Betrayal / Verraad



“I treat everyone as a friend, but if they betray me, that's it. They're out of my life in one way or another.” 
Michael Rosenbaum

What do you think of Rosenbaum’s view regarding betrayal? I can actually relate to him because if we pursue truth and happiness, how can we incorporate (no, tolerate) people into our lives who betray us? Sigmund Freud oversimplified this by saying that whoever has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince themselves that no mortal can keep a secret. If his/her lips are silent, he/she chatters with his/her fingertips; betrayal oozes out of them at every pore. Surely not all people should be labelled as such, but the core of the matter is that betrayal is there, and it is hurtful when you are betrayed by someone you trusted. Taylor Caldwell said that she like animals because they are not consciously cruel and don't betray each other. Irrespective of that, you cannot stop trusting people just because you have been betrayed once or twice or thrice or sixty times. Unfortunately, you have to place your trust in others and hope for the best. Some say that we should only trust ourselves, if we do that then we will never be betrayed. That is surely not the solution. Life is as cruel, just as kind as it can be, and in its course, you may be betrayed for the first time, or for many times, when that happens you will at least know who you are dealing with. I always say, acts reveal the true essence of people, so let that be the only lesson to be learned and then move on with your life, hopefully without that person in it.    

Betraying others are also self-betrayal,
Believe this if you will.
Try hard never to betray others,
For we are a world-community of sisters and brothers.

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“Ek behandel almal as vriende, maar as hulle my verraai, dan is dit die laaste strooi. Sulkes is uit my lewe, ongeag watter manier, hulle is uit!” 
Michael Rosenbaum

Wat dink jy van Rosenbaum se seining aangaande verraad? Ek het geen probleem met sy seining nie, so ek kan daarmee vereenselwig. As ons waarheid, vrede en geluk nastreef, waarom sal ons dan enigsinds iemand in ons lewens verdra wie ons bedrieg en verraai? Die psigoanalitikus, Sigmund Freud, het hierdie seining oorvereenvoudig deur te sê dat wie ookal oë het om te sien en ore het om te hoor, hulself kan oortuig dat geen sterflike wese ‘n geheim kan hou nie. Al is sy/haar lippe stil, klets hy/sy steeds met sy/haar vingerpunte; verraad syfer uit elkeen se sweetgaatjies. Sekerlik nie elkeen nie, julle behoort te weet hoe ek voel oor oorvereenvoudiging en oorveralgemening… Die kruks is egter dat verraad bestaan, en dat dit seer maak wanneer iemand jou verraai, veral iemand wie jy vertrou het. Taylor Caldwell meen dat sy van diere hou want hulle is nie bewustelik wreed nie, en hulle bedrieg en verraai mekaar nie. Goed en wel, maar ons kan nie ophou om mense te vertrou net omdat jy een, twee, drie, of sestig keer verraai was nie. Ongelukkig moet jy jou vertroue in andere plaas en vir die beste hoop. As jy nooit verraai wil word nie, is dit die beste om dan net jou vertroue in jouself te plaas, maar dit is maklike gesê as gedaan, en verseker nie die oplossing nie. Die lewe is net so wreed en hard en koud, as wat die liefdevol en sag en warm kan wees. Die kans dat jy verraai gaan word is baie goed, ten minste openbaar so ‘n persoon dan sy/haar karakter, en dan weet jy met wie jy te make het. Jy kan dan aangaan met jou lewe, met of sonder daardie verraaier in dit.

Wat jy saai sal jy maai.
Iemand sal weldra ook jou verraai…
Koester vriendskappe in die regte gesindheid,
en maak hierdie deel van jou lewensbeleid.

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