Die Hardloper

Ek gaan die komende Vrydag van `n goeie vriend afskeid neem. Gerhard se heengaan het my nogsteeds in skok omdat dit so onverwags was. Ek het so drie jaar gelede `n goeie vriendin ook so onverwags aan die dood afgestaan.

My twee goeie maats wat so skielik weg is herhinner my aan `n gedig wat ek baie lank terug op skool gelees het: Die Hardloper deur Ernst Van Heerden. Die gedig handel oor `n goeie, toegewyde geesdriftige langafstand atleet wat die baan vee met sy opponente. Die gedig het my geintereseer omdat ek self `n 800 meter atleet op skool was. Alhoewel ek die 800 geniet het moet ek darem ook noem dat die wedloop – soos die 1500 meter- een van die uitmergelendste wedlope in atletiek is. Jy moet natuurlik fiks wees, maar ook `n goeie balans tussen spoed en stamina het omdat die pas so vinnig is. In die gedig durf die hardloper elke wedloop met groot gees aan en gee sy beste. Hy word egter bewus in een van die wedlope van `n ‘ongesiene’, geheimsinnige opponent wat in sy nek blaas en kort op sy hakke is. Hy wen die resies maar is bewus daarvan dat die vreemde opponent hom in `n toekomstige wedloop gaan verby steek en wen.

In baie gevalle soos Gerhard se onverwagde heengaan, reflekteer mense altyd oor hoe kort die lewe is; “Die lewe is so kort, `n mens moet jou lewe en drome voluit lewe terwyl jy kan.” Uit `n Christelike oogpunt het die sienswyse my nog altyd `n bietjie gepla: Enige iets en alles in die Hemel is en gaan tog sekerlik beter wees as enige iets op `n bucket list soos bungee jump, valskerm spring, die wêreld toer, baie geld maak, ens. Volg jou drome, maar terselfde tyd lewe jou lewe reg- raad wat ek self nie aldag volg nie, maar ek probeer. Volg jou drome, maar koester eerder meer die tyd wat jy met familie kan spandeer. As hulle weg gaan, wees hardseer maar troos jouself dat dit net vir `n rukkie is tot weer siens.

Jy hoef nie meer te hardloop nie Gerhard, jy kan nou rus my vriend.

Die Hardloper – Ernst Van Heerden

Met wilde maar met suiwer hart

het hy die woeste wedren fel begin,

en elke myl met rappe voet getart,

hy sou die vlugste lopers nog oorwin.

Hy het geloop met stormdrang in sy bloed,

sy ademstoot ‘n hete windgejaag,

die see se branding in sy strenge moed,

toe hoor hy reeds die donker, bitter vraag:

Wie is hierdie ongesiene makker in die loop,

van wie die voet langs syne en die wind

van asem agter hom, van wie die hoop

dat nog ‘n bors die dun wit lint mag vind?

Die vreemde spanmaat het hy nie geken,

nooit hardloop hy weer sonder pyn of vrees;

hy weet al het hy nou die loop gewen,

die ander man sal eendag eerste wees.

Ter nagedagtenis van Gerhard De Jager ~ 1968 - 2013.

Greed

“Money can be a wicked thing. It can turn men's hearts black. Good men's hearts.”  This piece of dialog from M. Nigh Shyamalan’s movie The Village constantly rings  in my head; more so nowadays after a few recent experiences with people, and the world. The world is crawling with narcissistic, materialistic and money obsessed individuals. The views and debates surrounding greed are even more bothersome if it involves your friends, family or someone you loved once. They who once upon a time had good natured and humble personalities; now their physical beauty and attractive features are distorted by greed. Their obsession with luxuries is nauseating. I pity people who are defined by money, especially on a social level. For them it is about the type and number of vehicles parked in the garage. It is about pricey and famous fashion accessories in the wardrobe closet. It is about buying luxury items they have to own but don’t need. A big part of their life is draped and kept warm by materialism. I see people- making these types of social statements- as slaves of their own greed and love for money.

Greediness and materialism upset me with the thought that there are so many people starving. I yearn sometimes that people guilty of avaricious minds must answers for their actions.   It is then I hope God brings chastisement to the greedy and polluted world we live in. Then again, Amos 5:18; “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light.” At that thought I try to let go and rather focus on living MY life right. It is after all not my revenge, but God’s revenge. Am I passing judgement? Do I practice what I preach? Sometimes I do, sometimes not. Irrespective of people’s religious belief or moral ethical code, somewhere, somehow we all have to answer for our sins; one of them among others: GREED.

Saint Paul states that “money is the root of all evil”. If you think about and investigate sins and crimes carefully, ALL OF THEM originated from the disgusting obsession people have with money. The quote is perfectly illustrated in Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men. All the senseless violence and events that is set in motion in the movie originated from money. The antagonist Anton Chigurh even decides if his victim will live or die by the flip of a COIN! He insists that they call it; heads or tails. The observation seems trivial, but a coin is money. The example of a coin flip shows how money controls our lives. Think about it: how many decisions have been made by a coin flip?

Why is Money the root of all evil? Because consciously and unconsciously people desire money for the power and control it gives them over others.  They are not concerned with the consequences of their greedy actions, as long money comes in and they have power over others. In AMC’s award winning series Breaking Bad (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/?ref_=sr_1), main character Walt have a remission after he was diagnosed with cancer but he continued to cook and produce methamphetamine. He destroys lives (figuratively and literary) in the process and place his family’s life in danger. Walt justified his initial reason for cooking meth to relieve financial pressure brought on by medical expenses from his cancer treatment. After he had a remission he had no reason to cook meth anymore but he did it anyway. His choice to continue can simply be explained by greed and obsession with power.

Most people will agree that money leads too many evil deeds but disagree about money being the root of evil. If you think about the infamous American serial killer Ted Bundy that killed raped and killed numerous woman during the 1970’s, one might argue that his atrocious deeds has nothing to do with money. The explanation seems apparent; the guy was a psychopath. True enough, he was a psychopath but the core instigator of his abysmal psychotic mind is actually MONEY. Before Bundy was executed in 1989 for his crimes, he granted James Dobson an interview (http://www.pureintimacy.org/piArticles/A000000433.cfm) in which he revealed the roots of his terrible crimes: PORNOGRAPHY. If you do research about pornography, you will discover that pornography is actually the number 1 money making industry on the internet, a billion dollar enterprise. Fact: sex sells! The negative socio-psycho effects pornography has on people speaks volumes if you look at the case of Ted Bundy.

How else will be people survive if it were not for money?
I’m not saying money is not needed, what I do have a problem with is the misuse of it.
Maybe you are just jealous of wealthy people, insecure with your own inability to make money? As hard as it is to believe: no, I do not want to be rich. I am fine with NOT making and having tons of money; I like my life as it is. I do not want money to change me, to enslave me. People claiming that they will stay still stay humble if they become rich are ignorant. I know for a fact I will change. The protagonist Sheriff Bell in McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men notes “Well, I guess in all honesty I would have to say that I never knew nor did I ever hear of anybody that money didn’t change.”

In No Country for Old Man Sheriff Bell can’t make sense of the senseless violence and greediness in today’s world. I relate with him.  The observations of greed and the changes it brings to the world and people weights constantly and heavily on my heart and mind.  I am not waiting for God’s punishment or judgement; I just know that it is coming.