There's a small scar on my thigh which has remained with me since childhood days. I was in my primary school when during the recess, we used to play in a ground opposite our school. There was a big hole surrounded by the excavated mud around it in small hillocks where we would jump in joy. We would often play away from the hole as it was laid with sharp stones. One day, as I was standing on the small mud hillock, a group of boys pushed me into the hole. A sharp fragment immediately drew blood from my tender skin in the thigh. The wound was deep but the emotional hurt was even deeper. I refused to recognise the offenders, the next day. I forgave them. I never confronted them in my school ever again. They merrily roamed about without a semblance of guilt in their minds or their faces. Maybe,God had put sharp stones in place of their hearts.
As I grew up, My class teacher took a particular stance of hatred towards me. She was a Catholic and my closest rival in the class was of her religion. She simply adored him and wanted him to top the class that academic year. I was the butt of ridicule, all the time. She would berate me for no reason and sometimes expel me from the class. I silently used to pray to her Lord Jesus to instill a sense of equality in her, but to no avail. I never squealed about this to my parents. But eventually, I hit her where it hurt her the most. I topped the class that year. Lord Jesus was all the time listening to my prayers.
I grew up to be a doctor. One close friend of mine who was under my care for the last 8 years was admitted for Pneumonia in a tertiary care hospital. At the time of discharge,I asked him to follow up,the next day with sugar reports. He never bothered to turn up for about 2 weeks and came to my OPD one day with a frowning face. His sugars were high. He blamed me for over looking the report. I pleaded helplessness as he had never come for follow up. After a week I got a legal notice from his lawyer for supposed negligence! I was shell shocked. All my years of caring and compassion for him and his entire dysfunctional family had come up to nought. I worded a strong letter to his lawyer and they immediately ran for cover. After a few months, I got a message from his friend that he wanted to meet and apologise to me. I denied him that pleasure. I had deleted him from my conscience.
Our entire life is made of some good memories and some bad memories. We encounter good people who are really close to us, but they never hesitate to show their dark side.
Retaliation is a waste of time and an insult to our up bringing.
We just ought to have a selective amnesia for such bitter events in life and move on. You have to expect a dark side to every person. You pray to the almighty to forgive them.
I look at the Moon from my window sill.
The Moon also has a dark side.
