What's Your Story?
Until I was eight or nine years old our neighborhood was the kind of place where few people locked their doors. We were all lower middle class and mostly white. We knew almost every family that lived on our street by name. The neighborhood always felt safe and the threat of violence was totally absent from our minds. It wasn’t an oasis that we lived in but, more accurately, a bubble. Columbus, Ohio had already changed outside of our imaginary borders but the streets we lived on still had only one story.
Life provided a few glimpses of stories that were different from our own during my days at Fairmoor Elementary School. Damon came to our school in the first grade. He was the first African-American I can ever remember getting to know in person. Kids would run up to him and ask to touch his hair because the texture was different from their own. I can’t imagine how strange this felt to him. Damon was eventually accepted when kids realized although he looked different, he was really just like us.
Just a few weeks after the start of the school year the Principal introduced Sivaley to our third grade class. Sivaley was an extremely shy Asian boy who didn't speak a word of English. We discovered he and his family were recent immigrants from war-torn Vietnam. The war had only ended a few years before. At first Sivaley seemed so foreign to us that he may as well have been from another planet. He spent his first few weeks, quiet as a mouse, taking it all in. He drew tanks and artillery on the blackboard, which were likely the last memories he had of his country. Considering how young he was, war might have been the only life he knew.
A few of us kids took Sivaley under our wings and made sure he had someone to hang out with during recess. I had a Superball, which was a small rubber ball that would bounce hundreds of feet in the air. This is the first time I remember seeing Sivaley relax and attempt to communicate. We began connecting on a human level. It was as though playing with the ball made him forget all of the fears and anxieties running through his head. I lost track of him after third grade and often wonder what became of him.
LIfe in our eastside neighborhood changed swiftly and significantly at the start of the 1978-1979 school year. This was the year desegregation officially began in Columbus, Ohio. I'll never forget when the outcome of the voting was announced on the radio during my summer vacation. That day I remember sensing a feeling of helplessness and disbelief amongst the adults in my life. It was a done deal, for fourth and fifth grade kids in our neighborhood would be bused into one of the worst neighborhoods in the entire city. As a child of nine my stomach felt like it was twisted into knots. As the end of Summer approached, I was terrified.
That first day of fourth grade we gathered on a corner a few hundred feet from our house. I realized that morning it was only a fifteen minute ride to a different world. Our bus driver, Mrs. Love greeted us with a smile as we boarded her bus. The stereo blasted funk music the entire way to Fair Avenue School. As we approached the school I saw a neighborhood that was much different from our own. Houses were boarded up, yards unkempt, and trash littered the streets.
“When we keep our stories locked up inside of us, darkness wins. We must share what we’ve lived, what we’ve learned, and how we have become stronger through our experiences, in hopes that it helps others find their voice, too.” ― Laura Gagnon, The Book Satan Doesn't Want You To Read
The first few days of that experience were uncomfortable and, in some ways, shocking. This was my first immersion in a story different from my own. Fair Avenue school got easier every day. Although it was uncomfortable at first, I consider the education I received at this school, from the curriculum and otherwise, was among the best I ever have in my life.
By the time I started ninth grade at Eastmoor High School in 1984 our own neighborhood was undergoing a more radical transformation. It was the year the crack epidemic descended on Columbus. Gangs from larger cities, including the L.A. Crips had started to move into the east side. Law enforcement wasn't prepared, city leaders outright denied the city had a gang problem. Our neighborhood fell quickly, seemingly overnight, to become a haven for drug dealing, prostitution, and violence. Everyone who could afford to move elsewhere did and any residents who stayed became the minority.
As my teenage years sped by I met many different people of many different backgrounds and races. It was uncomfortable and sometimes very difficult to feel like, at times, you didn’t belong. The lesson I've taken away is people are pretty much people and the only real measure of a person is the quality of their character. I appreciate exposure to the many different perspectives and lifestyles which have enriched my life in ways that I could never have imagined. As an adult I'd like to think it’s made me a more empathetic and well-rounded person.
“It’s strange how easy it was, once we tried, to just spend time being broken together.” ― Rasmenia Massoud, Tied Within
There is a great divide in our country and our world today. This divide isn’t just one of race but one of religion, culture, economic class, and political beliefs. The divide is driven by certain factions of our society for a purpose, an end goal. They wish us to be distracted, they try to dehumanize those they wish us to hate, they want us to forget our power, ultimately they want to control us. The truth is, the great divide they continue to perpetuate exists primarily within the confines of our own minds. Our superpower, maybe the only one we have left, is we can wake up. Nothing frightens those who perpetuate division, fear, and hate more than this.
