Love, Less, Local and Hello

It’s been a long time since I wrote anything on this blog. No one much read the blog before so maybe it doesn’t matter if no one reads it now. It’s just a way of getting some thoughts on virtual paper. So hello to anyone rambling round the virtual shires.

Love everyone – that’s a christian imperative and a bloody hard one at that. But if you can’t do that maybe spread a little bit of love where you can. A smile or random act of kindness; listening that bit longer to the boring neighbour or just being content with our friends, families or partners. Love doesn’t have to set the world on fire.

Just buy less, eat less, rush around less, do less, consume less. Well you get the idea something along the lines of less is more – except more very definitely is not less 🙂

And if you need to buy it, do it or eat it make sure it’s local. You know buy it from the person who made it, grew it, reared it and then will come back and fix it for you if it breaks. You can see them, ask them how’s it done, where it’s from and have the satisfaction of dealing with a human being all the time. Maybe even one who smiles back.

This is not a manifesto to save the world but it will make it a bit more pleasant and just maybe you will enjoy your life a little more and that my friends is what its all about.

Have fun.

Your Contribution

For reasons otherwise some positive but many negative I’ve been pondering about growing old recently. I was going to put “the ageing process” but realised thankfully that that was too remote and pontifical. There are many downsides its true and life can have a habit at throwing these at you just as you think its OK to stick your head up over the wall but there are a whole bundle of upsides too.

I’m reminded here of a kind of prayer my mum would urge on us at church. After communion at mass we were told you should say some devout prayer of thanks for the amazing gift you had received. But let’s face it as growing lads it was important to size up the talent as they paraded (sorry devoutly attended communion) before you. So ever mindful of the attractions of humanity Mum urged us to look at everyone attending communion and think of something good about them! Easy for some but a real challenge about others.

Then I connected that with the priest today – yes I did find something positive to think about him – and his somewhat heavy presentational style. Being a priest and telling people every week how to improve themselves and live a better life must after a time convince you that you do know better than them – well most – and perhaps the temptation is to let that guide you a little too much. So stepping back and letting others just do it becomes harder. And that’s maybe why they call the aphorism ” The Serenity Prayer” a prayer. Its a guide for life but calling it a prayer may just catch the eye of the religious out there!

It goes ” Lord give me the courage to change things, the strengthen to bear that which I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference.” And it’s that last one that comes, oft times with age. We don’t necessarily think of this as wisdom but being able to step back a little even when you know you’re absolutely right is tricky. Now where is this all leading? Bear with, bear with as Miranda’s wonderful sidekick would say. Being old, thinking good of folk, not lecturing ’em all the time and then working out when you can’t make a difference. Does that connect?

I think it does. I think that we learn maybe incidentally but the little line in Desiderata about the dull having their story too should give you clue. You see all of us have a unique contribution to make, a unique skill and if society etc were really really clever it would help us all develop that skill, that contribution. But it’s not and so as we potter on we have a little more time to stop and stare – and just maybe listen – then we find its true. Everyone has something to give. But the Pharisees among us don’t let them give it. We too busy doing stuff to notice they’re like to say a word.

Now that’s when being old counts. We have time and frankly we’ve heard all the stuff the Pharisees are saying before, yawn. So we look around and see you there with your mouth half open and yours eyes abright. We have the time to ask you what it was you were going to say and listen to the answer, however quietly you talk. That act of listening is actually enough. Next time they will talk up a little louder. The time after that they will interrupt and then we’ll all be much better off. Because we all have a unique contribution to make and the wisdom is listening.

And lets face it chaps – the old have all the time in the world to listen!

Long Time no see

We’ve just had an inspiring day visiting the studios of artists around Oswestry. One of them had as her website a blog here on wordpress which got me looking at other blogs. them i remembered I did one for many years mainly about my brand of politics but other stuff too. So I looked at the early postings and found this one.

Perfect Day

April 19, 2010

Ok I should be blogging about politics but as it’s made up of people I feel a little amble round the bushes may be OK.  Daughter’s birthday celebrations yesterday.  Four children with four partners; five grandchildren and one fabulous wife.  Bouncy Castle, sunshine, laughter, food & wine – how much better does life get?

So there you have it!  That’s why I am in politics.  That’s why I go to stupid committee meetings and listen to navel gazing and obstruse points of order and silly little squabbles.  It is simply so everyone can enjoy the same.  Doesn’t seem much to ask to me.  Everyone can have their family round them, enjoying good health, enjoying good weather, enjoying themselves (safe and sound) and enjoying enough to eat and drink.

