Holocaust - "great destruction or loss of life"
Refugee - "a person who has fled from danger, especially political persecution"
Economic Migrant - "a person who moves to improve his / her standard of living"
I listened to "Any Questions / Any Answers" on Radio 4 yesterday. It was both deeply depressing and also very reassuring. Alongside the right wing, build a fence, NIMBY's there were supposed "naive woolly liberals" who were willing to offer their homes to people caught up in this devastating migration. At least some people haven't lost all sense of empathy and humanity.
All of the great religions have care for others at their core. The "Good Samaritan" isn't alone. He might struggle today with the sheer size of the problem though.
What right do we have to keep prosperity & a good life to ourselves? Don't we all want education, healthcare, a safe home and a full belly for our families? Wouldn't we all do anything to provide that if we didn't have access to it? Faced with war, criminal dictators, starvation and abject fear would we pay criminal traffikers & risk everything from severe injury to death to achieve that? If you can say no I don't believe you. I don't care whether they are refugees or econimic migrants, no one takes the risks they do if they aren't terrified & desperate.
Humanity is facing a battle of good against great evil. We can't afford
to lose, because if we do no one will be safe ever again. Personally I
think the dividing line between refugees & economic migrants is
difficult and blurred & possibly irrelevant.
There is enough space in this world. At the moment there is food & water for all people to have enough. The only problem is that it isn't shared out equally & not everyone has access to the basic needs of life. The protectionists want to keep it for themselves. They don't want to share. In my view if we don't share voluntarily we will be unleashing a horror of a magnitude I don't want to imagine.
Desperate & excluded people will fight to survive & why shouldn't they?
Sunday 30 August 2015
Saturday 29 August 2015
Silversea Cruise - High Life on the High Seas
I have cruised up the Nile and done the Hurtigruten boat trip up the coast of Norway to the Arctic Circle and back. Both of which I enjoyed immensely. A Silversea Cruise is a completely different "kettle of fish". I'm still processing the experience & am not really sure what my final verdict is.
Our staterooms were beautifully fitted out with a sleeping area, a lounge area with a writing desk, a lovely balcony, a walk in wardrobe & finally a beautiful, large bathroom, with a choice of expensive toiletries.
It is very expensive & very luxurious. Everything is included, no hidden charges, even tips and all drinks are part of the price. You can have any drink you want, including cocktails & champage. You have your own designated Butler as well as a maid and a cleaner. We also had an on board spending allowance for the Spa treatments & the specialised restaurants which charged. We ate in 3 of the charging restaurants - Japanese, French & "Hot Rocks" & also had an hour's massage using our allowance.
There were shore excursions every day. Some you paid for, but we did the free ones, which were very good. In Greece we visited Lemnos, Thessaloniki, Volos, Mykonos, Santorini & Lesbos. In Turkey we started & finished in Istanbul & visited Marmaris & Kusadasi. The only drawback was having to get up early to go!
We were very lucky because two ballet dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet were in board & did 3 brief ballet excerpts. There is also a lot of varied entertainment on board, but we didn't really take part in that. People we met who did were very impressed. We did do a tour of the Galley, which was fascinating & a tour of the Bridge - also very good.
All in all everything was very well done. The organisation was impeccable, The staff were extremely well trained and a delight to be served by. Customer service was second to none. Everything was geared to a good passenger experience, but you would expect that for the price.
So why am I hesitating & not gushing? What's not to like about being pampered & waited on, plied with wonderful food & drink, taken to really interesting places by well informed guides?
I'm not really sure.
I think I find it hard to justify spending that amount of money on a holiday when people all over the world are in dire staits. Yes, I know it provides jobs for a huge number of people. I also know that it broadens the horizons of quite a lot of wealthy people who really don't know much about the world & different cultures & civilisations. I just think my money could be put to better use. I know that makes me sound pompous, but I don't really care. It isn't that I don't think I'm worth it - it's that I think that a lot of other people are worth a decent life with the basic necessities.
Reading the news now I'm back home just accentuates my dilemma. One half of the world is living in desperate circumstances, the others are living as if there is no tomorrow & no problem. I can't reconcile the two.
Our staterooms were beautifully fitted out with a sleeping area, a lounge area with a writing desk, a lovely balcony, a walk in wardrobe & finally a beautiful, large bathroom, with a choice of expensive toiletries.
It is very expensive & very luxurious. Everything is included, no hidden charges, even tips and all drinks are part of the price. You can have any drink you want, including cocktails & champage. You have your own designated Butler as well as a maid and a cleaner. We also had an on board spending allowance for the Spa treatments & the specialised restaurants which charged. We ate in 3 of the charging restaurants - Japanese, French & "Hot Rocks" & also had an hour's massage using our allowance.
There were shore excursions every day. Some you paid for, but we did the free ones, which were very good. In Greece we visited Lemnos, Thessaloniki, Volos, Mykonos, Santorini & Lesbos. In Turkey we started & finished in Istanbul & visited Marmaris & Kusadasi. The only drawback was having to get up early to go!
