Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 53
August 3, 2015
Pilgrimage.
A few days ago, I would have been enjoying the sun shining, if it had not been a certain day and if it had not been a final farewell that I was involved in. As I stood there emotions about to overwhelm it struck me that at that time in the afternoon I would have been out in the garden, out in the open, out and anywhere but where I was, doing what I was about to do. This for me was not just any day, I was saying goodbye forever to my loved one. After the ceremony was complete my thoughts shocked me as instead of the grief which had filled me for days and hours my first thought returned me to my school days. It may have been the ceremony which had acted like a link or triggered the memory but religion filled my thoughts and one of the subjects I did well in at school was religious study. I have always been interested in the idea of an ultimate belief.
My thoughts on religion did interweave with memories of my loved one. One of the stories my relative told me of was about a group of worshippers who had an ultimate goal and that was to go on a holy pilgrimage. This pilgrimage was something important, something sacred and it would be an example of how significantly one viewed the teachings of their religion. The worshippers saved
all their money as it was a difficult, long way to go. They saved all they could and having made the decision set about on their pilgrimage. As their journey was an incredibly long one they had to stop one night to rest. Tired they all fell into a needed sleep, it was not but a while before they were interrupted by a noise. The sound of scrabbling came from nearby and so one of the men went to investigate. On inspecting the area he saw a lady bending over the rubbish which had been left behind from their evening meal. He went over to her and asked what she was doing. The woman explained that her husband had died, that she was alone with young children and she had no money to feed them. It was clear that the woman knew the area well from routinely having to sort through the rubbish for scraps of food for her children. The man knew in his heart that even though he had only enough money gathered for his pilgrimage that he would have to intervene. By giving his money the man would have to stop his own journey, it would mean all the months of saving would be gone and all his hope of his wish being granted would leave him. The man looked at the woman and even though he had waited for this opportunity to go on his pilgrimage, put all his effort into it, due to the situation he knew that instead of his plan for a pilgrimage he would have to help the woman. The next morning the rest of the worshippers were about to leave when they noticed that their friend was not going with them and they asked him what was wrong. The man told his friends about the incident of the previous night and said he would forgo his trip as he gave his money to the woman to feed her children. The worshippers were aghast in horror and they all told him what a fool he had been, after saving for so long he had given up on this one occasion to go on the pilgrimage, it was a once in a lifetime, a pilgrimage many would never be able to go on. No matter what his friends said the man was adamant that he had done the only thing he could and said he would wait for the return of his fellow pilgrims. Days went by and when the pilgrims returned far from happy, one of them angrily approached their friend. “What game are you playing?” He spat. “You said you would wait here for our return. When we got to the shrine you were always in front of us, we could see you and even when the crowds were so vast that we could practically not move forward still you were there at the front, it was always you ahead of us and you were the one who made it through the crowds, you were the one who had his wish accepted.”
The man could not understand what his friends were telling him as he had not moved from where he had said he would wait and he had certainly not been able to go on his pilgrimage. A thought came to him and he asked. “What makes you think I had my wish accepted?”
Still incredibly angry as they had not believed him the worshippers looked at him and went on to say. “Of course your wish was accepted, you were the one bathed in a golden light.”
I think this story highlights the idea that it is not what you say your belief is that is important but how your actions determine that belief. It is by what you do that it will evidence if you are a good or bad person. I could not help but think of this as I said my final physical farewell to a loved lady, to a knowledgable soul and to a spirit who always knew how to guide us in our lives. The lady who lived life with love, she taught me that life is limited and I should make use of the opportunity to share my feelings and power in a positive way with others.
My thoughts on religion did interweave with memories of my loved one. One of the stories my relative told me of was about a group of worshippers who had an ultimate goal and that was to go on a holy pilgrimage. This pilgrimage was something important, something sacred and it would be an example of how significantly one viewed the teachings of their religion. The worshippers saved
all their money as it was a difficult, long way to go. They saved all they could and having made the decision set about on their pilgrimage. As their journey was an incredibly long one they had to stop one night to rest. Tired they all fell into a needed sleep, it was not but a while before they were interrupted by a noise. The sound of scrabbling came from nearby and so one of the men went to investigate. On inspecting the area he saw a lady bending over the rubbish which had been left behind from their evening meal. He went over to her and asked what she was doing. The woman explained that her husband had died, that she was alone with young children and she had no money to feed them. It was clear that the woman knew the area well from routinely having to sort through the rubbish for scraps of food for her children. The man knew in his heart that even though he had only enough money gathered for his pilgrimage that he would have to intervene. By giving his money the man would have to stop his own journey, it would mean all the months of saving would be gone and all his hope of his wish being granted would leave him. The man looked at the woman and even though he had waited for this opportunity to go on his pilgrimage, put all his effort into it, due to the situation he knew that instead of his plan for a pilgrimage he would have to help the woman. The next morning the rest of the worshippers were about to leave when they noticed that their friend was not going with them and they asked him what was wrong. The man told his friends about the incident of the previous night and said he would forgo his trip as he gave his money to the woman to feed her children. The worshippers were aghast in horror and they all told him what a fool he had been, after saving for so long he had given up on this one occasion to go on the pilgrimage, it was a once in a lifetime, a pilgrimage many would never be able to go on. No matter what his friends said the man was adamant that he had done the only thing he could and said he would wait for the return of his fellow pilgrims. Days went by and when the pilgrims returned far from happy, one of them angrily approached their friend. “What game are you playing?” He spat. “You said you would wait here for our return. When we got to the shrine you were always in front of us, we could see you and even when the crowds were so vast that we could practically not move forward still you were there at the front, it was always you ahead of us and you were the one who made it through the crowds, you were the one who had his wish accepted.”
