I seem to have been getting overly political in my posts so just for some balance, here's an update on my running.
I have been getting over a knee injury over the last 2 months. I finished one of the best runs ever and as I started walking home a pain quickly started in one of my knees. It gave me all kinds of problems with stairs and even now going down stairs hurts. I started running again a couple of weeks back, nothing serious, 2 and 3 milers.
This morning it was bracing. Frost and frozen with a heavy mist in the air, the weather that I love to run in. 5.45 and I was out the door, music in my ears and the coldness heavy in my lungs. I always struggle with the first 1/2 mile, my breathing is hard and I don't settle into my pace until close to a mile, after that it is a joy to be alive. Just me and the streetlights and the cloak of darkness between them.
Halfway into the run takes me onto the canal, away from the light and into my own world. Panting breaths exhaled as a stream of warmth from deep inside, muscles working easily, keeping the cold at bay and running into the chill, that icy burn across my chest, at odds with the heat of the run. I am truly alone, music in my ears and above that the bird songs, a welcome to the sun that is still an hour away.
Uneven ground beneath my feet, the crunch of leaves and squelch of the occasional puddle, just my thoughts and the joy of being alive, to feel the life coursing through my veins, blood pumping, knowing the miracle of this human form.
I am never closer to heaven than on particular runs, everything aligns and the pain, the beauty and the world open up one bit more and you understand a fraction more. It gives you hope and love.
There is a new swan on the canal, a new friend to greet on my way past. Running down the toe path into the light of the town, beneath bridges and barges, seemingly endless but all too familiar as I reach the canal basin and the end, still in darkness but with the expectation of a rising sun lightening the mist.
This is what running is about, it is more than an exercise, it is an essential part of life, a ritual that heralds in a new day, a worship of the morning, the new sun and a greeting to the creatures that are there to see it all with me.
Good morning World!
Saturday, 16 November 2013
Thursday, 14 November 2013
...we have a duty of care and balance to this planet...
I have been absolutely obsessed with the Badger Cull, and, as is my way, I always feel the need to dissect my feelings, particularly when they start becoming more extreme and lean in directions I have never considered as my natural political and life leanings. This one has particularly changed many things about me and my views and I have discovered that what I previously believed, in many ways, was shallow, surface beliefs that I had been indoctrinated with over years and had also clung to, to give some extra meaning to life when in actual fact what I needed was less meaning and more living.
First off are the reasons for this Badger Cull, a mass extermination of Wildlife orchestrated by David Cameron and the Conservative Party for no real reason. Bovine TB is not the reason as evidence is coming to light that there are still no proven links between cattle and badgers, the science doesn't backup the Government's "evidence". Owen Paterson has stated that the cull will continue over 4 years, executing 70% of Badgers every year. That would mean that from around 1400 in Somerset, in 4 years there would be somewhere in the region of 15. Whether you accept the rights or wrongs of this, we are creatures of nature as is every animal and we have a duty of care and balance to this planet, this is not balance.
At this current time all we see is the present, we don't consider the past or tomorrow. Life today is about today and our Politicians have pushed that view on us, we are seeing things their way, not in the way generations of our family did. They considered a legacy and inheritance as an essential part of life and death. It wasn't about now, it was about the future and what could be passed on to the generations to come. We are at the point where the World can't sustain us for a prolonged period of time, yet we still keep taking as if there were no tomorrow and at the rate we're going there won't be.
We don't look at the issues our children will inherit from us, what thanks should they be giving us? We thank our Grandfathers for fighting against the tyranny of Hitler and our Parents for the more equal role of women and the better acceptance of homosexuality as a part of nature and not a life choice as well as fighting against poaching and spearheading the conservation of protected species. What thanks do we deserve? We consume more of everything with no thought for the future. We destroy and build across huge swathes of green belt land, land that was meant to be protected.
