Practical Thoughts

Dear Reader, It is clear (surely the Canterbury result demonstrated that) the young - for the first time in over 70 years - were fully engaged in Thursday's election. But why? Well, here's what "The Conversation"  has said: Young people are at the heart of it all. If you’re young and living in Britain today, you’re less likely to hold a steady job than a series of insecure gigs, leaving you with a  jumbled CV  of zero-hours contracts and unreliable work. No savings, high rent, and huge tuition fees if you’re fortunate enough to make it into higher education. No-one should be surprised that young people offered this dismal social contract instead opted for the promise of investment in the welfare state, secure contracts, and an end to tuition fees. Now, I was brought up in the decades after the War when politics was an important issue in the lives of many people. There were political activists in my own family on my paternal side, while on my maternal side th...

Dear Reader, Well, the day is almost on top of us! My feeling is that Theresa May will win her majority, but 66% of more than 250,000 people are indicating on Vote-for-Policies that they prefer Labour/Liberal/Green options and left-of-centre views in England. There is an indicator that the first-past-the-post voting system will work against democracy.  Perhaps. Or maybe it is just those that have a huge political zeal that make their opinions known. We shall find out on Friday! But with the threat of the right-wing tightening their control around the world (and policies like fracking becoming a likelihood), I hope people keep to their apparent instincts and vote for fairness and also sustainability in the environment. Thank you for reading this.

Dear Reader, While I know there are some very decent persons in the Tory ranks, there is an underlying misapprehension by the Tory movement: ignorance of the fact that a true civilisation is measured by how well we look after our weakest and most vulnerable members. Gandhi pointed that out, and it's a feature of most spiritual philosophy. The Tory approach is essentially to do with balancing the books according to business methodology, and in a way that overrides the values of a true civilisation stated in the opening para, above.  Yes, of course , Economics and Accounting methods matter, but do the Tories in any way try to fulfil the meaning of the parable of the Good Samaritan?  My feeling is that the members of the Tory Party - with perhaps a handful of exceptions - do not have first-hand experience of what it is to live at the bottom of the economic scale, and - further - do not understand how it is to be treated without respect. In Friday night's QandA o...

I am sorry I have not written anything these last three months. Various matters have been involving my time, but today, in the wake of the Manchester disaster, the matter of education came to mind.  Below is a message on the subject of education, given by a leading spiritual lady in India, and which I have just received. Yes, it is addressed to the Indian community, but in my view, the nature of the topic is relevant to us all in the world. It is about the two-part aspect of education: as a basis for (1) values and (2) of information. These days we seem to concentrate on the latter part, somehow believing that economic growth is the only part that matters. I somehow think that if we had learnt more about values we would not be putting Planet Earth through its pain. I believe that the point in this essay is hugely important for the whole world. N.B. This essay refers to a few Sanskrit terms which should be understandable in the context of what is being written. ...

Dear Reader, I am lucky enough to be close to and have access to our magnificent Library of Birmingham - the largest public library in Europe - and undertake research for whatever takes my fancy on a local note ... Aston Villa FC or Birmingham local history. For some weeks now I have been trawling through the daily evening newspapers of this place for the 1930s period, and what strikes me in particular is that the local daily of that time has so much in it to read that is interesting. Today's local popular papers usually contain bite-size chunks for the reader to consume, and no major articles for the intellect to engage in other than advice about dieting and money-making. They say there are other newspapers that are produced for that purpose, and I suppose it's just an indication of how times have changed. But today we say we are more educated. I wonder if that is really true? In the 1930s, local papers even talked in depth about real politics and also philosophy and p...

Dear Reader, A debate ensued on another blog the other day, which started with the statement: There is no truth other than your own life as I see it, living to a moral code that defines 'what you reap, you sow' seems to me the only way to live your life. I supported the writer on that (the view is supported also in science, as one of Newton's laws) but I also said that the method does mean you have to put some effort in, otherwise you still become the sheep! Subsequently, the debate developed into something of a slinging match against Islam, highlighting websites that show the superiority of Christianity over Islam, quoting from various verses of the books of the two religions (the Bible and the Qur'an). But Christians tend to overlook the shortcomings and evils in their own (man-made) religion that have blatantly surfaced over the last 1,500 years, and such articles stem from a fundamentalist standpoint. But one participant on the blog made the point: "...

Dear Reader, Yes, you can begin to feel the rumbles of discontent now that Trump endeavours to bring his policies to reality. And the sheer inconsistency and lack of integrity when our Prime Minister - knowing that her counterpart's views are favourable towards Britain - tells Trump that torture is not advisable, yet then meets Mr. Erdogan and says little about the same matter so that trade deals can be sown. So are the seeds of world corruption allowed to germinate and flower. No-one seems any longer to have the heart to put in place a world structure to free people from tyranny as the ballot box is always at the back of the minds of political leaders. But rather than look to others to do the job for us, let's look within our own selves to make the change. I speak of idealism once again, but what is the realistic alternative? Paul Brunton, in A Search in Secret India (1934), wrote: He who has once seen his real Self will never again hate another. There is no sin g...

Dear Reader, In his inauguration speech a couple of days ago, Trump made reference to God on several occasions. The bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when God ’s people live together in unity. We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. ... There should be no fear. We are protected and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be protected by God . ... Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America. For me what could be said to be disconcerting is how Trump's view of 'God' is of that old man on a cloud who dispenses judgment, and how he just happens to be there to do what is right for America. It reminds me a little of how all the big European powers went into battle in World War One believing that 'God' was on their side. Now I have tr...

Dear Reader, As we move towards the 70th anniversary of Mahatma Ghandi's assassination, let's think a little of the issues he wanted to address, which were not (in their nature) specific to India. Mahatma Gandhi fought a long - but peaceful - 'war' against injustices that he himself experienced. It was Gandhiji who observed there are seven social sins that create blockages to establishing real justice: Politics without principle Wealth without work Commerce without morality Pleasure without conscience Education without character Science without humanity Worship without sacrifice Surely Ghandiji struck recognisable chords? In the UK, what was the fight of the 19th c. fledgling Labour Party and radical Liberals (and the Fabian Society) but to remove gross injustices in this country? As our lives have become easier have we forgotten all that? Does Donald Trump think these are relevant issues?! We should - if we are to call ourselves a civilization - als...

Dear Reader, The tail-end of what is said to be Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address made not long after the American Civil War, was as follows: ... this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. What stirring words and words of hope that people then had to cling onto, but how, in the space of 150 years, that idealism was replaced by dominance from the top. And frequently cynical dominance at that. It would appear that consciously or unconsciously there has been a decision made by the people that at least part of Lincoln's 'promise' is to be fulfilled. That reasoning - in Brexit and the election of Trump - appears to have been the intention by the surge of populism that has prevailed, but a great worry must be that perhaps the vote will not guarantee a political leadership that really means to honour the will of the people. Further, and most important...