Indicators Of/And Human Frailty

How quickly life can transform. The road one imagines oneself to be driving along changes. In the twinkling of an eye, it seems at the time. The scenery becomes unfamiliar. Or, resembles a landscape one hoped was now a chapter in the past. And perhaps the latter is more disconcerting

As time proceeds, there comes a realisation that there had been signposts along the way. Dark indicators. Indicators one had simply chosen to gloss over because they were infrequent. Also, because they suggested things one preferred not to confront. Thereafter, despite the best attempts to ignore such indicators, a low-grade spectre of disquiet loomed, with varying degrees of perceptibility.

The necessary acknowledgement that one had ignored the indicators is uncomfortable. Cognitive dissonance pushes one towards self-justification. Other-blame follows closely behind. And there is valid rationale for both.

Eventually there arrives a time for clemency. Towards oneself, at least. Whether one is ever able to exercise generosity towards the Other is uncertain. But I wonder whether such generosity is even possible without first the recognition of one's own human frailty.