Created as a spin off of the older Spoken Sprocket Cycling blogs that I've written, Stubbornly Optimistic is all about life, philosophy and positivity in the face of our everyday challenges. The intent is to kindle thought, discussion and exploration of ideas through my own musings and those of yourselves, the readers. Have any feedback? hit the twitter link and let me know!
This might turn into rant of sorts, as I've currently got a mixture of feelings, & emotions happening and the resultant cacophony of mental noise is raising to quite the crescendo...
Firstly ..
Life has been both cruel and kind to me. I have succeeded, had the toys, had the fun, the agency the money the "Kudos" etc...
Then it all went away.....
When you have little or nothing you're left with what matters. You.
Oddly, at this point the very thing that one needs to believe in is so often also the very thing that screwed it up in the first place. yes, you guessed it. YOU...
After a while even the most optimistic of people can get worn down by that. ... and the constant uphill battle to retake lost ground, be it personal, professional or fiscal.
Then If you're lucky something odd happens, usually when you're not looking.
For reasons unknown you realise something. That the world still believes in you. Or rather certain people in it do.
What's that I hear ya saying at the back... ? "Beware external validation, for there be monsters....?" ...yeah sure fair point, but living in a vacuum sucks.... Or should I say existing in one.
Which is kinda my point here.
This morning I found myself looking back briefly at photos of my old Skyline .. I do it quite often and I've probably bored some of you with pictures/videos of what I used to get up to with motors and my old sports cars...but this was different.
This wasn't cos of the money, the status, (whatever the fuck that is) or anything like that, and I wasn't feeling sad, hard done by etc. If anything I realised I was fucking angry.... but just a little, and if its possible to be angry in a happy way.. then I managed it.
I realised I missed the noise of that engine... I miss the smile it put on my face. The damn thing made the hairs on your neck stand up and the grin was always a mile wide when you dropped a couple of gears and booted it..... (ported head and race pipes. Well y'know.....)
Petrol is still there in my blood... and this morning I realised I want my life back. Not because I was better off. But because it was fun and worth sharing.
So.. lets start with the career...June 2018 bring it on.
And all this because I realised that someone somewhere believes in me....So perhaps I should too.
So for any of you reading this and doubting...
Keep going .... and believe that the Impossible can turn into #I'mPossible.
I've been a busy bee today... Heres a few thoughts on my own experiences. As ever it's not an exhaustive or even comprehensive list of options. It is the story of one person and their navigation through life and the questions of gender, existence, meaning and morality.
I really was in two minds as to whether to write something on this topic, since it's rather revealing and quite a personal statement.
Yet I felt compelled to do so for two reasons.
1) If I acquiesced to fear and social stigma as a blogger and shied away from some some topics I'd inevitably have to look at the ethics of that choice. That examination would I feel be unfavourable.
2) Keeping quiet doesn't help others in this situation, which is the whole point of the blog, so....
Loneliness.
What does that word conjure up in the mind when you hear it?
Isolation? perhaps. fear? maybe. Sadness?. That depends I suppose.
You may well ask what started this train of thought? Well I woke up this morning from a dream that had left me with a sense of acceptance and belonging. Theres not much point recounting it, save to say it's obvious my brain was unpacking a whole bunch of stuff, and throwing it at me in the form of these regurgitated dream memories.
But as ever it's sometimes what one would like rather than what happened. So to cut to the point here, I woke up with a dawning realisation that these memories weren't actually true, my situation was as it was before and tbh that was a bit of a let down.
The inevitable outcome of that was the inherent loneliness of my situation hit home.
So aside from the fact that you now all know I'm a fruit loop, chatting about dreams and stuff, where does this put me, and why write about it?
Well because the feelings and thoughts in question revolve around being understood, accepted and finding that one person (or if you're into the poly thing a few) who "gets" all your weird, wonderfulness, and you theirs.
It is impossible to do as much introspection and thought swimming as I do without realising the potential contradictions of my situation as a trans person. The likelihood that for a whole host of complex reasons of interplay between society and individual, I may find such acceptance on that level difficult to find.
When society gives you constant, repetative messages that you don't fit the majority narrative, some of those messages will inevitable hit home. No amount of philosophical armour can stop every arrow. I imagine this is much like the slow dawning realisation for LGB people who are realising their own minds. They acknowledge a difference and thus the rules change & things, at least initially, seem ... more challenging.
It has been said that a "second marriage is a triumph of hope over experience". Of course this is a tongue in cheek cliche, but on a certain level its true. Perhaps though it is a triumph of the choice to believe in people over the knowledge gained from experience of (some of) them.
The Human social animal.
There's a contradiction here. Validation from external sources isn't all that healthy a premise. One needs to be sure of the relationship to ones self and be able seek internal validation. After all that's a core tenant of all mental health doctrine. Yet sometimes the balance is too far in one direction or the other. To acknowledge and take ownership of the simple fact that one is lonely allows consideration of what to do about it.
Of course there's the rub. Friends are great, colleagues and shared interest's are awesome, having stuff to do and people to do it with is fantastic. So is having the resources to take advantage of those opportunities when they are offered.
But as for finding that wonderfully weird connection with a fellow human being who becomes all and more than any of those things...well ...
That's bit trickier.
But "tricky" does not mean impossible, nor even improbable. It just requires more focus, effort and attention, and a bit of "extra" faith in the nature of humans.
So, as I make my third cuppa of the morning and return to 4 hours of critical role, I remain stubbornly optimistic that one day life might just surprise me outta left field.
Sex says, "gimme some of that biological looking stuff, I like that,"
Gender says: I'll have whatever I like the look of, I never read the labels on the bottles any way.
Logic says: oh you Guys... you're both concepts of categorical thinking you can't walk into pubs let alone order stuff...
Todays subject is Sex, Gender and Logic. The relationship between these is continually revisited time and again in respect to the trans or non binary arguments, their respective cause and thus validity.
Here's a comment I found on a youtube in reply to a video by Dr Corivino:
If you are for gay rights, then you accept the concept of sexual orientation. But sexual orientation presupposes a genital basis to manhood and womanhood. This directly contradicts the central premise of gender identity. Therefore, the very concept of sexual orientation is transphobic.
f you support trans rights, then you accept the concept of gender identity. That concept locates the basis for manhood and womanhood (and whatever) in the mind, making the body irrelevant to one's identity as a man or a woman (or whatever). This just makes complete nonsense out of the concept of sexual orientation and thereby erases the identities of Gays and Lesbians. Thus, support for the transgender community entails homophobia.
