How Can You Tell Me You're Lonely? (And For You The Sun Don't Shine)

Dear Reader,

How can you tell me your're lonely,

and for you the Sun don't shine...?

These lyrics in Ralph McTell's Streets of London still haunt me today as I recall how this song caught me in a wave of self-renaissance back in the 1975-76 period.

At a time when the UK economy was much as it is now, a personal disaster caused me to be conscience-driven back then, and this hitherto well-paid 32-year-old individual went to London to look at the social issues for himself after some experience in Birmingham. A very memorable experience regarding a homeless teenage girl occurred very soon after my arrival and that event greatly helped to push me into action.

I was soon involved with the YMCA and employment in the work against homelessness among youngsters in Brixton. In my time with the YMCA and other organisations I saw enough homelessness and also saw enough psychiatric patients in central and south London to know that our society was going in the wrong direction. I also learnt that one person could do very little about it without some standing in society, but that whatever one can do, one can do. 

Moreover, I became aware of just how society at large was changing in attitude toward self-self, but I did meet some really great people who put others before themselves. 

One mentoring experience with a deeply disturbed man affected me greatly. As a result of my small service as a volunteer in a psychiatric hospital, I was asked if I was willing to try to mentor a deeply disturbed man who was withdrawn from life. I did so, but the effort of trying to draw life out of the man virtually exhausted me. Afterwards, they told me that it had been years since the man had talked to someone, yet I was so affected I could not continue with the experiment. As a result, I felt that I had failed him in that I lacked the ability to help him further.

I thus was made more aware of my shortcomings and that was part of the reason for me to seek out spiritual teachings and a greater understanding that might provide a basis for better strength of character and be better qualified to help. Looking back, I can see that those teachings have made the world of difference to my perceptions.

Now - in 2022, aged 78 - I have been back in Birmingham for 14 years and in that time have seen and talked to increasing numbers of homeless and destitute people at our local Tesco branch to know that society has not been fixed. If anything the situation is a lot worse, especially when one takes into account the number of food banks that are now regarded as a necessity, but which gradually seem to be closing because of a lack of financial support to keep them running.

Now to the gulf that is now developing between the right and left political parties, but also about the core of the matter.

Food banks grew under the tenure of the governing Tory party over the last 12 years, while government assistance to the genuinely needy was slashed. On top of that, the Tory party blamed their predecessors for the financial state of affairs when they entered government (but those conditions were mostly a result of the 2008 Crash, which was an external matter), yet 14 years later it's the same governing party that is mismanaging the UK economy in favour of the super-rich.

Elitism is an unspoken attribute amongst many members of that party, though there are well-intended philanthropists amongst them.

We then had last week's 'mini' budget, which might seem 'mini' to them, but it so underlined the disparity between the very rich and 'the rest'. Why are nurses and teachers - and supermarket workers - valued so lowly? I know some of these workers, who act as a lifeline to the poor and the elderly, not least because they are people to chat to when the customer has no one else. All are part of the glue that holds society together.

However, there are the poor.

The two categories of very rich and very poor live in utterly different worlds. Over the last 50 years we, as a society and as the government, mostly seem to be saying, "c'est la vie - that's life", and just carry on along our remorseless way in the attempt to yield economic growth, perhaps giving 'handouts' and some tinkering along the way just to keep the poorest and deprived going but never enough to help them fully. Unless a youngster just happens to come across the Prince's Trust or a similarly orientated organisation, one that is not government-run.

Some say that a lot of those in such poverty have brought it on themselves, but in many cases, they realise that and want to get out of their plight. Many of those in such circumstances got there through little fault of their own. Help is needed, but as a society do we look properly at what can be done and then apply resources to finding a solution? I fear not, particularly under the current regime.

We seem to have mostly lost the Christian vision that was so prevalent in Birmingham in the second half of the 19th century when the remarkable George Dawson preached the Civic Gospel, and Joseph Chamberlain obeyed in great style. Birmingham led the way back then and the rest of the nation followed its practices. What had to be done was done for the betterment of the people and as much as possible to ensure a healthy and motivated workforce.

Back then didn't the Liberal leader William Gladstone seek out people at the bottom of society, including prostitutes, and endeavoured to personally help them?

Today it seems that the major political parties are common in seeing the need of the country in terms of their version of how conventional economic growth is to be handled, though some political elements are more disposed toward giving better support to essential social services, and towards equality.

But isn't the future of individuals and of of the country best served by also looking hard at the kind of education with which we equip our children, the very future of the country? Is education just about learning how to make a living?

Who enters the teaching profession equipped with the true knowledge and ability to demonstrate how a spiritual basis can more positively affect a child's future? The basic problem is that the national curriculum doesn't allow for it.

The real teachings of Jesus are entirely compatible with Eastern thought, but who at any state school learns about the true philosophy of the East, particularly the Sanatana Dharma of India, or Buddhism? Of course, the Establishment would be horrified at such an approach - but, in my view, this is exactly the time for the success of disestablismentarianism - with a spiritual focus.

Spirituality - not external religion - and practical politics do have a very major role to play.

But Western Capitalist methods have failed, just as various applications of Communism have failed. Neither have properly serviced the destiny of man but there is clearly an element in the super-rich class that is endeavouring to keep Capitalism very much alive - for their own benefit. 

Most people these days seem to bury themselves in mobile phones and choose not to properly examine themselves and ask, "Shouldn't I make at least a little attempt at self-study to improve myself spiritually, to be a better person?". Only the saints of various religions seem to have truly understood how to live, but though most cannot follow that standard the rest at least have an opportunity to do their best. 

