My education tells me that contracts and agreements are bonds. Once signed and agreed to, they are binding. I thought the word “binding or bond” meant that we had an agreement that things would not change. However, the meaning of the word seems be different in today’s world.
My understanding of the definition could have been my parent’s effort to exert control. Whatever the source, binding meant connected, locked, and committed. There were no exceptions. There were no exit doors or conditions.
As time passed, I came to realize that the world was and is rarely black and white. There are exceptions. There are exit doors and options. Yesterday’s contract is today’s economic agreement. Individuals and corporations decide they no longer like the deal they negotiated with passion, sign with fanfare, and now want to exit or at least dramatically change. Sports players see their value go up and want to be rewarded. Whatever commitments were made in the past are just that, past. It is time to start the process again with new terms, covenants, and figures.
Without commentary on the insatiable greed of today’s athletes in general, the impact of bonds not enduring is an uncertainty that a bond in the traditional definition is every created. Nothing seems to last. Everything changes with time. One should not be locked in.
When a friend asked his prospective wife about the rules of divorce in her home country, her instant answer was clear; “divorce is not an option.” When questioned, it was quite clear that the bond was permanent and absolute; there were going to be no changes.
As I consider the bonds in my life, I have put Divinity on both sides. One size was absolute, reflecting the Psalmist’s description. “He remembers, remembers his Covenant – for a thousand generations he’s been as good as his word.” (Psalm 105.8) The other was conditional, driven by what I did or did not do. Experience reminds me that while we change, Divinity has not. Today is an opportunity to embrace this bond and act on this belief.
