caribleaper

Moving in the time of “the Big Society”

2010-07-20T13:32:00.008+01:00

After eleven good years in Birmingham, we have moved house to Harpenden in the year of Cameron’s grand idea of “the big society”! The Divine must be having a good laugh with our move from chaotic and exciting “Ladywood” (Birmingham) to orderly and calm Hapenden! I wonder from what social location PM Cameron is speaking when he launched his “Big Society” Plan. Unlike many of the biblical stories of people moving – with only the need to un-pitch tents, gather their few belongings (including livestock) – our move included a whole sequence of planned arrangements and timings to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. I am sure those biblical folks also had their own planning to do (though this may not be the impression) but they may have had less accumulated clutter to deal with!

I once came across as Chinese saying that to make big changes in one’s life necessitate moving 27 things in the home. I can only imagine the change we have created having moved over a couple thousand of things, that is, counting the many volumes of books – even after disposing of many. Oxfam and a colleague from Kenya have got most of my eclectic collection of academic books! And do not get me started on the cartloads of paper and accrued notebooks (of our sons) that have ended up in the city’s recycling containers. Our personal papers, however, have served as good packaging materials, after passing through a newly acquired cross-cutting shredder.

One of the exciting and yet challenging experiences in moving is the fact of having to contend with perhaps a smaller and differently structured house. “Rethinking Space” has become our silent mantra – and having to rethink what to do with all the now unnecessary things we once found helpful. And believe me: we all have more stuff than we think we need and in reality do need. Vigilant as we have been about not accruing stuff, we were shocked to discover how much we have collected over years in Birmingham.

And even after disposing of so much, there is the feeling that we still managed to transport some unnecessary clutter to our new garage. Perhaps, this is a necessary and cathartic process – to help us cope with our imagined loss of things we may have become attached to and perhaps with our own displacement. It may be that before long, we will let go of those unopened boxes which we may not miss nor care to peek into! And, while we do not intend to fill up our new house with unnecessary things, we are also mindful of the ever present danger of collecting things to fill available spaces as we try to make “home” that familiar place!

Another good experience about our house-moving – has been the process of packing, marking and cautiously sifting through things to be given away or disposed of. Tiring as it has been, the process has provided us with a space to walk down memory lane. Emotions ran high as items served as significant markers, especially for us, whose lives for the last twenty-one years have been one of frequent move from place to place. When “home has always been elsewhere”, markers are quite significant and these do take a variety of shapes.

Yet, we have also experienced that another aspect of moving lies in celebrating all we are grateful for in what we have left behind and what we are taking with us. Besides, moving is also about homecoming! In the meantime, I am looking forward to enjoy the sun while it lasts with a good Caribbean rum punch under the cool shade of the mighty tall fir trees in the garden of my wife’s new manse. And if I am lucky, I sense an opportunity for me to get a hammock in place before the sun retreats and before I take a closer look at Mr Cameron’s “Big Society” dream!

Blame Culture and the inability to Lose

2010-06-28T08:09:00.007+01:00

Whether it is World Cup Football (or any sporting event), politics or in religious circles, to lose or fail has become anathema. Mistrust is eating away at the very fabric and every corner of our lives. Consequently, a culture and ethos of “blaming”, “finger-pointing” and ”scape-goating” have taken over our lives. At least, large sections of media have degenerated into this, confusing sound analysis with finding scapegoats.

When problems occur, we quickly seek to locate someone or some group/thing to blame, other than ourselves. Just listen to the football pundits and politicians: it is a constant lashing out at the created scapegoats on whom we can displace our aggression. And usually the scape-goating and blaming increases when we are frustrated and need an out let for our anger. One thought that crossed my mind listening to all the British pundits on football analysing the poor showing of the national team, is why none of these experts even attempted to become a coach to the national team!

In our success driven world of economic progress and growth at any price (the recent meeting of the G20 confirms this), the majority of us end up living in fear of failure and “losing”. Whereas failing and losing could serve to create positive experiences, our penchant for “blaming” and the branding of “losing” as cardinal sin number one, have served to kill creativity and adventure. For the inability not to attempt anything daring, means that the less we fail the more we will be unable to have an opportunity to potentially succeed. Never giving ourselves a chance to fail means living a stagnant existence!

But what really lies behind our “blame culture”, the inability to trust and to lose? Part of our problem is that we are reaping the fruits of a rampant form of capitalism for all, motivated by greed and looking out only for ourselves, in an individualistic and money-grasping environment. The habit of crass individualism, together with more and more centralisation and State Control of much of our lives, all conspire to create habits of the “blame culture”. We end up believing that our lives are wholly controlled by outside forces and has nothing to do with the choices we make. Moreover, the mentality of refusing to take personal responsibility is further chained to the half-baked psychological notion of the victim mentality: 'I am a victim, therefore I am innocent.” All of these elements combine to make us immune to accepting responsibility. The responsibility is always someone else’s as we “wash our hands” of events around us.

Our sacred texts, with its diversity of narratives, have carefully documented this tendency of the human condition and they do offer insights into ways of exorcising such demons! We should spend more time re-reading them collectively.

© copyright June 29^th 2010

Penury, Tears of the Wounded, Restorative Justice

2010-06-19T09:13:00.007+01:00

‘Never a dull moment’ is certainly the way I feel with our present economic meltdown, cutbacks, job-losses, severe pruning of government funding and spending etc. To add to the drama to our economic woes and despair is the tragic BP oil drilling disaster. Not even the present World Cup football will soothe the effects of the long reach of these events and our predicament. And the fact that England is yet to convince any of us that they are serious as a team does not help. I suppose that some of these richly paid footballers can be generous enough to bail out the UK government! I can just imagine all the doomsday prophets feasting on such as further evidence that the world is coming to end – judgment time is here. So watch out – street corner preachers will soon multiply, especially since the unemployment rate will continue to rise.

Perhaps, these doomsday prophets may not be far from the truth about one thing: judgment time is certainly in our midst. But more as something we have brought on ourselves through our greedy and irresponsible actions – whether it is the economics, the environment or obesity (among so many other ills). It is common-sense that we will be unable to sustain the kind of economic growth driving our lives. I thought my days of experiencing the structural adjustment programme in the Caribbean was over. But it seems to be following me. This is certainly a wake-up of call to our idiotic and unsustainable lifestyles. Would we change our habits and re-orient the way we live and order our economic life? Are we able to wake up from the illusion of living way above our means/needs and that which the planet can sustain?

The events cited above underscore that this is no longer something happening to developing country miles away: the events are unfolding right on our doorsteps. So far most of our talks are on cuts, blaming of the other, and how to stabilise and get out of this whirlpool or cesspool, only to return “back to business as usual”. Who is talking about a total re-orientation and changing of perspectives and if there are some doing so, who are listening? We are still locked into the language of prosperity and economic growth, rather than seeking to find alternatives to a system that has imploded and have us hanging over the precipice by the skin of our teeth.It seems to me that the toughness of the choice before us is not merely about cuts and short term inconveniences. For the sake of future generations - it has to be a long term one; otherwise our band-aiding strategies would merely serve to further implode, making beggars of all of us. This is more than down-sizing. It is more about right-sizing.

The two events highlighted in this piece should open our eyes to the fact that the disasters we have contributed to in developing countries have now come home to haunt us. The monsters we have created are here make us feel the pain. For many it has already been present here. The deep paths that tears have carved out on their faces tell the story: only we did not notice as our lives were largely comfortable. This is now changing, and the prospect of penury is now becoming a homeland battle - not one fought in someone else's garden. And this is where it is going to hurt. This will no longer be mere news items to watch on TV or as some virtual reality show in a distant place. The harsh realities are right here before us. It may be that we now need to turn to our impoverished neighbours for lessons on how to survive. Or it may just be that restorative justice has its own way of paying-back and equalising the imbalances we have created in our societies.