I'll link the actually video at the bottom of this article since its worth a listen in its own right.
But, having read this comment I realised that if I was going to talk and write about trans issues, gender and the arguments around the societal acceptance of those phenomenon, I perhaps needed to explore the validity of this core contradiction
Firstly, as I usually do, I want to quickly take a journey back to ancient greek times... a pre socratic thinker called Anaxagoras. He watched how the food that we and other animals eat becomes part of our bodies. He watched how children and young animals grow as a result. He therefore theorised that the food must already have tiny bits of bone, muscle, hair etc in it, on an infinitesimally small scale. These he called "Seeds".
Today we know these as "molecules" or "atoms", the building blocks of "matter". Anaxagoras was correct, but limited by the technology and language of his time. There are perhaps some parallels here with the sex and gender argument(s) when one poses the question "what is"?
"What is sex?"
"What is gender"
Let take the first question:
"What is sex?"
Well the term "Sex" can mean many things. It is both a noun and verb for example. In this case lets leave the "doing" use of the term sex to one side and focus on the use of the word as a noun, ala a descriptor of something ...
It fair to say a widely accepted view of the word is that Sex is a term that can be used to categorise things that are alike, similar or dissimilar. A descriptor if you will. So if we accept this premise, what is the term "Sex" used to describe? What physical observations do we need to make in order to decide if a thing belongs in the category of "sex" or not? And what do we mean by someone having "A sex"?
Physically speaking, there's anatomy. The presence or absence of a Penis, vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, breast tissue, testes, ovaries, vas deferens, prostate etc. Some of these structures were described in ancient times, they're relatively easy to explore scientifically and can be seen with the naked eye, so they are long established and known objects.
Then theres the more modern cellular arguments, only recently possible in human history, Things like DNA, chromosomal structure, etc. To put our physical understanding of these later categorical factors into a sort of timeline and perspective, consider that humans have been around on the earth for about 200,00 years. Civilisation 6,000. Industrialisation, 200yrs. Chromosomes were first observed in plant cells by Swiss botanist Karl Wilhelm von Nägeli in 1842. In 1905 the first chromosomal work was done on the XX/XY theory of sexual development, continuing up until around 1923 with the emergence of the "sex chromosomal pairing". Watson and Crick discovered the double helix of DNA in 1953, just 64 years ago. Chromosomal pairs (23) were identified in Lund in Sweden in 1955, for the previous 30years it had been thought to be 24, 48.
So in percentage terms, if we take human civilisation and thus history as 6,000 years old, we have really been exploring the minute detail of our existence for approximately 2% of our known time here. Or to put it another way, if the 6,000 yrs were one 24 hour period, the entire scientific knowledge described above would take just short of the last 29 minutes before midnight.
Food for thought eh? But what of the subdivisions of sex? And the mechanisms by which someone is said to have "a sex"? They have been around along time...where did they come from ?
Sex as a word is derived from the latin term, sexus, historically encompassing two other categories "male" and "female" So where did these sub categories arise from? Female comes from Latin femella (compare feminine) and is not related to male which comes from Latin masculus (whence masculine, macho). The terms being derived from latin dates them prettyemphatically long before the newer scientific stuff. So, the concept of male and female based onbroad anatomical observations possible with the naked eye was very much accepted long before the discovery of chromosomal pairs in 1905 and was reinforced by early scientific works on anatomical structure etc.
So then, "Sex" in this sense can be defined as a categorical term, which encompasses two major subdivisions, "male" and "female". This being based on our understanding of ancient observations of the gross anatomical structure of humans coupled with more recent ones regarding the composition and drivers of our cellular physiology.
(If you're thinking at this point hang on, thats very binary and old school bear with me... all will be well...)
So much for sex, now what about the other question? gender?
"What is gender"
In a similar way to the discussion regarding sex, gender is a categorical grouping used to describe beings that are similar or different. However it refers in this instance to observational differences in a societal and cultural sense. It's a term that is in some sense very new, since it was first coined in relation to gender roles by John Money in 1955, around the same time Watson and Crick were doing their double helix thing. However the word itself has been around since long before this point and is derived from the latin meaning birth, family or nation. Thus one can suggest it's original meaning probably owes more to similarities rather than differences.
Usually the starting point for the development of these similarities/differences arises from the observed individual "belonging" to one of the categories of the "sex" groupings that we have already discussed.
So what sort of things are included in the descriptive category of gender? Here's a few, I'm sure you can perhaps think of more:
Attire, mannerisms, conduct, profession, expectations, height, attractiveness, use of make up, prestige, social grouping, physicality and sex.
Much like "Sex" it has been subdivided into two categories that are known as "man" and "woman" Interestingly "man" in the historical context was a neutral term simply meaning "human" up until the early 20th century where it came be used to define the male of the specifies. Woman similarly has it's roots in older language and has at times been synonomous with "wife" a fact I'm sure a few feminists would raise an eye brow at today.
So, The two categories "Sex", and "Gender" are different, but also arguably quite closely linked since it is fair to suggest that the one is at least in part the cause of inclusion in the other. It would seem to be true that before we begin to assign a person a place in the category of gender, the convention has been to first determine an individuals place in the category of sex.
This leads us rather neatly into a discussion of "why" and "how" we place certain individuals in each group and something of a cause and effect argument.
Since this blog is now getting incredibly long I'm going to split it into two parts, The cause and effect argument as to why people are assigned to either category being part 2
Throughout The week I've written part three of my Ethical mini series, but I can't post it yet cos I haven't written part two. In truth, part three wrote itself. I just kinda poured my thoughts into the keyboard and eh voila ... a blog article.
I then sat and watched a movie. Troy, with Brad Pitt playing the role of Achilles, Orlando bloom, and Eric Banna as his opposing Princes of Troy. Perhaps you've seen it? If not its worth look.
I took to it when it first came out, as it eloquently portrays the absurdity of the human condition, from greed & war, to love, desire, and immortality.
Indeed in it there is a line.. spoken by Achilles.
"We men are wretched things"
Very apt I thought.
I've only recently begun reading about philosophy in the academic sense, but it would seem I've always had a philosophical approach in many ways.
This week I've been looking after my daughter. A some times precocious 13 yr old with a good heart and steady head. She's developing an enquiring mind and still has that love of life imbued by her young years. It's a good start in many ways.