The man could not understand what his friends were telling him as he had not moved from where he had said he would wait and he had certainly not been able to go on his pilgrimage. A thought came to him and he asked. “What makes you think I had my wish accepted?”
Still incredibly angry as they had not believed him the worshippers looked at him and went on to say. “Of course your wish was accepted, you were the one bathed in a golden light.”
I think this story highlights the idea that it is not what you say your belief is that is important but how your actions determine that belief. It is by what you do that it will evidence if you are a good or bad person. I could not help but think of this as I said my final physical farewell to a loved lady, to a knowledgable soul and to a spirit who always knew how to guide us in our lives. The lady who lived life with love, she taught me that life is limited and I should make use of the opportunity to share my feelings and power in a positive way with others.
July 27, 2015
Positive Thinking.
Such a simple thing as how I view the day can have dramatic effects on me. Small things of the everyday can cause me to react to things either in a positive or negative way. I am prone to be affected by the weather as without thinking if it is pouring with rain and somebody says it is a bad day I can find that my mood has matched the gloomy prospects outside. But If I had just won the Euro Millions how much of a bad day would it be? The point is good opportunity occurs regularly but I am more likely to recognise it if I start the day off positively and make use of it. Positive thinking can attract positive actions. I am fortunate to have a daughter who although at one time was restricted by a plaster cast over half of her body, had to have a metal halo fitted to her head and neck but still used that time to write and publish three children's books and study for her GCSEs. I found that instance to be inspirational and it made me feel guilty of complaining about nothing.
There is no doubt in my mind that how you view life is important. In life there are such examples as the musical composer Beethoven who although affected by deafness carried on to write inspired music which arguably altered many people's perspectives, attitudes and opinions. In the science world who can not be impressed by Professor Stephen Hawking and his extensive knowledge of Cosmology.
History is full of characters who have with afflictions made their mark on the world. An amusing story is one about Albert Einstein who was once told by a mathematics teacher he was no good at arithmetic but he carried on to be one of the outstanding thinkers in his field, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century.
A successful entrepreneur is a person who can recognise opportunity in what others would term misfortune.
Positive thinking is not about solely contemplating one view but it is about being able to get through situations with the most optimistic outcome, it is about living life to the full with an outlook that can aid you in your pursuits and perhaps help you to achieve positivity in ways you never thought possible.
There is no doubt in my mind that how you view life is important. In life there are such examples as the musical composer Beethoven who although affected by deafness carried on to write inspired music which arguably altered many people's perspectives, attitudes and opinions. In the science world who can not be impressed by Professor Stephen Hawking and his extensive knowledge of Cosmology.
History is full of characters who have with afflictions made their mark on the world. An amusing story is one about Albert Einstein who was once told by a mathematics teacher he was no good at arithmetic but he carried on to be one of the outstanding thinkers in his field, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century.
A successful entrepreneur is a person who can recognise opportunity in what others would term misfortune.
Positive thinking is not about solely contemplating one view but it is about being able to get through situations with the most optimistic outcome, it is about living life to the full with an outlook that can aid you in your pursuits and perhaps help you to achieve positivity in ways you never thought possible.
July 20, 2015
Free Speech.
I believe the most current topic at the moment concerns the tradition of free thought and speech. In England at a town called Runnymede King John in a bid to pacify rebel Barons signed the first
Magna Carta. It was limited to only concern the rights of Barons but it was the first step to give justice and rights. It was much later that Simon De Montfort the VI Earl of Leicester led a group of Barons to form the first elected parliament in England during the reign of King Henry III and a new Magna Carta was established in the House of Westminster. In subsequent years an elected parliament has stood as the protector of civilised law and order. Enshrined in this is the belief that although you may not agree with your opponent's views you will always fight for the right they have to express them. This is of course subject to certain limits such as inciting religious, racial hatred or inciting revolution.
There is a fine line between religious belief including right of free thought and sexual preference. In a free society should either have a legal dominance over the other?
What happens when freedom is curtailed? There is an example during Oliver Cromwell's time as Lord Protector of the the United Kingdom, there was a period of imposed Puritan practice that forbade singing and dancing in public. After the death of Oliver Cromwell the public vented their displeasure on his bodily remains, returned to normal public practice and invited Charles II to assume the throne.
I believe society can only remain healthy if free speech is given a chance to be expressed without name labelling and physical threats of violence. When a section of the community can impose their views on others and the establishment does nothing is this not similar to the brown shirt intimidation of the Jewish population in Germany before the second world war? That government chose to do nothing.
I wish peace and good will to all and good sense will prevail to protect the precious right of free speech and thought.
Magna Carta. It was limited to only concern the rights of Barons but it was the first step to give justice and rights. It was much later that Simon De Montfort the VI Earl of Leicester led a group of Barons to form the first elected parliament in England during the reign of King Henry III and a new Magna Carta was established in the House of Westminster. In subsequent years an elected parliament has stood as the protector of civilised law and order. Enshrined in this is the belief that although you may not agree with your opponent's views you will always fight for the right they have to express them. This is of course subject to certain limits such as inciting religious, racial hatred or inciting revolution.
There is a fine line between religious belief including right of free thought and sexual preference. In a free society should either have a legal dominance over the other?
