Referendum spontaneity on the A96 bridge in Nairn - The Gurn speaks to Iain - video
5 comments:
B Lever
said...
A Tale For Our Times
I had a conversation recently on the doorstep with an interesting couple who rang the bell.
They wanted to know if I was happy with my life. Did I feel fulfilled? Was I sure that things were going well? Did I care about my future.... and about my fellow-man?
I shrugged. Life is never perfect. I was thankful that I enjoyed reasonable health. I had good friends and a loving family. Of course I was depressed by the daily news: conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, rising prices, and disasters both natural and man-made. Closer to home I sympathised with those who were in difficulties, whether through unemployment, ill-health, or other personal issues. I did what I could – with others – to make things better for the community and to help those in need. But things could be a lot worse. Indeed compared to much of the rest of the world, I thought we were doing pretty well.
The visitors seemed unimpressed. Had I thought seriously about the future? Injustice, poverty and suffering was all around us. People did not realise that decisions made by those in power had damaging consequences. The system itself was failing. Did I not fear that misfortune might befall me? Worse, was I not being complacent, turning a blind eye to all that was wrong?
They became more animated. It was time for change. The old ways were no longer acceptable. Institutions had become corrupt, leadership was lacking. It was time to have faith in something better – a future where all would be treated equally, where the will of the people would prevail, where we could all ......how did they put it?........ be saved. Saved from oppression, saved from the darkness, saved from tyranny and sin! Did I not want a brighter, more secure future?
All I had to do was believe. If I would only believe in salvation, it would surely be mine, they said. Their eyes were bright, their enthusiasm evident, their voices animated. They had seen the light. It was wonderful, they said, to feel in control of one’s own destiny. All it requires, they said, is hope.... hope, and faith, and a willingness to believe, and the door will open to a brighter tomorrow!
They pressed forward – asked if I would like to join them. Was I prepared to commit? They must have seen the flicker of hesitation in my eyes. Time was short, they said. But they thrust a booklet at me as they turned to leave: this, they said, had all the answers. If I would only read it, they were sure I would be convinced.
I thanked them politely, wished them a pleasant evening and went back inside, glancing at what they had pressed into my hand.
In the dim light of the hallway I could barely make out the title on the front page. Was it “The Watch Tower”? Or something else?
The offer(?) from the three Westminster Pary leaders to turn a No vote into a vote for a federal state has alerted quite a lot of people in England to the mess this could make. The Genie is not only out of the bottle but hovering in the sky above Westminster. Well worth a read of this to see what a mess the ConLabLib party have made of this. Scottish independence: what does the political establishment think it's playing at?
5 comments:
A Tale For Our Times
I had a conversation recently on the doorstep with an interesting couple who rang the bell.
They wanted to know if I was happy with my life. Did I feel fulfilled? Was I sure that things were going well? Did I care about my future.... and about my fellow-man?
I shrugged. Life is never perfect. I was thankful that I enjoyed reasonable health. I had good friends and a loving family. Of course I was depressed by the daily news: conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, rising prices, and disasters both natural and man-made. Closer to home I sympathised with those who were in difficulties, whether through unemployment, ill-health, or other personal issues. I did what I could – with others – to make things better for the community and to help those in need. But things could be a lot worse. Indeed compared to much of the rest of the world, I thought we were doing pretty well.
The visitors seemed unimpressed. Had I thought seriously about the future? Injustice, poverty and suffering was all around us. People did not realise that decisions made by those in power had damaging consequences. The system itself was failing. Did I not fear that misfortune might befall me? Worse, was I not being complacent, turning a blind eye to all that was wrong?
They became more animated. It was time for change. The old ways were no longer acceptable. Institutions had become corrupt, leadership was lacking. It was time to have faith in something better – a future where all would be treated equally, where the will of the people would prevail, where we could all ......how did they put it?........ be saved. Saved from oppression, saved from the darkness, saved from tyranny and sin! Did I not want a brighter, more secure future?
All I had to do was believe. If I would only believe in salvation, it would surely be mine, they said. Their eyes were bright, their enthusiasm evident, their voices animated. They had seen the light. It was wonderful, they said, to feel in control of one’s own destiny. All it requires, they said, is hope.... hope, and faith, and a willingness to believe, and the door will open to a brighter tomorrow!
They pressed forward – asked if I would like to join them. Was I prepared to commit? They must have seen the flicker of hesitation in my eyes. Time was short, they said. But they thrust a booklet at me as they turned to leave: this, they said, had all the answers. If I would only read it, they were sure I would be convinced.
I thanked them politely, wished them a pleasant evening and went back inside, glancing at what they had pressed into my hand.
In the dim light of the hallway I could barely make out the title on the front page. Was it “The Watch Tower”? Or something else?
@ B Lever
You do know this isn't the right place to enter for the Nairn Book & Arts short story competition?
The offer(?) from the three Westminster Pary leaders to turn a No vote into a vote for a federal state has alerted quite a lot of people in England to the mess this could make. The Genie is not only out of the bottle but hovering in the sky above Westminster. Well worth a read of this to see what a mess the ConLabLib party have made of this. Scottish independence: what does the political establishment think it's playing at?
If you want to put up that sort of graffiti within your own property....fine, but on a public bridge NO!
Good for Iain having the inspiration to display such a message. Food for thought for passing drivers
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