And yet......tomorrow we road trip back to her mums, 150 miles south of me, until the next school holidays or trip north. I find myself lamenting the distance. yet extraneous factors make it near impossible to remedy that presently.
Actually that's the hardest part of being "me". Living with the consequences of my actions, when viewing those consequences from the vantage point of their effect on others. I currently cannot provide for Rachel as I would like. I don't mean Mac books, and new phones or stuff from amazon although thats all very nice, and great in its own way. I mean by having a full fridge. By being able to replace her broken bed, and by being able to do those unseen planning things that lead to availability of university opportunities, or mean that college fees are no barrier to academic goals and endeavour.
Why is this so? Well because I'm not currently employed financially, despite a CV as long as your arm and, if I may say so myself, a pretty decent work ethic. Of course I'm not alone in this, but every rebuttal, every unanswered email or ignored enquiry. Every botched interview because when I walk in people make judgements, is a continued disadvantage not just to me, but to the future aspiration of a 13 yr old girl who, frankly, didn't ask for this shit.
Yeah , ok. I'm fed up. Ya got me. Guilty as charged.
But where does all this soul searching get me? If reflection has a purpose it's to learn and grow.. not to wallow and moan. So where's the lesson and opportunity in this?
To be honest its unclear.. You see, there comes point where the results of our action are outside our control. I can, and will continue to apply, create opportunity, talk to people and, in as much as possible, believe the best of people. But it's not in my power to hire me into a job. That power rests with others, thus my efforts seem fruitless and devoid of control of any outcome.
I'm sure many of you will have seen this graph from the work of a Dr Karasek et al,
Anyone who finds themselves in box D, with high Demands and low control of outcome is in for a rough ride. The study was done with reference to work based stress, however pretty much all those who are unemployed, and strive not to be, live in Box D permanently. 24 7. Its unpleasant after a protracted period.
So I guess the answer to my own internal questioning is actually a question. "How does one retake that control?" A few years back I rather belligerently said "if no fecker is gonna give me a job i'll bloody well create my own" Perhaps then self employment is the way. That's a hard road to travel and an even harder one to take to successful conclusion. Particularly when feeling beleaguered and distrustful of human nature. Self employment is an act of complete non cynical belief. A significant challenge for one such as myself at present.
Perhaps then it's time to widen the net. The north east is a pretty awful place for jobs, unless you're in specific industries. So why not look elsewhere?
I've a busy week coming up, with several long term projects coming to a close, and a few of those already mentioned opportunities to explore. Perhaps then it's the ideal time to reframe the question and ask not so much "what next?" as "where next?"
You remember that definition of insanity? Repeatedly doing the same thing whilst looking for different results?
Perhaps then it's time to change up the game. Not for my sake, but for that of a young woman's future.
And there's the lesson. It's not about me. I stopped being a priority early in the morning of the1st of October 2003, when I officially became "Dad" A title that I oddly still hold today despite the transition stuff, which is kinda an inside joke.
That moment, and all that goes with it, is hands down the best, and most scary outcome of life to date.
I had planned to add to the mini series on the basic's of philosophy this afternoon. But tbh my mind is wandering off down tracks a little less structured, so I decided to let it do so and just figure things out as I went, leaving the more academic stuff for another time.
I was out and about at a local college today, finishing up on small program designed and operated jointly by the DWP and the college. Its one of those "Back to work things"
I dont mean to be brash when I say that academically its of no use to me, since its far below the level at which I'm already qualified. However it was of benefit in other more subtle ways.
Meeting people, and just being out and about is very much under rated. Sure we all love to chill out at home, but after seven dark winter months of partially forced and partially welcomed hibernation It's obvious that this grizzly need to get out more.
Why have I written so much in recent months? Well because the end of my college courses coincided with the end of my job and the end of the summer so, thankfully I hooked into something that took my interest and it's kept me sane.
Years ago, when i was first seeking jobs and stimulation from the world at large the last thing I wanted was a steady 9-5. I wanted challenge, adventure, interest, excitement and to use a technical term, to "find out about new shit" that I didn't yet know. So after wandering around fora few years I signed up in the uniform of UK plc and went off to play in the big wide world.
What I didn't know of course is that the "big wide world " largely fails to examine that which it doesn't know outside of the abstract or academic. That, and others acceptance of the questioning of same whilst wearing said uniform depended greatly on the level of badge one held.
Now in my early 40's I would be quite content with a 9-5 sort of role. Although going to the same place each day would be fine i think i'd still struggle doing the same thing. Repetition without challenge or growth is simply dull. and this is where my blogs have been a bit of a cathartic life line.
I may be severely limited by lack of resource, resulting in a very humdrum existence and largely empty routine, but "the mind" is a great thing. It needs little to produce much. Thought can allow us to escape any physical prison you care to mention. A fact that was brought home to me the other night during a rare occasion where I found something of interest to watch on Einstein's favourite time waster.
"Amazing spaces" hosted by George Clarke were building a caravan. Not just any caravan, but one designed and planned in meticulous detail by a former POW who had, for nearly 4 years, suffered horrendous treatment at the hands of the Japanese.
Sadly the designer, "Reg" died having never seen it built, but his daughter - herself now a pensioner - had found the notebook containing the planning that had kept her father sane during this period. I also learnt of the underground university. Where the men would pretend to play cards whilst sharing knowledge of all sorts of subjects.
My time in the medical world allowed me to bear witness to the incredible feats of human resilience. Mental willpower. How one meets problems has a direct bearing on the effect those problems have on us.
My life is not even in the same ball bark as someone with a terminal illness, or suffering extreme deprivation like that seen by POW's in the eastern conflicts, but it occurred to me the approach to the challenges brought in each case have been similar.
I sure you've all heard it before:
"It's not the problem thats the problem, it's your attitude to the problem that is the problem. "
Reg's drawings:
And the finished article:
So:
When life is a bit odd, and you feel a little weird, things aint going like they should and you're left wondering what path to tread,
Consider Reg's attitude to the problem, and ask yourself, "is the answer already in my head?"
'Cos which ever way you cut it, In Reg's case and those like him, that was a bloody great attitude.
Of late I've been aware of a darker tone creeping into this blog. It is probably inevitable, since every person who examines what life, and "being human", actually means might come up with some ....err.... disheartening revelations?
Anyhow, in an attempt to redress the balance, and focus on the positive narrative for a while......
