They argue from sunrise to sunset, throwing blood on the ground wet with tears of babes. They haggle senselessly, putting a price on peace and stoning themselves with hatred. They pummeled houses with tanks of metal and started a duel with the mountains. They grind soft bones into powder, using it to dress their home. They are the peace hagglers.
They are for peace, they say, yet their guns continue to sing. I laugh without showing my teeth. They fail to see my beauty. They refuse to acknowledge my work. Instead, they splatter evil all over the world. I weep for my clouds; I cry for my mountains.
My hills groaned with displeasure as my leaves danced with agitation. When will sons see their foolishness and embrace joy? Until I steal the wind? Or make my rivers dry? When will they realise the price of peace is cheap? While they massage their ego with foetuses and abort the dreams of teenagers. My silence is at an end. I open my arms and swallow them whole.
They haggle for the price of peace when they only need to love.
Photo credit: Laurent, Flickr
They haggle for the price of peace when they only need to love.
SS David
I’m late to the party, it’s the 2nd of February 2023 already, and I hope this year has started on a positive note for everyone. Every day is a chance to start anew and begin again. The poem above (can I call it that?) decries the state of our world. Putin of Russia is hellbent on starting World War 3, and police officers in the United States still kill unarmed and innocent men(mostly black). Kindness is so scarce now that even in our Royal Family, it’s one scandal after another. People are quick to judge and blame everyone but themselves.
Love is the antidote to all the madness and craziness in our world, but why is it so difficult to love? This question keeps me awake at night, and I believe I’m not alone. I know kindness still exists, and decency is still around, but all I see sometimes is debauchery and sexual immorality on our screens. People need to remember what it means not to cheat. Our politicians are only interested in themselves. People can die for years in their homes, and nobody cares.
That’s the reason selfless love is what we need to make our world a safer, kinder place to live.
I choose love over hate and am confident I’m not alone.
May we find it in our hearts to love this year, and then we will truly live.
This song is so soothing, and I have to post it. Jason Upton is a worship leader I just stumbled upon on YouTube. His songs drip with such revelation and mystery that I know he must be a profoundly spiritual man who loves the Lord.
Our lives are fast-paced, and sometimes we don’t pause to listen to our heartbeats, which yearn for something greater than ourselves. I have found love in God, and it settles my heart. I hope whoever listens to this deep song will find rest in God and His love. Below are the lyrics of the song. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to the music.
Love is a winding road Older than old, and hard to straighten Love is a mystery It’s got a hold on me And I just can’t shake it Love It’s a winding road
And love is a dangerous word to those who fear losing control ‘Cause love is a wild wind and no one knows which way it goes Love It’s a dangerous word
So, take a piece of bread and a cup of wine A common place and a common time And sit down at the table with love
Sit down at the table with love
Love is not far away It’s a home that stays right where we are ‘Cause love it can let us go It can hold us close It can heal our heart Oh, love
Is not far away Is not far away Sit at the table Come on, sit down at the table Come at the table If you haven’t already, come by me Come on, sit down at the table Do you feel ashamed? Let the shame go Sit down at the table
I hope you enjoyed the song, have a lovely weekend friends!
The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth, the very thing the whole story has been about.
C.S Lewis
There is always hope for a better world!
The key to Christmas is Jesus Christ, and He is the reason we celebrate. The world may have commercialised the most significant event in history, but I believe in Jesus and the eternal hope He offers.
I wish all my friends Merry Christmas, and for the remainder of this year, may you have peace, joy, and hope that there is always a better tomorrow.
No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible
George Chakiris
As 2021 draws to a close, it has been another extraordinary and challenging year—a replica of 2020. I have taken stock of my life, and I am grateful and blessed to be alive, surrounded by love. Many people aren’t so lucky, and that’s not lost on me.
Our world has changed in more ways than one. We are still battling a pandemic that has taken over millions of lives; I have lost count of the dead. Yet, our world finds a way to renew. When a new day dawn, we repeat living all over again. People fall in love; they fight, bicker, and save lives. People have just been, well, human.
I love the peeping clouds!
However, I am determined to live my life as part of a positive movement of change. I want to make a difference and foster love rather than hatred, encouraging generations of people who are determined to preserve life, not destroy it.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. we are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day
Edith lovejoy pierce
I will not make a new year resolution. Instead, I want to put a smile a people’s faces. We all need to laugh more and enjoy every moment of our lives. Why? Because our time on this part of heaven is so short.
Happy New Year to all my friends and everyone reading this. May God bless and keep you all!
