About mean people... and separation

For all of those who know me, I am the son of a teacher from a family of teachers. Please if you notice anything wrong about my grammar or punctuation, let me know before Mummy sees it.

DEPARTURES

Perhaps one of the most difficult human emotions stem from departure. Whether it is as a result of travel, death or any other enforced separation; we humans have to find ways of adjusting to the change in our environment.

So imagine how I felt as l watched my daughter embark on the next stage of her journey of a lifetime.

l felt the same apprehensions l had felt when I took her to nursery as a 3 year old. She didn't even turn around to look as we left her- perhaps we as parents were the grievers.

Similarly, we watched her as she confidently made friends on her first day of primary school. She made friends even as we walked out the door.

She was determined to go to the Secondary school of her choice so when she got in, we were delighted for her. Again we questioned how she was going to cope. In hindsight, l now realise how paranoid, insecure and silly l had been.

Perhaps, 6th form was the heart breaker when we couldn't get the school of choice and seemingly, the strong facade that helped to assuage doubt had been broken. But then 6th form was a breeze. Don’t get me wrong, there were times I could have strangled a tutor or two for their pompous attitudes. And once or twice, I might have been done for “daughtericide”. I do not know many parents who have not hit that point yet.

Anyway, the results arrived and University of choice, subject of choice was hers. And after all this, l still worry. After all, throughout the years, my irrational fears have proved groundless and without substance, l should now be relaxed.

Last week, I left her with total strangers in a different city, with her own room and house keys.

 I have finally realised that l have nothing to worry about. It’s all in God's hands. Besides l need to worry more about the fate of Arsenal.

TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING

So Arsene Wenger has decided to spend big. I come from the IN WENGER WE TRUST brigade and I almost never question any of his decisions. But he spends £42m on a marquee player and l am sceptical.

Why? Because in my humble opinion, Mr Wenger does not handle big money buys very well. And whenever he bows to public and fan pressure, it turns out badly. The list is endless. Jeffers, Reyes, Arshavin, Walcott (outstanding speedster, still waiting for football genius to emerge) to name a few. 0zil could be the exception. We can only hope.

UNSOCIAL MEDIA

There seems to be a vicious element in so-called social media where it is alright to castigate certain people. I found myself recently involved in a discussion about different lifestyles. This person I was in a discussion with was of the view that anybody who lived a lifestyle contrary to his Christian beliefs and customary traditions should be stoned to death. I pointed out that it was not so long ago when Christianity and his customs were in conflict with each other, a point he totally ignored or perhaps did not hear. I also pointed out to him that the stoning he advocated was intended for all other things - including adultery and embezzlement of community funds. It had not been my intention to bring up his past. .I was then un-friended unceremoniously.

 It has given me an idea. Before you are allowed to un-friend anybody from unSocial media, there should be a separate button for each of the following reasons:

I'm a bigot
I'm a hypocrite
I'm ignorant
I'm an idiot
I'm too sexy
I don't like black people
I don't like white people
I don't like any people

It won't make the world a better place but it sure would make me grateful for being rejected.

A STORY OF A MAN

Following on in the theme of meanness. A friend of mine told me a story about his friend who used to work for a company a few good years ago and had to leave the job because of what could only be described as beastly behaviour by a particular individual.

There was this one man who worked there. He was a meanie, all be it, a charming one. But he was not selective in his targets, a universal meanie. I'm sure if I was working there, he would have been mean to me. At one time he was instrumental in getting her contract payments delayed. Then as would happen, all the people who he had been mean to made charges against him, some true, some with a hint of truth and others were outright lies, and he faced disciplinary action. But so unpopular was this chap that even ex-employees were queuing up to testify.

Anyway, all the charges were dropped against him. So apparently, he found a new job far away from his old haunts, in another country.

So there was a conference that my friend’s friend attended and she networked with the delegates and then one of them said, "l met a charming man from your country, such a charming fellow. He used to be a director at so and so." "I used to work there,” she said. “I knew all the directors there. Was it Sir A or Tom That or Clyde So?"

The delegate said "No, his name is Sam This." At that point my friend's friend swallowed her drink the wrong way, and started to choke. When she had recovered she started laughing hysterically.

"To start with, he was never a director at that company.” Then she spoke the six fatal words that signed the meanie’s fate.” I would not hire that man." And as a result of a chance meeting and conversation, a meanie was not appointed.

It reminds me of the story of Esther who watched as a man planned the downfall of her race to the point of commissioning the building of gallows. He was later hung on the very same gallows he built.

And the moral of the story is: WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AND WRlTES YOUR REFERENCE. IN ANOTHER COUNTRY.

Finally, I have decided to add a recommendation of a CD I’ve enjoyed immensely for Jazz fans out there: Getting To It by Christian McBride And, no, .I am not getting paid by Mr Mcbride or Amazon, before you ask.