Saw the damnedest thing the other day; it really made me stop and think.
"It is possible to train your mind to be stronger than your emotions". I don't know who actually said the words, but they are for sure true.
Many would not believe those words, but I have talked about them for years and practiced it for decades. It can and I have done it, but it took many years for me to master it. It is hard, sometimes very, very saddening but for me a positive way to do a job if one is to be fair, impartial, honest in all endeavors when dealing as a Public Employee. Is not so much in the real World as there are ways to work around some issues in order to mix work and play.
I had what I guess one could call a "pen pal" that lived in Kenya. Usually either in Nairobi or the village where she lived with her family. Was what we would call a domestic. Worked either cleaning homes or being a personal servant to older people. She was divorced, in her early 30s she said.
It is a tough place to live there, seemed never enough to feed the kids properly or pay their Tuition. So school was hit and miss for them. She was a nice lady I believe? Never asked me for anything but my friendship and I guess a long distance shoulder to cry on as family members passed; jobs went away or other issues with her kids.
During the last National Elections there, she actually went to her village for safety because of all the rioting and mayhem that she said was going on in Nairobi. Seems that there was a bit of hate and discontent on who won the first Election. Than their Supreme Court ruled it was a fraud and had a second one. Same results, only more murder and mayhem for awhile.
Her sister who lives in England with her family, wrote me last week that she had died. Seems that things were just so hard that she went back with her ex-husband to try and care for the kids- two boys, one I believe 13? She told me about his passage from boyhood to manhood. That was when the boys were circumcised as part of the passage. The other lad was I believe 11. She said they were very good kids and really wanted an Education, just no money most of the time. There was that lousy choice between starvation and they sometimes did not eat for a couple of days at a time or paying for some school attendance.
In any case, the sister told me that the ex had beat her to death and she was gone. I was very sad as I know she as do many women did not deserve the beatings or the killing. Don't know what if anything was done to him? Probably nothing as life there is pretty cheap, and the women have few rights or protections.
This probably won't be of much interest to most of you as it does not concern you here in Vienna? But I will bet you all know a lady that got the snot kicked out of her one time or another? It is the same thing only a big ocean away.
Not sure when or if it will bring me any solace to post it, but I am anyway. I think of her travails in trying to raise her boys and the suffering. Than I am able to think on our Elites here, the Rapp's, the Smiths, the Leach's and so on who have it seems so little concern for those in need here or probably anywhere?
Not quite sure why I can feel so sad and sorry for someone I never met; never heard a word or actually saw a smile or a tear? "ne'er nuff said".