We were very lucky because two ballet dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet were in board & did 3 brief ballet excerpts. There is also a lot of varied entertainment on board, but we didn't really take part in that. People we met who did were very impressed. We did do a tour of the Galley, which was fascinating & a tour of the Bridge - also very good.
All in all everything was very well done. The organisation was impeccable, The staff were extremely well trained and a delight to be served by. Customer service was second to none. Everything was geared to a good passenger experience, but you would expect that for the price.
So why am I hesitating & not gushing? What's not to like about being pampered & waited on, plied with wonderful food & drink, taken to really interesting places by well informed guides?
I'm not really sure.
I think I find it hard to justify spending that amount of money on a holiday when people all over the world are in dire staits. Yes, I know it provides jobs for a huge number of people. I also know that it broadens the horizons of quite a lot of wealthy people who really don't know much about the world & different cultures & civilisations. I just think my money could be put to better use. I know that makes me sound pompous, but I don't really care. It isn't that I don't think I'm worth it - it's that I think that a lot of other people are worth a decent life with the basic necessities.
Reading the news now I'm back home just accentuates my dilemma. One half of the world is living in desperate circumstances, the others are living as if there is no tomorrow & no problem. I can't reconcile the two.
Monday 10 August 2015
Holidays or Travel?
I spent yesterday sorting out "stuff" to pack for my holiday at the end of the week. I will cram clothes & all sorts of things which I feel are essential to 2 weeks away from home into a suitcase. Thus prepared I will leave my "normal" life & travel to places both known & unknown.
As I age I'm less and less sure why I do this. It's a hassle from start to finish. It takes an inordinate amount of time, before, during & after. The chances are I will become unwell at some point - hopefully not seriously. The chances are also that things will go wrong - hopefully not too badly. I know all this from a lifetime of experience.
In the face of this knowledge it seems perverse to continue to do it.
But I also know I will meet new & possibly interesting people. I will learn more about people, places & cultures. I may also learn more about myself. In short I will widen my horizons & take myself out of my insular comfort zone.
Is it worth it? Well it always has been up to now. I have a lifetime of memories, good and bad. I have experience which broadened my horizons & made me a different person. Travel has made me more tolerant & understanding. Human beings learn by doing. Yes, I could watch a documentary or read a book, that has it's place, but it isn't the same as actually experiencing.
A holday isn't the same thing as travel. To travel is to go somewhere with purpose. A holiday is an oddly sedentary thing. The friend I am travelling with is very excited at the prospect. I'm not. But I am hopeful that it will be worth the effort.
As I age I'm less and less sure why I do this. It's a hassle from start to finish. It takes an inordinate amount of time, before, during & after. The chances are I will become unwell at some point - hopefully not seriously. The chances are also that things will go wrong - hopefully not too badly. I know all this from a lifetime of experience.
In the face of this knowledge it seems perverse to continue to do it.
But I also know I will meet new & possibly interesting people. I will learn more about people, places & cultures. I may also learn more about myself. In short I will widen my horizons & take myself out of my insular comfort zone.
Is it worth it? Well it always has been up to now. I have a lifetime of memories, good and bad. I have experience which broadened my horizons & made me a different person. Travel has made me more tolerant & understanding. Human beings learn by doing. Yes, I could watch a documentary or read a book, that has it's place, but it isn't the same as actually experiencing.
A holday isn't the same thing as travel. To travel is to go somewhere with purpose. A holiday is an oddly sedentary thing. The friend I am travelling with is very excited at the prospect. I'm not. But I am hopeful that it will be worth the effort.
Friday 7 August 2015
Kids Company - What is Charity
There are lots of quotes about charity. It's a word that isn't used much except to describe certain organisations. Charities are NGO's which cover a huge range of need. It always surprises & shocks me that in the 21st century we rely on charities to provide services that to my mind should be provided by the State through taxation. Those of us that have should be glad that we are not in need & be happy to pay a bit more from our earnings to help others who have not.
It seems to me that there is a huge discrepancy in the funding that the many charities get. Funding seems to depend more on whether the charity has good PR, a big organisation or charismatic, wealthy & media savvy supporters than actual need. There is a huge imbalance. I tend to try to support the smaller ones.
In the current furore about "Kids Company" it isn't possible to know what is true & what is speculation. However it does seem that they had vast sums of money, possibly at the expense of other similar charities. That seems to point to a need for better management & regulation in the whole sector. It certainly means that if you accept government money or donations you should be accountable for how that money is spent.
It isn't just important to raise money. It's important to try to spread the benefit equably. It isn't just finance that matters. There are many ways we can all support worthy causes.
It seems to me that there is a huge discrepancy in the funding that the many charities get. Funding seems to depend more on whether the charity has good PR, a big organisation or charismatic, wealthy & media savvy supporters than actual need. There is a huge imbalance. I tend to try to support the smaller ones.
In the current furore about "Kids Company" it isn't possible to know what is true & what is speculation. However it does seem that they had vast sums of money, possibly at the expense of other similar charities. That seems to point to a need for better management & regulation in the whole sector. It certainly means that if you accept government money or donations you should be accountable for how that money is spent.