“Healing is like an onion. As you process through one layer of trauma to release the pain and heal, a new layer will surface. One layer after another layer will bring up new issues to focus on. Pace yourself. Only focus on one layer at a time.” ― Dana Arcuri, Soul Cry: Releasing & Healing the Wounds of Trauma
I think possibly the first step to building the bridge to understanding one another is to realize that there is more than one story. In this life each of us has the opportunity to be both a student and a teacher. We must find the courage to teach our stories and learn the stories of others. Each of us on the planet are suffering from some kind of trauma. If we can find nothing else in common at least we have that one commonality. Sometimes both individually and collectively we have to tell ourselves, "That's enough, this no longer serves me."
When this happens we'll realize who the real enemy is. We have to be ready to share our stories and listen to the stories of others, open ourselves up and allow ourselves to be uncomfortable. The dividends this pays are well worth it. Familiarity doesn't always breed contempt, it can also breed kindness and compassion.
When we can finally open our minds to this fact, maybe we can begin to process the trauma we all have trapped inside, and the true healing can begin. What's Your Story?
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Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.
Let’s Keep In Touch
I also had problem during my childhood to make friends in my class. I was always not part of any groups and I don't know what was wrong with me? Although I was topper in my class, so I was all teacher's favorite student and girl's wanted to get help in their studies. It might the boys were not liking me or other issues.
I'm sorry to hear that! It sounds like the boys might have been jealous of you! Have you found a way to move beyond that or do you still carry the after-effects of the trauma with you?
I have still memories of those days and try to be calm by practising mindfulness.
I was bullied both in the elementary school and in the middle school too. I do not know why they bullied me. I did not disturbed them at all. I finished the middle school as a private student. In addition to being bullied, I had my first love in the middle school, which was unrequited. I very deeply loved a classmate girl. It was more than 10 years ago (in 2007), but I still relatively often think about her. The bullying and the unrequited love left a very big mark on my life. Sometimes I feel like it did a huge emotional damage. As if it would have been partly destroyed my capability to feel love. I can still feel a very deep love. It is hard to describe.
This was in Budapest, Hungary. The elementary school was between 1999 and 2007. The middle school was between 2007 and 2012.
Sometimes I would forget these events. Sometimes I feel that it is simply a part of my life.
There were good parts too. For example the love and the care of my mother. Actually this was the best part in my childhood. She did everything for us (for my brother and for me). She helped me to learn. I successfully took the maturity exam in 2012.
Either way, I forgive everyone, who ever bullied and/or hurt me in any way in my life. I also hope that everyone else forgives me too.
I believe that God forgive everyone, because there is something good in everyone.
Have a nice day and have a nice weekend.
All the best. Greetings and much love from Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
I'm sorry to hear you were bullied, @xplosive but very happy to hear you've found a way to forgive them. As someone we've lived over five decades on this Earth I can tell you that almost every adult I've met spends a better part of their years overcoming/working through trauma that happened to them as a child...or they spend their lives suffering from it. I'm glad you've done the work to get to a place of forgiveness. Much love to you my friend.
Everyone needs to wake up to the division that is being sewn amongst us. The divides are real but created or exacerbated by those buggers up high with their vested interests in keeping us looking at the wrong cup.
I had one of those superballs! Amazing things. Unfortunately, my neighborhood was the popular opposite of yours growing up. A den of pretty criminality and violence. Survived though!
I agree! It's so profound here in the US. In some cases old friends and even family has turned against one another.
Those super balls were like magic. It was almost unbelievable how high they bounced. They would likely be labeled "dangerous" these days. Lol.
I'm sorry to hear that about your neighborhood but am glad you made it through. I experienced twelve or so years of relative peace before the gangs took over. It was like living on another planet after that.
I fear what is happening in the US is being mirrored here. I just hope there is a backlash against all the lies and misinformation soon.
Living in an area where you genuinely wonder if you will be mugged or worse when you go out is a terrible thing. On the other hand, those balls might have helped soften the blow 🤣🤣
I have faith that we'll reach a tipping point where people will begin to take a step back from main stream media. I found this great tool to sharpen critical thinking skills that I'm going to write about soon. I think tools like this will be super helpful in our battle against propaganda and disinformation, especially in the age of A.I.
