Aspiration

At times like this I want to be:

 ~~~

Rooted firmly

drinking deeply

nourished daily

life-giving flow

seasonally fructiferous

vigorously foliate

endlessly flourishing

A Referendum Ramble

The ill-conceived and deeply divisive UK Referendum on the European Union will soon be over, bar the shouting of a triumphant team, be it Leave or Remain.

Close followers of the media-driven ‘debates’ may be forgiven for  thinking that these have generated far more heat than light.

I’m reminded how a Hebrew prophet, named Isaiah, once complained of his generation: “…truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found … ”

Likewise, in the frenzied search for sound bites, catchy slogans, sensational headlines and knock-out blows it’s often appeared to me that the greatest casualty in the entire circus has been truth. Indeed it has been virtually impossible to find the needle of truth in the haystacks of distortion, exaggeration, misrepresentation, and blatant deception characterising so much of the farce that’s been called ‘debate’.

Consequently, as in the prophet’s day, there are many among us who may feel that, “… justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight …”

BUT … one bright & shining light was cruelly snatched from us in the midst of all the shenanigans, in the person of the much-loved and admired MP, Jo Cox. The values of tolerance, inclusiveness, justice, co-operation, generosity and love which Jo stood for, transcend all boundaries – whether political or otherwise – and point us in the direction of a better world.

In the name of humanity may we all listen and learn