By Ian Mc Donald

Pilgrims on the golden road

Nearly every one of us is quite content with whatever ordinary small successes we are able to achieve in life without too much sweat, risk, or expenditure of time and effort. Perfection isn’t achieved like that. Not even geniuses can perfect their gift without the most terrible sacrifices and agony of mind and soul and body. The end-product of genius looks as simple as a bird in flight but what has led up to it are countless dedicated hours of painful straining towards perfection

It is good to be touched by perfection even if one is the victim of it. I can well understand the story about Malcolm Nash, the man whom Gary Sobers hit for a world record six sixes in a single over. Sobers tells how as they walked off the field after play Nash didn’t seem at all upset, in fact the very opposite. When Sobers expressed surprise at this, Malcolm Nash replied with a smile: “But, Gary, now I’ll go down in the history books too!” Nash knew what he was talking about. Genius rubs off and leaves a glow on anyone who happens to be around to be its handmaiden or even just its witness……