Haha, I carry around pepper spray when I walk in the neighborhood we live in now. People are 3D printing a device called a "switch" that turns nearly any gun into an automatic weapon, so it's going to be an interesting summer around here. It's like the Wild West in American cities these days.
My life changed roughly at the same time as yours. Our family home was badly damaged during the 1977 quake so we had to move to one of the new blocks of flats the communists were busy building to house the people from rural areas coming to work in factories. Up until then I also lived on a quiet street where I could always go play in a friend's yard or have a tea-party for our dolls in ours.
The neighborhood we moved into was crowded, with people from very different backgrounds. There were way more kids roaming the neighborhood, but I didn't like their rough games or the lack of nice gardens. The only time I tried to go out to play with them, I came back very disappointed. Sometimes I'd still spend an hour or two with a classmate, but most of the afternoons I spent home. I developed a passion for reading, something I do not regret.
As for your own experience, I find it extremely interesting. Race was never an issue here as ours used to be a closed country, and when it opened up not many immigrants were interested to come here. However, lately we've seen a large number of immigrants of Asian origin coming here and frankly it's weird. I know they're people just like us and I can only imagine what hardship they're fleeing from, but it will take time to get used to accept their presence here as normal. I guess it has to do with the stranger-danger notion that is in our blood.
Thanks for sharing that. I bet that was a strange and traumatic experience as a child. You have such little control your life at that age. That's how I felt when I was bussed into the bad neighborhood. I'm glad you found solace in reading, and later writing. I did a bit of that too with my drawing and writing as a child.
The US has such a complicated history when it comes to race. As I was writing this, I was shocked that desegregation of schools in central Ohio didn't happen until the late 1970's and it was even worse in some of the southern states.
As for the new immigrants to your country, assimilation definitely takes time (on both sides of the equation), sometimes decades. It's interesting what benefits and additions the new waves of immigrants bring. Countries with open borders are like lumps of clay that each group helps to reshape. Here in the Twin Cities we've had waves from all over the world.
Ohh dear @ericvanwalton so much wisdom and emotions in this your post, after reading this I had to reflect on my life.
I really love this quote as it speaks volume, sharing our stories might just be the one thing the person next door is waiting to hear so him or her can speak up or move forward in life
Thank you for sharing your story.
You're welcome! Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing!
You are also welcome😀
I grew up in Kazakhstan, it was a multinational country, there were Kazakhs, Germans, Koreans, Chinese, Tatars, and Russians in the class. Everyone lived together, but after perestroika in 1985, everything began to change. The Kazakhs began to push, and many were forced to leave.
I'm sorry to hear things changed and became less diverse. Are you still in Kazakhstan?
That was a beautiful read. And a beautiful message.
I especially loved this line.
Reading lines like this makes me a liddle bit jealous :)
You know... when someone can make it look this natural and easy. When one sentence paints an entire picture with only a few words. This is the kind of writing I love best.
Bravo 👏🏻
Thank you @nickydee. The longer I do this, the less words I use. It's taken me over thirty years to begin to get out of my own way and not overthink the process. I hope I have another thirty years to work at it. I appreciate the kind words and so glad you've enjoyed this piece. How long have you been writing?
Well that's very Hemmingway of you but you've managed to stay more romantic. It's really an art that requires a ton of work and practice I think. Wiriting.
I've been writing, on and off, since I was seen years old. But more off than on. I think that's why it's taken me so long to understand that it really requires consistency and work.
But I've been an avid reader pretty consistently. This has made me understand that I may not ever be able to write as well as my favourites. And that's okay too now. Although this is exactly what stopped me writing for so long :D
I think all art is exactly what you say here.
Nice that you are there!
I'm finally, after a lifetime... maybe, possibly beginning to get there!
Some days...
I spent so much time trying to write like others. When I stopped doing that and started writing for myself I finally found my voice. Many people have criticized my choice of words as being too "flowery" or "ornate" but I stopped caring about critics a long time ago. : )
Writing is difficult because it can be good but it's never perfect. I found most of my impediments to good writing were in my own head.
That's wonderful that you're at that point too! Do you sometimes wonder how many words you've written?
Huh! I have not wondered that but now I shall :)
Is A LOT (and...at times... too many) too simple an answer?