We have democracy run by a chosen few, none of them reflecting the views of the electorate and none of them truly representing Britain, none of them with an ounce of pride or feeling for what we were, what we are or what we could be. We are built into subsections, Upper, Middle or Lower class, Townie or Country, new money or old money and each of us has to conform and know our place, that's how it's always worked. The difference is that now the World is far smaller, we have access to everything and everyone and we all have the need to become individuals. I don't want to be pigeon-holed, I am more than my financial net worth or the family I was born into. This is the coming of age of individuals, not Nations.
Now I find myself treading the boards that I really didn't want to get into, the real meaning of what it is to be British, English and human. I find myself sick of people and wanting to retreat into something more natural. I want to go out on the Wounded Badger Patrols and I want to walk at night and I want to run more and take more photographs. I'm not quite at the point of hugging a tree but I am at the point of looking at what I can do to conserve nature, to maintain a balance that my children can take over without the need to curse my name for leaving them a World in pain. I understand it will cost more but I also understand that those at the top of the tree will always try and screw us and ignore the need to maintain a balance in nature as they accrue money and power. I urge my children to get involved with politics because we are leaving them with the worst possible choices, elect the better of a terrible, corrupt and privileged few and whichever way they turn the Country is damned or the other option is that we pay the price now and think of the future we want for our children, this is not our World that we are saving, it is theirs, we've already ruined ours.
Digging deep into my heart I realise and understand that we are not the keepers of this land, we are inhabitants in the same way as every other animal and the duty that we have is to maintain the balance, to be fair with every living thing. As we encroach on their natural habitat, they are forced to scavenge and move into the unnatural World that we create and then we kill them because they are not where they should be, after we have destroyed their natural food sources. That is not balance. We expect our Ministers and our Monarchy to defend the Land. That, is the truth about being British, it has always been about the Land, everything else is surface noise, dig beneath that and it is about the Land. Even reading back on my posts, I was fooling myself if I believed the Monarchy gave us our identity, our identity has always been forged by this wondrous land, in the hills, the lakes, the lochs, the valleys and in the wildlife. How English is a robin or a swan? Or, as I saw the other day, a huge horse in a field of horses all wearing coats and he had wriggled out of his and was looking down at it with a haughty look, such attitude, I had to smile as I knew exactly what he was thinking. I realise that we all think the same way, natural instincts are not human, they are animal and we all have them, the need to nurture the young, to protect our territory, to feed and house the family.
We believe that we are greater than "the animals" yet we are the ones that are destroying, they simply live, when we let them. We are a far greater threat than anything else that exists, we are not caretakers, we are destroyers and the sooner we all learn to "hug a tree" without laughing at the Green brigade, the better the World will be. We should be doing what we can and leading other Nations by example. David Cameron should be telling them what we expect and hope, and leading initiatives to lower the emissions exhaled by the growing Countries, instead he is pointlessly exterminating Badgers and instilling corruption into the Police force as they answer to a non-Governmental body, the NFU, as they receive their directions on how to police the protesters. It is the National Farmers Union that dictate how the Police act in the Cull zones. Who gave them the right to direct the Police? David Cameron? Owen Paterson? All of a sudden we are looking at the judicial system as being in the pocket of the Government, that would mean that the politicians in power are above the law and that is absolute corruption. It gives David Cameron carte blanche to do what he pleases. That is not the example we should be setting other Countries or our children. It is shocking that in the UK, in this day and age, the the rights of the individual depend on your privileged back ground. I am not deluding myself that privilege outranks justice, it is the simple fact that it was always swept under the carpet, in this instance it is in full view of the press and no-one is saying a word.
This is what it all boils down to, the politics and reasons for the decisions that shape the fabric of our World are flawed and corrupt. We need to stop and breathe and decide what course we need to take because if we continue down this current path it will benefit a few at the top while the rest of the World starves, burns or drowns. Our political class are corrupt and need to be replaced by a more democratic model. There needs to be a more efficient and cheaper way of conducting a referendum to allow for a more democratic society. As a matter of course the Green party should be disbanded and included in every Government as the conscience of the land. A defender of nature is not a role that should be elected, it is a role that should be there, only the candidate is elected.