© copyright June 18^th 2010

Let Justice and Righteousness Flow

2010-06-07T21:52:00.009+01:00

The press reports from Edinburgh 2010 may give the impression of excitement, cutting edge pronouncements, and a gathering of people afire with the Holy Spirit. For many, however, this has been a lukewarm experience, certainly a gathering where one could have sensed something false or unreal floating in the air, and an excursion for friends of the mission and ecumenical enterprise of rhetoric, money and power. Yes, there may have been a greater representation from the majority world, but it was “power” that called the shots and certainly the center of the economic-mission gravity remains fixed.

The nakedness and crassness of power and manipulation was evident from the engineered marginalisation and eventual “dismissing” of the director of the event, a convert from a former mission field. Those behind this move were so Christ-like that they proceeded to ban him from coming near to the place of the gathering (for which he gave three years of his commitment and that of his family to) and even the closing act of worship. The crucifixion of the director was well timed.

This act of crucifixion, with no explanation to those gathered, was carried out by Christians who claim to be witnessing to the name of Jesus. Indeed, the missionary mind-set is here to stay as it is still laregly undeconstructed. No wonder, the world is yet to believe and who can blame people for not believing what comes out of the mouth of forked tongues and hypocritical Christian religious people. This is not even to mention the violation of basic human rights. I dare say, the secular world would have behaved differently!

Moreover, this case of the silencing and removal of a Director who dared to stand up to, talk back and challenge the power base of a certain kind of white male missionary mentality also suggests that racism is alive. Sadly, the last bastion of white supremacy remains the church!

The bottom line is that much of the theology espoused by those with the money and power is still premised on arrogance and has little to do with grace. It seems as if the 1910 plea of Bishop Azariah for “friends” is yet to be realised: and to that we need to add justice and righteousness. Having now received a copy of the common call (from the Conference), I ask myself: would not the words of this document remain rhetoric, nice sounding and appropriate jargons and a contradiction, as a result of the way the director has and is being treated?

“That the world may believe”? Well, I think people can judge for themselves: but if Christian witness cannot be embodied and practiced in justice and righteousness – starting at home - then belief in the Jesus Way will remain a distant dream. Notwithstanding, a sign of resurrection and hope is that one Christian brother dared to stand up and expose the skewed intent of a machinery that claims to represent the way of Jesus.

Walking the Edge

2010-05-31T23:06:00.002+01:00

No, I am not referring to the edge of the political tightrope that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are walking, having decided to work together in governing Britain. Nor am I thinking of the work I am involved in, racial justice and equalities, and how as a minority one is always located (either by choice or by the majority) on the edges. I am referring to the fact of walking around in London, or in any crowded city space for that matter, where the safest and most convenient place to walk on is the edge of the sidewalk – literally suspended or floating somewhere between any space and the edge of sidewalk. Ironically, this may be the safest place to be walking (or more correctly floating) in order to avoid any form of harsh contact with the thousands flocking and treading the roads.

It is a fact that our roads and street in the cities are very busy. Whether it is London or Birmingham there are too many people around on the streets and the fact of perpetual sales and discounts (now losing its charm) does not help. While there are times when the traffic is a bit lighter, this is rare in places like London. But what really complicate matters is the chaotic nature of the many activities people are involved in and the total breakdown of any sense of propriety.

There are people walking, others jogging, cyclists running through stop lights, mothers or grandmothers pushing some fancy and oversized baby strollers, too many walkers plugged in and wired up so tightly that they are oblivious of the others around them. Then there are the most dangerous lot - travellers pulling one of the most contemporary weapons – suitcases with long handles and on rollers with the ability to pose as serious obstacles in one’s way. Further, the fact that we are expanding nation, our obesity problem conspires to make matters worse. Sidewalks have become a dangerous place to walk on if you can find space to get to your destination. And the fact that people no longer follow the traditional guidelines of keeping to a particular side of the track side does not help.

One certainly needs to say a prayer for safety before, during and after any walking journey in the city. The funny thing is that I seem to welcome the adventure as I have now developed an ability to live and walk on the edge. I am sure it will serve me good in terms of the many other edges I have to walk. In the meantime, I also eagerly look forward to the calm of a safer and empty place, especially after work and on weekends.

The Politics of Governance, Media and the Culture of Critique

2010-05-18T18:42:00.005+01:00

So we now have a government as determined by the polls. It is a coalition between two political parties that before the elections could have been considered as poles apart on a number of key issues. Now, through negotiation, in the interest of the nation(s) [as we are told], pragmatism and through politicking we have what in the view of many will make for interesting governance.

This, however, is not the feeling of some - including the media and the political pundits whose numerous comments and pieces, while they may have substance and insights, seem to be sharply judgemental, pessimistic and scaremongering at such an early stage of this new government. Yes, there is need to read the signs, but there is a world of difference between making rational predictions and wanting to jump on the kind of bad news that will sell. It is true that both leaders of the two parties have much to do in terms of winning some of their more “fixed” or “stuck” members. This, of course, is part of the work of politics whether in coalition government or in single party governance in a democratic society.

What is striking, however, about much of the comments and critique of the coalition is the way some political pundits and the media go all out to make a case against the coalition. In fact one is reasonably led to believe that these freedom-minded people and defenders of democracy/ free speech seem unable to recognise that it is through a democratic process that the voting population forced a coalition. But what is more striking for me is the unwillingness of these critical voices to give coalition and working together a chance for the common good of the whole country. If on other occasions political parties in the opposition have been known to support programmes of those in government, why can’t two political parties of differing ideological position(s) attempt to work together through compromise and consensus for the common good?

I wonder if these critical voices may wish to consider interrogating some of their own prejudices and arrogance. How, for instance, have they arrived at a conclusion or a view? Is it all by themselves or in and through conversations with colleagues that they may differ with? Is it not possible that people with divergent views and different ideological perspectives and entry points can work and dialogue together for the well-being of all?

Whether it is a conservative, liberal democrat or a labour person who is sceptical about a coalition government, I wonder if at the heart of the matter is one’s own sense of insecurity, the fear of change and the limits (and possible suffocating arrogance) of armchair liberalism. While there is much to critique both Cameron and Clegg for on the process of forming a government (for instance the lack of diversity in their appointments) one has to concede that, given the risk of a backlash from their supporters, they have demonstrated a sense of confidence and risk to be able to take this bold step of working together for the common good of all. Perhaps, our media can follow this example for the sake of the democratic ideals it defends.

© copyright May 18 2010

image jagessar

Ashes to Ashes

2010-04-29T22:11:00.007+01:00

Given the recent shut-down of European airspace as a result of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, there may be more irony and truth in the expression ("ashes to ashes") usually associated with a funeral service. A Satirist with a sense of daring imagination would have a feast with this!

All the hype and alarm as a result of the disruption centred in the 1^st instance, around the inconvenience this caused to people, that is, all of us innocent travellers enjoying our well-deserved holiday breaks, as well as, those travelling for business. Then there was the real worry: the millions lost because of how so much of our economic lives depend on air-transport – including all those exotic and out of season foods we cannot do without. The familiar gospel reminder - your heart will always be where you treasure is (my paraphrase) – is quite appropriate here. For a moment, I got the impression that no one cared a hoot about the people of Iceland. After all so much of our savings have gone up in smoke, because of foolish investing in Icelandic banks. As I was not affected by the events – except being bombarded with it on the news (which I could easily switch off), I had the luxury of playing with a variety of ideas as a result of the air-space lockdown.

I was struck by the fact that too many of us travel. All these so-called cheap holidays and destinations mean that we can get up any morning and board a plane without even changing what we wore the night before. It also means that I have to travel with people I may have nothing in common with – especially the drinking, boisterous and swearing type who believe that all the other passengers must listen to their conversations, bantering and expletives. But who cares: it is our right - this is a free society, away with snobs and power to the loud and foul mouthed. Besides we need to get the industry going in order to fill the pockets of executives!

But the more serious concern is the fact of how this flight shut down relates to the lvery alive and hot subject of the environment and the future of the planet. There seems to be lots of rhetoric and platitudes, while we continue to want to keep our travel habits. Yes – ‘let’s save mother earth’: but, who really wants to give up travelling that pollutes in order to minimise their carbon footprint and save the planet? A few days of disruption and it is as if our whole world has collapsed and we start behaving like a person coming off an addiction. Perhaps, it is an addiction! Or is it that our response is a mere microcosm of a larger problem – our inability to give up our luxuries and to change our life styles? Change must start with us and our life styles.