What happens when freedom is curtailed? There is an example during Oliver Cromwell's time as Lord Protector of the the United Kingdom, there was a period of imposed Puritan practice that forbade singing and dancing in public. After the death of Oliver Cromwell the public vented their displeasure on his bodily remains, returned to normal public practice and invited Charles II to assume the throne.
I believe society can only remain healthy if free speech is given a chance to be expressed without name labelling and physical threats of violence. When a section of the community can impose their views on others and the establishment does nothing is this not similar to the brown shirt intimidation of the Jewish population in Germany before the second world war? That government chose to do nothing.
I wish peace and good will to all and good sense will prevail to protect the precious right of free speech and thought.
July 13, 2015
Fate.
Are some things inevitable? It could seem that no matter what happens certain events will take place. Human nature arguably dictates that there are always questions about events, could there have been something done differently, could actions have saved lives and one has to ask are events predetermined or can someone intervene and alter what happens in life?
If. It is one little word but it holds a potent amount of significance. If is a word that can in so many ways be applied to the terrible events leading up to and linking to the Titanic. Take the sinking of the Titanic, the ship may have been travelling too fast and the key of the binocular case was not on board. The damage was compounded by rivets that arguably had a fatal weakness. If the area of damage had not been so long or the impact had been head on maybe the ship would have survived the collision with the iceberg. There were not enough life boats and the earlier ones to be manned did not carry a full load of passengers. A direction that only women and children should board the lifeboats left valuable spaces that male passengers could have had. A ship that could have saved some of the passengers mistook distress rockets as celebrations and failed to establish by Morse code either visually or by radio the condition of the Titanic. Once the news was heard the ship hastened to assist but the water was freezing and passengers could not have survived for more than a few minutes. Another ship further away had responded and picked up survivors in life boats although they arrived hours later.
Another tragic series of events occurred prior to world war one with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Duchess of Hohenberg. There were six assassins armed with bombs and guns. The first attack failed as a bomb with a timer bounced off the first car and exploded under a following car. Although shaken and slightly hurt the Archduke went on and made a speech at the prearranged venue. After a discussion it was decided the Archduke would leave but in all the confusion the new safe route was not given to the driver. The assassin waiting for the Duke could not believe he had a second opportunity as once it was realised they were on the original route the direction was given to the driver to stop and reverse, ironically this was carried out exactly in front of where the assassin was positioned. Standing less than two meters from the couple he fired the fateful shots that mortally wounded the Archduke and although it was unintentional also mortally wounded his wife.
In a strange twist of fate in the second world war a plot to assassinate Hitler failed. This plot arguably could have ended hostilities saving many lives. A bomb in a brief case was positioned directly under the table in front of Hitler. A stray foot pushed the briefcase behind a concrete support for the table and when it exploded most of the blast was cushioned by the concrete support. Hitler survived only later to commit suicide.
There is an interesting story about a very religious lady who unfortunately found herself trapped on the roof of her bungalow. There had been a sudden storm and excessive flooding had meant that many of the surrounding properties had already been completely submerged by the ever increasing mass of water. The lady devoutly prayed and felt confident that God would save her. After several hours a rowing boat came to her rescue but the lady steadfastly refused help saying “I don't need help thank you as it is destiny that God will save me.” After some more time had passed and the sky was black with the onset of a deluge of rain a second boat with an outboard motor also tried to help her but again she said “God will not let me down and he will save me!” Finally a helicopter with a hoist and rescuer was lowered to her but again she would not leave the nearly submerged roof. The inevitable happened and as the lady found herself waking at the gates of heaven she complained to the Angel Gabriel “Well I don't understand it, what happened to God?”
The Angel Gabriel replied “What do you mean? God sent two boats and a helicopter but you refused to board them.”
Sometimes miracles can be in front of us but it isn't always a given that these responses are taken for what they are or can be. In my view I think it is important to strive to achieve my own goals and not to explain, excuse or expect to leave things up to fate.
If. It is one little word but it holds a potent amount of significance. If is a word that can in so many ways be applied to the terrible events leading up to and linking to the Titanic. Take the sinking of the Titanic, the ship may have been travelling too fast and the key of the binocular case was not on board. The damage was compounded by rivets that arguably had a fatal weakness. If the area of damage had not been so long or the impact had been head on maybe the ship would have survived the collision with the iceberg. There were not enough life boats and the earlier ones to be manned did not carry a full load of passengers. A direction that only women and children should board the lifeboats left valuable spaces that male passengers could have had. A ship that could have saved some of the passengers mistook distress rockets as celebrations and failed to establish by Morse code either visually or by radio the condition of the Titanic. Once the news was heard the ship hastened to assist but the water was freezing and passengers could not have survived for more than a few minutes. Another ship further away had responded and picked up survivors in life boats although they arrived hours later.
Another tragic series of events occurred prior to world war one with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Duchess of Hohenberg. There were six assassins armed with bombs and guns. The first attack failed as a bomb with a timer bounced off the first car and exploded under a following car. Although shaken and slightly hurt the Archduke went on and made a speech at the prearranged venue. After a discussion it was decided the Archduke would leave but in all the confusion the new safe route was not given to the driver. The assassin waiting for the Duke could not believe he had a second opportunity as once it was realised they were on the original route the direction was given to the driver to stop and reverse, ironically this was carried out exactly in front of where the assassin was positioned. Standing less than two meters from the couple he fired the fateful shots that mortally wounded the Archduke and although it was unintentional also mortally wounded his wife.
