Sometimes I think that the tests that come from within are the worst kind, because you have no one to blame but yourself.
Do not be envious, O soul. What was decreed for you was decreed for you. Who are you to doubt or question the wisdom of the One in whose hand is your soul? What worlds were joined by what was meant for you? Could you ever have imagined any of this? The lands, the experiences, …
The amount of time I spend supporting services that have gone off and done their own thing, and now can’t move forward because they haven’t a clue what they’re doing, and have no idea what they’re dealing with. I know I ought to just take the approach of IT and say, “It’s not my problem.” …
I suppose I was a rather serious teenager thirty years ago. But then why not? That was the era of the Bosnian War, Rwandan Genocide and the end of Apartheid in South Africa. While my peers were enjoying a party life, I was found publishing a homemade magazine devoted to human rights and development. No …
When it comes to choosing a side, we’re asked to stand with the just and the truthful. That’s it.
Everybody has done so well for themselves. A more generous soul would celebrate their successes. But for me, it just sends me down into a cycle of despondency. It’s not so much envy as deep regret. Daily I see my contemporaries celebrating yet another accreditation, boosting their career and setting in motion the next big …
The past couple of years, I have been shown things which ought to make my faith unshakeable. If I fail now, I’ll only have myself to blame. If I continue to respond to the lowest calls of my soul, that doesn’t diminish the truth at all. Pondering on all that has come to light, a …
I don’t know if the interventions really work. There is a peak, lasting for about six weeks during which I seem to be on top form. But by this stage, midway between injections, I seem to hit a slump and find myself back where I started, demotivated, disinterested, easily distracted. Of course, it’s difficult to …
What does it take to dehumanise an entire people? In modern times, it is only necessary to invoke the spectre of terrorism. With this slur, suddenly anything goes. That is why one of the most advanced militaries on the planet can target civilian infrastructure with impunity, while the so-called Free World — only weeks ago …
We now hear people saying about the release of a hostage grandmother who turned back to shake hands with her captors: “This shows that Hamas were gentlemen, treating their captives as guests.” But what it really confirms is that she was a sincere peacemaker who has dedicated her life to building bridges between Jews and …
If we should take anyone as a role model, let it be Dr Tetsu Nakamura, who devoted his life to improving the lives of the people of Afghanistan. Throughout a life of service, this Japanese doctor opened health clinics, built hospitals and dug a network of irrigation canals, transforming barren land into fertile agricultural fields, …
When my father was my age, he was several years into his role as managing partner of the foremost firm of solicitors in our region. My eldest brother is a top tier lawyer at an international law firm, ranked Band 2 on the Chambers scale. My middle brother is a senior diplomat, my sister an …
Hate no one, no matter how much they’ve wronged you.Live humbly, no matter how wealthy you become.Think positively, no matter how hard life is.Give much, even if you’ve been given little.Keep in touch with the ones who have forgotten you, and forgive who has wronged you, and do not stop praying for the best for …
