What are you? - A Lesson or a Blessing. A Drain or a Radiator?

Buddhists believe that human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or Nirvana. Life is both endless and subject to impermanence, suffering and uncertainty. We humans are meant to develop mind and character to make progress on the path to Enlightenment. Buddhists value love, wisdom, goodness, calmness and self-control. The universe is the product of Karma, the law of the cause and effect of actions.

Not a lot I can disagree with there, apart from I really can't believe in reincarnation, any more that I believe in heaven, limbo or hell. We humans don't want to accept that this is it - just one life to get it right. Then nothing, apart from other peoples memories of what sort of person you were. 

So it is very important that we each realise the impact we have on others lives & they have on us. We each have to try to be the best person we can. We have to try to care for others & the world around us & "do no harm".

I am trying, but I am finding it increasingly difficult to live in this world. There is so much wrong at the macro & micro level. My daily interactions reveal just how varied human beings are. There is great sympathy, empathy & kindness alongside huge selfishness, superficiality, ignorance & intolerance. 

There are times when I really want to be truthful & say what is on my mind. But I don't because it may cause hurt or offence. Relationships are fragile. People are often oblivious to the harm they cause to others & to the world we live in. Human beings are imperfect.

It just seems to me that if we were to each make an effort to be thoughtful, helpful & kind it would make a difference. If we all made small changes in the way we live our lives & use the undoubted gifts the universe has given us in a sustainable way, the world itself would improve.

I want to be a Blessing & a Radiator. Not a negative Lesson or Drain. 

It's not easy.

 

Economics - Who Pays?

Speaking as someone who had to take maths O Level twice, I have to say that my understanding of economics is very basic. I put off reconciling my bank statements every month. 

I have to think of the economics of running a country in simple terms. What do we need to pay for? How are we going to raise the income? Running through those two main perameters is a moral issue. Who should pay most & who should be supported? Then there is the vexed problem of fairness & wealth distribution. 

In my view, where you were born & who your parents are should not determine your life chances. We are not all born equal in every way, but we should have equal opportunities to improve our lives. We do all deserve access to basic necessities - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs   That applies to all people, everywhere. So our responsibility is not only to our family, friends, neighbours, country. We have responsibilities to all people everywhere & to the planet we live on.

All of that costs money. So we have to generate income to pay for it. To generate income we have to produce something or provide a service that other people want enough to pay for it. That basic fact introduces the problem of resources that are finite. Once they are gone that's it. Whatever we do to generate income must be sustainable long term.

There is also the problem of Growth - the process by which a nation's wealth increases over time. That is an increase in the production of the quantity and quality of the economic goods and services that a society produces. The total income in a society corresponds to the total sum of goods and services the society produces – everyone's spending is someone else's income. I seriously question whether continuous economic growth is possible when much depends on inexhaustible raw materials & a skilled labour force. It seems to me that it simply isn't logical to think that is sustainable.

Countries need to generate public revenues that make it possible to finance investments in human capital, infrastructure, and the provision of services for citizens and businesses. There really is no "magic money tree". Countries & individuals have similar constraints. If you want to pay for goods or services you either need to have the money or you have to borrow it. If you borrow it you must pay it back eventually, with interest. So we have a system of taxation.

We are now borrowing at a rate previously unknown - Even during 2 world wars. We are printing money without gold reserves to back it up. The euphemistic name for that is "quantitive easing". To my mind that is similar to "collateral damage" instead of deaths. 

Anyone who considers the position we are in must realise that this is not a workable way forward. What this is, is a poisoned chalice we are handing to our children & grandchildren. Because someone, sometime is going to have to pay the money back, with interest. 

I'm not an economist, but to me the writing is on the wall. The rich are getting richer & the poor are getting poorer. Politics is too short termist. There is plenty of money in the world, but it is in the wrong hands & benefits very few. The power lies in the wrong hands. 

 

I can only see civil unrest if this continues, because at the root of economics should be the concept of fairness & sustainability. Consumerism may have resulted in years of growth, but it can't continue, because resources will run out. Maybe not in my lifetime, but kicking the can down the road will affect our children & grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

"The Queen is Dead - Long Live the King"

The second Elizabethan Age has ended. A 96 year old woman has died. She was born into great wealth & power. She was undoubtedly remarkable. Hers was a life of huge privilege, but also a life constrained by constant duty & public gaze. Few thinking people would actually want that life, whatever it's benefits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II

It is her funeral today. 11 days of mourning have passed. 11 astonishing days in which her death has dominated the press & media & relegated all other news, however important to the shadows. It has been 11 days of transition for the UK.

There has been an outpouring of emotion & sadness. I am amazed at the huge popular response at all of the royal palaces. The thousands who have queued for hours. We probably all know far more about our queen than we did, even though we already knew a lot because of her huge presence in our lives for years.