In a strange twist of fate in the second world war a plot to assassinate Hitler failed. This plot arguably could have ended hostilities saving many lives. A bomb in a brief case was positioned directly under the table in front of Hitler. A stray foot pushed the briefcase behind a concrete support for the table and when it exploded most of the blast was cushioned by the concrete support. Hitler survived only later to commit suicide.
There is an interesting story about a very religious lady who unfortunately found herself trapped on the roof of her bungalow. There had been a sudden storm and excessive flooding had meant that many of the surrounding properties had already been completely submerged by the ever increasing mass of water. The lady devoutly prayed and felt confident that God would save her. After several hours a rowing boat came to her rescue but the lady steadfastly refused help saying “I don't need help thank you as it is destiny that God will save me.” After some more time had passed and the sky was black with the onset of a deluge of rain a second boat with an outboard motor also tried to help her but again she said “God will not let me down and he will save me!” Finally a helicopter with a hoist and rescuer was lowered to her but again she would not leave the nearly submerged roof. The inevitable happened and as the lady found herself waking at the gates of heaven she complained to the Angel Gabriel “Well I don't understand it, what happened to God?”
The Angel Gabriel replied “What do you mean? God sent two boats and a helicopter but you refused to board them.”
Sometimes miracles can be in front of us but it isn't always a given that these responses are taken for what they are or can be. In my view I think it is important to strive to achieve my own goals and not to explain, excuse or expect to leave things up to fate.
July 6, 2015
Grief.
Just recently I have lost a close relative and it occurred to me how this final event affects people in
different ways. One of the first thoughts can be a feeling of not having done more to convey your love and respect to the departed but given the chance could we ever do enough to alter this feeling of inadequacy?
Historically there have been notable displays of public morning as Queen Victoria took to wearing black after her beloved Albert passed away in 1861 until her own death in 1901. Albert was a creative and industrious character and Queen Victoria relied heavily on his opinion. The Christmas tree introduction to England is credited to him and he worked on the Crystal Palace Exhibition.
A more recent phenomenon is the national display of grief at the sudden death of Princess Diana. The establishment seemed to have misjudged the degree of public emotion and belatedly endorsed an element of overt respect for Princess Diana. The country witnessed arguably one of the most moving displays of public grief at her funeral.
Can just words heal the pain of mourners? I think words do help to console the troubled mind and give hope of peace and moving on in the great scheme of things. A more philosophical thought is birth and death are all part of the natural way of things. We just have to enjoy and positively use the precious time that we have on this Earth.
different ways. One of the first thoughts can be a feeling of not having done more to convey your love and respect to the departed but given the chance could we ever do enough to alter this feeling of inadequacy?
Historically there have been notable displays of public morning as Queen Victoria took to wearing black after her beloved Albert passed away in 1861 until her own death in 1901. Albert was a creative and industrious character and Queen Victoria relied heavily on his opinion. The Christmas tree introduction to England is credited to him and he worked on the Crystal Palace Exhibition.
A more recent phenomenon is the national display of grief at the sudden death of Princess Diana. The establishment seemed to have misjudged the degree of public emotion and belatedly endorsed an element of overt respect for Princess Diana. The country witnessed arguably one of the most moving displays of public grief at her funeral.
Can just words heal the pain of mourners? I think words do help to console the troubled mind and give hope of peace and moving on in the great scheme of things. A more philosophical thought is birth and death are all part of the natural way of things. We just have to enjoy and positively use the precious time that we have on this Earth.
June 29, 2015
Ironical Faith.
It is proved over and again that what you think has a direct effect in a real and demonstrable way over the physical side of life. It seems as if conviction can compel conclusions. Often people will adopt a positive or negative sense in life and it is interesting that this mental state does seem to influence what occurs for them. It is an intriguing question, does what you believe manifest itself through what you say, think and do? Does this idea or faith have a practical impact on life events?
In clinical studies it has been shown that those with a positive attitude will heal much faster than those who have a negative overview of their physical health. When divided into two separate collectives, one study included individuals who had taken placebos, the other division had not been given anything to try. After a period of time the two studies came back with intriguing conclusions as even though the placebos had been ineffective pills which physically should not have done anything to improve the physical condition of those involved, that study on those who had taken placebos showed a marked improvement over that of the people who had not tried anything. It could be suggested that the people who took the placebos believed that they were doing something for them, that belief turned into a physical absolute for them.
When it comes to life and death situations there are many reports that those with a strong belief in their survival in fact do survive.
There is an interesting story of an eminent eye surgeon and a priest. They often discussed their opposing views on miracles, clashing and contrasting on what they thought to be relevant. The surgeon dealt every day with the reality of having to tell some patients their condition was inoperable and blindness was inevitable. The priest addressed his congregation and exulted the compassionate and all prevailing power of the Lord conveyed by a belief in Jesus Christ and his words that were supported by miracles.
It happened to be that one day a Mother brought her young son to the eye surgeon who once more had to break the news to his patient and tell a Mother that her son's eyes could not be operated upon. The Mother was so distraught and pleaded there must be some way her son would be able to see. The Mother was crying, begging and the thought came to the surgeon that he should direct the Mother to attend the church of his friend the priest.
Knowing that medically nothing could be done, having no conviction himself in the religious convictions of his friend he still could find no harm in referring the Mother and son to his friend for counselling and telling them about a church where they may find some kind of peace with the situation.
On arriving at the church the Mother walked up to the priest explaining about her son and the surgeon who had told them nothing could be done for him. She took her little boy up to the front of the church and asked for a miracle. The priest tried to explain that it did not work like that. It was ironical that the priest found himself standing there arguing against the possibility of a miracle, explaining that it did not occur on demand when only days before he had been arguing with his friend the surgeon about how likely and unexpected miracles could be.