And by the way: while many have been moaning about the loss to their businesses and the impact on the travel/tourist industry in some instances, I am reminded (as a member of the Caribbean Diaspora) of that controversial Air Passenger Duty Tax that has effectively made it cheaper to fly to Hawaii than to the Caribbean. And who is talking about how that region’s fragile economy (so dependent on tourism) is being strangled by such policies?

As the ashes settle and the temperature in Greece rises, perhaps we may wish to turn to the Caribbean and other developing countries for some lessons on the art of economic survival. With the economic bubble in Greece punctured, the tables have turned. Welcome to the vortex of disappearing economies - Britain swimming in debt, the USA up the mess of debt creek with broken paddles, Greece (probably to be joined by Spain and Portugal) swimming in the sludge of living above their means.

Only the Divine can rescue us and I have a feeling she has decided to go on a Caribbean Cruise.

Go in Faith and Vote

2010-04-16T11:52:00.007+01:00

I am for a “Fairer Britain” for all. So when I turn up to vote it will be the liberal democrats who will get my nod. My reasons are more than about the leadership of the Lib Dems. It is about the integrity and vision of their policies for the common good, the wisdom to look beyond the present and their vision of all participating in working towards the common good for both present and future.

I am not surprised that in the first televised election debate among the leaders of the three main parties, that the leader of theLib Dems came out best in the polls. Labour and the Conservatives are spending too much time in endless parrying between themselves – gloating over their own importance, thinking it is already a foregone conclusion that one of them will be in power and that the Lib Dems is just that slight irritation to be brushed off. What arrogance! Luckily, the public is not daft.

One is often amazed, however, when one’s liberal colleagues would also brush off the Lib Dems as not standing a chance because of this being a small party and the political system only gives a chance to the big traditional parties. Of course, they will only make it, if people can move beyond institutionalised political allegiances, discern that change is possible, and instead follow both their heads and hearts!

Notwithstanding, I wish to say to all the cynics and fed-up voters who may be reading this blog to consider going to the polls and vote. Writing from a faith perspective, my understanding is that faith does not distance itself from elections. In fact, it propels us to vote, and even urges us what to vote for, and faith makes us cognisant of the consequences of voting for wrong policies.

We are called to vote, for what is at stake is the well being and common good of all – the whole of society. Failure to vote when the common good is at stake is a sin of omission. And faith urges us to vote policies, laws and candidates who will protect the human life and dignity of each human being. Yes, I do have a free will and I can decide to vote for what I perceive to be of my own self-interest and not that of the common good. But if my political life is to degenerate to the level where I am only concerned about my own interest and that of my group, then I have fallen short of the golden rule - “love of God and love of neighbour”. So with and in faith lift those tired feet and despairing hearts and cast your vote!

Politics Lost: Virtue, Morality and Corruption

2010-03-31T00:03:00.004+01:00

Whatever has happened to virtue and morality in politics? The cynic reading this may wish to point out that there has never been a relationship! Others may wish to contend that these were long lost from the political landscape of what used to be “Great Britain” - the paragon of democratic ideals and morality. One would be excused for arriving at the politically incorrect and stereotypical conclusion that all the news about corruption, lobbying for a price, and using one’s access to privilege and inside information were what should be associated, with Yam, Banana, Casino and Sugar Cane Republics. At least here in the UK, the offenders have been suspended from the parliamentary labour party, that is, with their pockets filled and not necessarily changing the fact of their continuing access to the halls of power. Sleaze is not biodegradable – it is politically toxic and it may be that many more institutions here have been contaminated!!!

Corruption has politics in a vice-like grasp as the influence of money, earned without restraint in our so-called wild roaming market, together with a propensity to be greedy, have seriously undermined our political life. Money talks, seldom gives itself away freely, and always has strings attached to it - leading to someone or some group. So no matter how much a former politician may try to rationalise how he/she has earned such large sums(in a day) in honest endeavours – selling their skills and expertise and trading inside knowledge to corporations - the reality is that greed and corrosion of character have taken a firm hold. This is also evident from the flack of any form of apology rolling out from these forked-tongues. The irony is that one can reasonably wonder about the expertise they are actually selling given that little of it (in terms of transformation and well-being in society) was evident when they were in office.

And lest we are too quick to take any form of a high moral ground, we need to note that a fundamental flaw is with any of the economic models we opt to work with: greed will always be present. Greed drives economic progress, if this is what we are all about. Perhaps, we would do exactly as the politicians presently in the news did. As consumers we already display many of the traits. As moral beings we try to live justly when it comes to ethical shopping, investing and travelling. Yet, at the same time we go full out for the best deals and rarely bother to track our own Carbon footprints. Market desires always conflict with our moral commitments. Yet, if there is no sense of balance in terms of morality how do we go about enabling the work of moralising this and next generation. What kind of world are we living in? What kind of world are we prepared to create for future generations?

Last year I came across a Christian Aid advertisement using two hands. On the one hand was the statement: “The World is too corrupt to end Poverty”. On the other hand the organisation listed ten reasons to counter the statement. What caught my eye is how much of this applies not to developing countries (where Christian Aid works) but more to the UK.

For instance, among the ten we read: “We fund projects that promote transparency and accountability”; “World leaders are closing tax havens, because they hide the proceeds of corruption”; “There are proven ways to counter corruption”; and “We educate people about their rights and this stops corruption”. Well, I am sorry to say that all these apply to our government right here at home. Perhaps, Christian Aid can start fund raising to do some serious work at home and get some of the ideas (“the proven ways”), from the developing countries they are working with to end help end corruption here!

Our political life needs to be delivered from the default and arrogant view premised on the false idea that we have inherited virtues and moral values that make us "the" examples of democracy, transparency and accountability for the rest of the world. On the contrary, the continuing saga of banks/bankers and politics/politicians reveal that behind the facade lie some disturbing truths about ourselves that we are yet to reflect on.

It is time to wake-up! Or to pick up one of the mantras: "what are the lessons to be learned? and who are actually learning anything?" It may be that a new day is about to dawn!

A City Dreaming as Potholes Multiply

2010-03-26T14:12:00.005Z

Birmingham (UK) looks tired. This is not only about run-down buildings in need of some urgent “facelift”. I am talking about reservoirs, waterways/ and drains littered with plastic bags and bottles and roads filled with potholes. Some of these potholes demand numerous manoeuvres to avoid breaking some part of your vehicle or just getting stuck and blocking up the rest of the traffic. Others are so huge and deep that one can make a case for rearing trouts in them. And, do not allow me to start on the matter of rats scurrying around. Soon we shall be recruiting the Pied Piper of the Bullring to lead battalions of rats along potholes littered roads to drown in our canals.

And given that much of the City’s money got lost or more correctly frozen in the ice of Iceland, with not the slightest hint that even a thawing out from a recent volcanic eruption would reveal where the missing sums were stashed away - I do not see much hope for the infrastructure to change for the best. Yet, the City Council’s publication (Forward), bombards us with some ludicrous claims from the Council executives about the greatness of the city.

Hence, the New Library to be built by the Centenary Square (2013) is presented “as the most advanced learning and cultural centre of its kind in the world. Yes, not only in the UK or even Europe - it is the whole world. And only God knows what the 2014 New Railway station at New Street will be billed as! Have any of these bureaucrats making the claim, ever travelled beyond the Midlands? Or have they arrived to such mind-boggling conclusions after a search on our internet services, maybe the best in the world? Or is it that their idea of the whole world (starting right here in the UK) is wholly different from mine? The Birmingham City Council’s obsession with being the first and the best in ways too many to count or list in this blog may reveal more about the insularity of these bureaucrats than anything else.

In the meantime, I will continue to be thankful for the numerous small wonders, gracious people, hospitable friends and countless surprising discoveries, I have made while residing in Birmingham for the last eleven years. Home for us, being part of a Diaspora, has been further enlarged and given added complexity by this fact. It is the longest we have stayed in one place as a family – meaning that there must be more to Birmingham than the many wonders the city council would have us to believe. It is a pity that these bureaucrats of the city council are unable to connect with these.

