Friday, May 28, 2010

Truth, karma & spin....

Do you believe that the truth will always come out? Sometimes I wonder. Sometimes my faith in truth and justice is tested to the limits.

But surely, one day....the truth is always victorious.....right?

I'd like to say I'm a believer in karma. I certainly want to believe in it, but there are just some things which happen in this world which make me question the whole ethos upon which 'the justice system' is built.

How is it, that the so called 'justice' system sees a man get away with murder simply because he has the financial means to hire a team of top notch lawyers? Anybody who witnessed that particualr trial, or has since researched the case, would surely be horrified at what can only be described as a most shocking example of how money talks, to the detriment of any human decency.

The fact the accused then went on to write a book which describes (hypothetically of course) how he actually managed to get away with it, well, it's just staggering.

I wonder if karma will ever bite that particular individual on the backside? It remains to be seen. But will the truth ever be known? In this case, it seems not. I feel for the families of the victims.

Because, there's never, ever just the one 'victim', is there? Each victim is loved and cherished by somebody. The ripple effect dictates that the victims loved ones become victims too, and so it goes on......

The example given above is, of course, an extreme one. But then, we witness such examples on all too regular a basis these day, do we not?

Examples of 'cover ups' can be found in the Daily news, if you look hard enough. It's just a question of what you choose to believe. The truth, or the spin?

I question everything these days. Some may say I question things too much and look for problems or untruths where none actually exist. I prefer to think that life has simply taught me to treat everything, and everybody, with caution.

When presented with a sensational news story, I will always now try to look behind the headlines, and gather more information about what really might have happened.

I also try (wherever I can), to apply the same rule of thumb in real life. Maybe it's a result of the things I have experienced, but I do tend to look for 'means' and 'motive' in almost every situation I encounter.

I was once told that I added 'Sarah spin' to everything I said. I spent a long time pondering this 'accusation'. Was I 'spinning' tales about my situation?

What is 'spin' at the end of the day?

It is certainly not the plain and simple relaying of a tale, or the recalling of an event. But spin is not necessarily sinister either, it's probably just the way of the world. The trick is to recognise it when you see it, and moreover, to recognise the motivation behind the spin.

In the examples cited above, it is clear where the 'spin motivation' lies. It is there simply to distract us from the truth. To divert our attention and prevent justice from being served.

To relate spin to my own situation and my account (in the book) thereof, is trickier. I'll leave that for the reader to decide.

All I can say is this: Fiction is far more transparent and fragile than the truth. The truth does has a habit of coming out....eventually, and karma does invariably reach all those who deserve it. And with the truth, comes justice. And that, in turn, brings peace for the victims, and (over time) their loved ones.

We just need to be patient.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Money, Money, Money

Can anybody really imagine what it might be like to win a huge amount of money?

I think we all dream about it all the time (well, I know I do!). But can you seriously imagine what it would be like to have that much?

It would scare me half to death, and somehow I don't think I'd be telling the papers.

The thing is, money brings out the worst in people, it truly does. One sniff of it, and people start crawling out of the woodwork. And when it comes to money, people can turn ruthless. I know this from first hand experience.

It seems to affect our powers of reasoning. We turn into jealous crazed monsters at the thought of somebody possibly having something that we want, but just can't manage to get for ourselves.

I've learned some tough lessons of my own regarding money. I've learned you should be careful about who you trust. Even those in 'authority' are not always what they profess to be.

I've felt despair because of lack of money, and seemingly endless financial demands.

But I keep telling myself the same thing;

Money can't buy happiness. It may be an old adage, but it's a very accurate one. It can't buy happiness,nor can it buy peace of mind. And you won't sleep better at night with a full bank account, knowing you've taken that money from somebody who trusted you.

I'm under no illusions that book writing is going to make me a vast amount of money. I won't be giving up my day job any time soon, that's for sure!

I'd be happy to get through life knowing that I don't owe anybody anything, I reckon that would be enough for me.

That, and a clear conscience. The knowledge that I have never deliberately screwed somebody over for their money.

Fraud is my dirty word for this week. Sadly, it's all around us. It taints all those it touches, and it is born of greed and self interest.

So, let's ponder the words of one far more sagacious than little old me, just for a minute ;

There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.

Buddha

Worth remembering, don't you think?