Oh... I would never try to write like anybody else. It seems too disrespectful to the pain and fortitude a writer must endure and have to do something like that
Also... I never could write like Hurikami or Miller 👀
Or Robbins.
I just do me. I was fortunate enough to go to Michaelis - Uni - to study Fine Art, so originality has always been important to me. As an artist. And authenticity. It just doesn't seem to "work" if this is not so.
Too "flowery" :D
NO. It's direct but still wistful. And we need more wonder in the world. Gods only know.
But, like all art, it is in the eyes and ears (and soul) of the beholder, I guess.
It was great that you got a solid educational foundation early! I wasted so much without it and just ended up getting lucky when the stars aligned.
It's funny to think human-created writing in just a few short years will come with a label, that itself will become a niche market. Most writing will be pure AI or a collaboration between humans and AI.
These are days of such radical transformation I agree that wonder and mystery is more important than ever. What's been created now will someday become highly coveted. Human beings are about to become something completely different as they merge with emerging technologies...some things will be lost, others will be gained as the pure biological phase of our existence is coming to a close.
Oh good lord no. I mean, I was privileged and determined enough to prove my artist boyfriend wrong that I'd be accepted at Michaelis yes.
But I loathed the institutionlisation of art and railed against it the whole way through. I had a lecturer bent on failing me in third year because I was never there. I outsmarted him, mercifully.
Concept won, over time spent bowing to the academy :D
I don't think many of the greats formally studied. After the fifties anyway. Probably before but I suspect you'd know that better...
Academics teach. And artists do.
I believe institutions teach people how not to think creatively more often than not. And repress originality and, possibly, genius at times. Sadly.
No. You're lucky you didn't go, lose your passion for writing and give it all up! That's how most folks exit academies and "schools of fine art".
Yes. Interesting times indeed. Both exciting and terrifying. I'm still convinced that AI can't replicate the human experience. Not yet. I doubt it will ever be able to write a line like the one I marked here initially.
But I may stand to be corrected. It may only be because it's still young and learning the craft ;)
I don't think so, however. There's too much we don't (and probably never will) know for that to happen. Surely?
I also heard a piece of music generated by AI last week and it sounded surprisingly "off". One would think that wouldn't happen since music is supposed to be so mathematical.
AI has its uses. I'm into tech as well and I find it pretty exciting. But I've always loved Sci-Fi and lookie here! I'm living it.
I also find it threatening. Of course!
But life is duality and why should AI be any different? It's here to stay and, I suspect, it's been around far longer than we think it has as well.
I think, as humans, we will have two very separate groups of extremists. And the balance of the rest working around them. As always.
I'm headed to the ones in the mountains. Barefoot. But with satellite!
But I've been called extreme...
I visited your website. You have been busy :)
From my experience what you say is true about formal eduction, at least in the writing world, unless you want to operate within the bubble of academia and/or the world of traditional publishing. I wanted so badly to be picked up by a major publisher when I was young. I had even planned to move to NYC in 1994 to be closer to them. Lucky for me those prayers went unanswered. Because of the proliferation of the Internet the publishing world changed. It took another 15 or so years but self publishing became easier and then Amazon gave us access to the world through Kindle Direct Publishing. I was very lucky to be in the right place at the right time, I'm my own boss, and feel like I have control of my own destiny. It just took a really, really long time and a ton of work.
Yes, AI isn't anywhere near human-level intelligence yet but if industry leaders are correct it will happen within the next few years. I share your interest and fear about AI! I think it's going to change our lives infinitely more than the internet did. How lucky are we to have a front row seat?!
Yes, I had a flurry of work these past ten years. I was trying to "strike while the iron was hot". I still haven't finished the sequel to my first novel though. The world keeps catching up to the "future tech" featured in it and I have to keep rewriting it! Damn this blusteringly fast tech innovation. : )
You're smart view tech in that balanced way! It's a tool for our betterment if we can use it in a smart way and not have it use us.
:) I was blown away that you stuck at it nine years (?) to get the first one out. Respect.
😆
Exact same thing happening with an NFT project Ive been working on for the last couple of years. I'm on it now because in a few more months it may be redundant. (not really... but the tech side won't be as impressive)
The race is on!
Yeah! Front row seats. Buckle up!! :D
Thank you. I'm so glad I stuck to it and finished that book. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm convinced I'd probably still be stuck behind a desk in a corporate job if I hadn't completed it.
