Just Pondering Like

There follows a stream of consciousness. You may feel that unconsciousness would have been better. How ever I am going ahead with scrawling here my thoughts. The cynical among you, yes I mean you, are wondering whether there is enough ‘thought’ to share, and then would it actually have been worth the time and effort? The world will soon know.

Outside the window, through the stour thrown up by the vehicles of the Saturday morning shoppers running bumper to bumper on their way home, I can discern the sun once again giving life to the decaying leaves on the trees opposite. the fading greens on one contrasting with the rusty red of the tree on the right. dead leaves huddle together against the park fence, swept from their roost by the rain of the preceding days. The natural world goes about its business while humankind drive slowly and stress filled by, ignoring the beauty around them, full of anxiety about life and its delusions. The birds and the squirrels appear less concerned, and just continue feeding happily, or sit enjoying the sun. Simple pleasures are worth more than those procured from Tesco!

But life does need excitement! We are made for excitement, at least when we are in the mood for it. We look forward to things with great anticipation, longing for the day, hour minute that the great event arrives. Today we await the great football match between Scotland and Ukraine! The excitement and anticipation mounts through the day. What will happen? Can we win, will it be a great anti climax? With great hopes of adventure ahead when we win filling our hearts we refuse to contemplate the possibility of loss! Such events are not mentioned in the bible but happened then just as now. Whether great sporting events such as the chariot race, or small things like a birthday celebration, then as now hopes of joy were raised. What is it within us that is made like this? The idea of something good and pleasurable is attractive to us all, sad events and situations we would rather avoid. However we do indulge some such events, in other people. Soap operas and so called dramas play on this daily on our televisions. Nothing positive or constructive is found, only the baddie being found out, the wronged being made right, someone to hate appearing, and lots of needless confrontation. Yet folk question why the nation is full of strife? There are those who claim television does not lead people into actions, yet advertisers spend multi millions each year to do just that! Who is blind here?

The natural world is at one and the same time wild and dangerous. Animals live by the simple act of devouring one another, the wonder of birdsong is often a male warning others of his patch, the slow moving stream gently flowing past could be a wild dangerous death trap in winter storms. Yet each season has its own unique beauty, the song of a thrush is a delight, the view over the hills refreshes the heart. Just like us I suppose. We worry and fret, fight and devour yet there are mountain rescue teams, lifeboat crews, air sea rescue, fire, police and Paramedics who risk their lives for others on a daily basis. Parents who go through agonies for their child, teachers who patiently go over the same ground again, Samaritans who give a listening ear to the suicidal, and each day small and great mercies are seen in every place. This from a people who live among murderers and rapists, thieves and rogues. Ministers of religion, Christians and humanists, Muslems and atheists. Folk who kill for their religion or those who kill for greed and avarice, or maybe fun, and those who’s religion inspires them to good deeds, or humanists who are motivated to see justice for everyone, no matter what.

All around is good and bad, within us the same power, to kill and destroy, or to build and create. How fragile life can be, yet how glorious also. It’s a funny old world saint.