Even rocks deteriorate, but words? - NEVER!

I wish I had something with more substance to write about today.

Nothing on racism - which is ongoing and very real in New Zealand.

Or how most people I come across are abusing the welfare system. Claiming to be solo parents, earning benefits and living in well subsidized Housing NZ properties and owning more expensive furniture than I have, whilst their partners are working and bringing in extra dosh.

Meantime the rest of us are working and getting taxed (far too much) to pay for their lifestyles and yet when life happens to us we will never be entitled to any government grants because of our so called "gross income".

This is why I don't like Labour policies which will further enable these criminals to continue abusing the welfare system, which should only be used to support the very vulnerable in society.

No I'm not writing about anything that strong today. Unfortunately for me. Because I would much rather write about something that would somewhat have an effect towards the development of my life, environment, and that of others around me!

I hardly get the time to update the blog, what with my laptop - once again having problems and well its not very comfortable trying to write on your old (very old) S6.

As usual a lot has happened.
Many have come and gone.
In the past five months.
People often either come as the form of a blessing,learning or just a brief visit albeit "good riddance".

Challenges for the mind, heart, soul and stamina of character however - have been aplenty.

An old Samoan saying that my grandmother use to love reciting to me when she was alive - projected itself in my thinking this morning.

"E pala le ma'a ae le pala le Tala".

'Even a rock deteriorates,but stories - NEVER'

I think it's a very accurate analogy when we look at how our culture and history and lineages have managed to survive from the last 100 years to today.

It was carefully cultivated through stories, passed on from generation to generation.

Time and all elements of nature have not succeeded in destroying our stories and identity - if it had tried.

As people, we are akin to listen to stories. We love to hear about people and how they lived their lives then and what that means for us now.

And as we have seen and come to learn through much academic debates portrayed through social and mainstream media - much of our culture has evolved, changed in some ways, manipulated and fabricated even - to suit the changes in times and technology and new age perspectives!

But such is the nature of storytelling. It somewhat reminds me of that game we use in trainings at work to keep people awake - "Chinese Whisperers"!

The game works out that you whisper a long exaggerated (often doesn't make sense) sentence into the ear of the person next to you (so quietly that they can barely hear you) and they will turn around and pass it on to the next person.

In the end the last person will say it out loud and then it will bE compared to the original sentence said by the initial whisperer and often - everyone finds absolute amusement and AMAZEMENT at how much the story or sentence had changed from since it left the lips of the initial whisperer.

Participants find themselves laughing at how much the story and its context had changed since it left the first person's ears.

Such is what we discovered about our culture through the art of story telling being used as a medium of cultivation.

So much of our culture is no longer what it was originally. The stories have been manipulated in so many ways to suit the story tellers, intentions and perspectives that what we have today is not entirely 100% authentic but we've made do anyway and we've had no choice but to believe and go along with it except for the few academics who actually prefer to question motives and reasons and rationale who actually do sone research and say - well actually that's not entirely true; the correct process or procedure or lineage etc...and then they gather their facts and evidence to support their theories to become facts.

When Sione - my partner, (Tongan) told me that people - Samoan people - as in my own people - have said "things" about me to him!

Straight away I knew it wasn't good things.

Or he wouldn't have left it for months before he could bring up the subject.

And although he says he doesn't listen to what people say and will only make his judgement based on what I say and the quality of our relationship - I feel that he is being 100% true about that - HOWEVER - as with the concept of keeping a jury away from knowing anything about an accused in order to not contaminate their knowledge and perception of the accused and how they see the accused through their eyes....I cannot help but feel that his lenses have been somewhat fogged by what these people have felt so important to divulge to him.

People that I don't believe I know or have anything to do with or even so much as circulate in their circles. But they clearly think they know me through Chinese or shall I say Coconut Whispers!

I'm not new to malicious defamatory things being said or claimed about me.
It comes with the territory when you open yourself in a position that allows the public to criticize you through your work, writings, and just being vocal and opinionated about social and political issues.

As a journalist I've perfected the art of - acquiring thick skin, taking constructive criticism for learning and rubbish the rest.

But where matters of my personal life is affected;it's never simple as black and white.

I have one word of advise for you!

If you even read blogs.

If you want to talk about me.
I'm happy to make time to talk with you.

Stones deteriorate but stories and words - Never.

Doesn't matter how hard you've worked in life. What you've achieved. How much you've changed as a person, mother, woman, professional.

People will only see what they want to see.

Which is why I hold close a favourite quote from President Nelson Mandela:

"Difficulties break some men and make others. But no axe is sharp enough to break the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying. Armed with the hope that he will rise again and again, even in the end!"