Respect for others

As a druid I have a strong belief in respect for others and for everything that is on our planet. This means that I respect the opinions of others even if I do not agree with them. I also respect the property of others too.

But nowadays it seems that respect has disappeared. I see politicians insulting each other and blaming others for their own misfortunes. I see people throw rubbish in the streets. I see dog owners allow their dogs to foul the footpath and not clean up afterwards as well as allowing dogs to stray into the gardens of others.

I see children shouting abuse at each other and wanting everything they see whether they need it or not. I have had shop doors allowed to bang back into my face even though I use a crutch to walk around. I have always held a door open for someone whoever they are and however old they are, It is both courtesy and respect.

Have you noticed how this kind of thing has changed? And what can you do about it? I try to set an example but there are so many who just do not want to know about courtesy and respect. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Signs of hope

The first signs of Spring are appearing, small shoots of plants, hazel catkins and forsythia in bloom. Nature is working her wonders again and telling us that everything goes in cycles. After the dark comes light.

But on another level I can see that there is hope that things might change for the better in our world. People are beginning to feel angry at what is happening and turning that anger into positive action. This is good. But there are many people who have no understanding of how everything works together on our planet. There are so many specialists in scientific fields, for example, that they can’t see the broader picture. There seems to be no understanding of how everything is connected. Yet everything we say, think or do has an effect somewhere on something or someone. If ice is melting somewhere then it will affect the temperature of the water it melts in, this will affect water elsewhere via currents and so on. Putting toxic chemicals in the earth to blast open beds of shale will also have an effect and in other countries this effect has not always been a good one. Contamination of ground water is something that can harm everything that lives in or on the earth and that includes us.

So if you are angry at the things that are happening now, then turn your anger into positive action. Stand up and be counted. I am sure you can think of ways to do this!

Community and friends

I spent 4 days this week in the south of England where much of the land is flooded. There was and still is, so much water on the fields that the rivers will rise for some time and many homes will remain flooded for longer. But communities are working together to help each other, making sure that everyone has supplies of food and water. And this is how it should be. You don’t have to be a friend to help someone. But what is a friend?

According to the dictionary a friend is someone you like and trust and with whom you have a bond of mutual affection. Nowadays we sort our friends into groups, close friends, friends and those we call acquaintances. On social networking sites we all have many friends but many of these we have never met face to face or talked to on the phone. I have known many friends over the years and to me a true friend is someone who you trust and who will support you when times are bad without any thought of something in return. Many of my current friends are really only acquaintances, people I know and like but do not spend time with. How do you define the word friend and do you divide your friends into groups such as close friends and acquaintances? Would you help someone who did not fall into any of these categories? Do you feel that social networking sites are changing the way we live and the way we choose our friends?

 

(The photo was taken in the shopping centre in Salisbury and the water is the river overflow which is normally dry.)

Stormy chaos

What a week it has been! One storm after another and still one yet to come later today. There has been a lot of flooding and power cuts and people do not know what to do. One comment by a family in darkness over Christmas was that they had talked to each other, something they did not do normally!

But what is the weather telling us? All the floods are in low-lying areas or by the sea yet we build houses near these areas. There have been floods in the past in these places so those in power think that making flood defences stronger will help. Well, the water has to go somewhere so it will just find somewhere else to flood. Nature is powerful and much stronger than we are. We need to learn to work with her not against her. We are part of nature too, part of the landscape and we need to be aware that we share the landscape with other species who also have needs just like we do. Co-operation is the word that should be at the forefront of any scheme where the landscape is being used.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you been flooded and if so how do you feel about it?

This mornings sky was red, a sign of more bad weather to come. Be prepared.