Soften Up
11 August 2021
Photos
Walking along a random busy road in downtown. Look to my left. See this amenity, provided by a local, on a whim. This is why I love this place. It occurs to me that perhaps, I’ve grown too tough. There are no men harder to inspire, than those who have seen the other side of revolution. All the idealism and promises are tuned out. That is a good thing. I don’t expect any mercy for myself, which is why I arrange my affairs so that I’d never need any. Everything is done to protect… to prevent pain… from bogeymen everywhere. It is natural and inevitable, given certain experiences. But then… one’s pain is the least impressive, and the least interesting thing, about oneself. To cling to pain, even righteous pain, because the fight itself has become one’s identity, is, well, silly. Look at this simple gesture. A free little water hole for man’s four footed friends. See it on its own – and on its own merit – and for its own sake. And appreciate a world in which – despite all the pain, and the injustice, and the suffering – humour and kindness occurs, even whimsically. Random and senseless acts of kindness. It’s mankind – flawed, difficult, ever changing, often ignorant and often terrible – but still – ever trying… It’s mankind giving the middle finger to all the darkness and pain its been forced to inherit. Remember to smell the flowers and loving life is inevitable. Woof woof.

Peter van der Walt is a fiction author, although you may find some non-fiction and the odd essay out there. Fans can find his newsletter, posts, updates and developments at petervanderwalt.com. Currently, he is hard at work on his next story. When not writing, he has far too many interests to reasonably keep up with. He lives with his partner in Devon, England.