Namibia and the Janus Complex

In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus) was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. Janus is usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions.

In Shakespeare's play "Othello", the double-crossing Iago utters the words "By Janus" when lying to Othello, a play on words considering his own two-faced nature.

I realise that above intro makes this actually sound like an episode of the "X-Files" or another film from a book by Robert Ludlum, but the following is not supposed to be either so involved or so esoteric: it is meant as a plain observation.

Nothing grates more than a person who will not see the truth; a person who does not want to see the truth; a person do does not want to hear the thruth and bear witness to it, despite all signs to the contrary, but blindly continues to poison everything around him.

In other words: A person who lives in constant denial or be that adnegation.

Having been close to the Fourth Estate and its members, it's obvious that I have run across some of these denialists over the years. They are a veritable pain in the posterior and one would love to take this type of horse, lead it to the waters of truth ..., and force it drink its fill.

If they are Namibian, one can still grin and bear it to some extent. If they, however, are not and originate from a country that has given new meaning to the words "overlord", "dictator" and "megalomaniac", the grinning and bearing become just too much to ... eh ... bear.

There is (at least) one of these unsavoury characters in this land of ours. The face he shows to the world is one of suavity, sincerity and professionalism. In other words: He seems to be the last word in urbanity.

No, I will not mention the name and I will not even intimate that the initials could represent what we know as "smarties", but other countries know under another name!

But, when this Janus shows his other face, it is a totally different matter. He defends the indefensible ferociously like a lioness her cubs and will broach no opposition.

Back-stabbing has not merely become a favourite past-time; it has become a way of life. Beware him or her who is deemed to have crossed him! The Golden Rule of: "Do onto others as you would have them do onto you" has no meaning to him. He also studiously ignores all references to that which causes the cycle of cause and effect: Karma.

But (again a "but"), like most of his kind there comes a time when he overdraws his bow and overplays his hand.

That is when the chickens come home to roost!

It is beyond my understanding how a person can expound the excellence of a system and of a place and then, when offered a chance to return, turn his back on the hitherto perceived Nirvana, and do a Judas on his former master.

But (the third and last one), then I am not he and I won't have to live with my conscience ................