In the meantime, if you are planning a visit to Birmingham (beyond its city centre), set out well in advance, be sure to have handy remedies for headaches, and you will need a lot of patience. And if your are walking tread carefully! In any case you will meet some very friendly and helpful Brummies, full of good tips on reaching your destination safely.

Living Faithfully with Money

2010-03-12T21:30:00.003Z

I often wonder about the line from the group Abba: “Money, money, money/ Must be funny/ In the Rich Man’s world." For the poor farmer who interrupted me during worship so that I could explain why the returns from rice production continued to drop while the output had increased and more rice was then exported than any other time, it was not funny. If money was funny in this situation, it was when people had to purchase tyres with a rice bag full of the local currency. Money was worthless and scarce for the many living in penury. Yet, among these very poor people much joy and happiness overflowed. I am struck how little I thought then of pension, owing a property and other material provisions. In my present context anxiety has taken over with numerous bills to pay and a cash machine that informs me that I may need an overdraft. And do not even bother to mention all those things one is led to believe that one needs, and at the same time having to listen and read from the media about the latest mind-boggling payout to some!

Money may be “funny” for some people. For others, they just want to strike it rich. Just check out the percentage of people who will play the lottery with the hope of making money or more money! We all wish we had more money than we presently have: for more money means freedom or independence or self worth; it will open the world, remove anxieties and will make us happier. So we are led to believe. It may not be wise to ask the rich whether this is true – as becoming rich is no guarantee that the desire for more ends there. Personal happiness has become big business in spite of wealth. Which is the world’s happiest country, do you think?

The borderland between faith and money has not been a comfortable place to live: mammon still competes with the Divine for the loyalty of even the most devout. The message from religious institutions, that "the love of money" distracts the faithful from what is most important, while administering millions of pounds can sound hypocritical. Talk about money is easily “dumbed down”, except "give us some of yours." Many will agree that our society is heavily materialistic, valuing products more than people and that “greed is still a distortion of the ways of God”. Yet, only a few of us seem able to decide when enough is enough. Greed may be a distortion, but how often do we see that it is wrong to want more money than we need.

The prevailing culture wants us to believe that money is value free. Even if money is a neutral medium of exchange it does become something morally positive or negative, and something spiritually liberating or destructive because of the ways we use and misuse it. We need to make the connections between our faith, moral choices and the implications for our economic life - the whole of life. Then faith ought to make a difference to the ways in which we conduct our financial affairs. For, the bottom line is: where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.”

Irritations and the Limits of Tolerance

2010-02-27T16:07:00.004Z

My present work dictates the need to travel regularly around the UK. Some of my most interesting conversations have been those with taxi drivers. They range from incisive observations on politics and politicians, strong reasonable views on religion, to anger at the downward spiralling and breakdown of a variety of aspects related to propriety and community life. Many of the taxi-drivers I have journeyed with on my short trips from train station or airport to venues for meetings have been helpful, courteous, friendly and wise people. Sometimes, I think that the views they express on religion, politics and culture would do some of us a whole heap of good to listen to!

There are, however, a number of instances with taxis and taxi-drivers that have left me with much irritation. I find it irritating when taxis do all sorts of acrobatic bobbing and weaving through the traffic, rushing through pedestrian crossings and rarely wanting to give way to other vehicles. I know they make a living from it, but that is no excuse for being discourteous. It is also irritating when a booked taxi turns up, keep their car engine running, remain seated in their vehicle and expect you to open the boot of the vehicle to place your luggage in. Then after all that effort to get into the taxi and then having to help some of them find on the map where you want to get to – even though you have never been to the place before.

One recent example where my sense of tolerance was tested to its limit, happened on the way from a meeting to a railway station in a large city in Britain. Three of us joined a taxi we pre-booked. The greeting from the driver was more like a grunt. And while trying to fix a seat belt that was not properly “releasing” to hook up at the other end, I was shouted at to pull it gently. I felt like a schoolboy! Still it did not work and the driver continued his rudeness in shouting instructions my way. I eventually gave up. Upon reaching our destination, the rudeness continued as he demanded that we must have the exact fare, claiming he was not a cash machine (you would at least expect him to have change). By then my other colleagues were also much worked up; but the more patient one among us decided she was going to pay, and then proceeded to take out all her coins and leisurely started to count them, with us chipping in. Later she explained that the driver was so rude that she deliberately wanted to find the exact amount by taking as long as she could to do so. It later transpired that he was hoping we would not have been able to muster up the exact amount and would leave him a full ten pounds (when the fare was only metered for £6.30). We agreed that this was the rudest taxi driver we have ever met – a total let down in comparison to the other wonderful ones we have met!

The incident got me thinking about the many other instances of recent when I got irritated. These seem to be increasing! For instance, it is irritating to purchase an espresso coffee at a train station and then having your drink poured in a large coffee cup, struggling to down it with your whole face in the cup and head flipped all the way back as If you are either in a pub or trying to swallow the paper cup! The other irritating thing is usually at some supermarket checkouts: being rushed through to get your purchases in your rucksack and then after paying, either having your card or change piled up together and handed back to you, with no time to sort anything out, before the purchases of others push you off the checkout point. Why can’t I be handed my card/change first and then my receipt? And why can’t some supermarkets give their cashiers basic guidelines about the importance of the customer?

The list of my irritations is quite long and may be pointing more to my impatience, shortcomings, and unrealistic expectations. Thank God, for grace! I cannot help wondering, however, why we easily accept behaviours that diminish our sense of humanness and what it means to be people in community. Or why are we so hestiant to even to name some of unhelpful behaviours and discourteous practices around us? What should I do with my commitment to respect, tolerance and values when these irritations keep piling up day after day? Should I stop buying espresso coffee from these shops? Should I stop travelling with such taxi-drivers (as noted above)? Should I find supermarkets where the customer calls the shot? Or should I just stop moaning, take all the crap and get on with life? And if I wish, how and where do I express my views in a way that will not smack of arrogance and intolerance?

Just-living, morality and the common good - are all pushing us to agree that there must be some core vision or values to help us operate with civility and in constructive ways. What I perceive from my irritations may be more than personal. There is something larger – a moral vacuum – only partially reflected in some of these small irritations. Something is wrong with us! Perhaps, there is a need to re-discover the habit of generous magnanimity that will move beyond being tolerant, that is, tolerance that is only about putting up with each other. Tolerance is not a private matter: it should part and parcel of our public lives. There is a need for us to challenge each other in an effort to live core values that put people, relationships and the common good first -over our selfish proclivities!

Dissecting Lies and Trafficking Truth

2010-02-14T21:54:00.007Z

Try doing online search related to “lies” or “world of lies” and you will be surprised by the number of hits you are directed to. We live and float in worlds of deception. “Lies” seem to become so common-place that we are not surprised when the deceptions around us are uncovered. Truth, it seems, does not make us free as we are fearful of the consequences.

Recent developments on the UK’s public square and in our political system bring to the fore – questions about truth and truth-bearers. The Iraq War Inquiry, the case of the torture of a British subject and our government’s complicity, the corrupt financial practices of some of our politicians, the case of huge kickbacks for arms contract, all highlight the web of lies and deception which we have been subjected to by public servants and corporate functionaries. Indeed, the cynics among us may wish to give up on any sense of fairness, justice, fair-play and good old propriety. Redemption, however, may be located in the fact that an inquiry is going on, some politicians are before the Courts and it is through a sense of justice that our government’s complicity in the torture of one of its own citizen has been revealed.

It seems as if we do not need a war to “make truth the first casualty”. Wanting to stay in power, greed and the art of deception are just as good enough reasons to nail truth to the stake. From current evidence one is reasonably led to deduce a pattern for most governments: when confronted with specific claims of injustice – their tendency is respond with generic denials drowning the real issue in polemics and deflections. In the case of the charge related to torture, forget the legality for a moment and concentrate on the ethical issue: how can the UK government confront the abuse of human rights around the world, if its own hands are bloody? With what integrity can we speak?

