So folks I've not given you my thoughts from the edge for a while probably because I've been concentrating on other challenges not least of all my own health which for those who follow me on twitter will know has been somewhat challenging over the past few weeks.
Well one story caught my eye today and in many ways it is an old chestnut of mine. The Death Penalty.
Many of you will know that a British woman along with four others, three British and one Indian, have been arrested in Bali on suspicion of importing narcotics. As a result of this there has been a media feeding frenzy over the statement from the authorities that if she is convicted she will receive The Death Penalty.
Now those of you who know me know my objections to Capital Punishment. In a civilised society there is no room for the ultimate sanction of the state. And I think there lies the point, do we live in a civilised society? Is the human race truly civilised? How can we call ourselves civilised if we support the taking of life in such a sanitised way.
I know people will say that she was a drug runner bringing misery to many people and I understand that point of view particularly if you or a child of yours has been trapped in the wanton destruction of addiction however please take time to look at the alternate view. The person who took the drugs generally did so of their own free will in the first place.
Drug taking, one of the great four taboos in society, is as old as civilisation itself. The law of supply and demand will therefor always run out over the law of the land. Surely it is now a time for a rethink on drugs. This lady was probably fully aware of the consequences of taking drugs into a country like Indonesia that has a zero tolerance policy yet if she did do it the threat of execution obviously did not deter her. In fact Capital Punishment has never stopped the crimes it set out to deter. What would probably have prevented this from happening was if there was no financial gain to be made.
And that ultimately is how we stop drugs barons. Cut of their money supply not their heads. For it is the greed that drives on people when they talk about supplying drugs not the drugs.
Is this radical, in a way yes but in a way no. We know that the number of Dutch residents who are taking drugs have dropped in recent years yet the number of addicts in Holland has risen. The figures are deceiving for the reason for the increase of addicts in Holland is due to the foreign nationals not the indigenous population.
You cannot deal with a problem if you cannot see a problem and with drugs much of it goes on in the twilight world out of sight and therefor out of mind.
Let us stop this nonsense now, let us wash our dirty drugs linen in public and let us rethink the whole strategy of the war on drugs, before your child becomes the next one in this situation.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Turn again Dick Whittington
The local elections are over, the race for the Mayor of London is over, people have voted in our great cities for mayors and those decisions are over.
So what is the vision of the future?
And there lies the challenge. A pathetic turn out at the polls yet again says more about the disillusionment of the electorate with the political class than it does about the democracy of Great Britain. And by doing so the British public have in effect legitimised a system and Government that is sending this country back to the Victorian era.
Welfare
It is the mark of any civilised society that we look after the poorest, frailest and most in need of support. Instead of this happening what we are seeing are families being forced to relocate, disabled people being thrown into isolation and the elderly left to the kindness of charities and the food parcel. This tells me that we are one step away from the workhouse again and if Tony Nicholson is given the right to get a doctor to end his life we are one step away from euthanasia of those who cannot defend their own rights. Didn't we fight a war to stop that sort of thing happening or have those in power so easily forgotten this?
Education
Education is a right, education is a must but it is not about literacy and numeracy and a set of opinionated tests that say nothing about the ability of child but all about the ability of a school to get children to exhibit Pavlovian responses from their students. What happened to the idea of expression. I am a scientist, Physical, Medical and now Psychological sciences have dominated my life, but look around and see children who have no concept of aesthetics. I see adults who have not read a book since school but can tell you exactly how Plato or Socrates work because of their life experiences. Experiences that have developed because their teachers motivated them with passion to learn. I worry that that is being destroyed by the want to drive scores and grades and I worry that the present system drives the life out of the teaching profession.
Sport
I look at the Barcelona players after being defeated by Chelsea and I saw men, not boys. To a man they stayed on the pitch and shook hands with their opponents they were honourable in defeat and sportsmanlike in their demeanour. I look at premiership players earning £100000 a week moaning to referees when they get booked and batsmen refusing to walk when they are clearly out and I think this is not how I played and it is not how I want my children to play. It is how we lose as well as as we win that is important. The game must always be bigger than the individual
Society
Alcohol, drugs, gambling, sexism, racism and inequality. They're all there in abundance and whilst we should seek to include the positive and exclude the negative we only ever play lip service to the things that we would not talk about in polite conversation. We are a society that firmly believes in a Look after thyself first rather than Love thy neighbour attitude. In this we exclude great wedges of our society. Instead of educating people about the dangers of alcohol, drugs and gambling we sweep the challenges under the table. Instead of educating about inequality and promoting tolerance we still stay entrenched in a them and us attitude. We are still a system of class not a system of equality.