What about some morals? How about some culpability? Someone needs to take the fall for bad decisions and wasting money, surely the Ministers in Government and ultimately the Prime Minister need to stand up and take responsibility for their actions. I would have far more respect for a simple "Sorry I f**ked up" than the current defence of bad policies by more bad policies and lies.
Badgers prompted all of these thoughts, they focussed my mind on my core beliefs and I find that I can change my mind and beliefs very quickly when I find myself in the wrong and that is a good thing. I am now more insular and free thinking than I was before. I am not part of a political party now and I don't believe in our political system, there has to be a better way. I was dismissive of Green Politics but I now see that it is the only way forward and we are the generation that has to pick up the tab for our children to have a World to live in.
It's time to cast away the present and look to creating a decent future, to create the World we wanted for ourselves and our children, it is not only the least we can do, it is our duty to do it.
Lead by action and vote for a changing World and just believe. I am not sure what the future truly holds but I hope that even if it all fails, my children can at least know that I tried.
First off are the reasons for this Badger Cull, a mass extermination of Wildlife orchestrated by David Cameron and the Conservative Party for no real reason. Bovine TB is not the reason as evidence is coming to light that there are still no proven links between cattle and badgers, the science doesn't backup the Government's "evidence". Owen Paterson has stated that the cull will continue over 4 years, executing 70% of Badgers every year. That would mean that from around 1400 in Somerset, in 4 years there would be somewhere in the region of 15. Whether you accept the rights or wrongs of this, we are creatures of nature as is every animal and we have a duty of care and balance to this planet, this is not balance.
At this current time all we see is the present, we don't consider the past or tomorrow. Life today is about today and our Politicians have pushed that view on us, we are seeing things their way, not in the way generations of our family did. They considered a legacy and inheritance as an essential part of life and death. It wasn't about now, it was about the future and what could be passed on to the generations to come. We are at the point where the World can't sustain us for a prolonged period of time, yet we still keep taking as if there were no tomorrow and at the rate we're going there won't be.
We don't look at the issues our children will inherit from us, what thanks should they be giving us? We thank our Grandfathers for fighting against the tyranny of Hitler and our Parents for the more equal role of women and the better acceptance of homosexuality as a part of nature and not a life choice as well as fighting against poaching and spearheading the conservation of protected species. What thanks do we deserve? We consume more of everything with no thought for the future. We destroy and build across huge swathes of green belt land, land that was meant to be protected.
We have democracy run by a chosen few, none of them reflecting the views of the electorate and none of them truly representing Britain, none of them with an ounce of pride or feeling for what we were, what we are or what we could be. We are built into subsections, Upper, Middle or Lower class, Townie or Country, new money or old money and each of us has to conform and know our place, that's how it's always worked. The difference is that now the World is far smaller, we have access to everything and everyone and we all have the need to become individuals. I don't want to be pigeon-holed, I am more than my financial net worth or the family I was born into. This is the coming of age of individuals, not Nations.
Now I find myself treading the boards that I really didn't want to get into, the real meaning of what it is to be British, English and human. I find myself sick of people and wanting to retreat into something more natural. I want to go out on the Wounded Badger Patrols and I want to walk at night and I want to run more and take more photographs. I'm not quite at the point of hugging a tree but I am at the point of looking at what I can do to conserve nature, to maintain a balance that my children can take over without the need to curse my name for leaving them a World in pain. I understand it will cost more but I also understand that those at the top of the tree will always try and screw us and ignore the need to maintain a balance in nature as they accrue money and power. I urge my children to get involved with politics because we are leaving them with the worst possible choices, elect the better of a terrible, corrupt and privileged few and whichever way they turn the Country is damned or the other option is that we pay the price now and think of the future we want for our children, this is not our World that we are saving, it is theirs, we've already ruined ours.
