The Divine Doesn’t Care.

Don’t worry it’s really not as bad as it sounds. If like me you have or had parents you know the relationship. At best they support you, give you advice and want you to do well. At worst they chastise you for your faults, what you’ve done badly or not at all. They care. So it’s likely we’ll conceive of our chosen God as a deity that cares about us, especially if we refer to it as ‘he’ and ‘father.’ If we do we're back seeking parental support, love and direction. But what if the divine is even better than that? What if the divine says, “You have been given the earth, a veritable Garden of Eden, and you are free to do as you wish. But there are laws that make life better or worse. Do as you wish and I hope you live well”? No guidance, no protective care, no preferential treatment, no direct line, simply do as you wish. This is the wisest divinity, for without the freedom to make mistakes there is no learning and without learning we will not come to know the laws or our choices to follow them. When we do we will come to know the nature of the divine. Until then we will create our own godly messages; how he hates gay marriage and non-Muslims (or Muslims), how he provokes us kill and fight in his name, how he has a long list of right and wrong. Truth be told the divine doesn’t care, but hopes we learn to experience it. 

The Divine Doesn’t Care.

Don’t worry it’s really not as bad as it sounds. If like me you have or had parents you know the relationship. At best they support you, give you advice and want you to do well. At worst they chastise you for your faults, what you’ve done badly or not at all. They care. So it’s likely we’ll conceive of our chosen God as a deity that cares about us, especially if we refer to it as ‘he’ and ‘father.’ If we do we're back seeking parental support, love and direction. But what if the divine is even better than that? What if the divine says, “You have been given the earth, a veritable Garden of Eden, and you are free to do as you wish. But there are laws that make life better or worse. Do as you wish and I hope you live well”? No guidance, no protective care, no preferential treatment, no direct line, simply do as you wish. This is the wisest divinity, for without the freedom to make mistakes there is no learning and without learning we will not come to know the laws or our choices to follow them. When we do we will come to know the nature of the divine. Until then we will create our own godly messages; how he hates gay marriage and non-Muslims (or Muslims), how he provokes us kill and fight in his name, how he has a long list of right and wrong. Truth be told the divine doesn’t care, but hopes we learn to experience it. 

Just saying America.

Melissa Dohme was a Tampa Bay twenty year old with a boyfriend. He was cute, funny, attentive. Over time he began to lie, cheat and bully her so she refused to see him anymore. One night he lured her out on a false pretext and stabbed her 30 times. Paramedics fought for her life but doubted her survival. In hospital she needed 12 pints of blood, her heart stopped several times, the boyfriend was arrested. Over two years she made a full recovery. She became friends with Cameron Hill one of the paramedics that saved her. He proposed on the pitchers mound of major league baseball match and she accepted. They are now very happy and Melissa is active in raising awareness of domestic violence. The boyfriend is serving life with no parole. Just saying America.

United Under Trump.

There appears a deepening divide over the Trump presidency, but is there? People voted for him as a bringer of change and against him because they too wanted change but not in his direction. Underneath the divide is a huge common desire. But something as innocuous as a Face Book algorithm that delivers only what you want to hear has divided and reinforced opinions till the only colour is black and white. Dirt collar works want hope, blue want jobs and white don’t want to be the only ones paying for it. Only the gold collars are happy with the status quo, and by no means are they the majority. The acrimonious debate over Trump is a facile division. But other than Sanders and Corbyn’s rather downbeat pronouncements the change-wanters see no way forward. There is no solidifying shape of this mythical change that the majority want. And it’s no way a Trumpian vision or any vision derivable in Washington or Wall Street. It begins way outside those holey walls. It begins with decimalised voting where 10 vote for the best amongst them who go on to vote for the best of the next 10 and so on till the best of the best becomes the candidate with no allegiance other than to those who chose him or her. Then the unheard of policies. Speak only from the heart. Pay true service to the quality and equality of all lives. Taxation to reduce social divisions. Shorter working week. Revise the fundamentals of need. Limit advertising. Revise the fundamentals of education. Introduce an American NHS .And so on. Americans have lived in fear for at least three generations and Trump is the culmination, the line in the sand that selects reverse. God bless America. And its people will breath a sigh of relief strong enough to blow the dust off the moon. 

A Welcome Trump.

In this reprise of Dick Whittington we’re in the final scene. Two giant oak doors open to the approach of a small boy made good. Well not good exactly, more viciously veracious from a distorted childhood. We glimpse the assembled faces within the ajar turn from hatred to smiles, his turn from disdain to an equally false face shape. As he treads closer on a blood red carpet of broken commoners all are eager for the doors to close behind him. Like some Masonic Bohemian Grove ceremony he with the tallest hat takes his place at the head of the pentagram. What was in doubt is made whole again: the commoners are safe without. Boris Johnson who once called him a buffoon, a serious accolade from one so well qualified in that arena, sees new opportunities in their brotherly bond. Vanessa May is keen to do business via ‘our special relationship’ with the boy who has bullied and screwed every business partner he’s ever had. But all is well; the gates are closed. The circle of power is secure again. 

Trump Does Brexit.

7.00am Wednesday 9/11/2016. OMG 9/11 all over again! Hadn’t noticed that. Anyway the quietly confident establishment has been thwarted again. After years of trying to sell innovative toys one thing is clear. People may profess to want new, different game changing ideas but when push comes to shove they plump for slight variants of what they already know. Clinton’s stale My Little Pony line couldn’t compete with Trump’s Mutant Ninja Turtle. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the world takes it. I’d imagine back home both Democrats and Republicans are in shock. One’s lost and the other might have a President they’d rather be rid of. It wouldn’t surprise me if Trump left 2017 either in jail or, after an unfortunate accident, in a box. But Trump, like the rest of the American population, doesn’t know what he’s in for. Where they might find Trump’s billions were made from screwing little people, business partners and government grants he will find a figure head without friends is an exercise in futile frustration and fiscal failure. OK a nice house but a salary of $400k won’t even cover costs. But and it’s a big but, we will all either learn to be honest and act well or move closer to the disastrous denouement that appears to be marching steadfastly towards us. But what’s to worry about? Apparently the Inuit elders have noticed the Earth is beginning to wobble on its axis and in less than a year Planet X or Nibiru will fly by and cause mass extinctions. So Trump’s got nothing to worry about, so long as he doesn’t stop Jews entering America along with Muslims.