October 14th
Wednesday 3.22pm. Is today better than the last, regarding the situation of the virus and seeing economies close to imploding with the debt they are each having to carry? To listen to the present news hardly lifts your spirit, but this morning one lady opposition politician in the U.K. was asking this question, “Your party as suggested they will push for a temporary lockdown. What will be the cost of closing everything down?” Five times the interviewer asked this question and each time she said anything but to answer the question, just like any other politician. The truth is all political parties in the U.K. don’t have the right answer. One was expecting a financial cost, and there has been audits by the treasury office with figures that may astound many what might be revealed. What some politicians can’t equate is the reality of life and lives some people are leading, as they live in a different bubble and are not under the severe money pressures that ordinary folk experience every day.
SO WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN COSTS? Let’s look at those young people who have already lost their jobs through the virus, and are finding it impossible to pay their existing bills. What if they are married with young children ? STRESS, FEAR, WORRY, ANXIETY, AND THE GREAT UNCERTAINTY OF WHERE THEY WILL FINISH UP LIVING. If you are living on your own or are aged, and you no longer have your friends in the work place, many can get a feeling of torment and loneliness. We all know of other associated and dispiriting things that can occur which can cause mental or suicidal emotions. These unwanted stresses can effect anyone, but those on lower pay are more vulnerable which leads back to those young married couples who’ve just lost their jobs. With a list of ill health through stress, and perhaps marital problems, or alcohol tendencies and worst of all suicides this is a cost, that will not show up in any treasuries accounts. Happy lives and happiness evaporate and are lost to the real cost of our present reality.
A survey found in the Czech Republic that deaths in care homes in 2018 were 5,000 and more. In 2019 similar figures. In 2020 of those deaths in the Czech Republic showed far fewer were of the virus. In terms of death and I’m not trying to diminish the deaths of the virus, think of the stress and strains that will bring ill health and early deaths if you were caught in this storm of the virus and economic collapse. It is said, many elderly through stress and ill health wish for an early death as one message showed on a radio broadcast today. Someone’s father had dementia and they could not visit him in the care home. All they could do was kiss the window. The family said they would have him at home at the weekend and another family member said they would spend a day doing craft work with him. All was not allowed and the ladie’s father had said he just wanted to die.
We can reverse this situation by giving people confidence and lifting their spirits with more inspiring thoughts and actions, but only if we have good leadership. I will say Boris our U.K. Prime Minister is trying to avoid a further full lock down, and I fully agree for once with him. But at midday on a political programme a lady from a think tank, which is an institute that performs political strategy, and advocacy on topics from economics, military, technology and culture . The lady said, “We have placed Boris to be like a certain animal in the position he takes.” When asked what animal the lady said, “ A SHEEP, AS HE FOLLOWS.” He tends to take directions from everyone, and as scientists and medical advisors show they all have varying opinions. This does not show the leadership that is now so drastically needed. A great leader LEADS, after he make his own decisions. With this political programme a young journalist from a respected news paper said, “We don’t follow this app or we should have followed this data”, and I thought Wow!, if this is how we make important decisions ever likely we are on the wrong path. Each of us all make certain decisions every day, and we can follow what we believe to be common sense, or we follow our heart and inner voice from our souls. At this moment it appears metaphorically, we are sitting in a plane and the pilot keeps saying to each passenger. “Can the next passenger come to the flight deck and give his opinion of how to fly this plane in the right direction?”
ONE DAY THIS YOUNGER GENERATION WILL BE COUNTING THE COST AS THEIR LIVES WILL BE SADLY EFFECTED. Having just seen lately like many people of the return of Donald Trump espousing the virtues of how he has been saved with him sadly forgetting over 200,000 fellow Americans have died. They did not have the comfort of having the best medical attention being given. Seeing a President ranting saying, he could hug and kiss everyone with his supposed escape from the virus, this was a scene from a nightmare. He is holding more power than probably any other American President has done before, considering the world is sitting on the edge of a looming world crisis that can engulf everyone. I do give hope, as my belief is overwhelming that a better world will soon dawn. To despatch President Trump will be one sign, another will be to see every country needs each other’s assistance and that includes rich and poor countries acting to help one another.
Almost everyday around the world we see this young generation chanting and shouting for change in various countries, the latest being Thailand. Harmony and stability in this world is paramount. Our intelligence is higher and grows with each generation, but we have seen through history we don’t learn from previous mistakes. GIVING IS THE ONLY ANSWER. Giving to your neighbour who struggles to even say hello. Giving to those who work hard accruing money, but they do not know why they work for just money alone or wanting to know what life is really about. Giving thoughts and silence to those who have a different opinion to yourself, give them the time to express their feelings, then through talk and giving feelings all problems can be solved. This was once the procedure of the Native American Indian who would hold what was once called a talking stick.
This stick holding feathers and a dream catcher would be passed in a circle, and no one was allowed to talk. They listened to each others words and eventually when everyone had spoken their mind, a decision was made. Giving yourself a step forward when you know others can’t make that first step. Giving in any religion, philosophy or belief can only come from love.
Forty years ago on December 8th, John Lennon had his life taken from him. Famous for being part of the Beetle band, he wrote his memorable song Imagine. WE CAN ALL IMAGINE AND BELIEVE THERE CAN BE. BETTER WORLD.