L-I-F-E, Misunderstandings and Infinite Horizons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Once asked to name my favourite song of all time, I had to confess it has to be ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, first recorded by the late, great Nina Simone and then by The Animals whose lead singer Eric Burden’s turn it was to lift it to  inspirational heights.

Why my favourite song?  I am a great fan of both Nina Simone and The Animals, but the song hits me where it hurts most. The curious thing about hurt is that it can be both awfully painful and inspirational at the same time.  (I suspect I am not the only one who has lost friends for their having misunderstood our spoken or written words.)

Rightly or wrongly, I have felt misunderstood for the greater part of my life. The fact that I have a hearing problem, left undiagnosed as a form of ‘perceptive deafness’ for years hasn’t helped, but that is no excuse. Indeed, there are no excuses. On the other hand, there is room for reparation and reconciliation if the offended party will only say why they feel offended, thus giving the other person an opportunity to at least try and clear up any misunderstandings. Too often, though, this simply doesn’t happen.  One could argue that it is down to anyone who can see they have caused offence to make the first move while, on the other hand, isn’t the offended person also morally obliged to say why they have taken offence instead of simply resorting to postures that are no less offensive if not more so for being deliberate?

Many if not most friends and family members fall out from time to time, but any friends or family members worth their salt will engage us in an exchange of views, however heated, which  - more often than not – will clear the air and effect reconciliation. Sadly, many people see taking offence as a means to ending a relationship which, for reasons best known (or unknown) to themselves they would prefer to discontinue; an act of shifting any and all all blame elsewhere that has been a socially acceptable get-out cause for centuries. Those of us to whom reconciliation is all-important will know each other well to make sure it happens, albeit probably after arguing who threw the first stone …

“Drop the people who do not value you, respect you. Life has infinite horizons. Accept yourself, love yourself, and move forward.” ― Amit Ray, Peace, Bliss, Beauty and Truth: Living with Positivity

L-I-F-E, MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND INFINITE HORIZONS

I rarely mean to say

how it’s taken what I mean,

and held against me

rarely asked to explain,

try repairing damage done

(end of conversation)

Friends all but strangers,

family members taking sides,

cue for body language;

Looks, casting aspersions

on the best of my intentions,

no one asking questions

Hurt feelings on a chatline

exchanging gossip and rumour,

(No one any the wiser);

I, left to mull (close to tears)

 a real mess-up of a diary filled

with smudges and smears

Yet, some entries in my diary

stand out, no smears or smudges

in sight, only what’s writ;

not always a misunderstood

child, teenager or senior citizen,

for embracing infinite horizons

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2020