Despite stating that a miracle would not be likely for her son, the Mother would not accept what the priest said and firmly assured him that she would not leave the church until God had given her son his sight...
It was a terrible situation. The priest tried to console the Mother while letting her know that she could pray but this would not make a miracle so, he had to finally walk away with a heavy heart knowing that he couldn't do anything else. To his shock, minutes later the startled cries from the boy had the Mother running to him and screaming that he could see.
The priest felt his own breath halt as he ran to the Mother and son. After a few minutes of hearing the boy say that he could see again, his wonder turned to anger. After all the many years of his faith telling him that miracles could occur, after him telling and re-telling the examples to his parishioners, the priest himself could not accept what had occurred.
Angry at the Mother and son the priest accused them of making it up, of putting it on and taking him in. The Mother tried to say that she did not understand what he was saying but the priest claimed they were trying to make a fool of him he insisted and left. It was not until a while later that the priest met up with his friend the surgeon and he referred to the incident of the Mother and son coming into his church. The priest accused his friend of trying to prove a point. With a little confusion the surgeon asked about the boy and what had occurred. The shock on the surgeon's face did a little to cause doubt in the priest's heart at what he had thought, the questions from the surgeon caused him to question what he had said about the Mother and son himself, and the utter joy from the surgeon at hearing that the boy had his sight back convinced the priest that what he had seen days before had been a sincere miracle.
The surgeon took his friend the priest into his office and without being able to break patient confidentiality, he did explain a little about a hypothetical child with a similar condition, one which had no hope of being cured through medical means.
The tears that came to the priest's eyes were tears of realisation, tears of sadness that he had turned away from something that he had been searching for so long to see. Ironical faith as it was that after such a long of time of preaching, he had not been able to practice his own faith and chose to be angry rather than joyous about what had been a miracle before his eyes.
In clinical studies it has been shown that those with a positive attitude will heal much faster than those who have a negative overview of their physical health. When divided into two separate collectives, one study included individuals who had taken placebos, the other division had not been given anything to try. After a period of time the two studies came back with intriguing conclusions as even though the placebos had been ineffective pills which physically should not have done anything to improve the physical condition of those involved, that study on those who had taken placebos showed a marked improvement over that of the people who had not tried anything. It could be suggested that the people who took the placebos believed that they were doing something for them, that belief turned into a physical absolute for them.
When it comes to life and death situations there are many reports that those with a strong belief in their survival in fact do survive.
There is an interesting story of an eminent eye surgeon and a priest. They often discussed their opposing views on miracles, clashing and contrasting on what they thought to be relevant. The surgeon dealt every day with the reality of having to tell some patients their condition was inoperable and blindness was inevitable. The priest addressed his congregation and exulted the compassionate and all prevailing power of the Lord conveyed by a belief in Jesus Christ and his words that were supported by miracles.
It happened to be that one day a Mother brought her young son to the eye surgeon who once more had to break the news to his patient and tell a Mother that her son's eyes could not be operated upon. The Mother was so distraught and pleaded there must be some way her son would be able to see. The Mother was crying, begging and the thought came to the surgeon that he should direct the Mother to attend the church of his friend the priest.
Knowing that medically nothing could be done, having no conviction himself in the religious convictions of his friend he still could find no harm in referring the Mother and son to his friend for counselling and telling them about a church where they may find some kind of peace with the situation.
On arriving at the church the Mother walked up to the priest explaining about her son and the surgeon who had told them nothing could be done for him. She took her little boy up to the front of the church and asked for a miracle. The priest tried to explain that it did not work like that. It was ironical that the priest found himself standing there arguing against the possibility of a miracle, explaining that it did not occur on demand when only days before he had been arguing with his friend the surgeon about how likely and unexpected miracles could be.
Despite stating that a miracle would not be likely for her son, the Mother would not accept what the priest said and firmly assured him that she would not leave the church until God had given her son his sight...
It was a terrible situation. The priest tried to console the Mother while letting her know that she could pray but this would not make a miracle so, he had to finally walk away with a heavy heart knowing that he couldn't do anything else. To his shock, minutes later the startled cries from the boy had the Mother running to him and screaming that he could see.
The priest felt his own breath halt as he ran to the Mother and son. After a few minutes of hearing the boy say that he could see again, his wonder turned to anger. After all the many years of his faith telling him that miracles could occur, after him telling and re-telling the examples to his parishioners, the priest himself could not accept what had occurred.
Angry at the Mother and son the priest accused them of making it up, of putting it on and taking him in. The Mother tried to say that she did not understand what he was saying but the priest claimed they were trying to make a fool of him he insisted and left. It was not until a while later that the priest met up with his friend the surgeon and he referred to the incident of the Mother and son coming into his church. The priest accused his friend of trying to prove a point. With a little confusion the surgeon asked about the boy and what had occurred. The shock on the surgeon's face did a little to cause doubt in the priest's heart at what he had thought, the questions from the surgeon caused him to question what he had said about the Mother and son himself, and the utter joy from the surgeon at hearing that the boy had his sight back convinced the priest that what he had seen days before had been a sincere miracle.
The surgeon took his friend the priest into his office and without being able to break patient confidentiality, he did explain a little about a hypothetical child with a similar condition, one which had no hope of being cured through medical means.
The tears that came to the priest's eyes were tears of realisation, tears of sadness that he had turned away from something that he had been searching for so long to see. Ironical faith as it was that after such a long of time of preaching, he had not been able to practice his own faith and chose to be angry rather than joyous about what had been a miracle before his eyes.
