Dear Hermann
I am writing this letter to thank you for staging your “intervention” with regard to my addiction, and to tell you that your intervention was successful. I am now cured, totally and completely free of my addiction, and for this I thank you.
You see, Hermann, you had obviously deduced that I had become addicted to the News24 forum. You must have then decided that this addiction was very bad for me, and thus, as a good “Christian”, decided to stage your “one man intervention”. And it worked! (I am making these assumptions on the basis of your own “intervention-type” behaviour.)
Following my sarcasm at your insistence of “life stances” as opposed to “religious intolerances”, I noticed that your “jokes” and little snide remarks were being directed at any comment made by me. Despite my many attempts to understand your particular viewpoint, I failed. And then I gave up even trying to understand you.
Your timing of the final stage of your intervention came on Monday…. You truly could not have timed it better.
You see, on Monday, I had been awakened at about 2:30 am by a phone call from my mother. She asked me to come to their house, as my 81 year old father was in incredible pain, and clearly need medical attention. Could I please come? I woke my sleeping son, bundled him into my car and raced to my parent’s house.
My father was in agony. I called an ambulance, and once my father had been loaded into it, I followed to the local hospital. The process of admitting my father to hospital took some hours, as he was first examined by the Casualty doctor, who then transferred him to a specialist physician for admittance to a ward.
When I finally got back home, my addiction to News24 made me switch on my computer the minute I walked in the door. I sat reading the news, trying to get my mind off my father, whom I had seen writhing in agony. I was filling the hours until the next visiting time – 7:00 that night. I went onto my favourite forum, read some articles and made a comment to one of the articles, finishing it off with my usual salutation of “peace and blessings”. At this point, I have to admit that my mind was not fully on the article in question. I was somewhat preoccupied with thoughts of my father, whom I love dearly, who was so clearly extremely ill.
When I returned to the article to which I had added my comment – I found your comment directly underneath mine, as usual…. And what was your comment, Hermann? What was this gem of wisdom you decided to share with the world? It was this: “……..Mmmmmm. Peace and blessings”. Your usual little insinuation, your usual little snide remark, which I am sure you find terrifically witty and funny.
I didn’t have much time to cogitate on your comment, Hermann, as I then received a call asking me to rush back to the hospital. You see, Hermann, it turned out that my father was dying. They could not fix the problem. All they could do was try to keep him comfortable and let nature take its course. While I waited for the nursing staff to move my father to Intensive Care, I again filled my time on News 24. And on that same article Hermann, I found that you had been joined by another “interventionist” – Balstrome. Balstrome had this pearl to offer: “Peace and blessing? Aka I hope you have a non threatening existence and I am also casting a magic spell on you to insure that this happens”. Another of your frightfully witty comments followed, and your “intervention” was complete.
For the record:
A definition of Peace reads – a state of quiet or tranquillity, freedom from disturbance or agitation, calm. Repose.
A definition of a blessing reads – a beneficial thing for which one is grateful.
I can see how my usual salutation can offend. After all, who would like to have a tranquil life, filled with beneficial things?
But I digress. Why, you might ask, would I have such a reaction to your nasty, snide and irrational comments, which, as I have stated on many occasions, you are more than entitled to post? Well, Hermann, the reason is simple:
“Peace and blessings” is my father’s favourite salutation.
They are also the last words I heard him speak. He died at 9:15 this morning.
How can I use my father’s heartfelt, sincere salutation where such beautiful words can be twisted by trolls such as you, Hermann? You, Hermann, who pretends to be a Christian. You, Hermann, who appears to delight in being as nasty as possible on every possible occasion. And once you have made your nasty or nonsensical little remark, you try to write it off as a “joke” by adding “LOL” to everything. If you are a Christian, Hermann, then I have no wish to be viewed as one. I refuse to be lumped in a group with the likes of you.
So, to the many decent Christians one this forum, I thank you for sharing your thoughts and beliefs with me.
To the many atheists, from whom I have learned so much, I thank you for sharing your reasoning, your research, and your wonderful humour with me.
To the Trolls – and there are many, but few as poisonous as Hermann – I wish you well. You all have every right to express whatever views you choose to express, regardless of how many people get hurt in the process, regardless how many interesting debates get hijacked, regardless of how many people, who might just have something of interest to offer, choose to not expose their words to the likes of you. Yes, indeed, you have every right.
And finally to Hermann – again, my thanks for your intervention. I am now cured.
To Balstrome, I wish you a tranquil life filled with many beneficial things.
To Hermann, I wish you all that you have wished on others.
And to everyone else, Peace and Blessings.
R.I.P, Dad.
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