Back again

Wow!

Its been like forever and day! I have been away from this blog for a little over 2 years. There used to be a time all i wanted to do was just sit and write about all the random thoughts going on in my head. I still want to but cant seem to make the time. I have been itching to come back but its always been one thing or another. I have been giving this a good thought and it came to mind that i had to make a conscious decision to start writing again and stick to it.

I guess this what life is all about. making choices and sticking by them.

Can One have it all?!!!

Contrary to what we try to make ourselves believe these days the'glass ceiling' still exists in the coporate world to a large extent. Business is still being done based on the 'old schoolboy' network. There are still roles which a woman cannot take up.

I am able to to live with this as unfair as it may seem. But i am beginning to wonder if life also has a form of glass ceiling that it imposes on us a form of check and balance. This line of thought was brought about by me looking at the lives of so many people and i could not seem to find a person who had it all down pat.

Looking from outside one might begin to think a particular person or persons have it worked out but a closer look always reveals an area of struggle.. These struggles are evident in one of these categories family, health and career.

As cynical as this might sound, this apparent leveller has taught me that while my shortcomings might be glaring to the next critic, it might not be as debilitating as the critic's shortcoming. Life would be a much more livable place if we all could learn to deal with and probably overcome our shortcomings rather than go about with a magnifying glass trying to glare at other people's shortcomings.

The Dance called life

I love to dance, its the one thing that gives me limitless pleasure. So anything that makes the slightest reference to dancing piques my interest. Just the other day, I watched a program on various types of dances and a certain line of thought crossed my mind how very much similar life is to dance.
For me life is a series of dances;

At times it is a slow senuous style
At other times it is a fast and energetic one
At times it is a beautiful solo that enraptures any audience
At times its a group routine that is filled with mischief

Other times its a cheeky duet that is filled with innuendos and suspense
Some of the time one leads
Other times one is being led
The rest of the time its filled with carefully choreographed steps that move simultaneously.


Having thought long and hard about it and bearing in mind how much i enjoy dancing, I can only surmise that life is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vox Populi Vox dei?

I grew up believing the maxim 'voice of people is the voice of God'. But of late i have begun to question the validity of the popular saying. Often times before taking decisions i ask the people whose opinion i value for advice on which route to take. Whenever i am seeking counsel i console myself with a particular verse of the good book which says something about safety in the multitude of counsel.

In as much as the verse is valid and there are circumstances where one does need the counsel of people who have travelled down a particular path, one needs to realise that 'safety' is a 6 letter word just like any other. What if the way to achieve your dreams is not to play it safe? In my quest to come up with an informed opinion as to whether the voice of people is the voice of God. I went to the one place i have known to always provide me with answers for any and every question.

The first thing that struck me was the story of Abraham. At a point in time of his life, God called him and asked him to set off for land which He would show him. Now thats a tall order!!! For one to get up and go without as much as a particular location in mind and at the very least not even a sat nav to help chart your course. I am pretty certain that when he told his father, his father would have begged, cajoled and mostly likely threatened to disown him. His mother, now that would have been another kettle of fish!!!! she would have used all forms of means to try to make him stay, especially the most popular and most effective weapons from the female arsenal; tears.

Family and friends alike would have told him not to leave, but Abraham heeded the voice of God and the rest as they say is history.

Another example that further ilustrated the difference between the voice of God and the voice of people is the disciples experience with Jesus walking on water. Jesus only gave Peter one word, 'come' . Your guess is as good as mine on what the other disciples made of Peter's bid to walk on water to meet Jesus. I reckon there where 3 categories of disciples on the boat with Peter. The first category would have been made up of a group that didnt believe Peter could achieve the feat. The next category would have been made up of the ones who where afraid for him and did not want him to try. The last group would have been of those who where fiercely competitive and did not want him to succeed.

Another pointer was that these disciples also did not recognise who was calling Peter as they thought it was a ghost.

Having pondered on these, i came to the conclusion that when God talks to you, you should not expect everybody to have heard the same thing. The one who has spoken expressly to you, is able to guide you. I have also come to the conclusion that Vox populi Vox Dei was probably coined by a Latin ruler who used the saying as a tool for enshrining some form of democracy.

Ode to the Phoenix

It is the start of another calender year and i have already made plans and drawn my mind maps.
In course of doing this a line of thought struck me and i began to wonder where the energy, life force and anticipation came from considering a couple of weeks back i thought i had hit rock bottom and was not going to make it back up...

Alas here i am back with the mischievious glint in my eye, a bounce in my step and a greater hunger for life and all it has to offer. hmmmm.

Thinking about all this reminded me about the mythical bird called the phoenix. This bird is known to burn itself in a fierce fire at the end of a long life cycle and from the ashes a young bird arises. This mythical creature not only regenerates itself when hurt or wounded... Its tears have been said to heal mortals.

My brief foray into greek mythology (re:Phoenix) further reinforces the fact that mother nature's rules for life are a major tool for survival. The mythical bird reminded me of these lessons:

• You will grow old.
• You will go through several forms of death before the big one. How you choose to come out of it is up to you.
• While hurting you still have the power to help someone out there. So its not all about you.

Being an ardent reader of the 'Good book' i felt some misgivings about delving into Greek mythology and reading up on the phoenix. So i was pleasantly surprised when further research linked the phoenix to one of the many symbols of ressurection... Further allusion has also been made to Job 29.18 where the hebrew translation for sand in that verse also means phoenix. It does sound plausible inserting the word phoenix into that sentence.

'Me thinks' i want a tatoo of the phoenix on my right arm since it embodies character traits i find admirable

Pressures

Under a lot of pressure right now.. pressures from within and external ones too.
As a result of this I went ahead to listen to a series of talks with the preconcieved
notion that the people speaking would have answers to how to be successful at what u do.
I went there and boy did these folks talk up a storm or what?

there were different types of advice on how to be 'successful'. Initially i was caught up in all the buzz words that were being used. After a while it all began to sound like a broken record and then i went into my own world to try to analyse the core of what was being said.. While doing this my line of though shifted and for some strange reason it shifted to how different people dance to the same piece of music in different ways and how people interprete situations differently.

It was at this point the significance of this dawned on me...
Success is not about buckling under the weight of external pressures but harnessing the various pressures from within and allowing them to steer you along your own path... Then you would have danced to the music called life in the way which you heard it without imitating another.

While in this reverie of mine, i was jolted out of it by a friend who wanted to have her pictures taken.. I then got up albeit reluctantly and looked at the list of speakers again. As i did this i was filled with a new level of respect for them because i realised it was not about the buzz words but how they have been able to ignore most of the external pressures and harness the internal ones... And this in my humble opinion is what makes them so successful at what they do....

A beautiful poem by Max Ehrmann

A beautiful peom which should be our mantra for life:

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920