people, thankfully my Twitter algorithm filters out nonsense every now and again or maybe it’s because I don’t entertain some of the nonsense. No high horse things here, can’t even afford a horse.
I guess I said all this just so I can have a brain fart about this season’s F1 championship without being cancelled or my people disowning me. Four races to go, Max Verstappen leads Sir Lewis Hamilton by 19 points and Mercedes leads Red Bull by one point. Who would have thought it possible?
I will not jump off a bridge if Hamilton fails to win this season. I’m a huge fan for a million reasons and I am also a huge fan of the sport. Although I’d love to see Hamilton win a record eighth championship, I’m content if it doesn’t happen this season because Red Bull and Max have put in a lot of work and deserve this year’s title.
To beat a champion like Hamilton, you have to put in 10 times more effort than your best and that’s what Max and Red Bull have been doing. Also, Mercedes have made too many mistakes this year and some I’d say are due to complacency. They got too used to being the best that they slacked off a bit and got some things wrong. Lose this year and they come back next year even stronger and show you the Mercedes dominance we all know and love. Well, maybe not all of us i.e. the Dutch.
Competition is good for the sport. I’m sure Hamilton will agree that he’s enjoying the battle and so should we. There’s always going to be shouts in the background that it’s been too easy for Hamilton and Mercedes to win but, it has never been easy, not for a black kid in motorsport. Tis, not a fun topic to talk about so I’ll shelve it, you’d be blind not to see how good he is.
I’m still rooting for Hamilton till the end because it’s Hamilton, a pure driving genius and beast. You should never count him out of anything and he has proven this countless times.
Prior to the pandemic (COVID 19, though there are so many pandemics nowadays that you need to specify which one exactly), the common rhetoric among the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve was one of solitude and individualism. For many it was a result of failed mjolo (dating). We all know there are many “Ls” flying around, which has seen many swear off letting other human beings within their heart space.
Eeeerm not quite, the humans didn’t book their tickets on time.
Individualism is very much a foreign concept in Third World countries, especially if you come from a large family. We won’t blame lack of family planning on this because that too was very foreign to us. It all came by ship and now, via television and the internet. Darn smartphones and all your awesome connectivity. It’s funny how the advent of the smartphone and the internet brought us all closer but in a way has also created a massive disconnect from other people. I mean I don’t really have to go see Tom, Dick and Harry in person, I can always just video call them together or one at a time and that settles it all.
Fair and fine, it is actually convenient and saves on time and fuel. Saves on unnecessary arguments too. Human being can be such a drag, hence why we sometimes chose to isolate ourselves and hide behind a screen. I know a lot of you are already snapping your fingers, punching the air and shouting “preach”. Truth of the matter is we avoid so much drama by staying in our little cocoons and watching the world go by. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take a break from people. Disconnecting is good for the soul. Beit from other human beings, social media or even and most importantly your work-life.
It all sounds rosy and blissful to be on your lonesome without nobody raining on your parade, but Mary, Mary, quite contrary, isolation ain’t so fun and the pandemic proved it. Sure enough my introverts and “individuals” were thriving and celebrating the first few weeks and months of our respective lockdowns. It’s as if the world stood still for you to shine. In a way the world did revolve around for just a second. BUT! A very big but, not the one you gained from all that lockdown added weight. Again, BUT, after some time we all began to miss other human beings. There is a reason why solitary confinement is a punishment in prison.
Human beings were not meant to live alone or be alone. Look at Adam, the first human, he had everything he could wish for, although I doubt he knew what wishes were back then. Then again he could have made the first wish, which was to not feel so lonely and God granted this by making Eve. Now if Adam, the first human, arguably the “most loved” human being, could not endure life by himself literally days/weeks after being created. Then what makes you and I believe we can do it all by ourselves?
Sure enough we might have more freedom of choice now and knowledge, and so much more, but Adam had direct console with God. Mans had a whole bountiful garden and no worries. And yet he wasn’t complete alone. Are we so much smarter now, we can complete our entire existence on this difficult planet alone? And no, Jeff Bezos’s phallic shaped rocket is not an escape from loneliness, even if you’re on a different planet.
