Gone and Hopefully Permanently Forgotten

By Stanley Collymore Never speak ill of the dead we’re constantly and solemnly exhorted regardless of who they are or the life that they freely chose to live, as they’re no longer around, is the lame and unconvincing excuse that’s often and dishonestly given in explanation, to rebut or defend their name, any accusations or adverse criticisms, however concrete or valid they might be, being made against them; and in those circumstances therefore to then embark on such a plan would in itself be quite unbecoming while serving as nothing more than a cheap and cowardly way of attempting to exact one’s own revenge. But hang on a moment, how truly valid is this simplistic and supposedly moral exhortation; and why should the intervention of death, distinct from any other known phenomenon, be the sole exculpation for someone’s life-long sins and premeditated wrongdoings that disparagingly have callously, schemingly, perniciously, quite methodically and comprehensively destroyed the lives of so many who were exclusively picked on and especially targeted for reasons of dogmatic political ideology, or those specifically and illogically associated with their race or ethnicity. I was never a miner viewed as the country’s low-life and thusmalevolently castigated as the enemy within, but I am and have longstandingly been a proud trade unionist whose movement just as viciously by this self-centred, venal and privileged elite was likewise tarred with the same condemnatory brush and scandalously branded the same. Similarly, I was an anti-apartheid activist firmly committed, as I always will be, to the noble concept globally of the universality of human rights, equality for all human beings and the ultimate eradication of racism, tirelessly working also in tandem for freedom of expression by everyone, genuine democracy and the lawful and moral right to withhold one’s labour, and particularly so in manufactured industrial disputes specifically designed to disrupt the cohesion, deliberately break-up and ruthlessly destroy the bargaining rights of all trade unions. So why would I, or anyone else for that matter with a social conscience, want to actually eulogize and not rightly despise someone who, while together with their husband was profiting massively financially from South Africa’s apartheid system, none the less perversely saw fit to label Nelson Mandela a terrorist and roundly vilify the ANC as a terrorist organization, while astonishingly and without a modicum of regret laud the architects of apartheid and the ardent supporters of institutionalized racism as the veritable champions of what they deem as democracy? Unless, of course, such individuals have short or convenient memories and are themselves a complete abomination of what society, which we were told by this woman doesn’t exist, or come to that humanity should actually represent! So I’ve no apologies to make or will I relent from the stance I’ve taken because Death, inevitable to us all, has finally, and some would justifiably say, long-sufferingly and somewhat kindly stepped in and brought the life of yet another tyrant to its end. So feel free those of you who want to eulogize or even dress yourself up in sackcloth and ashes if you wish amidst your contrived beating of chests and sorrowful refrains; but in doing so, I’d like for you in your unrestrained orgy of engineered anguish and false grief to jointly entreat you to abstain from ever doing any of this in my name. © Stanley V. Collymore 12 April 2013. In the midst of life there is death the great leveller of us all. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. So what doth it profit a man or woman if in their life time they gain all the riches of the world yet lose their soul for eternity? The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord.