As a lifelong Chelsea fan, I have been rather upset (understatement of the century alert) at the debacle that has unfolded over the last forty eight hours. The manner in which Chelsea manager, and long time crowd favourite, Roberto Di Matteo was dismissed has left a very bitter taste in the mouth of many fans.
To compound the hurt, it now transpires, that the Chelsea board and Mr Abramovic, have appointed ex-Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez as a short term replacement. Now anyone who follows football will know that Red and Blue doesn’t mix well in football terms, and Chelsea and Liverpool have a long and rather angry history between the clubs.
If that were not reason enough to preclude Benitez’s appointment, there are a number of well documented statements, made by Benitez during his time at Liverpool, which suggest that he will have a rough ride during his time with the club, starting with his opening game in charge, against Premiership Champions Manchester City, this coming weekend.
I can hear the mutterings from here. What has any of this to do with Buddhism? Well let us see. As Buddhists, we are responsible for every one of our thoughts, words and deeds, and for the effects those actions may have at some point in the future.
Words are like weapons if we use them in the wrong way. They can permanently injure people and relationships. They can destroy years of trust in a single second and set friend against friend. Very much like weapons, once said, they cannot be unsaid again in an attempt to remedy any resulting damage.
So, before you are tempted to load your next salvo of hurtful words, think what the long term consequences might be. Imagine how you might feel if those same words were the last you ever said to someone. Sometimes it is better to keep your thoughts to yourself and let the angry words drift away unsaid. You can never, ever, take them back.
I’m sure you will be as relieved as I to hear about the cease-fire that has been announced this evening between Israel and Hamas in Egypt. The Gaza situation has been a long and festering sore in the complicated puzzle that is the Middle East, so any glimmer of hope that a long term solution might be found should be welcomed.
Many things happen in life. There are joyous days and times of suffering. Sometimes unpleasant things occur. But that’s what makes life so interesting. The dramas we encounter that are part and parcel of being human.
It’s no great secret, but today was my birthday. 21 again, for the umpteenth time, making me officially 58, although I certainly don’t feel it, whatever that might mean. Time sneaks by, almost unnoticed and suddenly another year has passed.
With winter creeping ever closer, it has been great to have a couple of days, particularly at the weekend, where the sun shines and the temperatures are a little higher than they normally are at this time of year.
The autumn colours have arrived here on the south coast, making today a great opportunity to get out into the watery sunshine and the soft warm air. A short trip over to Burley, a spot of lunch and then an early afternoon stroll in the midst of beautiful nature.
Finally, after what feels like a month, Friday has finally got here. Having battled with this cough and cold all week, seemingly pretty ineffectively, it’s been a very long week. Monday wasn’t the best, but today has been even more challenging.
Buddhism comes down to practice. This means making a personal determination and steadfastly taking action to accomplish it, no matter what obstacles may arise.
Following on from my rant about the inequalities and lack of fairness in the way modern governments and those in power treat us mere morals, I found this piece by Sensei rather encouraging …
It’s been one of those Mondays again. Indications appeared over the weekend, warning texts being delivered at all times of day and night, harbingers of IT doom. Not that any of the sites were really down in the technical sense, but they were dragging their little feet when trying to load.
The Search For Enlightenment 
Recents Comments