So what of the future?
We need leaders who will include, not exclude. We need leaders with empathy for all not support for corrupt practice. We need educators not invigilators.
WE NEED INSPIRATION, PASSION, ENLIGHTENMENT AND COMPASSION
And we need it......................................NOW!
So what is the vision of the future?
And there lies the challenge. A pathetic turn out at the polls yet again says more about the disillusionment of the electorate with the political class than it does about the democracy of Great Britain. And by doing so the British public have in effect legitimised a system and Government that is sending this country back to the Victorian era.
Welfare
It is the mark of any civilised society that we look after the poorest, frailest and most in need of support. Instead of this happening what we are seeing are families being forced to relocate, disabled people being thrown into isolation and the elderly left to the kindness of charities and the food parcel. This tells me that we are one step away from the workhouse again and if Tony Nicholson is given the right to get a doctor to end his life we are one step away from euthanasia of those who cannot defend their own rights. Didn't we fight a war to stop that sort of thing happening or have those in power so easily forgotten this?
Education
Education is a right, education is a must but it is not about literacy and numeracy and a set of opinionated tests that say nothing about the ability of child but all about the ability of a school to get children to exhibit Pavlovian responses from their students. What happened to the idea of expression. I am a scientist, Physical, Medical and now Psychological sciences have dominated my life, but look around and see children who have no concept of aesthetics. I see adults who have not read a book since school but can tell you exactly how Plato or Socrates work because of their life experiences. Experiences that have developed because their teachers motivated them with passion to learn. I worry that that is being destroyed by the want to drive scores and grades and I worry that the present system drives the life out of the teaching profession.
Sport
I look at the Barcelona players after being defeated by Chelsea and I saw men, not boys. To a man they stayed on the pitch and shook hands with their opponents they were honourable in defeat and sportsmanlike in their demeanour. I look at premiership players earning £100000 a week moaning to referees when they get booked and batsmen refusing to walk when they are clearly out and I think this is not how I played and it is not how I want my children to play. It is how we lose as well as as we win that is important. The game must always be bigger than the individual
Society
Alcohol, drugs, gambling, sexism, racism and inequality. They're all there in abundance and whilst we should seek to include the positive and exclude the negative we only ever play lip service to the things that we would not talk about in polite conversation. We are a society that firmly believes in a Look after thyself first rather than Love thy neighbour attitude. In this we exclude great wedges of our society. Instead of educating people about the dangers of alcohol, drugs and gambling we sweep the challenges under the table. Instead of educating about inequality and promoting tolerance we still stay entrenched in a them and us attitude. We are still a system of class not a system of equality.
So what of the future?
We need leaders who will include, not exclude. We need leaders with empathy for all not support for corrupt practice. We need educators not invigilators.
WE NEED INSPIRATION, PASSION, ENLIGHTENMENT AND COMPASSION
And we need it......................................NOW!
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Hungry for it?
Now over the years I've seen a lot of films. I've seen the good, the bad and the darn right terrible but when I went to see The Hunger Games I think I saw one of the more disturbing.
It is not a new nor brilliant concept in my opinion. In many ways it is no different from Lord of the Flies, A Clockwork Orange, Death Race or The Running Man. It is well crafted though and challenges a society that has somewhat changed in recent years especially in relation to children.
It is disturbing because I went with my 11 year old son who came out and there was little or no reaction. No reaction either from all the other children that were also watching, well perhaps there was the odd 'she killed them good remark' but that was about it. And I have to ask the question why?
As a psychologist I am aware of dissociation of events however if this is the case here it would seem to be a class dissociation of the whole of the pre-teen generation. Are our children becoming Piggy? or Droogs? Is violence acceptable now or has it always been but it seems more real now?
I think I need more time to reflect upon my observations but I really wanted to start the debate as I am concerned for our future. In our educational system we seek to destroy spontaneity not release it. Our want to control is almost second nature but we are not born wanting to control we develop that urge so does our society drive us towards that control?
To be continued..........................
To be continued..........................
