This is a topic no one ever dares to talk about in U.S society. Here I dissolve my ego and swallow my pride to bring you an African flavored narration about my life on food stamps and unemployment. Your critique, love, and comments are all welcome!
Also here is the link to the written version https://steemit.com/life/@humanearl/the-stuff-of-legend-food-stamps-and-unemployment
► Listen on DSound
► Listen from source (IPFS)
Jesus Christ Himself says:
'' I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.'' - Matthew 5 vs 39
'' an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'' - Mahatma Gandhi
The minute a Christian takes it into his hands to get revenge or get even, he has become the judge and is no longer walking by faith. Rather, he is saying to the world and also to the Lord, “I’ll handle this my own way.” The pathway of faith is to turn your enemy over to God. You and I are walking by faith when we say, “Lord, the enemy has hurt and wounded me, and I turn this over to you.” The Lord will handle it, and you can know that He’s going to handle it in a right manner. He’ll do the judging of the individual – you don’t do it. He’s going to make every wrong right. He’s got a lot of things to take care of that have happened in the past. He’s going to take care of them someday, so turn it over to Him. That’s the pathway of faith.
Let's learn to forgive and let go. Let's learn to use the evil done unto us as motivation for good. Let's be goodness ambassadors
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There is no better encouragement than from such a post. I mean this is someone that people have treated wrongly, but yet has chosen to respond with good.
This is exactly what God teaches in His word.
One of the most important things we need to learn is how to trust God and walk by faith when people don't treat us the way they should. Our natural response is to get angry when we're mistreated, and feeling angry is not wrong. But God's Word reminds us that we shouldn't return evil for evil or anger for anger.
Have you ever noticed that being angry never makes anything better? I know because I used to have a quick temper. In fact, I was angry more than I wasn't. Sometimes, I voiced my aggression, and sometimes it was just seething on the inside of me. The problem is, if we have unresolved anger, we either explode or we implode; we either blow up at somebody or we fall apart on the inside. And a lot of times we take it out on a person who has nothing to do with what we're angry about. It's just a miserable way to live.
But getting upset is not the way God wants us to fight our battles. Instead, when somebody hurts us, we can choose to trust God with our pain or injustice and overcome anger with good. Romans 12:17-21 (AMP) says, "Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good."
Thanks @humanearl for such a wonderful talk. It sure was inspiring and encouraging, knowing that we face such oppositions everyday, especially for our faith sake.
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In the past my anger used to get the best of me. Now when I am angry I try to direct it into something productive. This is much better than letting all the anger sit and boil within you. Thanks for offering your perspective.
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Wow. This is really encouraging. I have learnt that People will not always tell you what they truly think about you but their actions will always show you. Rude opinionated people are just that, rude opinionated people. You will not remember everything these people say, but you will always remember how their words made you feel. Judgemental people are rarely qualified to judge you because they have not walked in your shoes or lived your experiences. Their judgement is usually based on the judgements of other unqualified people. Unless you are also going around judging people yourself, brush off judgements of you for what they are - inconsequential.
Have a count up and realise how many people in your life do not know you at all - the people who only know what other people have told them and in most cases, those other people only know what they have been told. You'll be very surprised.
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This is so wonderful @humanearl.
1 Peter 3 vs 9
'' Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.''
Rome 12 vs 17 - 21
'' Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord.
On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.''
You know,treating people well that treat you well does not make you any special. It is when you treat people well who treated you wrongly that makes you a true follower of Christ.
Comon look at Jesus Christ Himself, He was dying for people who were killing Him. He was paying for the sins of those who were making him suffer. Even when they were nailing him to the cross, he prayed for God to forgive them.
That's what the Christian life is all about, and am glad to hear that.
I just pray with all of my heart that we would learn this, an then work towards imbibing it into our being, making humanity a better place.
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His purpose was greater than his pain.
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Exactly. The right thing to do.
Someone, somewhere, will always have a negative opinion of you. Everyone's somebody's weirdo, and all. But this doesn't need handling so much as understanding.
In trying to do anything substantive in life, you're going to have people who disagree with you, or even condemn you. But how many people really know you, and how many are operating off of limited interaction, limited exposure, single events, their own passion & prejudice, or simply something they've read somewhere?
The more people that take issue with you, the more likely it is that some or many of them are basing their opinions on observations from afar. Like you said, you were misunderstood. This applies to fans and adversaries alike - there's only so much someone can know about you without knowing you, and people have a propensity to project qualities and faults as befits their worldview. So i have a lot to take home from this. I am encouraged by you. God bless you for all your positivity @humanearl.