........Actually having sat and thought, staring at the blank page for a good 5 minutes, I've realised that nothing immediately jumps to mind as wholly positive.....or wholly negative. which ...oddly is a kinda positive?. :-)
Things just "happen' these days. I rarely describe much meaning to them, beyond that of the moment. Perhaps I'm becoming an Existentialist?
Except for one thing. In precisely 4 days I get to go and collect my daughter for the week.
That is Good.
The title "Stubbornly Optimistic" was initially meant as something of a tongue in cheek comment on the situations in which I found myself after life imploded in early 2010.
Some 7 yrs on from that point, and despite a world of random occurrence and mishap, or the discriminations both big and small I am still here.
"I" &"I am" are powerful concepts. Whilst the world might not know who "I am" and those that I work, discuss & argue with whilst generally existing alongside them might criticise or question, it's becoming clearer every day just who "I am"
I am that kid who always drove teachers mad asking "but Why?
I am the adult that continues to ask that simple question, constantly and infuriatingly, but now with bigger words and more syllables
I am something the world defines as a parent and my daughter defines as her "mad dad" in a way that often makes me chuckle.
I am teacher, mentor, guide and go getter of food when the daughter runs out of sausages.
I am terrible at singing but can pull of a mean car dance shuffle
I am the narrator of a world of funny voices, that make the "wee princess" laugh in the car.
I am Stubbornly optimistic.
Which is almost everything. At this point in my life, 7 years on from the bubble bursting and dumping me quite uncerimoniously on my arse, wet, worn out, and severely whipped by life, what "I am" still occupies a part of my mind that will never ever give up:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Now be honest, how many of you read that and heard Morgan Freeman's voice in your head?
So, the positive bit in todays musings is that I suggest we are all captains, we all have agency, and we all have ability to use that which we have to its best effect. The first part in changing any given situation is the mental acceptance of one's own refusal to be bound by the circumstance's in which you find yourself.
I haven't quoted Dr Dyer in a while, but this seems apt.
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change"
And to finish heres a random cool video i found on Youtube the other day ... I've been following Steph Sanjati for years now, and this made me smile... (trust me).
So. Despite all my recent words to the contrary, the word isn't all dark, doom and dreary. Just bits of it. When dealing with all those bits don't forget to come up for air occasionally and look at the other stuff. The view is pretty amazing.
Bonjour! I recently had cause to write a blog article which I entitled, Ethics, Maxims, and Activists. You can see it here It pertained to this article in the Daily Lion, which was the source for the piece and all the related discussion that was to follow. I had reason to revisit that blog this evening since one of the main threads contained within it came to something of a conclusion. I'll say no more about that save this:
Quod erat faciendum
&
Quod Erat Demonstrandum
However in the course of revisiting the arguments and my own previous work I made two discoveries: The original piece that my arguments were based upon is somewhat ambiguous as to the student bodies motives, this then leads to a weakening of the reasoning within my article. Secondly I spotted a byline under the picture in the original article that had been added. It reads: "Editors Note: After evaluation, the school has decided to not change their ceremony" It would seem that the student body protested against the change to the gowns, but their objections were somewhat different to those which I originally suggested. Here's a different link to the same story. In it David Kilmnick (LGBT network) is quoted as saying: “Nothing is really being taken away from any student, the students still are able to be their own unique individual and express their talents, except what’s going to happen now is they’re going to be able to do that as one community,” Kilmnick said. “The decision for students to all wear one gown means that there’s unity, there’s safety, there’s inclusivity, and there’s going to be moving forward together in a safe way.” In light of this I wanted to outline a few points in the context of the arguments pertaining to the ethical nature (or otherwise) of the proposed change and examine whether the conclusions that I drew with regard to the ethical nature of the schools action still hold up to scrutiny.
Firstly is the statement by David Kilmnick above actually true?
Did the timing and implementation of the change affect its ethical nature?
What are the implication of the outcome of this going forward for LGBT inclusion.
So is the statement above true? "Nothing is really being taken away from the students.." It seems to me the problem with this initial statement is that it is somewhat obviously untrue and also undermining of the whole argument for change at the same time. What is being taken away from the student body is the historical context of the school colours and the aspirational nature of something that they may have individually looked forward to for some considerable time. Also the "choice" argument applies here. That removal is as real as the removal of choice for the unrepresented LGBT students would've been had no action been taken. The counter argument to that is that the "evil" of discrimination of the LGBT students outweighs the "evil" of the removal of choice for all. If one accepts this it then confers an ethical premise on the actions of the school as a justification of the "lesser of two evils argument" But, let us assume the minority LGBT students had approached and asked for a colour change or to be allowed to wear whatever colour they best identify with (A flawed premise for sure when one considers NB but bear with me) This statement can very well be used against the trans inclusively model as for it. "Wear whatever colour you wish, Nothing is really being taken away from you..." Thus it inherently misunderstands and misrepresents the argument(s) at hand, which as I stated in my first blog are choice, with perspective and the motive preceding action. So, if the initial justification of the action in the above statment is questionable, then what of the rest? Well non of the individual statements that follow are entirely "wrong" per see, but they are inherently weakened by the false premise that precedes them. The second point, of timing, is interesting, since other (originally unseen) articles cover the fact that there was only one weeks notice of the change and many families had already bought the original gowns at considerable cost. I suspect many many people would baulk at a last minute change that asks them to swallow a $400 loss, so yes, it's a no brainer this had an effect. This factor is entirely unrelated to the issue of representation and becomes one of financial inconvenience, since its fair to say any last minute change for any reason with similar penalty would illicit a similar response. Finally we come the last point, implications for the future. The school implemented this badly, in a poorly thought out fashion, and thus the decision to instigate a change on the grounds of representation has been dropped, leaving the status quo in place. In my initial blog I suggested any perceived benefit brought about by a false premise of inclusivity would be short lived. Consider this. If inclusivity and representation were at the heart of the issue then consultation s/w/could have begun months in advance, negating the (wholly justifiable) financial argument above. We do not know for how long the LGBT school members had been petitioning the school authority to address the issue, but it would seem a last minute change was poorly thought out, and, we might speculate, implemented as a reactive measure - perhaps to a student's long term unheeded requests being marginalised until they "had to be dealt with" Whatever the causality, the planned change and its somewhat inevitable failure has now damaged the chances of real inclusivity being addressed in the future at this school, because the argument can be brought forth of "Oh we tried that and it didn't work" It's almost as if the LGBT cause in this instance has snatched defeat from the jaws of potential victory, and thus made the entire battle for true representation that much harder when next fought. Both articles lauded the proposed change as a progressive move, and whilst prima facie arguments might support this view, the lack of actual meaningful discourse and organisation to the process gives the lie to that statement. For all the appearance of it being progressive it was anything but. There are only two conclusions. Either the whole thing was intentionally botched to kill the LGBT representation issue and retain the historical colour references. Or, the school authority is almost criminally incompetent. Which option is closest to the truth, I'll leave to your own thoughts.
