In all our sanctuaries we sit at risk

Category: General

  • Word from Myanmar

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    Last week, I added six new poems to the bilingual collection called “Poems for…one world.” All the new poems were Burmese, our fifty-first language. Remember that Burmese is a language whose speakers are themselves presently learning to be free again, to speak freely. You can access the six poems here .  You can read the…

  • Fable 7 – The People who don’t Appear

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    I am adding Fable Seven here to the pieces uploaded in previous posts (see further down on the blog for earlier Fables). They belong in a series called “Fables and Reflections” which consists of sixteen pieces in all. In this fable, I suggest that the “people who don’t appear” are the helpers, the healers, the teachers,…

  • The Dry Fly Fisherman

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    I was with some young people during the Christmas holiday. I liked them a lot and wanted them to flourish, for all our sakes. They were vividly awake to the difficulties in front of them,  and were discussing how to take their next steps,  what risks and uncertainty seemed justifiable, what strategies to deploy for…

  • Fable 6 – Jason on the Walls

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    I am adding Fable Six here to the pieces uploaded in previous posts (see further down on the blog for the earlier Fables).  In “Jason on the Walls,” we find ourselves in an ancient Greek landscape for a discussion on hope, leadership and decision-making. With relief, but in grief,  Jason gives up the leadership of his…

  • A Statement of Principle in time for Christmas

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    I suspect that many of us see “principle” as something we can just hive off and leave in airy-fairy land while we hurry out to do our Christmas shopping.  So I’ll say straightaway that, on the contrary,  true and meaningful principle may in the end be the only fact that counts, far more significant and…

  • Freedom of the Press does not mean Free Speech

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    With Leveson now published, and much debate on the subject being reported, I think it is worth pointing out  that the Internet is not the only elephant in the room in these discussions. So long as newspapers are owned by super-rich oligarchs, ex-pornographers and the like, and mirror or reflect in any way the views…

  • The Resignation of Denis MacShane

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    Denis MacShane was Minister for Europe under Tony Blair.  He brought a wider and more cultured vision and experience to that role than many politicians and activists  ever get near, at least in this country. For instance, he  translated into English a Brecht poem for “Poems on the Underground”.  He also responded positively to a…

  • Fable 5 – The Fisherman who Stopped Bailing

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    I am adding Fable Five here to the pieces uploaded in previous posts (see below). Called “The Fisherman who Stopped Bailing,” it contrasts two different responses to life’s demands  – give yourself over to a life of bailing your own leaky boat until your energy runs out, or risk trusting others to co-operate with you in…