Yea sure, be an individual, but know the limits to being an individual. It’s good to explore your mind and talents and want to stick out amongst all the rest. I applaud it too. It’s just that we will always come short of being “exceptional/perfect” because humans crave companionship. It’s our kryptonite. Heck many have gone to war over a companion (also women don’t start fights that you want your spouses to finish for you. You’ll end up embarrassing each other for nothing Lol). I somehow think God was a bit lonely too, hence why he created us.
Yes you swore off engaging with people or loving someone again, but what good has that done you or the people around you? Be like that chap/lass who comes for advice crying about their significant other, but always returns to them because lone wolves die quicker by themselves. Okay that was a bit of a bad analogy because that significant other could be abusive. So don’t go back to an abusive spouse no matter what. Instead, leave and find that love and companionship you deserve elsewhere. It is there.
Even if you do swear off dating; Nuns, Priests and Monks still have companions in their fellow religious leaders and their congregations. No man is an island! Stop being a sour foot and go play with God’s other creations. Don’t forget your mask or sanitiser.
I wish I could read minds as well as I try to read hearts. Mind reading has always been a superpower I’d advocate of all to have.
Maybe, just maybe, I might learn to say the right thing at the right time. I might be able to stop a fight before my foolish tongue runs faster than my mind can control my heart.
Emotions in the heart are more reactive than Chernobyl at its peak.
We are taught to express ourselves, but I guess we missed the memo on how to express ourselves correctly. For as much as we can master mediums of communication as a race, if the message isn’t understood the way it was meant… All hell will break loose.
Before the Gospel reading in mass, we make the sign of the Cross on our forehead, on our lips, and on our chest. This is accompanied with a silent prayer, different to all but, its base is; ‘With this Gospel, guide my mind, so my thoughts may be pure. Guide my lips, so my words may spread love and kindness. Guide my heart, let it be filled with love and be the bottomless well of kindness.’
It is easy to love a person, but, harder to forgive them. Especially when that hurt is compounded by repetition. Then the question arises, can there be love without forgiveness. This is by far one of the most complex questions/concepts, and yet easy too.
In our concept of LOVE as humans, we tend to say we love those who hurt us but, fail to forgive them and hold onto that hurt. It’s because we somewhat enjoy this pain. Weird yes, it is very, until we realise we are human and we are all just weirdos, trying to weird together.
Holding onto that hurt isn’t love. Being able to forgive is love. The Apostle Peter asked Jesus, ‘how many times we should forgive our brother or sister? Seven times?’ to which Jesus responded ‘seventy-seven times.’ This of course is in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, verse 21 – 22.
This is the easy bit of the concept, the theoretical part of life. Life’s manual written for us and passed down for generations. Alas, practice is way more difficult. Life is full of grey areas and we dance with these day in and day out.
So how do we embrace this concept and make it easier on our lives? Well that same Gospel passage continues on with a parable of how a servant was pardoned by the king but failed to pardon someone who had wronged him. And I guess that strikes a higher cord. Why then should you be forgiven for your transgressions, if you cannot forgive someone else. As humans we want what is best for us, and that comes with wanting someone to offer us chance after chance. It’s a double sided coin though. Forgive to be forgiven.
That’s true love and just borrowing from the life of St Pope John Paul II who I guess would be my modern day example of true love and forgiveness. He forgave Mehmet Ali Agca, who had made an assassination attempt on the Pope in 1981. Shot four times, the Pope still found love to forgive and also advocate for a presidential pardon for Agca, which he received in the year 2000.
Look I know this sounds like a fairy tale story and only happens with the most righteous among us, but the simple fact is we are all as good as we can be bad. One thing I will definitely say, as much as you seek forgiveness and you also want to forgive people, be a person that is worthy of forgiveness. That means, make the effort to make amends for what you have done wrong and make efforts to not repeat this. You won’t get it right on the first go, but baby steps will help your growth.
Our mantra for love should always be: Lord, make me a channel of your peace.
gentlegiantsblog 