The Separation of Friends

“A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer 
separates intimate friends.”  – Proverbs 16:28

“It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.”  – Confucius

My mind’s intrigued with fickle people concerned only with the direction of the winds of gossip. They blow this way and that, regardless of the benefit given by myself. I’m wary of this crowd, of the hearty followers, of the “humble” acquaintances in my life, for those by my side in friendship today are at my throat, without hesitation, tomorrow. All that’s required for this shift from friend to foe is discomfort in their lives. Whether financial, physical, or social unrest, it gives them impetus to turn the trust into a sword and cut without mercy. “He deserves it because….” – this is the mantra that sears their conscience.

They’re masters in this game, the game of turning the opinions of those around me to their benefit. It’s no disgrace this art of war, but it bears repeating that those closest to me, those I help the most, will grow to hate me, if for no other reason than I have and they have not. Despising that they asked for my help, or owe me something, or just hate that I excel in some way, they desire to quench their envy and jealousy by disposing the one to whom they are so envious or indebted. These master players will be burned by their own hand and it won’t be long after starting many fires that they’ll make a mistake and corner themselves with the flames. As for me, I learn to encourage myself, and with this one thing I’ll rise above the petty crowd – after all the hate shown towards me, I’ll still be good to people and serve my friends and leaders with undying loyalty.

09262012

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Captured –

I like to include a woman’s perspective on the subject matters addressed in this blog, and in light of this consideration I give you this entry composed by Jennifer Hester and published in the Posse’s Lair, enjoy!

She wrote
not about the color
of his eyes
The weight of his stare
pushed her back
pressing her will
against the sheets
her eyes crushed close
an attempt to
obliterate the heat

She wrote
not about his lips
the way they
pretended
to hold some shy secret
brushing temptation
pulling back evoking her appetite
she believed starvation
would eat her alive

She wrote
not about his lips
the way they
pretended
to hold some shy secret
brushing temptation
pulling back
evoking her appetite
she believed starvation
would eat her alive

She wrote
not about the battles they repeated
with wet skin
fire
fingers clasped and limbs
entwined
Their warrior cries and
hushed urgings
the inevitability of death
a quiet relief that held
only until
war was incited once more

What she did write
the sadness
the annihilation of reason
that completely devoured her head
How unreasonably
her ego
stood down
refusing to protect her
banished to the emotional
unable to
talk herself out of his charms

I suppose this is the reason
she didn’t want to write

*

Also published in Opinionsofeye.com

02142013

Restless

“I am so tired – so tired of being of being whirled on through all these phases of my life, in which nothing abides by me, no creature, no place; it is like the circle in which the victims of earthly passion eddy continually.” ― Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South 

forensicate

Exhausted, breathless from every chase

Every path comes back on itself

I’m no farther down the road

Then when I first began

Lessons learned but hard to follow

I repeat them again on this crazy journey

I suppose the simplicity of what I am

Is clearest in the darkness of wandering

If I’ve found one thing that’s sure and true

Peace is precious and hard to find

Harder to get and even harder to keep

If the wars on the outside put me in

The wars on the inside put me out
There is no rest and perhaps

That’s the next step

This rest that evades me

Will continue to hide

Until I find the peace

That cries in the night

Compassionate War

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”

– Brene Brown

“If one fights with compassion, then victory” – Lao Tzu
 

encrypted-tbn1

It’s a war

to reach out and get smacked back

to help and get pushed down

to trust and be betrayed

to love and be despised

Show compassion at any cost.

11032011

Compassionate War

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”

– Brene Brown

“If one fights with compassion, then victory” – Lao Tzu
 

encrypted-tbn1

It’s a war

to reach out and get smacked back

to help and get pushed down

to trust and be betrayed

to love and be despised

Show compassion at any cost.

11032011

Time for Observation- Seeing the problem

“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”– Sun Tzu

 “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” – Sun Tzu
 

There are things amiss inside my mind that are revealed at different stages of life. Being sensitive to these times is crucial; it is their observation that presents the advantage. The opportunity may soon pass, leaving me to deal with the repercussions. Though it‘s uncomfortable to face a deficit of body, mind, or character, acknowledgment of it is the first step in healing and recovery. Why this happens in particular time frames is a mystery but Sun Tzu emphasized waiting for these special times in dealing with enemies. Likewise, I use this perception of the problem to gain the upper hand on habits and stubborn, painful problems. Learn about what you see, study it. Observe it, not to make judgments on it, but simply explore the parameters of the trouble. Make notes on it, listen to advice, opinions, studies, or simply examine times and places of it. Whatever your observations, they are all necessary for the fruition of victory. In all this watching, I learn about myself, and to know myself is prerequisite to victory.

09202012

Time for Observation- Seeing the problem

“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”– Sun Tzu

 “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” – Sun Tzu
 

There are things amiss inside my mind that are revealed at different stages of life. Being sensitive to these times is crucial; it is their observation that presents the advantage. The opportunity may soon pass, leaving me to deal with the repercussions. Though it‘s uncomfortable to face a deficit of body, mind, or character, acknowledgment of it is the first step in healing and recovery. Why this happens in particular time frames is a mystery but Sun Tzu emphasized waiting for these special times in dealing with enemies. Likewise, I use this perception of the problem to gain the upper hand on habits and stubborn, painful problems. Learn about what you see, study it. Observe it, not to make judgments on it, but simply explore the parameters of the trouble. Make notes on it, listen to advice, opinions, studies, or simply examine times and places of it. Whatever your observations, they are all necessary for the fruition of victory. In all this watching, I learn about myself, and to know myself is prerequisite to victory.

09202012