In our postmodern world, when facts and situations are manipulated by the powerful for their benefit and as means towards their own selfish ends, then it becomes challenging and difficult to rehabilitate confidence in integrity, justice and the systems we have in place to ensure law and order and the building of the common good.

As we follow parliamentary debates, watch the proceedings of the Iraq War Inquiry, and listen to bankers and “corpo-crats” defend their patches – we can sense and locate the lies. Sometimes, I try imagining what it would be like if we are all wired up to a set of traffic lights, where green will signal I am telling what I honestly believe to be the truth (though it may only be my perception of truth); where yellow will point to some truth but that which I am not wholly sincere about; and where red means that what I am saying is blatant lie and that people should read the opposite as truth. Others may suggest that a lie detector may also serve the purpose!

With the upcoming elections in the UK and the promises, arguments and counter arguments bombarding the public, this may not be a bad idea. I am already imagining how the traffic lights will be flitting back and forth from red to yellow, with few rare moments of green coming to our rescue!

Exclusion and Border Control: Rediscovering Protest

2010-02-07T19:38:00.004Z

More of us (including myself) need to urgently get involved in protest movements. I mean actively protesting, as generations in the not so distant past have done and as some dedicated groups continue to do. There are so many things to protest against that we really need joined up thinking in our protest strategies (to ward off protest fatigue) against the many manifestations of evil taking hold of institutions that ought to work for our common good.

One modern incarnation of evil that comes across as necessary for our own protection is that of the institution called the UK Border and Agency (UKBA). Now, I am of the view that every country has the right to monitor and control movements in and out of its space. Notwithstanding, I would have to be very desperate to be working for such a body whose ethics and operations rarely seem to display a sense of what is human in carrying out its task of monitoring movement to, from and within the UK. This does not mean that morally good people cannot work with such an institution. I would, however, find it difficult to rationalise any semblance of a moral reason for wanting to be part of a structure that in my view lies, dehumanises people (read their reports to see how people are represented as statistics) and displays racist tendencies, as a recent whistle-blower has revealed. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/8496759.stm]

We are informed that from January 6th skilled workers outside of fortress EU became another group to need biometric identity cards in order to extend their stay in the UK. By 2011 all foreign nationals will have to possess an identity card with digital photos and fingerprints on it – along with loads of other information about the person. All the fingerprinting and digital photos will then be stored on the National Biometric Identity Store costing taxpayers about £265 pounds. Imagine how this could have helped to alleviate poverty right here in the UK and do some good work making us a more “civil” society!

Think of the possibility of errors, the improper use of large amounts of info about an individual which will be shared across borders and groups and the likely possibility of tampering/stealing of identities. Besides, all of this will make data protection look like a joke! However, the real issue at the heart of all of this is the designed ways we are using to justify a certain logic of exclusion that will result in more racism and more non-Caucasian looking people having to prove that they are actually British – born and bred here. Going through the window would be any compassion for people who are really in need or the recognition of peoples skills and gifts. There is a theological issue here that people of faiths may wish to consider: If citizenship and immigration status are the governing principles around how we understand hospitality and what kind of hospitality we can offer, then we have degenerated into such depths that our humanness is at risk. It is certainly a reflection of how impoverished and insecure we have become – all signs of an imploding society.

And, lest we believe that this is only a matter that will be affecting “undesirables" from our shores, we would do well to remember that it is only a matter of time before the surveillance will take over the lives of all of us. Service providers are already involved in verifying who are in their employment, as imagined fears continue to drive us to believe that this will make our country and our lives safer. The irony is that we (for instance the church) will end up doing the state’s dirty business of monitoring all who are working for them and then to all those attend our churches or are using our premises. The likelihood that surveillance would take over our lives is a reasonable deduction given that most of us seem to have relapsed into a servile habit. As one writer puts it (writing in a different context): “We have become so accustomed to being administered and managed by official power that many in our society have no other principle of motion than oscillation between impulse on the one hand and external control on the other, without much of an inner core of self-direction in between. The classical Greeks called this condition “servility”.” [Kenneth Minogue in Standpoint (July-August 2009), p.69]

Are we able to counter this force and kick the habit of servility? We are in danger of losing all the “freedoms” so many others have fought dearly for! Or to paraphrase Heidegger: “Has everything been already decided for us, so that nothing is left worth discussing or more appropriately worth protesting against?”

Spirit Upsets NASA – Theology Lessons

2010-01-28T17:12:00.006Z

Last year February one of my blogs was on the Mars Rover – aptly named Spirit - and the opportunities it allowed me to play with some elusive theological ideas. You will recall that the Mars Rover was launched in 2004 and when it reached its destination the news caption was Spirit has landed! Perhaps, they should have added: Beware – life will never be the same again!

It must be co-incidence, for Spirit is again in the news (if you had time to notice among BBC’s list of numerous news items). This time the mighty and brainy experts of NASA have conceded defeat to free or release Spirit from its Martian sand-trap. As one key expert puts it: "Spirit has encountered a golfer's worst nightmare - the sand trap that no matter how many strokes you take, you can't get out of it." Well, the world’s number one golfer would be unable to help, as he is presently going through therapy for his apparent sex addiction!

Spirit is hopelessly stuck or perhaps just having its own free mind or way and not even all the efforts of the “mission team” (talk of ecclesial language!) to tilt Spirit so that it can become more energised by the sunlight, is of any avail. And guess what? The mission team wants Spirit to go into hibernation from April until sometime in August. However, all is not lost, one of the experts on Spirit contends that while being stationary (can you church people imagine a stationary Spirit?) it can still be tracked very accurately to ensure that we can measure the wobbling of Mars. Imagine the relief of churches being able to track and predict the movement of Spirit, not to mention the many who do already operate as if they have Spirit all figured out.

The experts, while having to concede that Spirit remains a mystery, do suggest that there are still a few tricks up Spirit’s sleeve which they may be able to manipulate and predict. And, we are told that while Spirit is stuck there is no need to “mourn Spirit”. It maybe that the technocrats are stuck and they need to shed tears for themselves, rather than Spirit.

The saga, however, opens up some fascinating connections from an ecclesial/theological perspective if we are daring enough to be transgressive. Here are a few for consideration: Beware when Spirit lands in our midst – it is risky and dangerous business [Come, O Holy Spirit, but quietly please may be the bottom line!]; Spirit’s ability to boost and energised, while unlimited, can take a different and unpredictable turn -full of surprises; It is fruitless trying to domesticate and figure out Spirit – let the mighty and brainy NASA concur with shouts of Amen - it is more like Spirit helping humans to figure out themselves; Spirit does not act on human instructions and not even tilting and manipulating will make Spirit acquiesce; Spirit has a mind of her own with many “mysterious and mischievous tricks” up her sleeve; Spirit may brood, but she never hibernates! So do watch wisely, act but humbly and pray fervently!

Suffering, Survival and Faith – Haiti

2010-01-17T19:20:00.008Z

I can only imagine the suffering and pain which Haitians are familiar with and are presently experiencing. The current disaster is part of an unending chain of what seems like a perpetual living nightmare. In the imagination of a people whose generosity and faith are unexplainable, that late evening when the earthquake struck and the aftermath must have conjured up images of an apocalypse. Yet, those reporting are not only struck by the pleas of “when will help arrive”: they are also baffled by the faith and resilience of the Haitians. Where is the Divine? How can such tragedies befall people already living in years of abject poverty and who have carry un-countable number of crosses? And how, in the midst of all this can Haitians still exclaim: “God is Good”? What drives Haitian faith?

Lines from Barack Obama’s observation and his nation’s pledge of support caught my attention: "With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are our neighbours in the Americas and here at home." Indeed, a long history and one worth remembering to understand the anguish of Haitians and our part in it. Yes, there are thousands of Haitians living in the US and contributing to its economy and well-being and send money back home. But those with longer memories will also know how the Haitian boat people were treated. Unlike their lighter textured looking Cuban neighbours, their boats were turned back. Both nations (US & Haiti) can tell stories of birth out of the bosom of European colonialism. And while, Haiti was the first Black republic in the world, the US flexing of its muscle on the world stage has been directly played out on Haiti. Haiti became a Caribbean “playground in the backyard of the US” for military and strategic purposes.

