Greatest Fears

BRITEAST MAGAZINE ISSUE 3 – OCTOBER 2009

Greatest Fears: Things that make or break us

Fear. All of creation has it whether inbuilt or picked up along the way. No-one is ever immune to fear: some fear growing old (be it for aesthetic reasons or for those of dependency); some fear loneliness; some, love itself; some, the exams and their future; some fear the supernatural and many fear spiders & other creepy crawlies. The poor may fear poverty; the rich may fear losing their wealth or indeed that they will never have enough and the lover may fear a broken heart… The list is endless because human beings are fascinating creatures.

Of course fear does not discriminate and confine itself to just the human race. The antelope fears the lion as the fly does the spider’s web as the plant does cabbage does the snail as the snail does the salt (… as the salt does the water?).

Fear can be a great thing for it can be the catalyst to achieving much success – talk to the financially stable and they will tell you how in business you have to take risks – or if you let it, it can come to destroy and paralyze you – after all who ever achieved anything if they were too afraid to try?

Perhaps mankind is guilty of not fearing enough though. P.B.Shelley’s most famous short poem Oxymandias, comes to mind.
‘I am Ozymandias, king of kings,
Look on my works ye Mighty and despair!’ says the once powerful Ozymandias to the Creator; the true King of Kings. (Ozymandias was another name for Ramesses the Great, Pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt.) Where once a vast empire thrived, lie the ruins as described by the traveler telling the tale of the inevitable decline of all men however indestructible they may have been in their time.

But mankind, despite the signs, refuses to heed and chooses to ignore. Do we fear that this earth, this life, time, our wealth, our children, everything we have is but a mere loan to us? Do we fear enough to give our time to the homeless on the street, or smile at a stranger, or utter a kind word, or help someone who is not going to give anything back to us in return?

My greatest fear? That when I stand in front of the One who created me, on that Mighty Day, when I am held accountable for my life, that amidst the shame of my mountainous sins, that I will forget to say ‘thank you’. Thank you for the honour of being created. ■

Date With Destiny

BRITEAST MAGAZINE ISSUE 2 – SEPTEMBER 2009

Date With Destiny: The Soulmate Seeker’s Endless Longing

Blessings are around us all. They are everywhere. Sometimes we acknowledge them; other times we remain ignorant or just too lazy to give thanks. Nonetheless, they are there.

Some of us have a specific day set aside for Thanksgiving; some give thanks before a meal; some, after the meal and then there are those, like me, who have the opportunity of a whole month dedicated to reflection, restraint and the rejoicing of blessings.

Last week, as I headed to Regent’s Park, running a little late, I was stopped by a young man carrying a large bag full of dates.
‘Sister, have you opened your fast?’ he asked.

I nodded that I had yet he carried on opening his bag. How could I deny this young man of reaping the rewards during this Blessed Month? And so, I held out my hands, cupped together ready to receive my due from the bag. He shook it vigorously and even though the bag was full, out fell just the two dates, straight into my eagerly awaiting hands.

I received them with gratitude, firstly to the Divine for providing for me so that I could supplement the few drops of water with which I had opened my fast, and secondly to the kindness of this stranger bound to me via the beauty of faith.

‘May He give you up to whatever is in your heart. Ameen,’ I replied and off I went for my meeting with my Creator.

As I went along my way, devouring the sweetness of these special dates, I reflected on the reminder that had just been sent to me: ‘We have created everything in pairs…’

This life, albeit transient, is beautiful at the same time and contains a plethora of riches. One of them is a partner; a mate who will accompany you on this journey. I know too well the anguish of seeking a hand to hold (after all, I wrote a whole book about it!) and for all singletons out there, my messsage to you is this: when your date with destiny arrives, the bag of fate will open itself to you and tip into your hands your dues.  Just remember to give thanks for it, for it is one of the greatest blessings with which you can be honoured. Ever. ■