June 22, 2015
Poetry.
How could a military blunder be
immortalised into one of the most stirring records of heroism in the face of death? When you have a poet with the skill and the name of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. During research it was interesting to see Edward Lear noted for his limericks and short poems such as The Owl and the Pussy-cat, he also drew and composed works for the poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
For me poetry must leave a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment at the experience of reading it.
A master of creating a wry smile is Hilaire Belloc with a misadventure of a family visiting a zoo and tales of caution for those with twisted truths. A more contemporary poet of the people is Pam Ayres who notes figurative anecdotes with a little twist in the tale. A poet who is able to transform the everyday into the unique, her poems about life's little incidents let you look at life in a new way.
William Blake was so in awe of the tiger it moved him to put pen to paper and create his poem.
Tiger Tiger. burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye. Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
My earliest encounter with poetry was at school where we were required to learn a poem by heart, as my memory is not that good I found Lewis Carroll's Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Apart from being short, it has some humour and it left me with a smile as I relayed it to the rest of my class.
William Wordsworth's I wondered lonely as a cloud, was the first choice of My English teacher to open the doors of appreciating the powerful prose and scope of the English Language.
I like Rudyard Kipling's, If you can keep Your head, as it has a theme of treating the misfortunes in life with a degree of wisdom.
At one time if you were to ask me to describe a poem the first thing in my mind would be a group of words that rhyme, but poetry has a much wider stage as it is able to give pleasure in language that has colour and dimension to ideas and emotions. At one time poetry was written to conform to a recognizable form. Today's Poets have a choice and are free to be traditional or ultra modern and simply write what moves them.
immortalised into one of the most stirring records of heroism in the face of death? When you have a poet with the skill and the name of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. During research it was interesting to see Edward Lear noted for his limericks and short poems such as The Owl and the Pussy-cat, he also drew and composed works for the poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
For me poetry must leave a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment at the experience of reading it.
A master of creating a wry smile is Hilaire Belloc with a misadventure of a family visiting a zoo and tales of caution for those with twisted truths. A more contemporary poet of the people is Pam Ayres who notes figurative anecdotes with a little twist in the tale. A poet who is able to transform the everyday into the unique, her poems about life's little incidents let you look at life in a new way.
William Blake was so in awe of the tiger it moved him to put pen to paper and create his poem.
Tiger Tiger. burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye. Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
My earliest encounter with poetry was at school where we were required to learn a poem by heart, as my memory is not that good I found Lewis Carroll's Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Apart from being short, it has some humour and it left me with a smile as I relayed it to the rest of my class.
William Wordsworth's I wondered lonely as a cloud, was the first choice of My English teacher to open the doors of appreciating the powerful prose and scope of the English Language.
I like Rudyard Kipling's, If you can keep Your head, as it has a theme of treating the misfortunes in life with a degree of wisdom.
At one time if you were to ask me to describe a poem the first thing in my mind would be a group of words that rhyme, but poetry has a much wider stage as it is able to give pleasure in language that has colour and dimension to ideas and emotions. At one time poetry was written to conform to a recognizable form. Today's Poets have a choice and are free to be traditional or ultra modern and simply write what moves them.
Poetry.
How could a military blunder be
immortalised into one of the most stirring records of heroism in the face of death? When you have a poet with the skill and the name of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. During research it was interesting to see Edward Lear noted for his limericks and short poems such as The Owl and the Pussy-cat, he also drew and composed works for the poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
For me poetry must leave a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment at the experience of reading it.
A master of creating a wry smile is Hilaire Belloc with a misadventure of a family visiting a zoo and tales of caution for those with twisted truths. A more contemporary poet of the people is Pam Ayres who notes figurative anecdotes with a little twist in the tale. A poet who is able to transform the everyday into the unique, her poems about life's little incidents let you look at life in a new way.
William Blake was so in awe of the tiger it moved him to put pen to paper and create his poem.
Tiger Tiger. burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye. Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
My earliest encounter with poetry was at school where we were required to learn a poem by heart, as my memory is not that good I found Lewis Carroll's Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Apart from being short, it has some humour and it left me with a smile as I relayed it to the rest of my class.
William Wordsworth's I wondered lonely as a cloud, was the first choice of My English teacher to open the doors of appreciating the powerful prose and scope of the English Language.
I like Rudyard Kipling's, If you can keep Your head, as it has a theme of treating the misfortunes in life with a degree of wisdom.
At one time if you were to ask me to describe a poem the first thing in my mind would be a group of words that rhyme, but poetry has a much wider stage as it is able to give pleasure in language that has colour and dimension to ideas and emotions. At one time poetry was written to conform to a recognizable form. Today's Poets have a choice and are free to be traditional or ultra modern and simply write what moves them.
immortalised into one of the most stirring records of heroism in the face of death? When you have a poet with the skill and the name of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. During research it was interesting to see Edward Lear noted for his limericks and short poems such as The Owl and the Pussy-cat, he also drew and composed works for the poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
For me poetry must leave a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment at the experience of reading it.
A master of creating a wry smile is Hilaire Belloc with a misadventure of a family visiting a zoo and tales of caution for those with twisted truths. A more contemporary poet of the people is Pam Ayres who notes figurative anecdotes with a little twist in the tale. A poet who is able to transform the everyday into the unique, her poems about life's little incidents let you look at life in a new way.
William Blake was so in awe of the tiger it moved him to put pen to paper and create his poem.