Oh, I bet your situation is equally as frustrating! I hope you can steer that project to the finish line!
Yes! It's going to be an extremely interesting next ten years. Enjoy your weekend, Nicky!
You mean projectS. 🙄
So many ideas. So little time. I'm workin' on that 💪🏼
You too, fellow traveler!
I'll see you again soon.
Happy weekend 🌼 :)
There's Wisdom and power in this. I thought you were just writing a fiction at first but then I realized that the emotions were too real, the story too palpable to be the work of the mind.
We're living in a world that is crumbling in front of us and we aren't even aware of it. Love is almost nonexistent and we want to believe that we're okay. I'm happy you shared your story today. It speaks to the lives of so many people, myself included. Thank you @ericvancewalton
Thank you. Yes, it feels like we're at just about peak chaos right now in the world. So many aspects of society are breaking down. What gives me hope though is these kinds of eras in history are typically cyclical that come to an end and eventually a better day dawns. I pray we don't sink further.
We'll find a way to survive and be better. It's going to be difficult but we're definitely going to try.
What a way to awaken our desire to write, my friend! So many memories come to my mind. I have always lived in a neighborhood where people are very close-knit and supportive. I remember once a friend died and we all collaborated to buy his coffin, but I remember even more, when there was a shooting on the main street and in the middle of the shooting Mrs. Anaís appeared looking for her son. It was as if the movie had stopped just for the pain of that mother. A hug, my friend. I hope you had a great day today with your mother and your wife. I am still sharing, celebrating and cooking. Hugs
How wonderful it would have been to have that kind of community support! It sounds like it was one big family despite the crime and struggles. You'd probably have to travel to a smaller town in America to encounter anything close to that. Mother's Day was good on this end. How was your day?
My one year plus on hive has not only helped me talk about my traumas but each time I did it felt like a heavy load has just been lifted from my shoulder. It is amazing how writing here has helped me heal even those wounds I wasn't aware existed.
Thank you very much for the amazing piece.
Hey dear @ibbtammy, thank you very much for sharing this on #twitter if not for you I might have missed this.
I can totally relate with you, sharing our stories makes us feel really light and the amazing thing is you get to see other people who have gone through that road or is on that road, the advices you get are so beautiful.
You are welcome @funshee, I couldn’t turn a blind eye on the story, others have to read it as well😃
!luv
Thank you for the share @ibbtammy! : )
Writing is so therapeutic and can become a shortcut to a place of healing. I'm glad blogging here on Hive has been a positive outlet for you. Thank you for reading!
Life is good when you share it with others ;)
I remember my first super ball! Magic in my hands! It was black, like the fresh air kid Sydney, who was the only black person in my tiny town, and he was here for only one school year. We all loved him. I wonder what he thought about that, if he liked all the love we supposed back woods racists showered on him.
Now there are a few more POC, fishing in their/our streams, teaching their/our children, drinking in their/our bars, ministering to all of our faiths. The time for all this uproar over racism was back in Sydney's day, not now.
The division is artificial. Misunderstanding is the norm. These are supported by folks who will not leave their comfort zones to listen to the stories of those who are unlike them. Many of us want to be alike, to share moral judgments and lifestyles. To suppress the human strengths and achievements that are bolstered by our differences, not diminished by them.
Revel in the glory of myriad madnesses! We short ourselves when we demand that we all be alike. It's terrifying to me.
So yeah, nice post.
They were fascinating but so easy to lose! I swear sometimes they'd bounce so high we'd lose sight of them. I've experienced some of the purest kindness from people in small towns so I have no doubt that the people you mentioned felt welcomed.
"he division is artificial. Misunderstanding is the norm. These are supported by folks who will not leave their comfort zones to listen to the stories of those who are unlike them. Many of us want to be alike, to share moral judgments and lifestyles. To suppress the human strengths and achievements that are bolstered by our differences, not diminished by them."
I totally agree to all of that, I would add to that "the division is artificial and manufactured".
Thank you for reading and for this comment!
That Laura Gagnon quote really hit me. So true. Isn't it crazy that in this superblended world, more people feel like they don't belong? It's scary.
That's a powerful one, isn't it? Social and mass media have distorted people's perception to the point it's not reflecting statistical data. Very concerning indeed.