Friday, 27 April 2012
Humility
I have been thinking a lot recently about life, and death and all that lies in between. 11 years ago today I was in a maternity suite in Oxford waiting for my son to be born. I knew he was a boy as I'd been reading ultrasound scans for longer than I could remember. I knew he might not live as he'd been turned due to a wrong presentation and there was a serious risk of cord compression. So there I sat, once again in the John Radcliffe, once again in theatre greens, and I waited.
Years before I had been fortunate enough to deliver my first son. A flu crisis had left the local hospital in Trowbridge with one midwife and three deliveries almost simultaneous deliveries. The midwife said to me you know how to deliver a baby don't you? I said I knew the theory but had never actually done it to which came the reply, 'Well tonight my son you get to practice'
Of all the training I have had over the years nothing quite gets you ready for the amazing sight of a head starting to emerge from a mother. It is totally and utterly awesome and I still find pregnant women so powerfully beautiful, probably because of the incredible thing they are doing.
It made me think of how wonderfully blessed we are when we create life. It reminds me constantly of how insignificant yet unique we are and it inspires me to be the very best that I can be.
But more than anything it humbles me
And today with the gluttony and the greed and the selfishness that I see in this I'm alright Jack world that we live in I think it is so good that there are things powerful enough to do this. As I gaze down upon my sleeping son hoping that we will spend many birthdays together I think to myself how lucky and blessed I am.
Happy Birthday my beautiful son, live long, stay healthy, seek wisdom and above all show grace, kindness and humility in your path through life. And remember you are loved infinitely.
Years before I had been fortunate enough to deliver my first son. A flu crisis had left the local hospital in Trowbridge with one midwife and three deliveries almost simultaneous deliveries. The midwife said to me you know how to deliver a baby don't you? I said I knew the theory but had never actually done it to which came the reply, 'Well tonight my son you get to practice'
Of all the training I have had over the years nothing quite gets you ready for the amazing sight of a head starting to emerge from a mother. It is totally and utterly awesome and I still find pregnant women so powerfully beautiful, probably because of the incredible thing they are doing.
It made me think of how wonderfully blessed we are when we create life. It reminds me constantly of how insignificant yet unique we are and it inspires me to be the very best that I can be.
But more than anything it humbles me
And today with the gluttony and the greed and the selfishness that I see in this I'm alright Jack world that we live in I think it is so good that there are things powerful enough to do this. As I gaze down upon my sleeping son hoping that we will spend many birthdays together I think to myself how lucky and blessed I am.
Happy Birthday my beautiful son, live long, stay healthy, seek wisdom and above all show grace, kindness and humility in your path through life. And remember you are loved infinitely.
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Democracy through education, more like thought control
How many have listened to the Pink Floyd song 'Another Brick in the Wall'
We don't need no education , we don't need no thought control'
I am truly mortified that we stand today no further on in our society than Victorian Britain. As we come to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the second longest reigning monarch of all times have we really learnt anything?
And do we have a democracy in our country?
Democracy is a difficult concept. It is without the most difficult concept because to be a true democrat you must fight for the right of another person to express their thought even if you totally disagree with their mantra, even if you would fight to your very death to oppose what is said. And this is difficult. I hate what they are saying but I must defend their right to say it.
No person on this planet, within the human race has the right to say that they are better than any other and no person can take the moral high ground without doing that.
I am quite simple really. I wake up, I wash and put on clothes, I go to work, I come back, I eat and then return to bed to sleep. In among all of that I find time for family, friends and hobbies. That makes me pretty much like any other person on the planet. I breathe air and I have red and bluey-red blood running through my arteries and veins. I urinate and and defecate and wish to procreate. I am a human being and as such am no different to any human being on this planet.
Yet there are those out there in the ether who would see that differently. Now I like a good conspiracy theory like a lot of people. After all we all, I think, kind of would like to know the truth about JFK or little green men in Roswell. Yet there are forces out there that believe we are not grown up enough to handle the truth. That mass chaos would ensue if we changed the system!
But would it?
Maslow described the idea that there are stages of growth starting with basic needs of food and shelter rising to a concept called 'self-actualisation'. And for those of you who are not psychologists that can be a pretty abstract concept yet ultimately it is what the human race aspires to.
If we all reach the idea of self-actualisation then rather than chaos descending I believe harmony would flow.