Tiger Tiger. burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye. Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
My earliest encounter with poetry was at school where we were required to learn a poem by heart, as my memory is not that good I found Lewis Carroll's Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Apart from being short, it has some humour and it left me with a smile as I relayed it to the rest of my class.
William Wordsworth's I wondered lonely as a cloud, was the first choice of My English teacher to open the doors of appreciating the powerful prose and scope of the English Language.
I like Rudyard Kipling's, If you can keep Your head, as it has a theme of treating the misfortunes in life with a degree of wisdom.
At one time if you were to ask me to describe a poem the first thing in my mind would be a group of words that rhyme, but poetry has a much wider stage as it is able to give pleasure in language that has colour and dimension to ideas and emotions. At one time poetry was written to conform to a recognizable form. Today's Poets have a choice and are free to be traditional or ultra modern and simply write what moves them.
June 15, 2015
Art and Me.
I have always appreciated art although my ability to draw has never been that great. When I look at the works of the great masters I stand mesmerized by the sheer talent of making the flat canvas come to life. Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is able to depict the physical narrative in Samson and Delilah, his picture translates words through image. Another notable artist for me is Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) who painted maybe the most famous portrait in history, the Mona Lisa. It is strange to think that one mysterious smile has haunted many who have seen it, one picture can have the ability to bring curiosity to the heart and mind. I must mention Michelangelo (1475- 1564) for his outstanding sculpture of David and his famous painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a breath taking visionary who through his work allows one a glimpse into the cultural reality of a time many hundreds of years ago.
When I look at the work of William Hogarth (1697-1764) I always seem to notice something new that I had not seen before, it is in a series of satirical scenes that I find that little bit of humour and interest. An intriguing story is attached to the portrait of Anne of Cleves, King Henry VIII's fourth wife, as it was claimed the artist Hans Holbein the younger had flattered the sitter and had enhanced her beauty. It makes one wonder what is in a work of art. One painting had the influence to sway a public's opinion so many years later and to aid in someone's judgement of who that person was in life. After the agreed annulment of their marriage Henry and Anne remained friends and Anne received many presents from a grateful Henry. While the portrait was in question, the actual conclusion to the matter of their relationship was positively resolved.
Art is a living form and has new ways of expressing one's feelings and emotion, for example Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a conventional artist in his early years but without much public acclaim, it was when he began drawing fragmented objects in unusual ways that his work gained prominence. Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887-1976) had his own distinctive form of stick like figures, notable for their everyday situations, a Lowry is something that is recognisable for the impressions they make. In the world of sculpture Sir Henry Moore (1898-1986) springs to mind with his reclining figures, his breath taking perspective on imagination.
I wonder if you need someone to explain the meaning of a particular work does that mean it is your inability to appreciate the obvious or the responsibility of the artist to adequately convey the meaning of his or her work?
On a TV program an expert on the deeper meaning of a painting spent several minutes explaining what he thought was the obvious thinking and emotion of the artist at the time of the painting. He alluded, metaphorically depicted, emphasized for quite a while...then the host introduced the real artists...an elephant and chimpanzee were brought out to meet the expert who was one not very amused individual.
One of the most impressive and enjoyable programs on art is the Bob Ross The Joy of Painting series. I watch captivated as from a blank canvas he without effort produces in a relative short time
stunning landscape portraits of snow covered mountains or beautiful peaceful scenes of flowing water and lush green trees. Although he passed in 1955 his films and materials are still in demand.
What blows my mind are paintings in which you can clearly see the intentions of the artist. I enjoy it when a painting or picture, any form of art has an ability of expanding your perception of reality. A giant bird with a curve wing enfolding Adam and Eve within is one of my all time favourite depictions. There is a humerus collection of dogs by Cassius Coolidge sitting around a table and playing cards dressed as humans that I love to look at, it is the image, intention and perception which has my interest. I feel I ought to mention the optical illusion of two opposing faces facing each other, the optical mysterious shapes of faces can be taken to show them as facial opponents or it could be seen as an impression of a chalice. Also impossible to decide on is the two dimension stairs that are going up and down at the same time according to the way you view them.
One person's art could be viewed by another person as rubbish. This happened at an art gallery as the cleaning staff mistook an exhibit as trash and cleared it away not realising its importance.
Art is about emotion, impression and instinct. One has to have a love for something, this aids in their understanding of what it is and what the artist is doing through it but you don't have to always love art to be able to appreciate its effect. I love art that makes you think, smile, feel and I appreciate any art which is able to positively do something for people, for individuals and for society.
When I look at the work of William Hogarth (1697-1764) I always seem to notice something new that I had not seen before, it is in a series of satirical scenes that I find that little bit of humour and interest. An intriguing story is attached to the portrait of Anne of Cleves, King Henry VIII's fourth wife, as it was claimed the artist Hans Holbein the younger had flattered the sitter and had enhanced her beauty. It makes one wonder what is in a work of art. One painting had the influence to sway a public's opinion so many years later and to aid in someone's judgement of who that person was in life. After the agreed annulment of their marriage Henry and Anne remained friends and Anne received many presents from a grateful Henry. While the portrait was in question, the actual conclusion to the matter of their relationship was positively resolved.
Art is a living form and has new ways of expressing one's feelings and emotion, for example Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a conventional artist in his early years but without much public acclaim, it was when he began drawing fragmented objects in unusual ways that his work gained prominence. Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887-1976) had his own distinctive form of stick like figures, notable for their everyday situations, a Lowry is something that is recognisable for the impressions they make. In the world of sculpture Sir Henry Moore (1898-1986) springs to mind with his reclining figures, his breath taking perspective on imagination.