The bottom line is that the rich need Haitians and their muscles for one main reason - cheap labour. No wonder the economic motivation to return the boatloads to service those sweat shops/fields in Haiti and nearby Santo Domingo! And lest we forget, Haiti may have been the 1st Black republic, but it had to pay a costly price to France (before time of IMF and World Bank) for her freedom – a debt which was only completed in the 1950’s. Yet, these sufferers – the “in spite of people” baffle us with their ability to survive. Matthew Price reporting for BBC on the earthquake notes this about the “in spite of people” (Haitians).

I sense that they've [Haitians] grown used to expecting nothing. I'm rather ashamed to tell you that I discovered that for myself today, first with a young man called Stanley, who's a waiter in the hotel we're in. He's been working with me from dawn to dusk, helping me do my job. Today I asked about his family. It turns out Stanley's grandmother had been crushed to death under her house on Tuesday, pulled out of the rubble on Thursday, and buried on Friday. Stanley had been with me throughout and he hadn't said a thing. Then there's Stanley's boss, the wonderful Cassandra. She runs the little hotel we're in and she's doing everything for us: given me Stanley, found us drivers, put her generator on when we need power, even as her fuel runs low. She's found rooms for everyone. And now I find out she has nowhere to live. Her home was also destroyed. There's no doubt that Haitians are a resilient people, no doubt that they will cope with this.... [http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8463180.stm]

So while we once again rush in with much need aid, quarrel over infrastructure and flash dead bodies across our media screens, we will do well to also force rich nations to tackle the root cause of abject poverty in Haiti, otherwise the poor and the offense of abject poverty will return to haunt us. Indeed, the poor are still with us - as Jesus is purported to have said. And their condition, instead of improving, is getting worse. Free Trade, the new abode of Divinity, the source of plenty and prosperity and in whom lies salvation wants to ensure that the poor stays poor – even though it is cheaper to eliminate poverty than maintain it.

Haitians know this and this is why their faith is strong and practiced with realism. In spite of extreme poverty – Haitians do not lack creativity: art and faith. Joy abounds. One Haitian artist who works with unimaginable and dead/useless pieces of scraps (from anything) puts it this way: “Death is a joyful condition for us artists. We find a shell and give it life. And while we cannot afford to travel: it travels all around the world for us. The irony for us Haitians is that we travel only when we die.” How true: our eyes are now towards Haiti as a result of disaster and death!

Haitians also take the realism and irony to their reading of the Bible. For instance, where the Bible verse from Philippians 4:13 will read: “I can do all things through Christ who will strengthen me”; Haitians will translated this text into creole to read: “In any situation that appears before me, I can ‘make do’ or manage (degaje), thanks to Christ who gives me strength.” The shift in terms of use of words here is not insignificant: to degaje something is to make it work some other way. The historical realities of Haitians mean that they cannot, with integrity, say that with God's help all things are possible or their dreams can come true. That will be a lie in terms of historical and existential realities. However, with God’s help they are able to make life work and get by in spite of the harsh realities. It is time to help Haiti to be released from impoverishment by putting into practice our declaration to “make poverty history” and this means working to undo root causes.

Image credit Celeur Jean Hérard

http://www.atis-rezistans.com/index.html

Two Pigeons and a Homeless Man Preaching

2010-01-09T13:33:00.004Z

Two incidents, unrelated perhaps, gave me much to think about! Both happened on my way to and from a Ghanaian Service of Carols and Lessons at Kensington United Reformed Church on December 20 (2009) to which I was invited to share some Advent/Christmas thoughts.

On the way to this gathering, travelling on the tube (underground) from St. Pancras, I had to change trains at Edgware. I was pleasantly surprised (as was the other person who came in just after me) to find two pigeons making their way into the carriage. For those who do not know. This part of the route is over-ground. As other people boarded, the pigeons moved to the rear of the carriage pecking away at anything that looked like food while eyeing their human neighbours. They kept to themselves and at a safe distance - while journeying with the rest of us – without any ticket! Even more amusing was the fact that they exited at the next station. I wondered whether they continued their journey and whether this was their regular route.

The other incident happened on my return journey from Edgware to St Pancras. This was a crowded tube/train and in our midst was a guy who looked like a “rough sleeper”. He was carrying a large garbage bag and a rucksack. His intense look conjured up images of John the Baptist or more correctly John the wild. And, he lived up to that name as he started his own sermon on the tube:

“Is there a kind soul onboard? See me: I am homeless, tired and hungry. Can someone help this desperate man? I do not have the luxury to shop like most of you here, but can you give this poor man something...?”

And he continued while all turned the other way. He then looked directly at me, as he was standing near to me and I could not turn anywhere else, and directed his intense gaze and words my way:

“And you sir, can you share something with me from that fancy bag you are carrying...” Impulsively and before he could continue, I handed him the bag: “You can have it all brother!”, I shocked myself into mumbling. By this time we were pulling up at our next stop and everyone was now looking at me. “The whole bag”, he asked looking shocked – and before I could answer, he took it, gave me a few “cheers” and exited the train faster than Usain Bolt.

He was certainly shocked and I cannot tell whether he had intended to exit there. I myself do not know why I responded that way. It may be that here was a person so desperate that it moved me to compassion. Probably not! It may have been that I just wanted him to stop preaching or that I was very embarrassed. But that nice looking bag was what I got as my food or refreshment package from the Ghanaian Service I was just coming from. Later, one of my sons asked me (having recounted the incident) whether I would I have handed him a bag filled with more precious things, like my Christmas shopping for instance! I am not sure that I would have.

From experience, however, I am hesitant to draw quick conclusions, but I am willing to say this much: the Divine does move us in very mischievous and surprising ways – so we better watch out when a homeless person starts preaching, what we preach, pray for and what we carry in our designer shopping bags!

2010- Year of Civility, Perhaps

2010-01-02T16:21:00.003Z

When nothing is sacred anymore the only thing we can hope for is that sometime very soon, we can re-discover our collective sense of self-control, integrity, fair-play and civic responsibility. Look around you: have you experienced a decline in behaviour, an increase in unfriendliness and rudeness, or a total lack of respect shown toward others? Or just try recalling some of those rude mobile telephone conversations you had to listen to while travelling in a train?

A colleague of mine was recently complaining about the loss of manners, courtesy and community spirit – especially among young people. She was very critical of the ways people behave at boarding any public transport and how they walk along the sidewalks. There was a general feeling from all of us in the group that the loss of basic manners and notions of civic responsibility is an alarming problem that cuts across age, gender, culture and ethnicity. The most frustrating thing is that all of us felt disempowered to be able to say anything to anyone about their behaviour, even when it is very offensive.

Has Britain become an uncivil society? A new book published recently argues that incivility has become common, whether in the behaviour of TV and radio presenters, revellers out on a Saturday night, or drunks on airplanes. This situation has reached such an extent that when we do meet people (especially young people) who are courteous, helpful and kind we are very surprised and will want to share that experience with as many people as possible. This is besides the fact that we are then cognisant of our own behaviour and what we have lost.

Civility Lost and Found (published by the Young Foundation with the support of AHRC) looks at the nature of civility in British society and what can be done to nurture such a society. The research points to a wide range of actions that could help to make Britain a more civil society, building on projects already in place: powerful institutions taking more responsibility for the impact of their actions, and those of their leaders; the internet offering civility checks for emails; firms and public services offering apologies when things go wrong, rather than oscillating between defensiveness and financial compensation; teenagers playing roles as civil guardians on the streets; schools teaching mindfulness; police force providing on the spot prizes as well as spot fines for young people etc.

