Place in this World

In honor of Valentine's Day, a holiday I have been dreading for the past few years, I am posting a few notes on some outstanding relationships.

I wrote about SHARE in my previous post. Those days have gone, and time does move on. I read somewhere that the purpose of life has in its own way, great mercy and great judgment. The great mercy is that: you can change your life to what you would like it to be. The great judgment is this: You will get exactly what you deserve.

Sounds like karma? We-ell, it does have its own basis in Zoroastrian philosophy, Newtonian laws of motion, and even Druidic precepts.

(In other words, I've read enough stuff to see enough examples, but I'll stick to my own thoughts on it.)

My Indian colleague (wearing the white shirt) seen in this photo made a decision to leave the company. I have my own ideas about his departure and most of them are immature, and reflecting on life and transience here in the Middle East I do hope that his new start can be attributed to the great mercy. One would wish, for anyone in this life, that this mercy would eventually outweigh judgment.

As for me, I am under no illusions that this place is the ideal environment for me. Ironically, the further I go from what I used to be, the closer I get there eventually. In the beginning I wanted to shed weight but I've gained that back and more. I wanted to focus on the job. I did that, but somehow some other concerns came in the way. I wanted to serve the Lord; it ended up my serving went the other way.

Is there any wisdom here? Two things stand out for me. The first is: you always stay the same person. It's only the way you view your world that changes.

Second: Never fear the onset of judgment. Justice has its own way of setting the balance. What one should fear is the prospect of atonement.

Someone always pays for the good or bad that happens in this world, whether it's you directly or someone else. Some may think they can go and do what they must - forsaking truth for convenience.

Yet their evil also teaches others how to be good, and the results of their evil also helps others reach epiphany.

Good, on the other hand, keeps up with you and the more good you claim, the more it is that you have to lose; conversely, the better person you are, the bigger void you will leave when you depart this earth.

I look at the faces in this photograph and I earnestly wish that each of us will do find our own place in the world, eventually.