It is packed with unseen footage of my new documentary ‘Chasing Humans’, I am also using the website for one of my Master’s degree course. I would be publishing new articles on it today and every fortnight. I would also appreciate any comment and discussion on the blog.*
Thank you, guys! 🙂
Artist John Seymour Lucas 1849-1923. Dated 1885
The world is still reeling from the effects of Coronavirus, here in the UK, we have the second-highest number of deaths in the world. It’s nothing to be proud of, it is heart-wrenching. I know a few people who have been affected by the passing of a loved one, believe me, it is not a good place to be.
Life is beautiful and challenging at the same time. When my dad passed away, I thought the world has come to an end, and when my family and friends consoled me with the fact that, time is a great healer, I didn’t believe them.
Is time really a healer? How do we tell the thousands of people who have lost loved ones that time heals? In my experience, time doesn’t stop the pain, even time cannot replace a loved one. Time can only give you the space to grieve and come to terms with their passing.
I think of my dad every day, just like that painting of the artist John Seymour Lucas, we can never replace time lost. It’s gone forever. However, we can cherish the memories, and hold them dear to our hearts.
As I was rummaging through the cellar today and found this precious painting of the artist Seymour Lucas, so we can check through our memories and find treasures of loved ones, who have been locked safely away bursting forth in our hearts. We can recapture times of joy, of laughter permeating through the fog of sadness, shining gloriously through the tears and sorrow.
TIME doesn’t heal, it helps us in our moment of weakness, to reclaim everything we hold dear.
I love the story of redemption. The ability to be able to start again, rebuild and succeed appeals to me immensely.
And that’s what heaven did through Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross. No matter how bad we’ve erred the fact that there is redemption means heaven is looking at our frailty through the eyes of grace.
I am a product of heaven’s grace through the redemptive power of Jesus, and I am proud of that.
I leave you with this song from the Prince of Egypt ‘Through Heaven’s Eyes,’ it blesses my soul. Have a fabulous week ahead, friends!
”Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.’‘ – Samuel Butler. I agree because life and love is a journey. Find out more in this short documentary I wrote and directed with a friend.
Here’s a transcript of the film:
Life is a journey, and it starts with a cry… the cry of a new-born baby. It ends with moans, groans, or the contented sigh of an older man or woman who’s led a fruitful life.
Or it can end in running feet, a chase, a stab, searing pain, blood splattered on the sidewalk, the cold street receding away as a young life flitter away into nothingness…
A life cut short…
Humans are chasing humans and killing without thought or regard for the pains inflicted on unfamiliar people.
Life can end well, or, it may end in tragedy.
Twenty years ago, I got married to the man of my dreams, and two years later, I was in the hospital, in labour, and anticipating the birth of my son.
It was a complicated process. A short life, my son passed away two days after he was born.
My life stopped briefly.
I didn’t know how to process my grief. I cried every night, and I prayed every night.
Days passed. Time didn’t wait for my grief. And I healed with the love of my husband and family.
Three months later, there was a miracle.
I was pregnant again. This time, everything felt different, but I was hiding my fears. I smiled openly while I cried and cringed inside, wondering if the new life growing inside me would live, and survive.
Nine months later, I welcomed another son. He lives. He’s kind and makes me laugh. He’s energetic and loves life. I had two more children, a daughter and another son.
My family means everything to me.
But something is wrong.
I’ve lived in London for over fifteen years, and every time there’s a young life wasted on the streets, I remember the child I lost.
Although my son died as a new-born baby and in different circumstances, I relive the pain every time I read or watch the news of another senseless killing of young people on our streets.
My eldest son is now 17. He’s brilliant and hardworking. He had one of the best GCSE results in his school, and he’s currently studying Medicine at A levels. He wants to be a doctor. Samuel wants to help and make our society a better place for everyone.
But should I be afraid anytime he’s out of the house? Or because of the colour of his skin?
Can I have hope that things will improve, and that love may conquer hatred, racism, anger and the ugliness inherent in the human soul?
My son believes in a better society, a better world.
Rafael Benedetti wants the world to see goodness in him. Fay Beneddeti intends to champion the course of women and family. These people are keen to see positive changes in our society.
Maybe, there is hope Afterall.
I won’t be afraid anymore.
Hope, no matter how fleeting is still better than fear.
Loving humans can be a reality while chasing humans could become a myth.
Life could be a jumbled mess, even at Christmas but smile, be happy because great things are afoot. That is if you believe it.
Last year Christmas, I was in the hospital. It was like a prison because for the first time in my life; I wasn’t with my family at Christmas. Two months before my admission, I’d had surgery, and for whatever reasons, my body reacted badly to the anaesthesia, and my right knee, ankle and hips bore the full brunt of the invasion. My knee was angry, red, bloated and painful. It was as if it had a life of its own, so morphine, tramadol, and cocodamol became my best pal.
