RIFLE RANGE BOY

The congregation all nods in unison. They hail the young preacher's view of life. It appears all too easy; that we should be contented with what we have, that there is no limit to human desires, that the world has everything to meet all our needs but not our greed, that a happy man is one who makes the best of what is available around him. A man who finds joy in the simplest of things is a happy man! The congregation go all agape with his simplistic outlook on life even though none could complete a single day without the comfort of their air-conditioning and the nimble, agile limbs of their ever-obedient servants. If only the place were right, they would raise their hands in awe as if they were at a qawwali performance. It all sounded like Epicurean teaching to me, but the sceptic part of me went overdrive. Is it not human nature to always strive for something higher? Our ancestors, the caveman, must have yearned to explore the green strip of land across the wavy blue sea. He wo...

Like my father who carries on his whole life with blinkers, minding his own work and not wanting to know other people's problems, I seem to have fallen into the same trap (or is a blessing?). Feeling that I have enough on my plate, the last thing I want to be dragged into is other people's melancholy. However, every now and then, I do get sucked into this quicksand. The best I can do is walk around the quicksand and maintaining my foot rooted on solid ground. And believe you me, it is an art.  Two individuals had things going on fine in their business venture. After umpteen years of smooth sailing, their yacht hit a rough patch. Their term of the deal appears unsavoury to both parties.  The justification in supporting their side of the bargain is the typical textbook description of mirror image conflict. I am no skilled negotiator or arbitrator. So, the most I can do is lent them my ears and utter the occasional nods, Ummm, 'oh!', 'is it so?' and the occasio...