blind loyalty

“sorry sir...but our brand has misplaced your loyalty. “

in the times that we live loyalty has become a one-sided affair. the slaves of loyalty are losing their identity for the sake of others or to the benefit of others. i find that in today’s modern world there are a lot of misplaced loyalty. we live in a world that has become driven by brands. people have become brands. sporting teams have become brands.  but a person can’t be expected to be loyal to something or someone who is destroying them. a person can’t be expected to be loyal to something or someone that asks them to go against their personal morals, values or integrity. but our brand driven culture is doing just that. it also requires of one to overlook, ignore or set aside their own ethics and beliefs and replace them with those of the person or group from whom the demand emanates. such expectation of misplaced or blind loyalty runs contrary to our essential human character of self-preservation and results in a loss of our identity.  this is a high price to pay. we live in times where the world is filled with horrific role models. our youth are sucked into a vortex of filth resulting in little self respect and zero tolerance and respect for other individuals. and the brands of the world promote and encourage this with their music, movies and advertisements. brands promote rebellion resulting in mayhem and chaos. we do very little to make sure that the brands that we are loyal to are standing for a good cause. that the ethos of that particular brand resonates with your ethics and beliefs. words such as “fidelity – allegiance – devotion – commitment” are used synonyms for loyalty. ever  wondered whether the brand(s) you are so fond about are committed to you as you think they are? are they devoted to you? to serve you? i don’t have a problem with brand. on the contrary. i believe they are important. my issue is with the slaves of misplaced and blind loyalty that “sacrifice” their individuality and identity to conform to an idea or feeling of belonging. a brand can never give you that sense of belonging that every person on the face of this planet long for. real loyalty brings a sense of freedom and misplaced loyalty brings a feeling of entrapment, guilt and shame for not having it .

irritation

sometimes you hit a wall of irritation. for no specific reason. it just happens. other words that go hand in hand with irritation is annoyance, impatience and frustration. heard of them before? i have had a whole four days of that now. i can't tell you where it started or what caused it. all i know is that it is getting under my skin and it sucks. you are grumpy and sour towards everybody around you and you are a pain to be around. i guess it is perhaps better in days like this to stay out of peoples way. before you say or do things that can hurt people or scar relationships. we often do or say things from a compromising position and we underestimate the impact it has on others. but the catch 22 is that you cant see when you are in a compromising position. i call it our blind spots. it takes a moment of clarity or divine inspiration to illuminate these spots. cause we are not very often in a position to receive correction. the best is to weather the storm. to remain humble. and wait for the sun to break through.

lighthouse

look to the sky now
look to the water
the earth below
gravity pulls me
i can’t resist you
there is no question
there is no warning
you spin me round
darkness is falling
there’s only one way out

you know you reel me in
you know you pull me closer
you know you keep me warm
tonight

miles away
i can look down from space
know where i’ve been
know where i am and where i’m going
lost at sea i see you shine for me
you are my lighthouse
you are my lighthouse

millions of stars in one constellation
could guide me home
you are the reason
you are my calling
longing to hold you
longing to have you
to myself
you are the one thing keeping me going now

you’re the air i breathe
you’re the voice inside my head
you’re the fire inside my heart

miles away
i can look down from space
know where i’ve been
know where i am and where i’m going
lost at sea i see you shine for me
you are my lighthouse
you are my lighthouse

yeah
when my world comes crashing down
i can find my way out
you are there to light the way
shining so bright


lyrics by elvis blue

redeem the time

“redeem the time for the days are few”... quite a profound statement if you think about it. it was made almost two thousand years ago. the man responsible for this quote at that stage was experiencing a lot of persecution for the message he was proclaiming across the world. i wonder some days what that must have been like. surely with the persecution there must have been physical attacks as well as mockery and slander. lately i have been experiencing a lot of internal persecution. this makes me wonder whether what i am experiencing is anything like that of the apostle paul. i wonder whether something pushed him to this point to make such a statement. redeem the time? this means “cash in the time” or “buy back the time”. what was happening that made him utter such a statement? he must have seen or heard something that was profound. i feel the sting of these words because lately i feel as if i am waiting precious time. i struggle to find meaning in a lot of things. it feels as if i can do so much more with my time....with my life. i question my purpose and my destiny. i challenge my daily existence and wonder what the hec this is all about. ever felt like that? sure you have...that time when very few things made sense. that place of striving. not knowing what you are striving for. no peace. no rest for your soul. not one of my favourite places to be. but it does happen every now and then. the best thing to do is to acknowledge the moment and push through it. that is currently my situation. therefore these words are a massive wake-up call and a challenge. yet at the same time it inspires me to knuckle down and find my peace and rest once more. the worst thing to do in such a situation is to slow down and lose momentum. then you get taken out and it is a downward spiral for there on. my advice to myself: forget about your own selfish ambitions and desires. humble yourself and serve others. this helps me to take the focus off “ME” and before you know it your life is back in focus and your peace and rest returns in the blink of an eye. therefore in these days...redeem the time. live a life with an outward focus and soon you will understand why paul spoke these words. sela.

fresh look

to all my readers. this blog will be getting a serious face lift over the next few weeks to give it a FRESH look. there will be more regular posts too. looking forward to share new insights and experiences with you.