What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Coping with horror

    I don’t mean how does the country deal with terror attacks. I mean how do we cope with news coming onto our screens that contains horrific events.

    There have been a number of news items this week which have just been horrible. The suicide of a right-wing activist next to the altar of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. A feminist protest the next day in which a “mock suicide” was staged in the same place in the same cathedral. The continued terror attacks in Iraq – bombing after bombing. And now this ghastly murder on the streets of Woolwich.

    How do we cope with hearing these things without becoming brittle? How do we cope with these things without becoming desensitized to the horror of what we see?

    There are obvious political moves that are needed, such as the condemnation of those who would make capital out of such horror and try to use it to bring hate to the streets. The resurgence of the far-right, particularly in the south of England is a frightening reality in itself. But how to cope as a human being with hearing stories of horror?

    Here’s some ideas for trying to live with it all:

    • Don’t block out the news, try to take it in. But don’t sit listening to the endless repeated loops of 24 hour news stations.
    • Read the opinions of those with whom one does not immediately agree.
    • Know that the answers cannot always be found merely in words and thoughts – music and art and religious practice can be places where answers are to be found.
    • Remember that faith and history teach us that horrific murders have always been part of human experience and remember that this does not excuse them.
    • Try to judge people by their ideals rather than by one’s own fears.
    • Be kind. Use bad news as a reminder to be kind.
    • Pray for the peace of the streets and remember those whose vocation is keeping that peace.
    • Write. Talk. Discuss. Listen. Understand. Act justly.
    • The only acceptable revenge is living well.
    , ,

3 responses to “Brexit – Five First Quick Thoughts”

  1. Rosemary Hannah Avatar
    Rosemary Hannah

    Almost everybody I meet on a regular basis, except my family and one educated friend, were voting out. and that in Scotland. I am shattered but unsurprised. My partner reports that, in her office, those with a degree and under 35 all intended to vote remain, and those without and over 35 to leave.

    Reply
  2. Ruth Gillett Avatar
    Ruth Gillett

    Some people I know didn’t vote at all because they were annoyed that their ‘first ever in their fairly long lives’ voting experience (Independence) didn’t go the correct way. Strangely two friends who spend half the year living in Europe (and benefit from the reciprocal healthcare arrangements) voted leave and I’m bewildered by a dear friend of 60 years who unexpectedly climbed angrily aboard the anti immigration juggernaut. I’d dared to hope (and ignore the signs online) because everyone else I knew seemed to be voting remain…

    Reply
  3. Guy Whitehouse Avatar
    Guy Whitehouse

    I fear ultimately that Brexit won in part because the EU became a rather soulless bureaucracy to which people could not emotionally attach. Financial benefit does not always secure attachment on a large-scale and if enough people start to perceive themselves to suffer and not participate in those benefits then the inevitable happens.

    I fear the UK is going the same way but for different reasons. Since the 80s there has been a tendency amongst those seeking power to focus on groups and not the country as a whole; remember election night and the swingometer and the presenter saying things like “such and such an area has gone red but in order to win the Conservatives just need to win over Essex man and Worcester woman….”? Of course Labour did something similar in 1997 and in later elections.

    So any uniting sentiments have been undermined which means that the problem is no longer just with politicians but with the electorates also.

    I liked what Kelvin said in his referendum sermon, and more than ever the churches need to discover their ministry of reconciliation and think about what it means to try to offer everyone a spiritual home. It would be ironic if the church became the main place that differences could be dropped. but I have to confess I’m rather gloomy about even that looking at the way other controversial issues within the church have been dealt with.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Pill 5

    I am not going to give a pill by pill commentary on each of the 20 pink pills that the Vet has entertainingly suggested I put into the cat. However, Pill 5 was a good one.Madam likes hard, crunchy cheesy cat treats which she sometimes gets from my mother for Christmas. They are very smelly.…

  • Sermon – 5 March 2006

    When I was in Sunday School, I remember singing a little song which went like this: When you see a rainbow, remember, God is love. When you see a rainbow, remember, God is love. And the truth is, I’ve found it hard ever since to look at a rainbow without that going through my head.…

  • Viral Marketing

    Know about viral marketing?Wikipedia defines it as follows:Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that seek to exploit pre-existing social networks to produce exponential increases in brand awareness, through viral processes similar to the spread of an epidemic. It is word-of-mouth delivered and enhanced online; it harnesses the network effect of the Internet…

  • Ash W

    Last night’s Ash Wednesday service was slightly out of the ordinary. At five minutes to go, there were 8 in the congregation. This leads to the priest coughing and spluttering and wishing that he has not given up cursing for Lent.Of course, these 8 were distributed evenly from the front to the back of the…