Wednesday, August 20, 2014

A small-ish storm last evening was followed by some awesomely beautiful skies. The eerily orange-ish skies didn't photograph well. The orange didn't "take". Nonetheless, the skies were great.

Clicking on the photos enlarges them.

I was reminded today of a phrase my Mother taught us when we were bullied-kids; I don't remember it exactly now almost 70 years later but it went something like: -

I'm rubber and you're glue,
what you say bounces off me
and sticks to you!

Today, as an over-ripe (i.e. mature) adult, I know that she was teaching us a basic psychological principle. The things we accuse others of are often things we are "guilty" of doing or being (or are afraid of being but still wanting to be - is that awkward?) ourselves.

Bullies are like that, aren't they? The louder they are, perhaps, the more they are hiding.

Whether they are racist, miscegenistic, homophobic, misogynistic, etc., by their taunts, they tell us, if, IF, we're "listening", an awful lot about themselves.

I was at a small informal gathering a while ago when a young adult, who should have known better, railed against pederasts and grouped them with gays. No one called her on it which seriously disappointed me.

I have a certain amount of empathy, understanding for pederasts. That does NOT mean I forgive them or excuse them. Far from it. I realize that on one level most of them were themselves abused as children. However, it is my understanding that most abused children do NOT grow up to become pederasts themselves. Many, probably most, will recover and, as adults, counsel and help to protect abused children. Some will abuse themselves with alcohol, drugs, etc. I believe a small percentage do mirror what happened to themselves and become abusive in words and/or deeds. (Do not get me started on the people in positions of authority like priests who are abusive.) Sorry. I digressed.

On the way back from breakfast I stopped to take a few shots at a yard where there are, in turn, wonderful displays of iris, daylilies, and now dahlias. Next year I will take photos of the iris and then later the daylilies.

The sight of those plantings brings joy to me every time I pass. Most people most of the time are good people. I firmly believe that.