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Glad I can help!
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Hmmm. Really thought provoking. I am motivated. I really like 💗 that you fueled it up for good. There are two reasons i have learnt to turn such for good and Christians should act this way. One is that it reveals something of the way God is. God is merciful. “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). So when Christians live this way, we show something of what God is like.
The second reason is that the hearts of Christians are satisfied with God and are not driven by the craving for revenge or self-exaltation or money or earthly security. God has become our all-satisfying treasure and so we don’t treat our adversaries out of our own sense of need and insecurity, but out of our own fullness with the satisfying glory of God. Hebrews 10:34: “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property [that is, without retaliation], since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” What takes away the compulsion of revenge is our deep confidence that this world is not our home, and that God is our utterly sure and all-satisfying for loving our enemy we see the main thing: God is shown to be who he really is as a merciful God and as gloriously all-satisfying. The ultimate reason for being merciful is to glorify God—to make him look great in the eyes of man.
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Love it. Because God showed us mercy we should show others mercy as well.
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Wow @humanearl.
Proverbs 17:13
He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house
Psalm 38:20
And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good.
getting upset is not the way God wants us to fight our battles. Instead, when somebody hurts us, we can choose to trust God with our pain or injustice and overcome anger with good. Romans 12:17-21 says, I am glad you have the mindset of "Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone". Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good.
We can get angry and get back at the person who hurt us, or we can fight the way God fights, trusting Him to be our Vindicator while we bless our enemies and do good (Psalm 37:1-3). It’s certainly not easy to love our enemies and bless the people who have hurt us (Luke 6:27). In fact, this is probably one of the most difficult scriptures in the Word of God to follow.
But there is true freedom in doing the right thing. And we can choose to do what’s right no matter how we feel. I totally love that mindset.
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When you are "mysterious" or difficult to "read", people just choose the easier way out by passing a judgement over you and getting done with it. Why bother finding out your real personality, when there is an easier option of passing a one sentence comment about you? You need to realize that it is not actually their "opinion" when they say something bad about you. Most of the times, people don't even remember saying things that you have been sulking about for a long time.
Another thing is that you cannot please everyone!
Sometimes we over-think way too much. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't have enemies? People will keep condemning you or your work until you have enough substance to shove it in their faces. Then those fickle-minded bastards will start following you. It means that you have stood up for something in your life. Remember that they talk behind your back, because that's where they belong, behind you. Thank you because you are an inspiration. God enrich you with more wisdom and direction to really pursue more of your dreams.
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And I really pray for more wisdom because I really want to help people as much as I can. I feel it is my responsibility to continue spreading the light and inspiring people.
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Each of us can choose how we act, react, think, and even feel. You can choose to be angry at life or at God or even at yourself. But what good does that do?
Peace comes from knowing that the Savior knows who we are and knows that we have faith in Him, love Him, and keep His commandments, even and especially amid life’s devastating trials and tragedies
Choosing to be unhappy, even when it seems justified because of unfair things that happen, leads to darkness, bitterness, and disappointment. The good things we choose to believe, follow, and act on lead us to Christ and to the peace He offers (see Matthew 11:28; John 14:27).
How you deal with trials—both in the moment and later—can make a difference in the rest of your life and perhaps eternity
I am glad you want the world to have this mindset and for choosing the part of happiness. I get inspired everytime i see your posts. God bless you.
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Love your perspective and I wish you all the best. Thanks.
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Such stuffs you have posted here makes me give a lot of thought to how I should go about life. I can relate to this so well. You know, as a manager , I face difficult customers on a daily basis. I am slowly learning to overcome evil with good. Many times I give free food to those who claim they were wronged even though I know they weren’t. I tell them to have a nice day even when they insult me. I allow God to deal with them in the way he sees fit. Sometimes I will say a silent prayer for them after they leave.
In one situation, an angry gentleman called and was yelling at me. We had not given him a food item that he had ordered. I apologized and asked if I could send him some coupons. He was not interested in my offer by any means. He continued to yell while he was telling me how he had asked his daughter to make sure everything was in the bag, and she said it was. He also told me how she had already broken her cell phone that he had just purchased. As he continued to regurgitate upon me his problems, I realized that he was hurting deep inside his heart. Us leaving out a food item was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” So I asked him if I could pray with him. He was speechless for a moment; then he said, “Sure. It couldn’t hurt.” I prayed with him over the phone. By the time we finished praying, his attitude changed completely. He apologized to me for being so rude. I understood his pain, and I wanted him to know that I cared and that God cared. He then was willing to give me an address so I could send him some coupons. It is times like this when I enjoy my job.
