"Thought for today:
"My thought for today is sadly true, but ironic at its heart. There is a wicked side to the inner thoughts of mankind which all sense of propriety and the ever-vigilant presence of profound sensitivity and goodness will ensure remains forever unvoiced in polite society.
For most, a constant restraint exercised between what they think and say will ensure that they are never called 'sexist' or 'racist' or could ever be viewed as a person who might discriminate against another.
In this regard, their words spoken to and about the disabled person, the old, the rich, the poor,the obese, the gay, the foreigner or indeed any section of society will remain outwardly sensitive and seemingly respectful.
However, never voicing such negative thoughts one thinks doesn't make one any less 'descriminatory' in attitude or practice. Indeed I would argue that the mere holding of the thought will ensure that one's spoken word is untruthful and that one's action is no more than mere conformity to the social conventions and expectations of the time. It is in short, (however admirable or otherwise), representative of a repression of true self.
Were such a person ever to find themselves badly treated by any one of these stereo-typed groups mentioned, they would be at greater likelihood of voicing their inner discrimination in automatic protest when they 'let loose' their angry tongue upon the offender.
Let me present you with a few uncomfortable yet indisputable facts of life that we all know exist, but generally never speak about for fear of offending or being branded a bigot by society at large. Such suppression of one's true feelings and action does not diminish the presence of its existence in our lives one little bit.
Until recently, most Brits held the view that Britain allowed too many immigrants to settle on its shores in too easy and unqualified a manner, but dare not voice their thoughts for fear of being branded a 'racist.' That was until a few brave politicians seemed to give them permission to speak out. It was as though the British nation had been graciously granted the approval of its politicians to voice this year, that which would have been considered racist to speak of last year.
Also, do not think for one moment that of all 'widows' who were ever made so through the deaths of their husbands in war, industrial accident, sickness or old age, inwardly grieved their partner's passing, despite their outer tears and overt expressions of loss.
While I genuinely feel for the many thousands of families who grieved the loss of a loved one in the twin towers tragedy of September 11th, 2001 or any other great national disaster, I know that each tragic loss will have been met by a dissimilar degree of grief by all the widows involved. The hard fact is that in the midst of such death and destruction and carnage of the human mind, irony still lives on.
Hand on heart now as you consider this unpalatable truth which becomes harder to digest the more one thinks on it. Do you find it truly inconceivable that from among the thousands of deaths recorded and from all of the husbands who didn't return home from work on the day of the plane attack of 9/11, that upon receiving a cheque for $2 million compensation one year later, that at least one widow in the USA being paid out wasn't a little merry?" William Forde: July 23rd, 2014.