Not a very long or impressive manifesto but one I wanted to share.

Lots of love and smiles

Phil

Its still my manifesto today although I’d probably manage it without typos and said slightly differently. But it was the reason I joined The Green party (or the Ecology Party as it was then ) back in September 1979 and its why I’ve stood in elections at European, Westminster and local council levels since.

But after Brexit, Trump, Johnson, Covid and war in Europe – again its important to realise we can all make a difference even if its small. And a correction its now six grandchildren and three partners.

He is Risen

The ICU bed was empty! All the tubes, drips and medical paraphernalia was neatly folded back but John, the old man who been brought in a few days ago, wasn’t there. Gill his newspaper deliverer had raised the alarm when he wasn’t at the window waving the little rainbow she made for him. She asked Sid, the Sainburys van driver who’d found him round the back and called the ambulance. To be honest Shelagh, his ICU nurse, had been expecting to make that call any day now to the relatives – the one they dreaded. Mind you there didn’t seem to be any calls from relatives except Sid and a Pastor Okunnawi from the Christ is Lord Church.

Shelagh was distraught. She must have dropped off to sleep, anyone would have thought Parvinder her Nursing Supervisor after three 12 hour shifts! Don’t worry Parvinder said lets look outside in the corridor. But all they saw there was Doris who’d been cleaning those corridors longer than either of them could remember. Doris with that great big smile that made everyone feel better! Why don’t you try by the coffee machine, that’s where they normally go, she’d prompted them.

And that’s where they found him sitting smiling by the machine. I’ve just seem the most lovely thing he said. That beautiful lady; Miss UK or something and she gave me the most lovely smile. They took him back and checked his pulse, his temperature but everything was normal. So later that day when he’d finished his deliveries Sid came back and took John home.

As they turned into his road everyone was there on their drives waving their rainbows and the Reverend Okunnawi was singing He is Risen, He is Risen.

Happy Easter

(Bhasha Mukherjee, Miss England is starting back in Boston Pilgrim Hospital as a doctor next week to help fight Covid 19, God Bless Her)

Life is a Journey not a Destination

On Good Friday in the year of Our Lord 2020 it seems appropriate to reflect on this old adage. For Christians Good Friday is the darkest of days when Christ was humiliated, crucified alongside two robbers by the roadside outside the City. All his teachings; the triumphant arrival in Jerusalem just days earlier on Palm Sunday seem to have come to nought. Pretty frightening for those few of his friends and followers who dared be there.

So it seems to us now in the grip of this pandemic; even the name is frightening – not even an epidemic more widespread and no easy way out. Indeed listening to the scientists and decision makers they don’t seem to know the way out either. What have we done to deserve this?

Yet in a couple of days time Christians all over the world will celebrate Easter Sunday, albeit differently this year. This is the day when it was discovered that Christ who had been dead for several days had in fact risen from the dead. He had conquered what seemed the ultimate disaster and gave hope to his friends. That dreadful day was not the destination. But neither was the glorious day of the rising. Both were just a journey; a journey of discovery and learning about constancy – and hope.

So in our dark days we must remember our journey to brighter times and even when its dreadful, friends and family dying, other people ignoring the advice to stay apart and everyday comforts further away than ever. There will be a “resurrection” for all of us in our different ways, our different faiths and our different journeys. Happiness is waiting for us.

#TooMuch … of Everything

Reflecting, listening and sitting quietly I’m amazed that a very large number of our problems as a community, nation, planet or just an individual person arise from having, doing too much.

The stuff we have clutters up our lives – it needs repairing, dusting and then putting back somewhere. We rush from one activity to another, working out at the gym, driving to the meeting and sitting with friends drinking endless supplies of coffee. Emails fly, forums fill and social media flutters its eyelids.

Is any of it actually necessary? Will we be truly less fulfilled without it? How happy does that one thing make us?

Each thing bought physically into our lives has been produced, made, designed, packaged, sold, handled and exchanged for money we have earned and been taxed on. Every bit of this thing represents a little bit of our planet’s ever decreasing supply of resources. Each moment of design is a moment of creative energy of some one and even maybe a number of someones who will draw, discuss, agree, disagree and draw again before it’s passed to others who use their time and energy to build it. All this human endeavour and precious time sits there on your shelf doing what?

When it’s been made it has to be sold but before that people have to be made aware that it is available to be sold; that they may know someone (like you) who wants eventually to buy it and possess it. So the marketing begins; the advertising begins and people get busy negotiating, ordering, filling out import forms and paying taxes all to get this thing onto your shelf. Is it worth it?