I’d been on the waiting list for over a year now to rectify the anomaly in my joints, but our dear old NHS is also going through a tangled mess of its own, so I have to wait it out, in pain. A few days ago, my joints seemed to have had enough, and I had to seek medical help. It’s especially angrier at winter, so it’s like a vicious circle. So why am I writing this? In spite of my health challenges, I love celebrating Christmas because it’s about Jesus Christ, not Santa or the frenzy buying of gifts. There’s nothing bad in gifts, I’ve bought mine and it’s all wrapped up but it’s more than that. I believe Jesus is the son of God, and Christmas is a time to continue to spread the love of Christ and joy in our world. Although I must confess that as a Christian, it saddens me to see Santa glorified to gargantuan proportion, but hey, that’s life.
Life’s a mess sometimes, and I am using this article to reach out to anyone who’s faced or is still facing disease, disappointments, breakdowns of relationships at Christmas and this holiday season. Live strong, and it would pass. People will always piss you off, your expectations may fall short, and the gaiety of this season may appear fake, but life is truly rich and beautiful. We should always have hope irrespective of our circumstances, that things will always get better. If you’re a Christian, that hope is in Jesus Christ, If you’re of another faith, have this hope that things will get better by channelling your energies to positive things, do good to others and believe great things will come your way.
Smile with confidence, like the boy in the picture because things will work out in ways you’d never imagined.
Merry Christmas my friends, wherever you are in the world and have a fantastic New Year!
Scientists have now issued a warning that in a couple of decades, some parts of our planet may become uninhabitable. I beg to differ, some parts of our world are already uninhabitable. Our patched, long-suffering planet has endured human’s degradations for millennia; we don’t care about our world; we hate each other and are so quick to point out our differences, perhaps I am doing the same thing, but this article is meant to be constructive.
I don’t mean for this article to pander to any group of people but everyone. Recently, I watched a film titled, ‘Knowing’ and it’s about our world being destroyed by a massive solar flare which inevitably made the earth uninhabitable and in a creepy twist of fate, scientists are echoing the same thoughts. They are not predicting a solar flare will obliterate our world as we know it, they are warning us about climate change, but what they aren’t telling us to change is our attitude to everything on this planet.
(Photo credit: Google)
Humanity has descended so low that everything is about race and religion, and this is so sad. I wanted to write an article about love, bravery, and selflessness but I am finding it increasingly difficult to do so. A young boy lost his life in a house fire today in South East London, and yet on Yahoo, people were commenting on the colour of his skin and his parents’ race? It’s unbelievably sad.
There’s an increase in knife crime among black youths in London, and when a young life is lost, people hardly care, and that same attitude is unequivocally linked to our lack of empathy. We have grouped ourselves into white/black Muslim/Christian Catholic/Protestants etcetera. And it’s the same around the world, we have created this sick, twisted ideology we’re better than the next person if we belong to a particular race or religion.
There’s divisive politics, people hate with their eyes but smile with their teeth. We are so petty and care only for ourselves. We satisfy our cravings for depravities in the most deplorable fashion possible it’s laughable.
I am keen to see a time when we would truly love one another with no inhibitions. Sadly, it’s a human condition, we are suspicious and find it difficult to relate to people who don’t look or think like us. However, there is that basic instinct that connects us all, our DNA. It differentiates us from animals, the ability to think, feel and vocalise our emotions through words. Maybe animals love and feel (I’m not an expert on that) but not on our level, and I suppose the ability to express our feelings should make us a better entity. We should be able to take care of our environment and the people around us.
I am an optimist, but just as our earth is groaning under the burden of our selfishness and nonchalant attitude toward climate change, maybe, we will finally be able to do something together and eschew our petty differences.
I had the wonderful privilege of reading an inspiring article on Arrow Gate’s website. The post was about a nonfiction book written by a woman with a big heart. Mary Anne Willow. Her memoir titled, ‘The Grace Of A Nightingale’ would be published soon.
Mary Anne touched on many things, depression, divorce, suicide, hope in the midst of despair and vaginal Mesh, a procedure recently suspended due to the complications many women faced when they had it done. You can’t hide what’s in your heart, and Mary Anne’s got lots to share with the world. Why not click on the link below and read about this? And maybe when the book’s out, you would all read the story of this awesome woman.
I can’t wait to see this memoir in print. It depicted the resilience of the human’s spirit. We need books like this in the world.
Seyi Sandra David 