A major Truth is that we all - each of us - is really joined in Spirit. In this way, we are all brothers and sisters and with that realisation, our mission should be to help free one another from the spiritual prison in which we have been educated to believe at home or at school or by our peers or by the media.

It would be helpful if our educational system were to put forward a holistic knowledge about our real selves and of the sciences, as this area of knowledge is now much more inclined to the acceptance that an intelligent force of some kind governs the universe. Is this perspective properly taught prior to entry to university? I fear not, yet it's this Truth that is the very basis of our lives and yet we are easily persuaded to steer clear from this Truth at an early age.

Once one enters the spiritual arena, however, we discover that all of us are, individually, truly responsible for ourselves and answerable to One and One only. Once this is understood then there will come a realisation that we should not always rely on 'them' to answer our problems. 

There are also many situations where we can practically help ourselves, one situation being on the topic of health: it is surely common sense to eat healthy food and consume non-poisoning drinks. That way we substantially reduce the nation's dependency on the NHS as well as much improving the vitality and potential of our lives. The fact is that demands on the NHS are what they are because many do not know how to properly sustain themselves - and/or have to live with poor alternatives because of the cost of living.

Our species has survived and evolved due to self-sufficiency. The ancestors of many in the world lived in ways much better for the environment and wildlife: naturally and ecologically, consuming less, reducing waste, and providing their own food from the land.  Coupled with the technologies and tools of the modern day – we need this type of enterprising and ecological spirit of our ancestors more than ever. Here are some major points that contribute to making life freer, and the Earth a better place:

• Growing and foraging our own food. Knowing wild foods and how to produce our own subsistence is not only low-energy — it’s an incredibly self-sufficient way to live.
• Knowing how to nourish and heal with natural remedies. Holistic care with plants like homegrown fruits, herbs, and veggies can also help with independence.
• Being able to save and store food. It saves money and makes your efforts go the extra mile, while feeding one's family in a low-impact, sustainable low-cost way.
• Living a minimalist, low-energy lifestyle. Time to downsize on things — especially energy-sapping technology. It’s not only sustainable and self-sufficient — it can also make us happier. The media is one of the worst poisons we can consume. This includes TV and film that contains far too much triviality and violence.
• Adapting to evolving but ethical and useful financial opportunities. This knowledge of income skillsets can enable us to live truly freely.

So this week the Labour Party's Conference brought the opportunity, following the government's appalling gaffs of late, to spell out how Labour would make a huge difference to the country, yet they did this without extolling any of the virtues of true self-sufficiency.

I applaud much of what was said, particularly its orientation towards a One Nation UK and togetherness, but there was also much in it that was a continuation of old materialistic concepts and the idea that it's the State that should be at the centre of people's lives. And so it should be the case when the need arises, but there was a lack of emphasis on individual responsibility, a flag to which the Tory Party very often gains recruits though their version is a very misleading aspiration.

However, when the Labour leader quoted a member of the public as saying, when asked a question, "I don't want to just exist, I want to live", the implication here can be that the government is the mechanism to make that aspiration come true. The truth is, however, that though the government should be there to help, it's the individual that has to do the achieving. No-one can achieve it for them and handouts should not be permanently relied on. It is true, however, that a well-run government can create a better space for people in which to live properly.

Encouragement toward self-sufficiency should be part of a new deal, but one that does not lose sight of the need for togetherness (unity) - through love for one's fellow man and the environment, giving support whenever needed.

Furthermore, there were signs in the Labour Party Conference that, though many of its stated goals were praiseworthy, they - like all political parties - are not fully in tune with the needs of the world. Achieving Net Zero in 2030 may be needed, but the future of humanity does not just lie with the accomplishment of that target. The proper nature of mankind itself needs to be enabled to create and further peace in this world - that should be the true target. Once that is achieved, and people have learnt how to co-exist environmentally, then the Earth will be happy. Everyone will be happy when they see the true purpose of life.

That happiness will be achieved only if we learn how to eat to live, not live to eat.

However, with the Labour leader's speech including statements to the effect that Britain must produce the best in competition with other nations, he tends to carry on the age-old macho outlook that might is best. Much of the world is burning, in flood or in poverty, aside from the problems of many refugees from zones severely affected by climate change, war and poverty. This is a time when a spirit of cooperation should be the priority. 

Whatever it is, surely we need to seek out spiritual teachings and understanding that might provide a basis for better strength of character, for the benefit of the individual, the family, society and the world? We might trip up on the way, but at least we should put in some effort.

The great philosopher Lao Tzu said:

He who loves does not dispute;

He who disputes does not love.

This is an idealist concept right now. There is some evolution still to be accomplished in mankind for us to be of that behaviour, but that will soon be achievable. We will remember that the daily grind is not what we are here for; we will remember that we are really be-ings and not do-ings. We will remember that a Grand Plan exists for mankind and that we should attune to it. 

That is partly why so many crop circles have appeared in the last few decades - to help to remind us - if we would spend time unlocking their clues.

Pending that evolution, the best I can say is that a UK governed by this version of the Labour Party will be a good interim choice to achieve a financially and materially sustainable nation and to secure the needs of the poor and the less well-off. Its best function will be to act as a springboard to proper living both individually and as a society.

One fundamental truth, however, is that there is a difference between opinion and reality. Our (Western) society today seems to be convinced that there are only opinions, but true spirituality shows clearly that there is a certainty that is accessible. Once we begin to understand Divine Love, then an understanding of everything and how to live by it will follow.

Be careful who you vote for in 2024!

Thank you for reading this.