Some of the thoughts from leading thinkers and politicians include the following: call for more character education in schools and volunteering to instill habits of civility; closer attention and care to families and time together; rethinking the relationship between political correctness and civility; cultivating the habit of being able to say sorry and to apologise; exploring more intentionally the role of religion and volunteering in promoting civility. [For more on the research on civility see: http://www.youngfoundation.org/files/images/Civility.pdf ]

Perhaps, in our clamouring over the notion that we are Christian nation or one founded on Christian ethos, we may do well to revisit some of the basic tenets of the faith that are related to how we practice our love of God and neighbour, so integral not only to the Christian religion, but to all religions. Perhaps, public policies may wish to take some of the leaves from the pages of sacred texts! And it may just be possible that civility - the “learned grammar of sociability” - may once again take deep roots in society for the common good of our relational lives and that of future generations.

Privilege Bashers: Beware

2009-12-19T16:47:00.003Z

A few days ago, Metro (December 18, 2009) carried a piece on the Queen travelling on Capital First Connect from London Kings Cross to Sandrigham. Her Majesty was commended for reducing her Carbon footprint by using scheduled train services over the year. This, the piece suggested, was a lot greener than that of her son Charles jetting off to Copenhagen (like the many others) to lecture the world on how to save planet earth from pollution. The piece, however, quickly went on to become more cynical by noting that perhaps the real reason Her Majesty went by train is because all the private jets have headed to Copenhagen, as did all the limousines having had to travel miles from other European countries, as Denmark could not source the necessary amount required.

What strikes me from this news item is how easy it is for one group in their egalitarian and ecological zeal to assume the high moral ground, oblivious of the inconsistencies of their own positions, what they themselves aspire for, and are actually involved in.

This attitude is there in Labour and especially middle class efforts of wanting to remove all the privileges of those born with “golden spoons” in their mouths, and those attending Independent and Grammar Schools and those whose postcode is not like theirs. Lest you read me wrongly, I am all for an egalitarian society and for equality of opportunities for all and it is a disgrace that we live in a world with so great a gap between the people who have and those who do have – both between nations and within a nation.

The reality, however, is that egalitarianism and a level playing field are wishful thinking. Just look at the way one Party pledged how it was going to reform the House of Lords. Well, some of the fiercest critics having been made life Peers, now truly enjoy the privilege to the extent that you would be excused for believing that they were ever the same people who “preached” against privilege. And where do you think those who advocate “all comprehensive schools” send their children for their education? Are the sons and daughters of privilege bashers those on the battlefronts in Afghanistan and Iraq? Who really wants to drink a cup of tea, play cards with or have a conversation with all and sundry? The reality is that privilege, like the poor, will always be with us. Animal Farm is just as applicable to us as it is to Communist regimes!

But back to the related ecological point of the article: it is certainly true about all the jetting around to get to a summit intended to make a case for saving the planet has also caused more pollution by the chosen means of travel to get there. Newspapers and journalists can gloat about this and take the high moral ground. But they need to remember that they also do the same to get there in order to get news that will make money. And to make this news readable they will have to use rolls and rolls of paper – rain forest in effect - to print not only news, but so much that should neither be read nor seen on television. This is besides the fact of the carbon footprint that all their online papers will create as a result of the energy used to drive servers and computers.

What we do with our privilege is what is important: for starters we can begin by being honest about who we are, our intentions, the jealousies that drive us and the greed(s) that has/have become our orienting framework. Let’s be honest and open in our criticality: this will carry more integrity for us together to take a moral high ground as we challenge each other for the benefit of the whole of creation.

Living Lies: Tony Blair’s Distorted faith

2009-12-13T17:31:00.004Z

Tony Blair is again in the news. He loves the spotlight, even though the public is once again presented with a politician – now a self-acclaimed man of faith – who will lie to you straight in the face. It would be an interesting exercise if someone has the time to do an in-depth scrutiny of his speeches in relation to war against Iraq to reveal the contradictions, inconsistencies in his speeches.

Here is the man who was reluctant to discuss his Christian faith while in office, but has now turned global priest to help save the world through faith and religions. Someone should examine his head. I leave his heart for the divine to plumb its depths!

One inconsistency that looks like a real joke is this: that while his faith did not affect his decision to go to war – it did help to sustain him through the conflict (as he quoted to have said). He goes on to explain that one’s faith cannot help one to make a right decision but it can sustain one after making the decision.

What utter rubbish and a disgrace to the flip side of faith – that is faithfulness. Sure, one’s faith does not provide one with a fixed blueprint to the making of right decisions. But surely, there are enough examples from the Christian faith in relation to values and morals that could have pointed to why we should not have gone to this war based only on the premise that one sophisticated liar thought there was another dangerous meglaomaniac who needed to be taken out. Over a million people in this country, including all the Christian churches, protested – yet he saw it fit not to listen to these voices. It may be that Blair is the only person in the UK with a direct line to the Divine!

But what is even more disgusting is to suggest that having gone to war it was his faith that sustained him! I wonder what the Divine will make of this inconsistency. Faith sustains but faith has no role to play in the sin of creating a “one eternal hell” for Iraqis or murdering lots of innocent people (collateral damages). How convenient it is to use faith and by implication the Divine for one’s selfish end – like some puppet always there to soothe one’s feelings - not to challenge one’s immoral acts and decisions that will have devastating consequences.

It is not only the BNP who have hijacked the Christian faith for their selfish and disgusted motives. They have an accomplice in Tony Blair, albeit from a different angle: he has hijacked the Christian faith and presents us with a face of faith and God that will justify immoral actions: not one that calls him or us to accountability. Blair should be heading for the confession box of his local Catholic congregation or whenever he stops by the earthly throne of St. Peter in Rome.

Greed Reigns: Going Alternative

2009-12-04T12:25:00.003Z

One would have expected that with the financial crisis and our present economic woes that we would learn many lessons – as the politicians and financial experts are keen to point out when interviewed and lost for words. My distaste for the phrase “lessons are to be learnt” has to do with my dismay over the number of times this has been uttered, when in reality nothing changes. Old habits die hard – they just re-invent themselves. As events over the past weeks have revealed, greed is quite difficult to control. It is hyper-active. And those (individuals, financial institutions and corporations) who have been among the main culprits in our economic demise continue to demonstrate how they do not intend to change an iota.

Money not only talks: it rules and in very strange ways it continues to dictate our lives. Banks, Bankers and financial institutions that/whom we have had to be bail out through the public purse continue to dictate policies ranging from exorbitant payments/salaries of huge sums of money to all forms of immoral defence and excuses to justify these. The figures we are talking about will not only break my calculator: it will make the budget of some majority world country look like peanuts. This is besides the fact that all our talk about ethics appear like something from the Stonehenge.

Can we wholly blame conscienceless individuals and a system for this situation? Where and how have we become accomplices in such a system built on an illusion, good enough (while it has its run) to give us handouts that make us feel worthy, rich and part of something going somewhere? Perhaps, the Dutch economist Goudzwaard is correct to note that our economic system can be compared to us being caught in a traffic jam in a tunnel with the traffic flowing only in one direction: we can neither move forward, backward or sideways. The only safe place is forward out of the tunnel even though the road leads over a precipice.

How can economics operate with a moral conscience if banking technocrats and bureaucrats see no responsibility in earning smaller salaries? Are these people of faith? If they are, how do they connect their faith/belief to responsibility for the common good? What do faith communities say to such folks who may be members and supporters?

Is it possible for ordinary people to make a difference? I certainly think that we can use the power of protest more constructively: those who are shareholders may wish to help change policies rather than only thinking profit. We may also wish to be more radical in our protest: take our monies out of banks that are unethical. And forget supermarket financing and credit cards! Don’t be duped. Perhaps we ought to contemplate alternative banks. Why not? Why do we have to stick with immoral economic nonsense? Why wait for politicians to remedy this situation. The bottom line for politics is that economic interests rule and call the shots even though these are crumbling like dominoes all around us.

Here is the seven headed dragon multiplied a hundred times that is the prevalent evil the day. There is no knight in shining armour ready to slay the beasts and its many avatars. We can, however, individually and as small communities act by going alternative: do not use unethical banks; invest ethically; do not go into debt; live within your means; why do you need more than one credit card?; pay your credit card off immediately; if you cannot, then bin it as soon as possible; why not try bartering (a faith community is a good space to start such an initiative). Faith communities can certainly take the lead on this. There are loads of other ideas online.