Sunday, March, 2017. A little village in the North East of England on Planet Earth.
At Twenty-five minutes past Two in the afternoon.
Today I find myself detached, unable to write much of consequence or focus on any of the larger projects I have at various stages of completion.
Yet the Sun shines, the weather grows warmer and I get the feeling that just round the corner theres a sea change coming. Spring, it would seem is a great herald of hope.
Yet doubt clings at my mind like an oily residue, I've been here before, with all indications looking favourable, yet I ended disappointed. It takes an act of blind faith on occasion to keep going, to "do" when you feel more "don't".
Often times when we find ourselves in these mental places, it is our friendships that assist in navigation of choppy waters. Our sense of place amongst peers that guides our ship back to calmer seas and a firmer heading.
Sadly, I find myself unable to avail myself of that help this day, thus I turn to the blank page of the internet blog, a keyboard and my own thoughts whilst staring out the window at a sunny, warm and inviting but ultimately indifferent day.
I am intent on the problem at hand, my detachment. It's causality, and thus its resolution. It would seem that the allegorical story of "Plato's cave" is quite apt.
But what of myself? Free soul? or returning cave dweller? The answer to that depends on the outcome of the internal conversation between hope, faith, fear and doubt.
Plus, I guess also how hard those people aiding my escape pull on the ropes.
That's the next chapter in the book I'm currently reviewing, Nigel Warburtons "The basics of philosophy"
I say "reviewing", what I really mean is reading with a thoughtful mind as a relative novice and forming ideas on this thing called philosophy.
But what is Philosophy? It occurred to me I hadn't really covered that, so here's a potted version.
The word itself, if you're not aware comes from an amalgamation of the greek for love, "philo" and 'Sophos" which is wisdom. so Philosophy is literally a word meaning
"lover of wisdom"
The word has two contexts in modern language use. It can mean an idea or code that one holds to:
"My friend's philosophy is never to drink whilst driving, as it risks spillage"
or as its the case with Nigel's and my own use of the word, It can refer to a search for the meaning behind certain viewpoints, using rational, critical, and (crucially), open mined, debate about any given topic.
So, as one might imagine the practice of discussion and arguing one's point is a distinct skill that a philosopher must embrace, hone and polish, as are the mental disciplines of both critical and uncritical rational thought, analysis of the underpinning concepts of a given statement and the presentation of that analysis in the form of arguments.
What Philosophy is perhaps not, at least in my view, is a means to change the other persons mind in a debate as a winner/loser scenario. Although of course one or other of the participants might choose to change their position on a topic as a result of the debate, but that's an effect, not the goal, therefore not quite the same thing.
If knowledge could be said to be the product of observation, then Wisdom could be said to be born of the thoughtful examination of that which we observe, namely the knowledge we've acquired.
After all, the internet is an abundant seemingly limitless source of knowledge, but it can hardly be said to be wise in this sense.
So, if philosophy's true purpose isn't to "persuade", or "brow beat" or "Win" what could it's purpose be? In my view it's simply this:
To make one think, and in the thinking, navigate your own "Path of Sophos".
Welcome to a another sunny Sunday noon on planet Earth.
Today is intended to be something a short blog entry, since it serves an introduction to a bit of a serialisation of my thoughts on a book I'm currently reading.
Nigel Warburton's "the basics of philosophy"
As regular readers of my random musing of the world at large will know I've developed something of an interest in the socratic method of questioning what we human presume to know.
However, it seemed to me that it would be a logical approach to learn more about the central tenants of philosophical thought since my prior experience is based very much in the more scientific methods and well, to be honest, i didn't know know what I didn't know.
In reading this book, aimed at the fledgling philosopher, I aim to find out what I don't yet know, as the author discusses arguments relating to
God
Right and Wrong
Animals
Politics
Appearance and reality
Science
Mind
Art
I thought I would take an approach similar to that of Wayne Dyer in his explorations of the Tao De Ching, Dr Dyer took 4 days to examine each verse of the Dao. Of course theres quite a bit more to this that a single verse in each section. So I plan to read each section, probably re read it a few times and then write about it. Perhaps the arguments may tie into other more personal questions, such as trans, parenthood, and who know what.
So, there it is, my self imposed project for the next year or so, to explore and learn the basics of philosophy
This morning I rose from my sleep after a late night playing D&D at a friends house. (For those in the know I was the dungeon master and will be for the next game, the third in a series of three)
As I was wandering around doing the usual stuff, washing clothes etc, my mind went back the conversation I'd had with one of my friends in the car whilst dropped him off after the game. I've been out of regular work for some time now, since Sept last year, so almost 6 months. My friend has had similar periods of "unemployment" a few years back and although now very much back on track with his career, we batted back and forth ideas and experience about the best way to write a cv etc, to get noticed amongst the pool of applicants. Given I'm six months in, common sense would suggest mine needs a reshuffle.
This lead to a thought this morning, as I pondered that word.
"Unemployment"
What does that actually mean? Occasionally I get myself down hearted due to my lack of resources currently and thats - pretty obviously - down to my situation as regards paid work. However, am I actually 'un-employed" ?
If you look up the definition of the word the first hit on google is:
It's the synonyms I find most Interesting. "idle" being one of them. And "Jobless". One could suggest I am neither, since I am writing this blog, (plus others) and spend a number of hours in academically inclined contemplation of philosophical thought & research plus doing my D&D planning. Occasionally I fix the odd bike, advise a friend of mine with a fledging bike business, and just last week I serviced the brakes on Vanessa, my old combo van, currently much battered and much loved . So one could argue I'm neither idle nor jobless.
Yet given an accusation levelled at me a few days ago, of being a "Pseudo Intellectual" and societies propensity to label people and assign veracity to their arguments based on somewhat arbitrary qualifiers, it's made me think. For example to be seen as legitimately knowing and understanding management principles one must be in a management job, thus I cant help wondering what qualifiers people place on me, an "unemployed, Trans-woman"? and moreover I'm questioning do they apply?
