It’s #moodboardmonday again.
I was going to do blue today but decided on monochrome given that the past week has been one with much food for thought. *Note – I am not giving my personal views on any of the subjects; I am merely hoping to oil the wheels of respectful discussion*.
I love that these two colours are polar opposites, even in their psychology. Here is some information on the psychology of black and white.
On Wednesday night last week, I looked after Nathan and Eliza’s little ones while they attended a Church cell group meeting. When they came back, we discussed a few things they’d been talking about with the other members of the group. One was what happens when we die? We often are told that when Christians reach Heaven, they are free of any pain or affliction they experienced on Earth. The questions posed were these: Will we feel any heartache and/or other emotions towards those we have left behind? Is Purgatory a real thing, or merely part of the Catholic doctrine? Obviously, the only people that can answer that with any certainty are those who have gone before us. We each had our own opinions on the subject, and it made for an interesting debate.
There was also unexpected tiding in our family that a member has hepatic cancer. The prognosis is not good. To say that the news was a shock is an understatement. There is no history of cancer in our genes, so why has this happened? It then got me wondering again: is it better to know you’re terminally ill, so you and your family can prepare themselves? Or is it better to be snatched from earthly life in a tragic accident? Is the shock to those left behind any less devastating? Again, the only people that can answer that are those who’ve lost loved ones through both scenarios.
Another avenue to consider is the death penalty. There are pro- and anti-camps on this subject. Some believe that a country with the practice in place has less crime than those who don’t. Then there are others who believe that only certain criminals are worthy of execution, such as murderers, rapists, and paedophiles. The other side of the coin is how does a country make retribution to those left behind when a member of their family has been given the needle only to be proven not guilty after their death? I have heard (and stand to be corrected) that when South Africa still had capital punishment, the executioner only handled one slaying in his/her entire career. If this is true, could it mean that killing another person (even though you as the executioner are not (technically) committing murder as the punishment is mandated by the State) could be so awful/traumatic that you only do it once in your entire career? I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any executioners to ask.
In some countries the rule of law will be applied differently to one group as opposed to another. It could be a result of any one or more (and not necessarily limited to any) of these categories: race, gender, relationship status, sexual orientation, and religious- and/or political beliefs. Is it fair? I suppose it depends on whether you’re benefiting from the application of the rules or not; after all, nobody wants to be on the short end of any stick.
There is still a divide in some workplaces where women are paid less than their male counterparts, despite having the same job title. What’s sometimes worse, is that such females have more drive and thus complete more tasks; often they are exposed to some form of harassment from their male peers. Will the gap be bridged in the future? Maybe, maybe not…
I also saw Harriet over the weekend. She told me of a friend’s son who has relocated to our Sleepy Hollow town, and she was thinking that he and I may have a few things in common. I told her that Elizabeth’s boss Rhonda had the same idea, with an older gentleman who is known to her through commercial dealings. My immediate reply in both instances was, ‘no thank you.’ The fact is that even though it’s almost two years since I suffered heartbreak like no other, I’m scared to even consider new friendships with the opposite sex, because I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m almost always the one that ends up in tears and torment as a result. Harriet asked me, how long are you still going to mourn? You may look back and realize you wasted valuable time. I told her that I’m over the grief, but that I’m still not ready to put myself out there again (and yes, I know I’m not getting younger!). The fact is that the only person that knows when (and if!) I’ll ever be okay with testing the waters again is me. The question as to whether I will do it (and get hurt in the process or not) remains unanswered. Time will tell…
In short, nothing in life is black and white as any one of us would like to have it. There will always be grey areas; there will always be rules that are bent, and there will always be questions.
And it’s on this rather serious, pensive note that I wish all of you a good week!
Reflections of a Misfit 