Practical Thoughts

Dear Reader, I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking (Albert Einstein) Yet, despite Einstein's honesty, and despite all the clamour about man's superior intelligence over the years, and the supposed superiority of science, what has rationalism brought us to? What certainties does it posite? The only ones I can see are masked in illusion. So-called rationality has helped to lead us into continual wars - including two massive World Wars within 50 years - and that, plus our unthinking war against our own planet, has latterly brought the world to the brink of collapse. To quote author  Vincenzo Belmonte: The rationalist skeptic... has no conclusive evidence in his hands to have faith in his parents, in his partner, in his children, in his friends, in his nation, in science, in history, in progress, in mankind, in today's world, in tomorrow's world and above all in himself.  All beliefs in this regard stand on brittle stilts, falling into ...

Dear Reader, A week ago, my wife and I ventured out from our city enclave for the first time in eight months. Yes,  until then , in common with many others, our ventures from home were entirely centred on essential shopping and nothing else. Thank goodness for Whatsapp to actually be able to see other members of the larger family as birthday celebrations came around for each one of us - nearly all, as it happened, taking place between September and May!  Our trip out last week was a mere 12 miles to a theme park, but importantly it was a meet-up with a son and his wife and children. Sad to say that our grandchildren were uncertain about us initially; almost as though we had been totally estranged. Perhaps we had begun to take on the persona of virtual people on  Whatsapp - that we were no longer seen to have a real body, mind and spirit! Anyhow, my big frame somehow survived the cramped rigours of a Thomas the Tank Engine train ride! And then, after an enjoyable day, came...

  Dear Reader, Some people in the UK seem to think that we're now on the path to getting 'back to normal'. But what is 'normal'? History shows that life morphs from one reality to another. The passing of the Duke of Edinburgh and his attitude towards duty and service may be an actual indication of that very situation taking place; the movement into a new 'normal'. But just what will it be like? One month ago, much of the English-speaking world was agog about the 'Harry and Markle Show', with quite a number of people quite blatantly accepting everything that was said on the Oprah interview as being 'fact', even though it was clear there were so many inconsistencies in the statements of the pair. The reactions to this interview thereby prove the prejudiced capability of anyone, no matter what side of the fence they are on. A black person can be just as prejudiced as a white person. Then there was the downright and undue criticism that Harry voi...

Dear Reader, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, had been around for all my near 77 years, and from the time I was a child, I can remember the cobwebs that he disturbed in the establishment in the 1950s. He was frequently on the heels of the heads of industry and innovation, exhorting them to improve their game. It was not surprising, therefore, to find out that  Prince Philip was an active patron of numerous business organisations concerned with engineering, architecture, the Design Council, chemistry and aeronautics. He chaired a committee for the Queen’s Award to Industry, and he was an engaging fundraiser. The   Royal Academy of Engineering   was founded in June 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering with considerable support from Prince Philip, a commitment that was dear to his heart to the end of his days. Engineers speak highly of him and have been astonished by his knowledge, an attribute that was not  publicly  known. The most public involvement of his...

  Dear Reader, Many know of the hymn "Jerusalem", formed from the poem by William Blake: "And did those feet in ancient time". Essentially, I take it to be a metaphysical concept of the creation of the perfect society in contrast to the world of "dark Satanic Mills" that existed in Blake's time: the Industrial Revolution. Did anyone actually try to create such an idyl? Well, perhaps not quite - certainly not in recent centuries, although some might say that America was intended as such. But - astonishingly some might think - the existence of those  "dark Satanic Mills" did cause one specific place in Britain to attempt to grow out of it a semblance of humanity and civilisation. The efforts by certain individuals of that place (and supported by others from the country around) developed out of real need: the Industrial Revolution had created such a dark world in which many and an ever-increasing number of people eked out a living whilst living ...

  Dear Reader, Well, Ms Winfrey earned more to boost her billionaire status, yet without eliciting anything more than the suggestion that the whole world should be in sympathy with Megs. According to the interview, she has been so harshly treated by a totally unfair and biased Royal Family. And the proof? Reading the Daily Mail today (I only buy it on Saturdays - essentially for their excellent TV guide) it exuded headlines about a 6-page revelation of the truth about this bizarre matter. I hesitated to read it but did so just to see if there was anything worth gleaning. In fact, those pages did nothing more than to state bare facts without becoming sensationalist in the slightest. It was actually quite well done and showed just how much fabrication there has been by Mr and Mrs Markle (er, Harry and Megs).  There were glaring inconsistencies in their stories during the interview anyway, but Ms Winfrey made no attempt to probe those. After all, the whole world is supposed, is ...

Dear Reader, Well, all I can say is that I hope we are seeing the pinnacle of the cult of personality and that it will cause such a backlash that it will disappear from view altogether.  How can the extreme world developments of the last 20 years that have caused such suffering, followed by the COVID pandemic, and the effects of Climate Change, take second stage to the personality of Donald Trump and Meghan Markle? Yet that is how both have been treated by many - as though they are both so important to world peace and prosperity. Perhaps they reflect the nature of the world as it appears to many. Yes, there can be questions asked about the suitability of the UK Royal household in this day and age, but it has continued to fulfil a function and I feel it has survived as long as it has through the Queen's determination over near-70 years to stick to her responsibilities and moral purview through thick and thin. She has set a remarkable standard. in my view, considering the changing ro...

Dear Reader, As though the world's problems are under control, the UK government looks towards making further decisions that really do not change the way the world is being governed - a system that only bends to reality when faced with an imminent emergency.  World governments have been advised by the few wise men that exist for at least 50 years about how economic growth would affect world stability, and only when faced with utter devastation has some action been practically sought.  Right now, the British government is talking 'up' the positives of what it has achieved - the COVID vaccination roll-out, and its effect on the virus transmission rate, the best CO2 reductions in the world (to combat Climate Change), and even Brexit. And the government talks as though matters such as pandemics and climate issues are close to being things of the past. Even the leader of the opposition party - Sir Keir Starmer - has this week preached his version of the message 'getting back...

Dear Reader, In the midst of this COVID pandemic and the awful grief that so many families have suffered, let alone the sufferings created for people in many other parts of the world as a result of the exertions of misguided western governments and power-crazed ideologies, let alone Climate Change and the rape of the Earth's wildlife and resources, it is refreshing to hear of at least some potential improvement in the world's condition. Thus, the exit of Donald Trump from the White House must surely be seen as (if nothing else) a symbol of hope. Perhaps we have needed his presence just to see how bad things could become for the Earth's welfare, standards in government and the needy people of America, The question is, "Will the incoming president be able to restore equanimity?" Following his recent inaugural address, President Joe Biden issued an executive order aimed at reinstating White House ethics standards that were diminished or disregarded by the Trump admin...