I believe this is an example of what God, through his Word, can do through us, if only we are ready to repay evil with good.
Thanks so much @humanearl for this.
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Man that's an amazing story. I really enjoyed reading that. You will be blessed for showing love in spite of someone not doing the same to you in the moment. When we respond to people like that in love then they take notice and this impacts them in a great way. keep sharing the love bro and I hope your life continues to be a great example for those you deal with everyday as a manager/
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As a history student, i have some noble men's stories that i could relate to. I was just giving everything some thought and my mind went to someone who did good despite in an unpleasant situation. Martin Luther King was arrested 5 times, and wrote his second most influential speech whilst in prison in 1963 for protesting against the treatment of the black community in Birmingham, Alabama. Letter From Birmingham Jail, which was written on the margins of a newspaper and smuggled out of the prison, defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, arguing that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws.
Through his activism, he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors.
Tragically, in 1968 he was assassinated in his hotel at the age of just 39, but all his effort has not been forgotten till date. He used the prison sentence to fuel his desire for change and wrote his second most influential speech just like our brother Paul in the bible did. Paul also wrote while in chains and thats the christianity we see today, and foundation of the bible and how much we serve God today. So i agree that we should forget the evil done to us and do good. This is demanded and honourable.
But now we see how far the black race has come. We are changing the world. Black is golden
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When we look at our problems up too close, they seem big. So, zoom out a little.
You don't.
If you know that you're trying and doing your best to be a good person, and treat others with respect - all the others can think what they want about you.
The last thing that you want is to be loved by everyone - because in that case you will probably not TRUE with yourself, you'll be more as an hypocrite.
People are people, and most of the people usually see and think what they want, as lots of people are sure that the rich people are bad and etc. So i ask my self this, How much rational thought did this person put into their opinions about me?
I am glad you chose to be a good man, treat others with the same respect and honor that you would like that others will treat you. Steem on my brother. You are going places.
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i am at the point now where I have to be my TRUE self. I have spent too long before walking a path that was not my own. I now embrace any misunderstandings people may have about me and the way I choose to live. It just encourages me to keep pushing.
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Good one @humanearl
1 Thessalonians 5 vs 15
''See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.''
Provides 20 vs 22
''Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.''
Psalm 109 vs 5
''They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.''
It's takes a lot of grace to repay evil with good. We see David going through this same thing of evil advances, and he rewarded with good. When You have been unjustly accused by someone who has deliberately sought to slander you, to besmirch your character, or ruin your reputation, and you know just how this man felt. Furthermore, these people are wholly unjustified in this attack. David saw absolutely no reason for their accusations. They were afflicting him, upsetting him, and attacking him without him having given them any reason to do so.
I really took that point home. I choose not to hate. Just like the post on slavery you made, I choose not to hate the west for what they did to us, No, rather I choose to love them because the color of skin does not define a wicked or good person, it's character that does - Martin Luther King. That's where true forgiveness begins.
Just like Nelson Mandela said
'' people learn to hate. And if they learn to hate, they can also learn to love''
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Great comments here. Really glad you are using it as fuel for good.
I once had someone I respect a lot tell me that he had no respect for me and gave me his reasons. It was very hard to hear. But I listened patiently and, at the end, told him that while he lost respect for me, I still had respect for him. Of course, I wish I could tell you there was a happy ending and that we made up and am now best friends. We didn't. I wish we were friends but we are not.
There will always be people who dislike you for some reason. Maybe it was miscommunication. Maybe it is a values difference. Maybe it is a misunderstanding. But most likely you will never know the true reason. Let it go. Move on. Forgive the person for not liking you. Focus on other friends.
So in essence if you return it with good,
Proverbs 25:22
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
Matthew 5:12
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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What you did in that situation takes alot of strength and courage. Thanks for sharing your side of the story.
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You know, the story in the audio was one that reminded me of Dirk willems is read some time ago. He had a heart as loving as the speaker in the audio. A heart that forgives even those who persecute you. I love this story so much, so I'll just give a short summary of it, and hope it blesses a life.
Dirk Willems ran for his life! The year was 1569. The place was Asperen, Holland. Dirk had been accosted by a guard who meant to arrest him. As Dirk sped across the frosty ground trying to make his escape, he came to a body of water covered by thin ice. He darted onto the dangerous ice, endeavoring to evade capture. But suddenly he became aware that the guard, too, had followed him onto the ice but with terrible consequence; the thin ice had broken leaving the guard flailing futilely in the icy water!
