Change

A change is brewing

Swift and strong

It engulfs those ready

And carries them along

Those unprepared

It leaves them in ache

And those who resist

It devastates in its wake

Like a whirlwind it comes

In the blink of an eye

Ripping from the seams

Without so much as a sigh

Unsuspecting like the grim reaper

And just as dark it sometimes is

Look it straight in the eye though

And its purpose can't be missed

The wisdom that hindsight affords

Reveals change as a friend

One that has shaped and almost nurtured

According to a master plan

Hence what might seem painful today

Might just be a blessing in disguise

So don't despair just yet

You might just be pleasantly surprised

-- Margaret Desouza

Blude's thicker than water

When Sir Walter Scott said "Blude's thicker than water", I wonder if he thought of the phrase based on acceptance (on what is and should be complete acceptance within a family) or perhaps he was referring to loyalty or even love. Also, did he actually mean "outsiders" can't accept/have loyalty/love as much as family would?

Is one who truely loves another- more likely to "accept" *everything* the person is- whether or not certain actions are *right*? Put another way- could complete acceptance in the name of 'love and family' sometimes lead to a *compromise of conscience*?

Where then, does 'tough love' come in- where one needs to pull up another out of a deep love/concern for their well being? Does it mean, this person who pulls up another out of concern, has a lower acceptance? In which case, would I prefer a lower acceptance (or tolerance) of my behavior from one who loves me, rather than 'complete acceptance' and a 'free hand' based on compromise?

Now where does 'judgement' fit in? Can one not judge another, and still demonstrate a low tolerance to an action that is wrong? Is low tolerance construed as 'judgement'? And if tough love is a right approach to a beloved, won't it at some level imply judgement and/or 'non-acceptance'?

Perhaps it finally comes down to the approach one takes when dealing with another; one can hold another and still correct the person's wrongdoing; perhaps that is acceptance- like how a parent would hold their child and tell them what is right or wrong;

-- thoughts of a friend

Thats me in the corner; losing my religion.

I rest my head against the ground and plug in to the earth- and it tells me it’s secrets.

The background noise fades, the internal voices are quieted, and breathing slows down and fills the moment. I am transported to a new place. Here, my rational world is rendered irrational & senseless; perspective reaches new heights and wisdom rears its wondrous head. In this place, the things that truly matter in the larger scheme of things- take center stage and the rest are just a blur in the background- career, entertainment, the stock market- even the very things that I think are important to me and define who I am- none of it really matters. It’s a dream we live in- which passes in a blink of the universal eye; so precious and yet so flitting and frivolously lived. We are given such precious gifts and we don’t even know it; we are capable of so much as a race. We pay more attention (for example)- at signing petitions for not cutting a tree, at being vegetarian, but often walk past a starving/troubled human being without a second glance. We have lost our way and most of the time, don’t even know it.

I rest my head against the ground and plug in to the earth- and it tells me its secrets- if only we would listen.

-- thoughts of a friend