Francis Meyrick

www.stepsonmyroad.org

To err is human, but to keep on forgiving is a royal pain in the neck

Okay, so I mangled that adage. I should have said: “To err is human, but to forgive divine”.
So, why didn’t I?
Well… that probably reflects the lowly level of spiritual development on which I stand. When I was a teenager, impressionable and idealistic, I read a biography on Mahatma Ghandi. I was so impressed I read it twice. Then I saw the movie. Including the touching scene, apparently pretty accurate, where he smiles at his assassin, and forgives him. Awesome stuff. Now, is that the way I live? Nope. It’s not very… practical? No, that’s not true. In his time, in his circumstances, he was a marvel. Is that what we need today?

I know “to err is human”. I understand that. I’m an expert at erring. If it’s possible to err in some field of human endeavor, I’ve probably done it. Multiple times. So I try (good verb that, “try”) to be feeling and compassionate. I try and be gentle with myself, and I try and be gentle with others. I admire much of the Buddhist teachings, and the gentleness and serenity of so many of their people. I have met many wonderfully compassionate Christians. As well as judgmental, holier-than-thou, self-elevated, sneering, condescending d… heads I could happily have kicked in the n…s.

So what am I? It doesn’t matter here. More, importantly, where are you at?

I suspect most people, you included, accept that making mistakes is part and parcel of our walk through this funky little life. It happens. This raises lots of questions. Guilt. Self love. Self forgiveness. Mix all that up with “confusion”, and you have a rich and multi-colored tapestry going together.

That’s Life.

Many years ago, in my twenties, I was asked a question by a wise man:

Did I understand the Three Loves?

Huh!? What three loves? I looked blank. He asked me to guess. I guessed “Love of Man”, and “Love of God”, but I was stumped on the third one. I had no clue. He wouldn’t tell me. It bugged me all night long. Eventually, he told me: “Love of self”. I felt cheated. Baloney. What a con.
Still…
I think now the old bugger was right. “Love of Self” is the third Great Love, and the one we most struggle with. Where suicide comes in, I suspect this is an important avenue to look at?

Anyway, as per usual, I blog about this stuff. Kind of haphazard, trying to figure it out, you know.

Here’s a poem I wrote, which was written kinda real serious. It’s dark, brooding in many ways. I think in my own mind, I had sent myself into some kind of exile.
Exile

Funnily enough, I laugh a lot. I poke a lot of fun at self. Here’s a poem that stands in total contrast to the one above. It’s a piss-take. Poking fun.

I looked in the mirror this morning

go back to list of possible Stepping Stones Across?

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Last edited by Francis Meyrick on November 28, 2014, 10:41 am