Dirk quickly turned around and aided the drowning man, dragging him safely to the shore. The grateful guard intended to allow Dirk to go free, but a stern magistrate would hear nothing of it. He reminded the drenched man he was under oath to deliver criminals to justice. Dirk was bound and sent off to prison, interrogated, and tortured in an unsuccessful effort to make him renounce his faith.
It's such a lovely story. Some might think it did not end well, but that's just the same way people thought the story of Christ dieing did not end well, but 2000 years later and lives are still being blessed because of that death.
You might not get an immediate reward for loving those that hate you, but just know God is pleased with you, and like Jesus, you are sowing a seed that would yield a harvest in the future.
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That is a really great story and it really makes me think. There's so much good that we do that doesn't get rewarded but yes we will be rewarded for the good that we do as believers.
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Matt 5:43-45
'' Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shall love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”
I believe what God is saying in those verses is that there's a right and wrong way to respond to injustice. We can get angry and get back at the person who hurt us or we can fight the way God fights, trusting Him to be our Vindicator while we bless our enemies and do good. It's certainly not easy to love our enemies and bless the people who have hurt us. In fact, this is probably one of the most difficult scriptures in the Word of God to follow. But there is true freedom in doing the right thing. And we can choose to do what's right no matter how we feel. We have to stop being afraid of hard things and press in and trust God because the truth is He will give us the strength and grace to do anything we need to do.
It's so much harder to live with anger than it is to live with God's peace, love and joy. And we have to take responsibility for our behavior. One of the best things we can do is learn how to pray for the people we're mad at. The first thing to do when somebody mistreats you is pray, "God, this hurts and I'm angry about it, but I know my anger won't solve the problem or change the person. So I trust You. I'm going to stay sweet and keep being nice. I'm going to keep doing good because that's what You put me here for. And as I trust You and go about blessing others, I'm going to watch You vindicate me and do what needs to be done in this situation."
Thank you @humanearl for this post, it has given me the opportunity to share with you and with all those who access this post, what I feel God's word say - to reward evil with good.
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Such a wonderful audio. The guy sounded so African. I was really proud of him. Look at such a beautiful heart, even when he was wronged, he chose to use it as a fuel for good. That's phenomenal.
It is much easier to hate your enemy than love him! Loving your enemy is the epitome of character strength and excellence. A man cannot attain this level of love merely by sheer determination and discipline. This kind of love may only be attained to by those who have experienced the cleansing power of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. When a person has been cleansed from sin and allows the power of the Holy Spirit of God to control his life, then and only then will he be able to truly love his bitterest enemy!
It is the business of God to settle the score of the injustices of the world. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21).
Oo, let's learn to give of an aroma of love, even to those who hate us.
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Thanks bro. The guy you hear is me. I thought I'd have fun with the audio. I did my best African accent.
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support n wish for your win have nice day lol.
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keep up the good work friend @humanearl ,, i hope, you are win in your work.best of luck...
upvoted and resteem
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My dear friend @humaneral very nice dsound music clip.You doing greet work.Keep it up....
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@humanearl - Sir did you make this sound clip.... Like you said 'an African flavored narration about my life on food stamps and unemployment.'
Nice sound clip & very informative thing for the people like us.... Because, no one ever dares to talk about US unemployment.... But you did Sir.... Respect what you did here....
+W+ [UpVoted & ReSteemed]
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This post has received a 100% upvote worth $0.18 from @minnowspower thanks to: @theguruasia
MinnowsPower is not a bot, I am a Crowdfunding Hybrid
One small UpVote of Yours build MinnowsPower and MinnowsPower will Not Forget Your Support...!!!
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really nice post....
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This is fantastic d tube music.Such a great work
Thank you
Upvote
Resteem
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I will hear this brother. I wanna know more about you and what you are fighting for. Supporting you brother.
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You took the step forward with this one you speak from the heart and that's what makes the difference :)
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hey bro @humanearl,,,
wonderful dsound music post. i will pray for your work.
w
e
l
l
d
o
n
e
works..... best of luck
upvoted and resteem
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great man
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interesting thanks
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wonderful post @humanearl.......
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Thanks for sharing the link need to listen to it
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Such a wonderful dsound music clip by @humanearl
Wel done and perfect work my dear friend...
I think our job is not important...we can earn money...used any good feild...it is ok...
Cheers~~
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@humanearl,
Bro when I arrive home I will hear it! Still at the work place with loads of works :/
Cheers~
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