It is appropriate that she should be given a very traditional send off. I'm watching the TV showing the massed services marching to her funeral now. It is a wonderful spectacle. One that possibly only the UK could put on. Dictatorships like Russia can parade their massed armaments & armies, but it doesn't compare to this. The voluntary respect for a diminutive elderly woman who ruled through consensus & love.

Yes, it is questionable whether there has been too much coverage. It has been very repetetive & dominant. So many "talking heads" have been produced to air their views. But there have been ordinary peoples stories too. The character of the queen has emerged from that. 

There are huge problems that the world needs to deal with. They have not gone away. The death of a monarch has deflected from that. There is also the financial cost of all of this in a time when many people are struggling with inflation & a choice between eating & heating. There is a war in Europe. There is the climate emergency. 

I find myself conflicted. I do not believe in inherited wealth. But I do recognise that our monarchy is a quite unique exercise of "soft power" & possibly bringing people together to make the world better. 

Having seen the excesses of our politicians over the years I really do not think that I want a President to replace a monarch. So for me it is true. "The Queen is dead, long live the King". I just hope that Charles & William will fulfill their role as well as the queen did. She made mistakes. But not that many over 70 years.

Pain relief? - Not available!

I have a repeat prescription for pain relief because of chronic conditions. Currently I need it more than usual because of very painful mouth surgery & an acute hip problem. The GP sent a medication request for soluble co-codamol out to Rowlands chemist after I was in A&E. They didn't have all the tablets & only gave me some. Now I'm nearly out of tablets & it's a bank holiday weekend.

Rowlands won't give me the remaining co codamol as hard tablets. They say I need a new prescription. Boots told me that the soluble tablets won't be available till November! They won't  give me the hard tablets either because I've already had part of the prescription from Rowlands.

In these circumstances I was told to contact NHS 111 for a new prescription. The wait on phone lines is very lengthy & you are told to go online. The menus to select from & information is also lengthy. So I went through the whole online process only to find that the only way this issue can be resolved is to phone!

So now after a very long wait I've done that. In the meantime Rowlands has closed until the 20th. Boots will close at 6pm. The person I finally spoke to has had to refer me to someone else. She couldn't issue a new prescription. I have to hope a phone call will come & someone will get the pills to me or to Boots before it closes.

 

I'm just about at the end of my tether. One of the Pharmacists actually told me to "calm down"! (I was in tears). Presumably reasonably young & fit, not a 77 year old who has been in quite a lot of pain for many days. 

Of course I understand that the NHS has to be careful about prescription drugs. Co Codamol is an opiate. What I don't understand is why I couldn't be given the outstanding pills in solid form by either chemist, given that the soluble ones are not going to be available until November. To have to go through the stressful & lengthy process I just have is more than I currently have the stamina for. 

To my mind the NHS is far too bureaucratic & seems able to tolerate patients pain & discomfort. I cannot understand why I wasn't given any pain medication after the surgery or the day in A&E. Is that a money saving new policy?

It's now 3pm - No phone call. No pills.

3.40 - phone call, prescription issued to my local Boots. I just have to walk there again to get it before they close & hope it has gone through OK. 

I had actually got as far as Summertown when I got a phone call from Boots to say they didn't have any Co codamol. I had to collect the prescription & get a bus into Oxford. I finally got the tablets at 5 pm & got home at 5.30. 

It has taken me all day to get enough pain killers to last until after the bank holiday. It has been unbelievably stressful. What on earth is going on? Why is there seemingly a big shortage of medication? Why do we not keep stocks of vital medication? I didn't have a problem with med's all through Covid. Surely this has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine?

 

  

A&E - Does it do what the name implies?

I spent about 8 hours in A&E yesterday. 

Suddenly, on Sunday evening, I was unable to put any weight on my left leg. By the time I went to bed I could barely walk with a stick & holding onto things. I spent a sleepless night. I couldn't dress myself in the morning so I phoned 111. They arranged a phone triage with my GP who sent a paramedic round. She called for an ambulance, which arrived in a bit over an hour with 2 more paramedics. So far very helpful, sympathetic, reassuring & efficient.

On arrival at the hospital ambulances were stacked up & there were no wheelchairs available. Eventually, having scoured different parts of the hospital the paramedic found one & wheeled me into a corridor filled with people - Patients, other ambulance crews & relatives. We waited in a queue for my crew to be able to hand me over to a nurse & go into A&E. Only then could they move on and answer more emergency calls. 

One of my crew had spent virtually the whole time with me writing notes & filling in forms on a computer. The amount of paperwork is overwhelming. From a patients perspective I had to answer almost exactly the same questions & give exactly the same answers to every single medic I came into contact with during the day.

Thus far everyone had been really wonderful. Reassuring & informative. It was a possible hip fracture from a fall days ago & I needed an x ray. Just what the doctor ordered!

