The world needs more love - there seems to me little doubt about that. Love gets disguised or over-taken by greed and self-interest, and we don't notice this sometimes. Speaking as a Brit - we need more "Tough Love" as well. We should stop walking around like victims and start behaving like grown-ups.
We need to face up to our past and tackle the issues we face head-on, largely problems of our own making. The fact we don't, I believe, is down to the spectacular absence of leadership. We have poor leadership because we choose weak leaders who, in order to get elected, promise us the easy life and more of everything we desire.
But how on earth are young people supposed to grow into strong adults with decent core values if no one has instilled in them good manners, self-discipline and the ability to use their common sense? Quite apart from developing some strength of character and a little bit of grit.
This whinging culture that is so prevalent today is a scandal, yet we have allowed it to propagate, and even today, it is still both actively and tacitly encouraged from some quarters. The latest example being Harry and Meghan publicly whinging and moaning about their very privileged position and how they have not been allowed to have their cake and eat it. Frankly, one would have thought Harry would have known better?
Then we have had this tragic and evil murder of this beautiful 33-year-old young lady in Clapham, Sarah Everard. And unless you have had one of your children murdered, you will have no idea of what her parents, siblings and loved ones feel. The pain must be approaching unbearable. Not just an aching pain that never goes away but at times a raging pain that reaches inside and rips you apart. I have two people I work with who have suffered this fearful tragedy - and I can clearly see that being a parent of a murdered child is not something from which you can ever totally recover. At best, you make some kind of peace with yourself, eventually - but it is never real peace.
Many travelled to Clapham to pay their respects and empathise with the national feeling of horror and sorrow at Sarah Everard's murder, including, to her great credit, The Princess of Cambridge.
Yet, some women decided to turn the tragedy of this murdered young woman into a weapon for their own grievances. We are still in a national lock-down. That is the law. What were the police meant to do? Up-hold the law or ignore it? Perhaps they did not get it pitch-perfect, but they were in a catch 22 situation. Never-the-less, despite a few dizzy women's views, not all men are evil monsters. It is a stupid view that all men are automatically guilty because of the sex they are born. The vast majority of men - and women are decent human beings who have and, on occasion, still do give their lives to uphold our civilisation and our values.
There have always been evil people in our societies and good people who have done wrong and crazy people who can't do right, and people who need constant observation to stop them from harming others or themselves. What is sickening is when we have chosen someone to look after us, and he turns out to be the villain. There is not much worse than a rotten police officer - but the same could be said of husbands and wives. When we put our trust in someone, and that trust is betrayed, it stings.
Let us not be too gentle with ourselves, but a kinder world is what everyone would strive for if we could find that shared understanding. But always seeking division is not the right way - not the way if we want healing, understanding and forgiveness.
But we have to rid ourselves of this "woke" culture where no one is allowed to express themselves in case of upsetting the thin-skinned-sensitivities of those frail and weak human beings. It is intolerable that we have got ourselves to a place where the expression of views is curtailed because of the fear of upsetting some overly-sensitive soul. It is no better than press censorship but by another name.
I have never had a great liking for Piers Morgan, but his message on ITV Goodmorning Britain was right and listening to the panel weather-man guest, Mr Alex Beresford, was in my view - very sad. How did this man develop such a thin skin? What is going on in our society? We are developing such frail people who seem to lack common sense and any ability to form cogent reasoning for their complaints against society as a whole.
I worry for my own children, who are fast approaching adulthood. I apologise to them for being part of a greedy, profligate and wasteful generation who have left them a world monstrously high in debt, divided in culture, depleted in resource and polluted - what a dreadful legacy.
Yet, I cannot help fearing the near future also. It really does feel eerily like a modern version of the nineteen thirty's. Not that I was alive then, but from history and all accounts, it feels like world war is brewing, and we have blase and inexperienced hands are on the helm.
There is good reason to be worried right now because there is so much instability in our world. We have taken our eyes off the ball. Trump, Brexit and COVID. It is like a perfect storm. Add to that self-interest, greed, and our politically correct woke culture - our foes must be rubbing their hands with glee, like eyeing a company that is ripe for take-over. I do hope that I am wrong.
The temptation is to think everything will be alright and our country and the world runs themselves. That is a massive misconception and would be a huge mistake. We take democracy and peace for granted at our peril. It requires constant attention, both macro and micro-management, around the clock to keep peace and stability in our world. We need a strong defence force, not to use it but to deter others from attacking us. There is absolutely no point in having a standing Navy, Army and Air Force if it is not up to strength and capable of doing the job. Having highly trained, well-equipped professionals at the necessary strength in numbers is how you stop wars. Those pacifists who shout peace; that is all well and good until you are attacked and unable to defend yourself. By and large, enemies only attack if they believe they can win without paying too high a price.
Our world has arrived at a very precarious stage. Certainly, it is not too late to avoid disaster, but that will depend on our leaders' decisions now and in the future. So the big question is, as a population - are we up to the task of choosing and supporting the leaders capable of leading and making those wise decisions? My concern is that I am not sure today that we can take that as a certainty.
They say if you think Health and Safety is expensive - try and accident. You could say the same; if you think the price of peace is expensive - try a war. If you have ever fought in or experienced a war - you will never want to be involved in another one. My fear is that our politically correct, thin-skinned woke culture will, as a nation be our undoing and our demise.
Rick - Suffolk - UK - 18th March - 2021
www.ricknotesfromengland.com
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