I would argue that since I'm "employing my time" doing other things I'm certainly not "unemployed" in that sense, yet it's very much true that what I do does not pay me directly, other than perhaps the link between searching for a (better) paid method of employing my time, and proof of that search being linked to a substance renumeration called benefits. Am I thus then being paid to look for work and therefore am "employed" in that capacity? (which would mean i wouldn't be unemployed and as result couldn't claim the benefit....yeah thats weird? ...)
Furthermore, unemployed has become shorthand for Idle in the minds of some, a perception of literally "doing nothing" and thus my financial constraints are seen as by choice. Whilst it's true that my choices in life have lead to this point (how could they not have?) I'd not say I would "choose" to remain in this situation were other options presented or discovered. This perception of unemployed = idle then brings in the skewed morality of the deserving and undeserving person. Those who actively seek to better themselves being seen perhaps as deserving of more assistance in doing so and thus achieving that aim.
All in all it's just a bit of amusing word play. I am reminded of the words of Tom Cruise in "The last Samurai", where he plays a conflicted American soldier struggling with memories of questionable actions.
"I am beset by the ironies of my life"
Side note, it's one of my favourite characters, and movies. It speaks to the shifting historical context of morality, remorse, honour and respect for culture, plus the concept of finding personal peace and redemption. The examination of which is sorely needed today.
Thankfully I haven't chosen the route Nathan Algren, the central character in the film did, initially climbing into a whiskey bottle to escape his memories, but believe me when I say at certain points in my life the option was more than just considered.
Many years ago I walked into a car dealership. It was to collect business cards for a school project. I was 16 ish. The first time I walked in I was summarily dismissed by the sales guy, who saw a scruffy kid. The next time I walked in and happened to be wearing smart clothes. I received much more assistance. Why?
Perceptions. Same person but a different image, Thus it is with "unemployed" "trans-woman" and "pseudo" intellectual.
These labels merely define a point, a discrete snapshot of our lives, and cannot ever encompass the whole. Confucius died believing himself a failure since no monarch took up his words, and Socrates was sentenced to death and executed by the very athenians he had sought to educate. Yet after their deaths both men gave rise to institutions that carried their ideas forward for centuries.
"Failure" for both was but a temporary thing. Their success lay in their "knowledge". Knowledge of humility, humanity and the importance of each, with their employment of these and other traits. There success was not defined by themselves at least, on whether they were paid well because of it.
Perhaps here then is my mini epiphany. Employ what knowledge you have to your greatest effect, and you shall, in time, see results, regardless of your current situation and other peoples definitions of it. Or, to put it another way,
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life that he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
That is currently where the UK find itself, and by extension Mrs May our PM.
Brexit: Uk is out in the cold from the European family.
America: In the hands of a fascist manipulator who promises much but changes his mind with the ratings.
I commend the chutzpa of Mrs May for walking into the lions den, perhaps as a mediator between The Trump and the right thinking world, or as one seeking trade deals etc. I genuinely feel for her being wrong footed by his subsequent, almost immediate, release of an indefensible immigration ban, regardless of how much or how little she she knew privately.
International relations rely on shared national interest. Or to put it another way "mutual benefit" what then of shared Morality, or shared values.
Britain does business with many. Democracy, Autocracy, Principality, or Theocracy. Business often crosses boundaries of how we humans live. Laws for instance are not universal. What someone does quite freely in the UK can get one arrested or jailed in Saudi Arabia. Indeed "normal" in America is very much not so in the UK. Gun laws being one easy example.
But one thing did come out of Mrs Mays visit. the "apparent" commitment to Nato that The Trump publicly promised.
This is clever, and I'm cautiously optimistic (see what i did there?) First of all the statement is public, and thus Trump can be called out on it should he change his pan...mind...
Secondly it seeks to re establish the principle of multi national effort in the mind of the US administration. By extensions it also d=send quite the stark message that action by a nato congruity in isolation would be viewed rather critically.
Of course Mrs May is a politician, by which I mean a diplomat and Practiced negotiator well versed in the rules of that particular game. Her "stony expression" when most of us would fail to keep the sheer incredulity off our faces is quite remarkable.
The worry is Trump isn't playing the same game. The "normal" rules don't seem to apply.
Also, have to commend the BBC's Laura Kunesburg for a brilliant question. Trumps response was all to predictable. Some say it was in jest. I Suspect not so much. he turns and says to Mrs May "this was your choice of question?"
Forgive me but I suspect Mrs May had little to do with a free press question freely asked. Yet Trump assumes it to be a specifically set question..? Intriguing insight into his mind set of normal media relations and their control.
All in all, the latest events point towards an anti Iran stance and an American administration very much against the Islamic world as a whole. I am drawn to that statement regarding "wiping Radical Islamic terror" off the face of the earth. Note the word radical. Not "extremists" as has been previously used. Radical simply means "to change" it does not necessarily means to change by force. Some dictionary definitions even include "progressive" in the definition.
So if The Trump had stood up and said "wipe progressive islamic terror" off the face of the earth then that wouldn't make sense. Neither would "islamic terror" since it is for to broadly inclusive.
I have always been the type of person who judged things based on experience and observation, creating an understanding to link the two via research. I used to drive my school teachers mad, by constantly asking "why"
Why why why?
Why did the UK PM go to see The Trump so quickly? because she had to. It's too late after he leaves nato or cuts funding. She as many I think would agree, knew we cant trust trump beyond his last press conference. So quick remedial and pre emptive action was needed. As state visit however, was perhaps a little too much reward, too soon.
Of course theres the trade deals and all that stuff, but its predominantly window dressing. without NATO all else becomes somewhat moot. The will tell if Mrs May has made a lasting impact. Sadly being a woman i suspect Tump privately is wondering just how she escaped the washing up, rather than giving long term credence to her views.
We now wait for The Trump's next move, to announce an appointment to the supreme court. But for the next few days I'm turning my eyes to those who react to the breakneck acceleration of his runaway train of poor political policy.
Iran, and the other six countries. Europe, UK, and its devolved assemblies. HRH Queen Elizabeth and perhaps more importantly the mechanism and personalities of the US government. The law makers, and ordinary people who now see just what they have to deal with.
America/the world is teetering on a sociopolitical edge. It wont take much of a lever to tip it. Hence why I replied to the Israel ambassadors tweet directly...