Then the long wait in a waiting area began, from sometime just after 1.45. Various standard tests were done by nurses. A very kind nurse offered me a sandwich & small carton of orange. All I had had up to that point was a mug of tea first thing. The only meds I had taken were my own painkillers before setting off in the ambulance. One of the paramedics said that it would be a bumpy, painful ride.

The staff were very busy. Medics don't walk slowly. The majority move about really quickly. I really don't know how they maintain the energy levels. Patients were coming & going all the time, some in hospital beds, some in wheelchairs, some walking wounded.

Hours went by. Sitting in a hospital wheelchair, unable to move when you have a possible fractured hip is not comfortable. I had raised blood pressure because of the pain. I didn't have a temperature, but kept getting hot sweats. I couldn't believe the length of the wait with no information, no meds & no one asking if I was OK or needed anything. Fortunately I hadn't drunk enough to need to go to the loo!

Eventually, after hours, I asked someone scurrying by what I was waiting for. I needed to be seen by a consultant before they could do the x ray. He wanted me to be xrayed in a hospital bed so I had to wait for one to be found. One wasn't available, so just after 7pm they took me to xray. I had to get out of the wheelchair & onto the x ray table. It wasn't easy.

Then a wait to see the consultant for the results. I was finally seen around 7.15. It wasn't a fracture. It was probably a particularly bad flare up of Fibromyalgia / Osteoarthritis / GTPS. 

I have absolute confidence that NHS staff do their damndest in very difficult conditions. I have nothing but admiration that they do this very difficult job day in & day out. I am not surprised that many move on to other jobs.

Having arrived by ambulance in my pyjamas & slippers, fortunately my daughter could collect me & take me home, utterly exhausted. A mug of tea & finally some painkillers & a bit of TV before being able to blissfully lie down in my bed.

The patient experience in the NHS is critical to improving it for the staff & patients alike. I don't understand why I was given no pain relief on Friday when I had oral surgery to remove a lesion for biopsy or yesterday. Only prescription meds relieve the sort of pain I have experienced over the last 5 days. Paracetamol is about as useful as Smarties. I would have given anything to be able to lie down for the hours of waiting in A&E. The wheelchair just added to the pain & discomfort. I certainly would have liked a cup of tea & more information. We waiting patients were in full view of all the staff for hours. Some of us for a lot longer than others. 

A&E has to prioritise - I completely get that. The most serious have to be seen first. Although there seemed to be a lot of different staff doing different jobs, there are obviously not enough critical staff - senior nurses, doctors & consultants, to move patients through quickly. But worse than that, there aren't enough beds, facilities & equipment for patient numbers. 

It seems to me that it is a perfect storm. Add to that Brexit's impact on staffing, Covid, financial meltdown since 2007 /8 & we are in a perilous situation. Patients will suffer & possibly die. Staff will be demoralised & exhausted trying to make a very imperfect system work. They will leave & our training places at UK medical schools are capped - in England this year there are 7,500 places.

Until the politicians get to grips with fully resourcing the NHS patients will suffer & staff will give up. 

Do I trust Truss

Given that I'm never likely to support the Conservatives I realise that I'm biased.

I know what I want in a Prime Minister - It's a long list. 

• Intelligence
• Common sense & empathy
  
• Experience
  
• Integrity & honesty
  
• Bravery, there are hard choices to be made on all fronts
  
• A willingness to listen, consider & build a team of real talent & consensus
• Someone who will choose what is best for the UK & the world long term, not short term personal & political advantage.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Leading a country is not a job for one person alone. It is far too complex. It takes a team of really excellent people who will "speak truth to power" & consider the needs of all citizens & the wider world. No decision is taken in isolation. Everything has an impact, sometimes in places it is hard to predict.

Do I think Ms Truss is the right choice? I'm finding it difficult. She has been in Labour, the Lib Dems & Conservatives. She has been against Brexit & then for it. She has voted against lots of climate change things. She has changed her mind on policy while she has been in this election process. There was someone on Radio 4 yesterday saying that some of her policies are ridiculous. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/liz-truss-policies-new-prime-27914393 We are in a really dreadful situation on lots of fronts. I can't see that someone who vacillates that much can run the country.

 

It is important to change your mind if circumstances change. It is very difficult to forsee the impact of decisions. That is why it's key to involve real experts as advisors, not just people in your own party. It is also important to be able to admit that you have made a mistake. That is human & our world is unpredictable & in a state of dangerous flux.

Frankly I wonder if we have reached a stage of such complexity in society & international affairs that we need to rethink how we do politics & democracy. It doesn't seem to me to be working on any front. Everything has become to monolithic & interrelated. 

Politics has become debased & polarised. Internecine conflicts within parties is a barrier to doing what is right for a country, populations & the world. The problems are huge & very complex. There are no easy solutions.

Time is running out for a lot of people.