“Dear Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ I am. Yours truly,”
― G.K. Chesterton
One thing I’ve learnt over
the years is to never give
up on people, maybe I say
this because of profound
self-reflection, looking in
myriad mirrors of different
shapes, sizes –
convex and concave to find
a version of myself who has
transcended the anger that
scalds the soul and the bitterness
that roots itself in the deepest
recesses of the heart,
or perhaps I say this because
we don’t have the authority
to canonise saints and condemn
sinners, to judge, sit on the high
seat and say, “Guilty!” or the modern
synonyms, ‘narcissist,’ and ‘shit.’
If we traveled to the gloomy, musty
antechambers of our mind, we’ll
also find broken chandeliers and
snuffed out, rusty candelabra,
even the mystic with
an obsessive devotion to the truth
who makes his way
to selcouth dimensions
finds himself in Isaiah’s throes,
or Peter’s discomfort when
confronted with his depravity
or to use a hackneyed phrase,
‘the skeletons in his closet.’
The broken fall in love with their
suffering, and the successful
gasconade like they own a
piece of the seventh heaven,
the rich, control and manipulate
and the poor are perfidious,
the religious, self-righteous
the redeemed, flawed,
self-love is a myth because
everyone already loves themselves
so much that they think the
planets and the stars orbit
their world. Even some
contemplating suicide
do it because their dreams of
a cottage overlooking a verdant
valley interspersed with hyacinths
have become nightmares
of ash and bone. In all this,
I’m as guilty as you.
So let’s reflect love instead
of grabbing and grabbing it,
taking and taking and taking.
Not flattery, but a love that
conquers, a love that doesn’t
fit the other into a box
where everything’s
neatly arranged like furniture
in an immaculate living room.
Perchance I sound idealistic,
but despite all my fear and
insecurity, lust, madness,
and pride, I know that within
me, there’s a wellspring of
affection and I know you
have it too.
9 responses to “Love”
I have oft used the expression “self-appointed martyr” – but this ends on a lovely positive note with the wellspring of affection.
Are there self-appointed martyrs? I believe there are people with a messiah complex, and some who wallow in their suffering, but I think that even these people have their own intense struggles. Some years ago, the cynic in me would have jumped at the opportunity to label someone, but I’ve learnt to be more compassionate. Personally, I don’t like psychoanalysing people anymore. I observe them, find whom I gel with, keep my distance from those who think too differently from me, and that’s it. If I analyse people too much, I’ll have to look within and acknowledge that I also have the same negative traits I find in them. And thank you. I think everyone should draw from that wellspring of affection a little more.
The use of idealistic bothers me as well. We can look around and see everything that’s gone ‘wrong’ but that doesn’t take away from the fact that there are simple tiny ways that could have helped it all go ‘right’. If actions/reactions were based in love
Well-spring of affection 👍 I like that a lot
It takes small kindnesses to brighten someone’s day which in turn brightens the world a little. They might call us idealistic, but I think we need hope. More so, when you look at the world today. Madness and chaos engulfing everyone and everything. I wish actions and reactions were based on love too. Thank you EC!
I have, over the years read a LOT of blogs.
You are a stunningly beautiful writer.
Through soul searching we learn to grow and evolve. For my part, I found that love really is the only important thing.
Your kind words made my day! Thank you so much! I’ve made mistakes. Even now I make mistakes. I’m going off tangent here but sometimes I wonder if I’m too right wing (in the American sense). I say this because I commented on a right wing political post recently partly agreeing with what they said, but then wondered whether that’s me. I contradict myself in so many ways. I’m a complete mess often, but like you said soul-searching and love are the most important things. I think l’m learning slowly to love people I don’t agree with. I’m learning to be more accepting. I know I have a long way to go, but I want to learn more and evolve.
An optimistic ending, thank you.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Yeah I’m trying to turn towards that direction these days. I’ve done the sad endings and the pessimism. Perhaps it’s time for a change.
You’re welcome. Good luck!