A Haiku - Contention
Contention
Some do contend so.
As rugby players scrum so
Why I do not know.
Contention angers.
Blood pressures rise and hearts race,
Signs of early death.
Worse still after all,
Most contentions soon fizzle.
Though grudge may follow.
I contend less now.
Time's too short to waste that way.
Even fierce games end.
Contention serves what purpose?
What destroys peace and calm, goodwill, and even love?
Contention with an angry voice or harsh words can.
And sometimes the perceived offense which brought on the contention is allowed to linger and boil with no apologies given, no calm restored, no resumption of what was neutral or good before.
My mother's still favorite saying is: "If you love life, then waste not time, for time's the stuff life's made of." Allowing contention to bring on deep breaths, an adrenaline surge, and a "fight or flight response" is only a few steps short of suicide. It is letting anger rise and rule, usually for no good purpose, and with a less than satisfying outcome. In short, it's a gross waste of time.
Gentlemen and ladies avoid contention as being ill-mannered and self-defeating.
Of course, the world is not made up solely of gentlemen and ladies. But we can wish it might be.
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© 2014 Demas W. Jasper All rights reserved.
Note: This is one of several Haiku you can enjoy here on HubPages. Some will bring a chuckle, others may make you think. It is the author's hope that this one did.