See for instance:

http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/responsibility/alternative-economic-structures

After all: a journey of 1000 miles begins with the 1^st step (Korean wisdom saying). Do not wait on someone else to take that step! Act now!

The Sacred is here to Stay

2009-11-27T14:31:00.001Z

Whether we articulate it or not, intuitively, we can sense that the sacred or mystical will always be with us – just like the poor (given that nothing much has changed in spite of our current economic demise). We do not need the author of a recent volume, Supersense: Why we Believe in the Believable (HarperOne, 2009) to tell us that the sacred is here to stay.

Bruce Hood (the author) reckons that all humans are equipped with a “supersense” that plumbs into a hidden world of spirits, fates and spooky connections. My deceased grandmother knew this before Hood, though she could not read nor write. Hood’s advantage is that he could locate this in the context of scientific research.

So to the question of the rationalist as to why we hold on to irrational modes of thought even when science tells us otherwise, Hood contends that we have evolved to be irrational as a by-product of various brain mechanisms. If you are constantly stressed out, research suggests adults will tend to revert to irrational thought patterns. I wonder how much of this happens in certain kind of worship! So despite all our best intentions (beware arrogant rationalists) the supersense lingers on at the back of our minds. I wonder what Richard Dawkins will make of this – not that it matters much.

The bottom line here, which may be good news for faith communities, is that religions will not disappear, and science can even make a case to show that we are a sacred species. But lest we get too excited, Christian faith communities need to manifest more trust in the Divine and less insecurity and fear in trying to protect or ring-fence grace. Then maybe we may find new rituals and rediscover liturgies apt enough to connect with the ‘supersense’ of humans?

Telling it Plainly – the Politics of Language

2009-11-16T14:54:00.004Z

This year is the 60^th anniversary of George Orwell’s 1984. Much of Orwell’s projections in 1984 are with us today: "Big Brother" surveillance, control of history, and the corruption of language. Listening to our politicians, economic pundits and some media commentators, one is aware of the Orwellian manipulation of language in a number of ways. "Peace-keeping forces", for instance, is a coded terminology used to initiate war; invasions are described as ‘landings,’ or opportunities to restore democracy; "defense strategy" actually means planning for war; unemployed people made redundant are referred to as potential “micro-entrepreneurs; prisoners become stakeholders, protestors become threats to national security and the new democracy is indebtedness with a growing economy one that encourages spending and indebtedness of its inhabitants.

Language has indeed become so corrupted, abused and misused that one commentator notes that the mantra of New Labour “to deliver on the things that people want delivered” does not necessarily mean “to deliver it”. If anything – it means the opposite – not to deliver. [Jamie Whyte, Standpoint 17 (November 2009), p.10]! What have we become? Why the world of “unreality” and denial in which most of us live in and operate by?

Some contend that there is need to kill the plethora of jargons that have taken over our lives. They point especially to documents emanating from government offices that include words that not even a dictionary will be of any help. These words include: cohort; stakeholders, synergy, transformational, faith initiatives, outcomes, level playing field, improvement levers, coterminous, stakeholder engagement, revenue streams, slippage, can do culture, potentialities, quantum, subsidiarity, value-added etc. The list is massive! The concern is that such use of words is a real stumbling block to communication and create more confusion - perhaps conveniently playing into the manipulation of language that Orwell had in mind.

Churches have also bought into this trend of language manipulation: while on the one hand its liturgical and theological language is archaic, making little or no sense to many in its own midst; churches have also borrowed many of the above words. Our documents today are loaded with most of these jargons that doubly compound our inability to communicate.

Imagine being given permission to create a list of jargons or words to ban from the current vocabulary of our ecclesial institutions, government departments and community organs? What would you come up with? Would our lives be any better and would we have a clearer and more realistic view of our task together for the common good?

The gods of our lives

2009-11-09T22:52:00.003Z

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz in delivering the annual lecture (2009) of Sir Isaiah Berlin spoke of a vacuum in western society. He observes that we are living in a world empty of Judeo-Christianity values, filled with something else – other gods. According to Steinsaltz, these are actually old gods with new names. He identifies three: power (formerly known as Baal) also known as the god of money (mammon); sex (Astarte or Ishtar); and the craving of immediate fame (Calliope). [See Standpoint 16 (October 2009), pp.68-70]

These gods are located in interesting temples: for instance, the temples of mammon or Jupiter are in London and Geneva (with other competing locations) though they are now called banks and their priests are called managers. While Mammon is often dressed in neatly designed suits, Astarte invests in loads of plastic surgery/botox (forever young and grinning), while Calliope enters homes via numerous television shows. All these gods 'tick', not because of the power of love, but the love of power. These gods compete to become ‘keepers of our souls”. At the heart of their plan is the desire to turn us into genuflecting slaves to money, wealth and fame.

Science is also interested in how these gods and their temples operate to get us hooked, hence a number of research as to the how and why of hooked humans. One recent research shows how much of our behaviour and relationships are shaped by and tied to money. Experts inform us that “just handling paper money could reduce the distress associated with social exclusion”. And, no - they are not referring to the game of Monopoly! Researchers also observed that “people who felt rejected by others were less likely to give a monetary gift”. Others have discovered that money can “act on our minds rather like an addictive drug, giving it the power to drive some of us to compulsive gambling, overworking or obsessive spending". Moreover, we are told that for many, salvation may be found in one of Mammon’s key symbol - credit cards. This symbol can also “act as a ‘decoupling device’ separating the pleasure of the purchase from the pain of payment – pain that gets pushed into the foggy future,”- somewhat too close to a certain kind of eschatology!

So wherein lies hope? It is certainly not in a Luddite approach that is anti-progress or a desire to turn back the clock to some unrealistic and nostalgic period. I suppose hope lies in our ability to believe that something different is possible to model; that in spite of all these gods we are hooked to, there are insights (not templates), values and virtues from religious traditions that can become lived habits that help us to exorcise these modern gods that compete to claim and chain our souls. This demands openness to a radical change of hearts!

TRAIN CONVERSATIONS

2009-10-30T16:59:00.004Z

On one of my very recent train trips, passengers were just boarding a train and were not too long into their seats when four passengers seated around the table started to use their mobile phone simultaneously. In this cacophony of voices and ringtones, joined by some others at the other end of the carriage, a very elderly gentleman looked on in dismay, then turned in my direction (as I was also looking on) and shaking his head uttered two words: telephone exchange.

At least the telephone exchanges I used to visit to make overseas calls were contained and sealed cubicles. In the train – even in the quiet coach – nothing is contained. It is free for all. That elderly person may have found an apt descriptor: trains are like telephone exchanges gone public!

Working in London, I often make weekly trips to and from Birmingham. On these train journeys I have heard some wacky, personal and juicy conversations in a variety of languages and accents. I have heard people do bank deals, sell shares, close a business deal, make or cancel their hospital appointments, give instructions to their PA’s and junior colleagues, have domestic quarrels, shared privileged information about the potential sacking of an employee, and do telephone purchases – just to mention a few. In effect these folks have shared very personal and confidential information in an open space over their mobile phones. However hard one tries to appear to mind one’s business, it is difficult not to overhear these conversations in such a public space.

What I find rather amusing and ironical is that this is done by people who are normally very private individuals, who upon entering the train would gravitate towards a seat where they will park all their belongings on the vacant seat next to theirs (if it is not reserved) and would hardly ever broach a conversation with a total stranger and yet they would then proceed to hang outside, like washing, their work/business/family life and personal details for a coach load of total strangers to listen into. Even more interesting is the fact that most people seem oblivious of what they are doing and that this has become commonplace that we now accept it as the norm.

In a society where “me” and “I” matters more than “us” and “ours” and where my train seat and the one next to me become my castle, immediate connectivity may have opened up a new world before us. And I am not sure whether this has improved the quality of our lives as individuals and as a community. At the same time, we have been sucked deeper into a whirlpool of crass individualism which seems to displace our sensitivity, sense of decency, common sense and an awareness of the world just around us. Freedom carries with it a moral responsibility for the common good that includes my neighbours and that includes a cultivated habit of awareness of the world around us.