Digging deep into my heart I realise and understand that we are not the keepers of this land, we are inhabitants in the same way as every other animal and the duty that we have is to maintain the balance, to be fair with every living thing. As we encroach on their natural habitat, they are forced to scavenge and move into the unnatural World that we create and then we kill them because they are not where they should be, after we have destroyed their natural food sources. That is not balance. We expect our Ministers and our Monarchy to defend the Land. That, is the truth about being British, it has always been about the Land, everything else is surface noise, dig beneath that and it is about the Land. Even reading back on my posts, I was fooling myself if I believed the Monarchy gave us our identity, our identity has always been forged by this wondrous land, in the hills, the lakes, the lochs, the valleys and in the wildlife. How English is a robin or a swan? Or, as I saw the other day, a huge horse in a field of horses all wearing coats and he had wriggled out of his and was looking down at it with a haughty look, such attitude, I had to smile as I knew exactly what he was thinking. I realise that we all think the same way, natural instincts are not human, they are animal and we all have them, the need to nurture the young, to protect our territory, to feed and house the family.
We believe that we are greater than "the animals" yet we are the ones that are destroying, they simply live, when we let them. We are a far greater threat than anything else that exists, we are not caretakers, we are destroyers and the sooner we all learn to "hug a tree" without laughing at the Green brigade, the better the World will be. We should be doing what we can and leading other Nations by example. David Cameron should be telling them what we expect and hope, and leading initiatives to lower the emissions exhaled by the growing Countries, instead he is pointlessly exterminating Badgers and instilling corruption into the Police force as they answer to a non-Governmental body, the NFU, as they receive their directions on how to police the protesters. It is the National Farmers Union that dictate how the Police act in the Cull zones. Who gave them the right to direct the Police? David Cameron? Owen Paterson? All of a sudden we are looking at the judicial system as being in the pocket of the Government, that would mean that the politicians in power are above the law and that is absolute corruption. It gives David Cameron carte blanche to do what he pleases. That is not the example we should be setting other Countries or our children. It is shocking that in the UK, in this day and age, the the rights of the individual depend on your privileged back ground. I am not deluding myself that privilege outranks justice, it is the simple fact that it was always swept under the carpet, in this instance it is in full view of the press and no-one is saying a word.
This is what it all boils down to, the politics and reasons for the decisions that shape the fabric of our World are flawed and corrupt. We need to stop and breathe and decide what course we need to take because if we continue down this current path it will benefit a few at the top while the rest of the World starves, burns or drowns. Our political class are corrupt and need to be replaced by a more democratic model. There needs to be a more efficient and cheaper way of conducting a referendum to allow for a more democratic society. As a matter of course the Green party should be disbanded and included in every Government as the conscience of the land. A defender of nature is not a role that should be elected, it is a role that should be there, only the candidate is elected.
What about some morals? How about some culpability? Someone needs to take the fall for bad decisions and wasting money, surely the Ministers in Government and ultimately the Prime Minister need to stand up and take responsibility for their actions. I would have far more respect for a simple "Sorry I f**ked up" than the current defence of bad policies by more bad policies and lies.
Badgers prompted all of these thoughts, they focussed my mind on my core beliefs and I find that I can change my mind and beliefs very quickly when I find myself in the wrong and that is a good thing. I am now more insular and free thinking than I was before. I am not part of a political party now and I don't believe in our political system, there has to be a better way. I was dismissive of Green Politics but I now see that it is the only way forward and we are the generation that has to pick up the tab for our children to have a World to live in.
It's time to cast away the present and look to creating a decent future, to create the World we wanted for ourselves and our children, it is not only the least we can do, it is our duty to do it.
Lead by action and vote for a changing World and just believe. I am not sure what the future truly holds but I hope that even if it all fails, my children can at least know that I tried.
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