How long have you had it? When you bought it could that money have done better things? Are you proud to have it as part of your life? Is it even of any significance in your life?

Just pick something up at random from your shelf and read all that again. And if you’re happy keep it and be grateful for it as part of the enriching of your life. Otherwise give it to someone who will gain pleasure from it. This is the first step to #LessStuff.

I could repeat all that for our activities, work, social and personal but I think it’s clear now how to do that. Think about it and if it doesn’t enrich yours or some one else lives then simply say no. Then use that time to watch the birds fly – so much more beautiful than watching the emails fly!

So what’s the tweet today? #TooMuch or #LessStuff ?

A Small Refection of 2019

As Christmas approaches and the shops close and all falls quiet is it a time for reflection? I hope so. It’s been a tumultuous year with an awful lot of noise and if I’m honest not a lot of helpful advice. Everyone has seemed full of opinions about pretty much everything and all too ready to share them with us.

I’m not just talking about politicians or printed media. I’m talking about vox pop, us. We have been talking at each other pretty much since that day in June 2016 and not a lot of what we’ve had to say to each other has been very thoughtful or kind. So with the election behind us and government as usual (doing what they want regardless of what they promised the electorate in their manifestos) we can sort of pretend to get back to normal. We don’t need to shout at each other any more as some of us have “won” and some of us have “lost”. And if like me you believe all of us have actually lost – its still no good shouting because its going to happen anyway.

So perhaps in a rather abstruse way we can start our healing process together. Just lets not crow about this victory or that battle lost. Lets look at that small helpless child in an animals feeding trough somewhere in an obscure village in the Middle East 2,000 years ago. For now it doesn’t matter if you’re a christian or not. The story is worth listening to. It was the most powerful being ever imagined and they took human form to try to teach us something. It started badly and frankly didn’t get too thrilling as time went on. A carpenter helping Mum & Dad, chatting to friends and then he started talking to a few more people.

This is not a story of glory. For now all we need to do is think about the why of being a small insignificant child when you are the most powerful being – ever. And when we’ve thought about that maybe its time for us all to reflect about what we need to learn now as the year comes to an end. I don’t think it will be shouted from the rooftops (there might be the occasional Hosanna). I think it needs to percolate into our hearts slowly, quietly and with humility.

Because that’s what Christmas has to teach us; a humility that can save the world. Wouldn’t that be nice for 2020?

Let the healing begin.

#Yourvotematters #votegreen because that’s the vote that matters even more.

As we approach the opening of the polls tomorrow I think it could just be a vote for hope. I think enough people may not be fooled by the media frenzy of “us or them”. I think some people genuinely may care about the world we live on more than their own short term comforts.

But then maybe I think too much….

Will I be the only person voting for what they believe in tomorrow? I hope not.

Will I be the only person voting for a greener, kinder world? I hope not.

Will I be the only person disappointed by the election result? I think not.

But we still have time to change, NOW.

#LeadersDebate Could either do it by themselves?

And more to the point would you trust either of them to do it by themselves? Maybe the backdrop should have been a school playground but this is serious and with only a few days to go what can we do?

With our #firstpastthepost system not very much is the brutal answer. So now is the chance to use your vote not tactically – that requires a lot more information than many of us have – but vote for your sincerely held beliefs. Then you know whatever the outcome you have been true, not clever or politically astute but true. And when you count up your votes how much is that worth? I think a great deal.

One of the school boys will be PM next week but let’s show them how the rest of us get on. We get on with each other. We may not agree but we know the real world isn’t easy so we settle down and like it or not we get on. It’s what lots of communities do; lots of societies and religions and schools and hospitals and everywhere else.

They have to learn how to do it in the Westminster Bubble. Send lots of strong different parties there and we’ll see how they get on.

#NHS = National Health Scandal

Why, oh why are so many people writing to candidates in this election highlighting health concerns and asking for more resources for our NHS? Latest is #RightToRehab suggesting after hospital people need to recover in safe surroundings. This is just plain common sense which as was once observed is not very common to treat people in lower cost establishments than hospitals. Oh and there may be a moral side to that too. So I’m with @Sue_Ryder @theRCOT and @theCSP and the other 60,000 odd voters in my constituency of #edgbaston who treasure and want more funding for our NHS.

Hang on there are only about 60,000 odd voters so doesn’t this mean everybody and if everybody wants it why isn’t it being done? Oh maybe that’s why they’re writing….

And is it only the Green Party that can actually do this. better get them elected quick then.