I remember the first minority family that came to our school district. The girls name was Mary and I always kind of wondered what happened to her. I went to school out in the country. Even though the city was small, there are always a lot of diverse nationalities there then today. Thanks in large part to Dow being based there. I think if I had went to one of the public schools in town it would have been different, but even today, the population is largely Caucasian. We had a family from Vietnam who went to our church for a time. My dad actually bonded with the dad given his time on base. I remember them coming over one evening and looking at my dad's slides he had taken when he was in the navy.
Our district wasn't racially blended at all either until after the third grade. Thinking back it seems so strange that a city school district was still that way in the late 1970's. I wonder what happened to some of the kids I grew up with some of them have managed to have little or no digital footprint on the internet. Gen X is probably the last generation where that is even possible unless you're consciously trying to be private. How long was your dad in the Navy?
That does seem weird that they weren't. I guess it was just the time. Ours was just because the minority families were not there. I have friends like that too. Either no Facebook account or just a profile picture and zero activity. He was in the Navy for the 3 years he was required to serve. He got out at soon as that was done.
Your childhood was very interesting, Eric. Just like you and your surroundings before, I am who live in Indonesia, would be very surprised if I saw white foreigners of American or European nationality coming to our area. they would be very tall people if they stood between us, because generally Indonesians are on average 160 cm tall. Their pink skin is also very different from our brown skin. i also really like to see their blonde hair which i think is like corn hair. Have a nice day, Eric..
Thanks Eliana! It would be very interesting to visit your country. I hope you're having a good week!
I don't know if this would ever going to stop because it is what we experience everyday around the world without a sign of stopping.
When I was reading the first paragraph of your post, I was imagining my childhood, it looks like you have written my story instead of yours, I also belonged to a middle class family, and we had a very good neighbourhood, All were friendly, we can even think of anything bad happening to any of us. Life was going greatly. and sadly the day come and we had to leave that place. I had to leave my childhood friend, I still remember my friends, but don't know where they are living now. I even went to meet one of my friend, but his behaviours was odd and then I decided not to go again.
I bet that was traumatic for you, having to leave that happy place. People do change as they walk the path of life. I often wonder about some of my old friends I've lost touch with. Very few friends in life stay with us for the entire journey, most are just with us for a season.
For a season or for a reason?
I think both.
https://twitter.com/HamzaSial328600/status/1658199998620659712
#hive #posh
I also share with you a story from my childhood. The story is very interesting because as we all know that if a person becomes successful, he has many enemies. This story today. Twenty years ago we used to live in the village and we had a very good business there. They were running much better. But the neighbors who lived with us were not happy at all because their business was not doing so much and our business was doing more, due to which our house was not short of money at all and our house It was installed inside.
And then one day the limit of their anger was over and they did a lot of harm to us. Most of the goods were dog and shopper due to which the fire destroyed the entire shop. Before how long it was not known who did this work then there was a modern machine inside the village then after that there were their fingerprints and they were matched due to which we found out.
Then after that we were never able to set up a business like this till today then we left that field because our heart was broken and we do other things. He worked hard day and night in another work and that work is still going on today. But later we started working more like the story. This child also had a lot of excitement because it was broken inside and worried.
Envy is a horrible thing! I'm sorry to hear your family had to deal with that.
You are absolutely right, it is jealousy that forces a person to fight with another person. The envious person then wants to know why this person is succeeding. It will also become like me and one day it will happen. We have seen it with our own eyes.
https://twitter.com/LovingGirlHive/status/1658485453203595275
Here in SA it took many many years for Apartheid to fall. There were many who were against it but most of us felt a kind of anticipation of better things to come.
We have so many cultures and it's been exciting discovering it.
Sadly there is a minority that continue to sow seeds of discontent and hatred. Plus there are forces higher up that work at causing division.
Despite all of that, there still is a camaraderie between us that one will not find anywhere else in the world!
We all have the same basic needs though, no matter what colour or creed we are.
You've summed it up well:
I enjoyed your story Eric!
Thank you Lizelle! I remember following on the news when apartheid fell. It's a shame there are those stoking the fires of hate and division. If your country is anything like ours the media does a great job of throwing gasoline on those fires. Enjoy your weekend, my friend!
They certainly know how to jump on the bandwagon just for 'Breaking News'. There however are other forces at play as well.
Enjoy your weekend as well Eric!