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I am delighted that 23 people from Germany have read my blog today and over 40 this week. However, I would love if you would leave a comment. If its not working then please e-mail me. Thanks. John.....and keep reading!!!

A boy and a dictator

I remember many years ago in primary school seeing 'a big lad' beat up a timid yet older and bolder boy.  It was deserved many of us thought.  He was a little...... who could not be trusted, a thief who had a big mouth, big brothers, was a bully and 'a big lad' himself when surrounded by 'bigger' lads.

However, today he was on his own. No big brothers and no big mouth. In fact he was unable to speak as nervousness brought anxiety and saliva to his quivering, frightened mouth. Swollen from the relentless kicking to his delicate body and face prevented the verbal bravado to exist also. This 12 year old bully became a 5 year old kitten. Terrified, knowing he was about to be humiliated in front of all his peers walking back to school at lunch time.

I can't remember the kicks, punches and taunting by the growing crowd. Their physical reality I can see but their impact emotionally remain non- existent.  What haunts me though is the look in the boys face. I knew him personally and didn't like him. I always felt that if I was to see this day it would not cost me a thought- just deserts, you get what you deserve and all that. What struck me also that day was the look in the stronger boys face.  The wronged boy for what ever reason who was beating the bully senselessly was not enjoying it.  It appeared that the boy like me knew that although it may seem just, appear just and be just- it just wasn't just. It was offensive, ugly, dehumanising (for both of them) and humanly sad. 

On this day the realisation of three things occurred for me and maybe even the big boy: Our hearts surprise us even when we think a certain just action is deserved and that such a realisation may impact on us heavily after the event. The second is closely related to the first- be wary of reasoned morality, including our own.  Let us not be moral or be guided by the retributive moral judgements of others if we are not prepared to act on it ourselves e.g. don't talk about the death penalty unless you're prepared to inject, shoot, electrocute the person yourself. (Of course its easy knowing that a State employee is going to do it behind 18 ft walls and barbed wire). I know for a fact the big boy that day was inspired by the rational arguments of his peers and was egged on. Yet its on his boots and dreams when the bullies blood lies, not theirs. Thirdly, life constantly surprises us- our humanity and cries for eternal friendship and peace always remain prevalent and real.  Especially on occasions like these.

I know events like this both surprise us and remain with us.   I genuinely thought I'd forgotten this event and other similar experiences. Yet like most of us who had to endure the live beating and eventual killing of Colonel Gaddafi, the memory came flooding back.

I pray simply for the men who killed him.  Yes with reason and words they will tell us what happened was just.  They will convince themselves of this reality until the day they die.  They may even be hailed as heroes. The arguments for their actions may be valid and robust, after all Colonel Gaddafi did unimaginable horrible things. Yet I pray for them as somewhere between me, a twelve year old bully and a strong boy looking for justice was a real and genuine sense of inhumanity, spiritual demoralisation and a realisation that nobody would benefit from this depraved act. I can only imagine the aura between those after the killing of another human being. Just and all as it appears to be.

The addition of Justice

Another child died the other day. Apparently he was shot. They put him on a boat and threw him into the sea. The big boys said that he deserved it. This child they said, killed thousands of innocent people. Thousands of innocent loving people. It was justified.

Now it's thousands of loving people plus one.

My South Korean friends.

I am delighted to see so many people reading my blog in South Korea, especially today.  Thank You. Please post your comments and keep in touch.

Thanks Again,
John.

Comment on Comment

Apologies to those who may have tried to write a comment on my blog page.  As it transpired I had it disabled by accident.  It is now working so please feel free to comment on anything that I have wrote.
Thanks,
John.
7th March, 2011.

Simple Science.

Did you ever have a moment when you were suddenly struck by Life? Like a bolt of lightning.  Deeply sudden.  Deeply profound.  The idea that you as an entity on this planet and in this Universe exist right now in 'this time'. It is a moment of awe and wonder.  You exist as you. As no other.

One of the greatest challenges to science, as it has always been in philosophy is the idea of the self, or consciousness. After all when there are no mirrors around can you be sure that you are you? How do you know without such empirical evidence? Why should you be you? Why not somebody else?  The idea that we identify ourselves, know ourselves to be ourselves and not 'other' self's is awe inspiring, baffling and profound. Amazingly we still do not know why the self identifies itself with 'the self'.  It is a mystery, just like the Universe.

So as pseudo scientists, let's keep it simple.  We don't need to have all the answers to the meaning of, and the origins of the Universe. We don't need Phd's in astro- physics to know that there is as interesting a puzzle in relation to origins and meaning.  So what not start your study at a simple level first: Start with the mystery of YOU.

Sack the stylist

As you all may know there is an General election taking place in Ireland. Lots of rhetoric, apologies for past mistakes, and plenty of promises for the future. There are also plenty of parties around to make such promises and I'm such there will be plenty of mistakes in the future.

What intrigues me the most is the unabashed, unashamed admission about how important image and spin is, how advertising giants like Sacchi and Sacchi can create a positive look for a party to the populous and turn policies into poetry.

There was and still is a time when politicians had to decide whether to use the traditional European model of getting their message across by using facts about taxes and the economy and reason to justify their positions so as to sway the voter towards their principles.  More recently the American emotive model has been employed to move voters with stories of triumpt over poverty, rags to riches and how when they were little boys they wanted to change the world, while they wiped their eyes with tissues sponsored by Coca- Cola as they stared into the camera.

Personally, I have lost interest in both models of persuasion.  Blatantly using tax payers money to employ stylists and spin merchants is an admission that all is literally not as it appears. Politicians must learn now that all people want is the truth. You have nothing to fear ever if you have the truth. And the truth can always be told in rags.