Iran fired a test missile today. Aggression, or reaction? you decide.
A friend asked me today if we have another war, say if America goes after the oil or resource and strategic location of Iran (that Trump thinks the US should have retained control of in Iraq), will it involve British troops. It might. our "special relationship" might end up with "British boots on the ground"
But consider this.
If we go in in support of Trump America we truly are aggressors. Post Brexit Europe may well be pitched against us, politically and militarily.
If we stand with our NATO allies, discourage trump America yet he ignores us and go it alone, we could be looking at American soldiers, people we have stood beside and fought with for so long, across different side of a conflict zone.
Whatever motivation and beliefs that driving this agenda, be they Trumps, Bannon's or Pence's, it is highly likely that if left unchecked he will destroy America, and possibly much of what we used to call "the free world" along with it.
You doubt that he can achieve such a feat in 4 years? Look at the effect 8 days of Trump have had on the world.
Tonight I had hoped to write something that was a little more "uplifting" than my last article. After all it was, as one reader rather succinctly put it, "Bleak".
But.....
America's Trump continues to reverberate around the globe, and the smell doesn't get any sweeter.
Pipelines being built, environmental protections reversed. Climate change monitoring has its funding frozen. Suposedly "The Trump" has won awards for "Environmentalist Trump".... I'll just leave this here...
Soon theres going to be line of merchandising dolls no doubt to go with the cinematic drama...
President Trump (Certified Free from vested interests)
Environmentalist Trump (Including awards certificate - missing from box)
Businessman Trump (with 6 certified bankruptcy proofs. Please send off the coupons enclosed for the tax returns..we'll get them back to you honest)
Making America great again Trump..(with free red hat)
Truthful Trump (production cancelled due to lack of ...well.... truth)
And of course not forgetting....
LGBT Trump with free Mike pence Doll and & day pass to a reparative therapy Spa of your choice.
(All made under license in China)
In short the uplifting article i was hoping to pen this evening has taken a battering.... However all is not lost.
In the face of what some might dress as outright lies, but other's recognise as bone fide "alternative facts". The day after this infant(ile) American administration began it's long 4 year march to ignominy and ridicule, we have a refreashing dose of law, order and good old fashioned common sense from the UK Supreme court.
Due Process. Love or loathe Brexit, the proper process and legal frame works must be adhered to. A fact "The Trump" would be wise to pay heed to. The UK parliament must now debate the issue and satisfy the UK constitutional requirements. Proof that, even now, no man, (or woman) is above democracy or the rule of law.
I hope you'll forgive another Tolkien indulgence as i quote everyone's favourite Grey Wizard
"There are other forces at work here besides the will of evil - and that is an encouraging thought"
So. What to bring as a counter foil to the bleak and dreary?
How about a tribute to a funny guy, whilst poking fun a the whole European "thing" circa 1939 style.
Allo Allo ran for a good number of years when i was a kid and even though some of the humor has dated a little, the cheeky take on the serious business of occupied France in the war complete with dodgy accents and terrible french from English agent come Police officer "crabtree" still makes me Chuckle...
But I'm gonna leave the final word to Ronnie Barker. When boxed in, be it figuratively or literally, there's three things to remember:
So it's goodnight from me...and its goodnight from him
My last #stubbornlyoptimistic post was entitled the faithful navigator. In it I focused on the personal and professional challenges of one person, Moi, in a sea of ever changing possibilities, problems and persistent prejudices.
Having watched the rather momentous occurrences on the international political stage recently I have to say faithful navigation is something we all very much need at present.
But where to begin? The story starts, perhaps a little strangely in 1937. JRR Tolkien's "The hobbit" was published that year, though it was a more modern adaptation of that story by Peter Jackson that kept me entertained this evening and set me on the path to writing this piece. Specifically, "The battle of the Five Armies" For those not familiar with Tolkien's works, bear with me, the link will become apparent.
So what of real world events? We have over the course of this last 7 days seen the UK Prime Minister continuing her attempts to look for some area of provenance on the world stage, Martin McGuinness has resigned on health grounds leaving the Northern Ireland Stormont assembly somewhat precariously poised. And of course we have seen the Swearing in and Taking Office of now President Donald J Trump of America. Elections are forthcoming soon in continental Europe. France, Germany and Italy all have somewhat nationalistic parties gathering a head of steam in their respective political arena's. All seemingly unconnected, random and disparate events? Maybe.
There are those currently in the media and elsewhere who denigrate former president Obama for doing little on the world stage these last 8 yrs. Forgetting perhaps that a Democrat in the oval office is often thwarted by Republican control over congress. Others want change from the status Quo here at home in the UK and hence we now have Brexit with an overall rise in nationalistic rhetoric. Peace can be dull. Yet it was not always so. I am 42 years old. I can remember a time when UK forces did not openly wear uniform on home soil for fear of direct attack. Overall in the western world, since the the Demolition of the Berlin wall 1989 and the good Friday agreement of 1998, US and UK citizens have enjoyed quite the peaceful and benign experience. Continental Europe having had a broadly similar experience, save for a few basque bombings every now and then.
What's my point? My point is that years of broadly Quiet, Peaceful Democracy has bread an unconscious apathy along with discontent at the usual peacetime economic challenges. Politicians are "all the same", voting is "pointless" and "War" is something that happens "elsewhere" to "other countries" or "in the past". We can see live feeds on CNN or Sky/BBC of missiles going into Gaza/Lebanon/Iraq/Kuwait. "But" says the mass population in these western countries, "they are unlikely to drop en mass on to us, we're safe". (not withstanding 9/11, which of course is the major and cataclysmic terror act of our time. My point being it was not an every day occurrence to be bombed or shot at whilst crossing the street) Safe to spend more effort en masse voting on "the voice" than on governmental referendums or similar.
When this "apathy" happens to large enough groups of people "Me" replaces "Us" in the group think mindset. The thirst for "change" based on "inequality" and the perception of being a "have not" starts to rise. What people vote for, or even if they vote, becomes a function of narrow self interest and nothing more.
President Trump and those behind him saw this. He is in power through a wave of promises to bring about just such a "change" and to gift power and prosperity to those whose perception is that they have none, whether that be fact or otherwise. BUT this administration gained office on a very focused agenda, with virtually no mention of wider foreign policy. The sheer malignant genius of managing to gain to office by giving literally no details of future international intent is staggering. So in tune were Trumps team with the "me" mindset that they played it flawlessly. So great was the emphasis on the man himself as deplorable human being, - which frankly I doubt anyone of sense would argue - and his business type rhetoric of tough talk that the vacuum of foreign policy information was missed. Missed by an electorate guided by near sighted self interest and/or circumvented by archaic voting practices. That is until now.