But the system would have you believe otherwise. And that is why schooling was introduced. Whilst I agree in many of the thoughts of Sir Ken Robinson one thing that I haven't actually heard him say yet, although forgive me if I am wrong, is that education is actually about control of the masses for the benefit of the few for political ends. Orwell's 1984 vision is nearer to the truth I suspect than many understand. We dress it up in elections and standards and Human Rights but in reality the few that have risen through the system will ultimately keep the system in place because it put them where they are and they know the game better than others.
So should we crash the system? Well no I do not advocate anarchy in any way whatsoever but I do believe that we have to start thinking in a different way if our grandchildren are to have a life in pastures green. De Bono is fundamentally right when he talks about thinking outside the box. It's something I encourage my students to do and it's something enshrined in my personal life. I do not want to leave this planet having not reached self-actualisation. I want to feel that I have inspired a want for growth. I want my children to understand the power of the love that they have inside of them. I want them to understand that by sharing and collaborating all good things will come to all good people.
So do not become another brick in the wall, passion is the difference between mediocrity and greatness. Use you passion in a thoughtful way, help your neighbour and you shall help yourself.
Peace and Happiness
We don't need no education , we don't need no thought control'
I am truly mortified that we stand today no further on in our society than Victorian Britain. As we come to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the second longest reigning monarch of all times have we really learnt anything?
And do we have a democracy in our country?
Democracy is a difficult concept. It is without the most difficult concept because to be a true democrat you must fight for the right of another person to express their thought even if you totally disagree with their mantra, even if you would fight to your very death to oppose what is said. And this is difficult. I hate what they are saying but I must defend their right to say it.
No person on this planet, within the human race has the right to say that they are better than any other and no person can take the moral high ground without doing that.
I am quite simple really. I wake up, I wash and put on clothes, I go to work, I come back, I eat and then return to bed to sleep. In among all of that I find time for family, friends and hobbies. That makes me pretty much like any other person on the planet. I breathe air and I have red and bluey-red blood running through my arteries and veins. I urinate and and defecate and wish to procreate. I am a human being and as such am no different to any human being on this planet.
Yet there are those out there in the ether who would see that differently. Now I like a good conspiracy theory like a lot of people. After all we all, I think, kind of would like to know the truth about JFK or little green men in Roswell. Yet there are forces out there that believe we are not grown up enough to handle the truth. That mass chaos would ensue if we changed the system!
But would it?
Maslow described the idea that there are stages of growth starting with basic needs of food and shelter rising to a concept called 'self-actualisation'. And for those of you who are not psychologists that can be a pretty abstract concept yet ultimately it is what the human race aspires to.
If we all reach the idea of self-actualisation then rather than chaos descending I believe harmony would flow.
But the system would have you believe otherwise. And that is why schooling was introduced. Whilst I agree in many of the thoughts of Sir Ken Robinson one thing that I haven't actually heard him say yet, although forgive me if I am wrong, is that education is actually about control of the masses for the benefit of the few for political ends. Orwell's 1984 vision is nearer to the truth I suspect than many understand. We dress it up in elections and standards and Human Rights but in reality the few that have risen through the system will ultimately keep the system in place because it put them where they are and they know the game better than others.
So should we crash the system? Well no I do not advocate anarchy in any way whatsoever but I do believe that we have to start thinking in a different way if our grandchildren are to have a life in pastures green. De Bono is fundamentally right when he talks about thinking outside the box. It's something I encourage my students to do and it's something enshrined in my personal life. I do not want to leave this planet having not reached self-actualisation. I want to feel that I have inspired a want for growth. I want my children to understand the power of the love that they have inside of them. I want them to understand that by sharing and collaborating all good things will come to all good people.
So do not become another brick in the wall, passion is the difference between mediocrity and greatness. Use you passion in a thoughtful way, help your neighbour and you shall help yourself.
Peace and Happiness
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Did they really die in vain?
The whole purpose of a democracy is that we all have equal say in how things happen. Millions of our citizens have died to protect that very ideal. I want to know did they die in vain?
Why vain? Well with the latest bill on welfare getting it's way through Parliament we have indeed taken a step back. In fact I have to ask have we gone totally retrograde. The mark of a civilised society is it's want and ability to take care of those who most need it's help and make sure that all are equal under law and society.