It isn't just important to raise money. It's important to try to spread the benefit equably. It isn't just finance that matters. There are many ways we can all support worthy causes.
Tuesday 4 August 2015
Ageing - "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"
I thought I'd cheer myself up today!
"We mustn't forget old people with their rotten bodies, old people who are so close to death, something that young people don't want to think about (so it is to homes that they entrust the care of accompanying their parents, with no fuss or bother). And where's the joy in these final hours that they ought to be making the most of? They're spent in boredom & bitterness, endlessly revisiting memories.We mustn't forget that our bodies decline, friends die, everyone forgets about us, and the end is solitude. Nor must we forget that these old people were young once, that a lifespan is pathetically short, that one day you're twenty and the next day you're eighty.....it all seems so very far away....the prospect of old age....life goes by in no time at all. They're always in such a hurry, so stressed out by deadlines, so eager for now so they needn't think about tomorrow. If you dread tomorrow, it's because you don't know how to build the present, you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, and it's a lost cause anyway because tomorrow always ends up becoming today.
We have to live with the certainty that we'll get old and that it won't look nice or be good or feel happy.......there's an old people's home waiting somewhere & so we have to surpass ourselves every day, make every day undying.
That's what the future is for, to build the present with real plans, made by living people."
When I get back from my holidays I'm going to have an alarm system installed so if I have an accident or am suddenly unwell in the house alone I can press a button & call for help. How incredibly sensible of me! What an absolute bugger that it's come to this though.
"We mustn't forget old people with their rotten bodies, old people who are so close to death, something that young people don't want to think about (so it is to homes that they entrust the care of accompanying their parents, with no fuss or bother). And where's the joy in these final hours that they ought to be making the most of? They're spent in boredom & bitterness, endlessly revisiting memories.We mustn't forget that our bodies decline, friends die, everyone forgets about us, and the end is solitude. Nor must we forget that these old people were young once, that a lifespan is pathetically short, that one day you're twenty and the next day you're eighty.....it all seems so very far away....the prospect of old age....life goes by in no time at all. They're always in such a hurry, so stressed out by deadlines, so eager for now so they needn't think about tomorrow. If you dread tomorrow, it's because you don't know how to build the present, you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, and it's a lost cause anyway because tomorrow always ends up becoming today.
We have to live with the certainty that we'll get old and that it won't look nice or be good or feel happy.......there's an old people's home waiting somewhere & so we have to surpass ourselves every day, make every day undying.
That's what the future is for, to build the present with real plans, made by living people."
When I get back from my holidays I'm going to have an alarm system installed so if I have an accident or am suddenly unwell in the house alone I can press a button & call for help. How incredibly sensible of me! What an absolute bugger that it's come to this though.
Saturday 1 August 2015
Anniversaries - Remember or Forget?
It's coming up to 2 years since I moved to Oxford. As I've said elsewhere, living in a city is very different to living in rural Gloucestershire. It has taken me till now to get everything done to the house that I needed to. Given that this house is only 8 years old, I'm surprised at how much I have had to do. But it's my home, not an investment & doing the work now hopefully I'll get the benefit of the improvements for longer. Having "projects" to manage also helped with the transition.
2015 is my 70th birthday year and my daughters 20th wedding anniversary. She is 47. Her twin boys are now 10. I've been a widow for 6 years.
Anniversaries are all about looking back, which I don't tend to do much. For one thing I have got such a bad memory. However I do think that reflection is a good thing. Otherwise what's the point of experience? Memories cover the whole spectrum from absolutely dreadful events to wonderful moments.
Human beings start as an empty sponge, full of holes. The holes get filled up with people and events which help to shape what we become. Every experience contributes to what we are now to some degree. We are all unique in every way.
The thing that bothers me about anniversaries is that people don't seem to learn from events. We commemorate important historical dates & personal experience for example, but we repeat the mistakes made. Over and over again......
Two things need to go together, remembering and commemorating, learning and improving. Until we get that right I can't see the point of Anniversaries. If they had had newspapers in the "Dark Ages" I bet a lot of todays headlines would have been exactly the same. The same petty quarrels & self interest. The same cruelty and tenaciously grasping at power & territory.
2015 is my 70th birthday year and my daughters 20th wedding anniversary. She is 47. Her twin boys are now 10. I've been a widow for 6 years.
Anniversaries are all about looking back, which I don't tend to do much. For one thing I have got such a bad memory. However I do think that reflection is a good thing. Otherwise what's the point of experience? Memories cover the whole spectrum from absolutely dreadful events to wonderful moments.
Human beings start as an empty sponge, full of holes. The holes get filled up with people and events which help to shape what we become. Every experience contributes to what we are now to some degree. We are all unique in every way.
The thing that bothers me about anniversaries is that people don't seem to learn from events. We commemorate important historical dates & personal experience for example, but we repeat the mistakes made. Over and over again......
Two things need to go together, remembering and commemorating, learning and improving. Until we get that right I can't see the point of Anniversaries. If they had had newspapers in the "Dark Ages" I bet a lot of todays headlines would have been exactly the same. The same petty quarrels & self interest. The same cruelty and tenaciously grasping at power & territory.
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