The USA has for years been an intermediary in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. Today the new President has signalled a major shift in foreign policy regarding the area. Israel announced it was approving the building of new homes in the "occupied territory" a move long opposed by Obama's administration and UN security council resolutions, and there are overtones of the US embassy in Israel being moved to Jerusalem. That this announcement came after a phone call conversation between Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suggestive to say the least.
Seriously? bear with me on this point. Extremists usurping the name of Islam and religion are already doing a great job of the odd terror attack on foreign shores. (like I said above anyone remember 9/11? or the London bus and tube bombings?) Today most Arabs are Muslim, thus the extremist factions purporting to speak for Muslims, however misguided, are not going to take kindly to this perceived slight against the Arab vision of a Palestinian state.
Ok. back to 1937. This time not Erabor of Tolkien's world, but Germany. Hitler's Germany. March 1938 and Austria is annexed. October of the same year Hitler takes the Sudetenland. That portion of the Czechoslovakia border area that is predominantly German speaking. During this time the popularity of Hitler at home was huge. He had brought back pride and postive change to the people of Germany who had very demonstrably lost it all in the recent war. History of course, now tells us his Foreign policy was any thing but positive.
Now I'm not suggesting Trump is about to annex New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as i don't think even he would dream that up. But bear in mind it was Hitlers actions in Poland that kicked off WW2. Germany invaded Poland and caused France and Britain to get involved. We currently have the Syrian conflict being a show of strength between Russian and American ideology by proxy. Kicking over the previously dormant hornets nest of the Gaza strip could very well be akin to lighting a slow burn fuse that begins a war not between the countries of the "western world" but between those erroneously usurping the "Muslim"/Arab banner and the western military machines. And we know Trumps thoughts on "Muslims" don't we? Anyone else think it's reminiscent of the scapegoated Jews? Subtly different but still eerily worrisome.
Far fetched? Consider that Trump has already mentioned beefing up the American military. Consider that the world has already seen one war that was fought on false pretence. (Iraq 2.0 anyone?) Hitler didn't need to invade Poland. He merely needed an excuse to invade Poland. Austria and the Sudetenland were pretty much historically German thus the international community had little reason to oppose his goals there. But once he went for Poland, well France and Britain had the "reason" for "justifiable" action. Note I put justifiable in quotes. This does not mean the war against hitler was wrong in my view, far from it. However it serves to highlight that before a country can act there must be political will for a given intervention. Hence Chamberlain's repeated meetings with hitler before the declaration of war, and Tony Blairs WMD's
So back to Trump's decision on the Gaza strip. Why? Either he's very stupid or very clever. Stupid because he fails to see that overturning decades old political stability is dangerous, or clever because that's exactly what he and his team does see and want to create. Light the fuse, create the reason for intervention and you justify the creation of large military machinery to counter the threat that wasn't there until it was made so. Drag others into the conflict by proxy and you have pretty much a prelude to a large scale conflagration.
Ok ok. I can hear you all going "oh come on.. really .. is that actually gonna happen?" Sure it might not. But consider the timing. Inherent instability of Brexit/stormont/European politics and the growing nationalistic feelings across the world and ask yourself how stable do you think it is? With the right levers even the heaviest of rocks can be moved with but a single push. The American President is on record saying NATO is obsolete. The safety net that held together the threads of 67 years of peace is slowly being removed or undermined.
So what of Tolkien, and the dwarves of Erabor? Erabor was a Dwarven kingdom of untold riches, lost long ago to a brooding dragon who hoarded all the gold and treasures for his own. After the dragon was defeated the Dwarven king was for a time possessed of a sickness. A sickness where anyone who came near the gates of Erabor was perceived as a threat to the riches and a potential Thief. So taken was he by ownership of his kingdom's wealth that he broke all bonds of honesty, loyalty and friendship before he recovered his mind. However by that time many lay dead, entreaties from other civilisations of middle earth had fallen on deaf ears, and an entirely avoidable series of battles had taken place costing millions of lives.
Tolkien himself denied any allegorical context of his writings. But in this instance i think he'd forgive a likening to nationalistic greed. Fair trade, individual rights and freedoms. Bonds of friendship and honour. These are all things that cross borders and bind humanity together despite cultural differences.
If we close our borders, our hearts and our minds, barring our gates, we do so at our own peril. Now more than ever our politicians need to be mindful of the small actions. The seemingly insignificant little occurrences that may, if unchecked, lead the world down a very very dark path. I hope I am proven wrong. I hope this is nothing more than a period of peaceful change in the ever spinning tale of the human race. But will not assume it to be so.
The "alternative facts" that are being espoused from Trump's Whitehouse sow seeds of division, dissent & distrust. In so doing they "muddy the swamp" of truth verses propaganda or spin. Even the words "alternative facts" speak of a regime in love with its own image of itself. The twitter accounts of dissenting departments of the US government being shutdown over trivialities like the numbers of supporters at the inaugurations. This is deeply, deeply troubling. The information itself is banal, but the draconic control measures are quite the cause for alarm.
Lastly, there is now a Federal challenge to Donald J Trump for possible impeachment as he has repeatedly failed to divest himself fully of his business assets and interests. Something it would not have taken the intellect of Sir Ian McKellen's Gandalf to foresee. Keep in mind that the shadow of extremism stands behind Trump. Not Muslim. but Christian. Mike Pence. Vice President to an administration that is seemingly intent on destabilising the Arab/Israeli situation.
Ask yourself "Why" ?
We
are one nation -- We share one heart,
one home, and one glorious destiny
"We
assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every
city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.
We
will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world --
but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all
nations to put their own interests first.
We
will reinforce old alliances and form new ones -- and unite the
civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will
eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.
There
should be no fear -- we are protected, and we will always be
protected.
We
will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law
enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.
Donald J Trump. 45th President of the USA.
The "Trump Card" a modern day Trojan Horse?
As for the Trump/Pence domestic agenda I'll leave that for another time. Until then stay #stubbornlyoptimistic, for it is needed now more than ever. I'll leave you with yet another Gandalf/Ian McKellen Quote:
"All we can do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us"
