EDITORIAL COMMENT
Diana Touched our Lives

August 31st 1997 will live in our memory forever. The death of a Princess touched our nation’s hearts with grief. Her life was not in vain; yet maybe it is only now after her blood has been shed and her body drained of its life that we have come to understand the true Diana who had her share of brokenness. Her fragility had been exposed to the world; hence she felt raped by certain journalists and newspaper editors. Yet she gave a dignified acceptance to the reality of her human condition and this enabled her to understand the plight of those who suffer. It is much easier to understand human suffering if you can interpret it in your own life. Tertullian once wrote “torture us, rack us, condemn us, crush us; your cruelty only proves our innocence”. Maybe these words will penetrate the minds of the cruel paparazzi who at times hounded her like birds of prey. The majority of us will escape from the flashing lights and journalist’s pen, but all of us can encounter the heartless remarks of others as we become misunderstood. Character assassination can be the most subtle and artful way of weakening a human spirit. I hope Diana’s death will be a reminder to us all of how we should treat each other. Thomas Pope Blount wrote “every flower of the field, every fibre of a plant, every particle of an insect, carries with it the impress of its Maker, and can-if duly considered-read us lectures of ethics or divinity.” To some extent we are like a flower, delicate exposed and breakable. But what is broken can be fixed corrected and rebuilt. She did not allow the ridiculing intrusion of her personal life by bloodthirsty photographers to prevent her from gluing the cracks and using the damaged vessel of her being for the service of others. This in it self, is a considerable and meaningful legacy for anyone to leave behind.

Edges Magazine aims to give dignity to people who can often be looked upon as offensive, nasty and repulsive. Some of our contributors in the past, have committed crime and spent time in prison. Others have experienced the nightmare of homelessness, drugs, discrimination and rejection. Equally, there are those who have had a relatively easy life, uncontaminated from some of the terrifying ordeals of living. Yet, what unites everyone in this magazine is the keen desire to keep a channel of communication open. Our humanity cries out for roads to be built that can lead to each others hearts. But there are many in this publication who have had to endure the misfortune and difficulty of road blocks which obstruct communication and leave the individual isolated, lonely and powerless. However, their hurdles and hindrances often do not weaken their determination to hope for a better future.

EDITOR Rev James Patrick McCartney

. Material Copyright © 1997 THOMAS (Those on the Margins of a Society)
THOMAS is an integral part of Catholic Welfare Societies, Registered Charity number 503102