In forcing terminally ill patients to work we might as well just roll out the mobile gas vans and not pretend about things. How are terminally ill people supposed to work? What economic value will they have to the companies that are supposed to employ them? What employer would take them on except in servitude? And how high on morphine will they be at work and by implications how many mistakes will they make?
As many of you know I suffered a major injury in a car crash which over time has led, as predicted, to a deterioration in my overall health. Has this stopped me from working? No, but I am self employed, if I don't work I don't eat. I did, with all my qualifications, apply for over 2000 jobs in 1997 but you've guessed it not one interview. You see employers have this bit in their minds that says "How reliable is a man with a broken neck?"
And I have to agree. When my pain becomes excessive I have two choices. I can take the opiates and be spaced for a day or I can bite on some leather like they did in Nelson's Navy. Inevitably I chose the latter because I have a child to support who relies upon me, I have older children who need my support but what if I didn't? Pretty quickly I would run out of money. Then I would lose my home. My child would probably end up in care and I would be forced to work mopping toilet floors. Or maybe worse someone may decide that I am no longer of value to society and decide I need terminating. A son would lose a father and what message would that send to him?
Sounds a bit Orwellian? Of course it does, however that is what I foresee from the latest welfare laws. I will not give in because I am a fighter. There will though be people who will just give in. No say, no voice, no hope.
Suicides may become common place, who knows? One thing is for certain people will suffer.
Is this why people died fighting for democracy. Wasn't Hitler a man who sought to create the perfect race, to destroy any sort of deformity? We need to stop, and rethink. NOW!
I AM SPARTACUS
Why vain? Well with the latest bill on welfare getting it's way through Parliament we have indeed taken a step back. In fact I have to ask have we gone totally retrograde. The mark of a civilised society is it's want and ability to take care of those who most need it's help and make sure that all are equal under law and society.
In forcing terminally ill patients to work we might as well just roll out the mobile gas vans and not pretend about things. How are terminally ill people supposed to work? What economic value will they have to the companies that are supposed to employ them? What employer would take them on except in servitude? And how high on morphine will they be at work and by implications how many mistakes will they make?
As many of you know I suffered a major injury in a car crash which over time has led, as predicted, to a deterioration in my overall health. Has this stopped me from working? No, but I am self employed, if I don't work I don't eat. I did, with all my qualifications, apply for over 2000 jobs in 1997 but you've guessed it not one interview. You see employers have this bit in their minds that says "How reliable is a man with a broken neck?"
And I have to agree. When my pain becomes excessive I have two choices. I can take the opiates and be spaced for a day or I can bite on some leather like they did in Nelson's Navy. Inevitably I chose the latter because I have a child to support who relies upon me, I have older children who need my support but what if I didn't? Pretty quickly I would run out of money. Then I would lose my home. My child would probably end up in care and I would be forced to work mopping toilet floors. Or maybe worse someone may decide that I am no longer of value to society and decide I need terminating. A son would lose a father and what message would that send to him?
Sounds a bit Orwellian? Of course it does, however that is what I foresee from the latest welfare laws. I will not give in because I am a fighter. There will though be people who will just give in. No say, no voice, no hope.
Suicides may become common place, who knows? One thing is for certain people will suffer.
Is this why people died fighting for democracy. Wasn't Hitler a man who sought to create the perfect race, to destroy any sort of deformity? We need to stop, and rethink. NOW!
I AM SPARTACUS
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Fools Gold
I wonder sometimes the price of friendship. And is it fools gold we pay for it with?
I have believed all of my life that a true friend is someone who will stand by you through whatever turmoil life brings and that you will stand by them in the same way. However there is in this society a loss of that vision. Friendship seems to be about what people can get out of you today not what they can do for you. It has become a dog eat anything world and we look upon our neighbours with suspicion .
This cannot be right but sadly it is all to common,
Let us as we go about our daily lives please remember that there are people out there who desperately need a friend and you can do something about that,
Peace and Happiness to you all
I have believed all of my life that a true friend is someone who will stand by you through whatever turmoil life brings and that you will stand by them in the same way. However there is in this society a loss of that vision. Friendship seems to be about what people can get out of you today not what they can do for you. It has become a dog eat anything world and we look upon our neighbours with suspicion .
This cannot be right but sadly it is all to common,
Let us as we go about our daily lives please remember that there are people out there who desperately need a friend and you can do something about that,
Peace and Happiness to you all
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