OUR MOMENTS OF MADNESS... AND GRACE

 

I am just asking this: If a fish takes a break from swimming for a few months, will she forget how to swim when she resumes swimming again? Similarly, if an eagle takes a similar break from flying, will he forget how to fly when he resumes flying again?

Today, I am set to resume blogging after a gap of over four  months? And, I am just asking the same question: Will I forget how to write my daily, simple stories?

The question makes me smile more than think!

Just because I did not write my stories for over four months, it did not mean, that I did not weave those stories in my imagination. Writing is just one of the ways in which I am able to tell the stories that are born in my mind. There are many other ways… Silence is one of them!

A few days ago, my favourite actor Will Smith walked up to the glittering stage of Oscars ceremony and slapped hard the host, the comedian, Chris Rock. Chris Rock had cracked a distasteful joke on Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett (who suffers from a condition called Alopecia). She seemed offended by the comedian’s joke. The next what the world saw was an unbelievable sight: Will Smith walking up to the stage, slapping hard the host, coming back to his seat, and giving a mouthful to the host. It was minutes before Will Smith’s shining moment, when he was to be crowned the ‘Best-Actor Award’ for his role in the movie, ‘King Richard’. Yes, the grandest event on planet was marred by this one unfortunate, avoidable moment. In his acceptance speech, Will Smith was seen shattered emotionally… He apologized to everyone except the man who had slapped publicly.  He did apologize in a statement later, though… But, all this was at hindsight!

The world is busy judging Will Smith: Was his act and behaviour justified? What about Chris Rock’s act and behaviour? And, the world will continue to debate over it for decades to come…

Yes, just the way, the world continues to debate over the infamous headbutt by Zidane in the 2006 World Cup football finals. Zidane was playing his last professional match following an illustrious career… He had almost single-handedly brought his team (France) to play this Finals against Italy. And, we know what happened on the ground… The Italian star, Materazzi, apparently, said something very offending about Zidane’s sister… And, that was enough for the French Captain to turn back to Materazzi and knock him down to the ground with a deadly headbutt!

Zidane was sent off the field… Italy won the World Cup 2006… A glorious moment of send-off to a Legend, instead, had to end with an inglorious moment of madness!

Again, at hindsight, we all can continue to judge Zidane and how he conducted himself. But, what happened, just happened, If Zidane could avoid it, he would… Just as Will Smith would…

Just as you and I would. 

We all have umpteen moments of madness in our lives. At hindsight, each one of them seems avoidable, unnecessary. But, a hindsight is a hindsight… What happens, happens!

Thus, I find it extremely difficult to judge a Will Smith and a Zidane. When I, so frequently, find myself falling from grace, who am I to judge them?

Well, we all still have a way to restore our fallen state of grace: A meaningful, honest apology. And, how many times do we need to seek forgiveness, and how many times do we need to forgive our trespassers?  The Master said, ‘Not seven times or seventy times… but, seventy-times seven!'

That brings me to an episode in Master’s life itself. This is the period of Lent for us, the Christians… A time to reflect on our lives… seek forgiveness… Give forgiveness… Renew our dwindling spirit… Make a fresh start… and so on. So, this episode in Jesus Christ’s life, often, leaves me baffled. (He is angry watching the sacred temple of God being turned into an ugly market… He takes law into His own hands and cleanses the temple… “This is my Father’s House,” he thunders as he goes about the cleansing act, “You have turned it into a den of thieves!”  

I wonder: How could my Master lose His temper in public and indulge in such an act of aggression, that, too, in a temple? Was my Master right? Was it not an avoidable moment? Was it not similar to ‘the moments of madness’ in the lives of  Will Smith and Zidane?

Will Smith, Zidane and Jesus Christ – they are all my favourites. Above all, I am my own favourite! Anything wrong with that?

You see, I can be extremely biased if I attempt to judge a favourite. We are humans – cast of feet of clay. It that is so, so be it…

And, I think, that’s the great beauty of being humans!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Pixabay

Videos: 1. NBC News 2. OneFootball English 3. The Learning Method