I wonder if you need someone to explain the meaning of a particular work does that mean it is your inability to appreciate the obvious or the responsibility of the artist to adequately convey the meaning of his or her work?
On a TV program an expert on the deeper meaning of a painting spent several minutes explaining what he thought was the obvious thinking and emotion of the artist at the time of the painting. He alluded, metaphorically depicted, emphasized for quite a while...then the host introduced the real artists...an elephant and chimpanzee were brought out to meet the expert who was one not very amused individual.
One of the most impressive and enjoyable programs on art is the Bob Ross The Joy of Painting series. I watch captivated as from a blank canvas he without effort produces in a relative short time
stunning landscape portraits of snow covered mountains or beautiful peaceful scenes of flowing water and lush green trees. Although he passed in 1955 his films and materials are still in demand.
What blows my mind are paintings in which you can clearly see the intentions of the artist. I enjoy it when a painting or picture, any form of art has an ability of expanding your perception of reality. A giant bird with a curve wing enfolding Adam and Eve within is one of my all time favourite depictions. There is a humerus collection of dogs by Cassius Coolidge sitting around a table and playing cards dressed as humans that I love to look at, it is the image, intention and perception which has my interest. I feel I ought to mention the optical illusion of two opposing faces facing each other, the optical mysterious shapes of faces can be taken to show them as facial opponents or it could be seen as an impression of a chalice. Also impossible to decide on is the two dimension stairs that are going up and down at the same time according to the way you view them.
One person's art could be viewed by another person as rubbish. This happened at an art gallery as the cleaning staff mistook an exhibit as trash and cleared it away not realising its importance.
Art is about emotion, impression and instinct. One has to have a love for something, this aids in their understanding of what it is and what the artist is doing through it but you don't have to always love art to be able to appreciate its effect. I love art that makes you think, smile, feel and I appreciate any art which is able to positively do something for people, for individuals and for society.
June 8, 2015
My Loved Fantasy Authors.
I remember the impression that science fiction, films and books had on me in my early days. As a very young child going to the Odeon cinema with my parents was an intriguing experience, the films we would see of animations and other worlds would have me wide eyed with thoughts, ideas about what was possible had me hooked. At that time cinemas were very popular and we had to queue up for a seat, unfortunately the only available were often right at the front of what seemed to be an enormous screen. Regularly the performance had began as we followed the usherette with her torch to our seats in the pitch black. I sat between my Mum and Dad looking up at the gigantic technicolor figures of Lewis Carroll's Alice and The Mad Hatter. It seems strange now how terrified I was as the Queen of hearts boomed “Off with her head!” Further back in that cinema a little child started crying incessantly and the parent and child were asked to leave their seats. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his literary pen name, Lewis Carroll, was a mathematician, English writer, logician, photographer and Anglican deacon. His most famous writings are of course Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a story and film which introduced me to fantasy, held me in its grip and had intrigued me through my formative years.
On another visit to the cinema we watched Jules Verne classic 20,000 leagues under the sea. Introduced to me was the mysterious Captain Nemo and I remember the shocking scene of natives hopping on the electrified hull of the submarine. Could anyone forget the fight scene between Kirk Douglas and a giant squid?
Science fiction has had notable characters such as ET. Queries into what aliens could be like left ET as a child memory, other films like Mac and Me had its own appeal as it is a charming story
about an ET type family that visits Earth and eventually become American Citizens, there are quite a few hilarious experiences turned incidents which prove how at odds aliens can be with life as we know it!
Authors such as H. G Wells who wrote War of the Worlds tuned me into enticing, captivating lands of the unknown. Jules Verne wrote several journey books such as Journey to the Moon and Journey to the centre of the Earth and on each occasion I would journey along with those intrepid few who saw sights unlike anything seen before. I come across Isaac Asimov a scientist and science fiction writer, he wrote a series of nine books with a title of I Robot. This title was used for the film starring Will Smith which I enjoyed watching, the astounding special affects had me believing every element of the surreal scenes. I questioned what progress is being made with Artificial Intelligence and how much of a human world we would retain if robots were to take over the majority of our functions as human beings...
Stephen Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence moved me very much and the theme of a little robot boy wanting to be human is pre resembled by the story of Pinocchio as a wooden character wishing
that he could be human. It has to be asked how much of Science Fiction is based on the ideas of the qualities we have as human beings in life, how odd is it to ask questions about what progress in scientific fields can do for us as people, is every advancement positive and does the theory match the practical reality?
On another visit to the cinema we watched Jules Verne classic 20,000 leagues under the sea. Introduced to me was the mysterious Captain Nemo and I remember the shocking scene of natives hopping on the electrified hull of the submarine. Could anyone forget the fight scene between Kirk Douglas and a giant squid?
Science fiction has had notable characters such as ET. Queries into what aliens could be like left ET as a child memory, other films like Mac and Me had its own appeal as it is a charming story
about an ET type family that visits Earth and eventually become American Citizens, there are quite a few hilarious experiences turned incidents which prove how at odds aliens can be with life as we know it!
Authors such as H. G Wells who wrote War of the Worlds tuned me into enticing, captivating lands of the unknown. Jules Verne wrote several journey books such as Journey to the Moon and Journey to the centre of the Earth and on each occasion I would journey along with those intrepid few who saw sights unlike anything seen before. I come across Isaac Asimov a scientist and science fiction writer, he wrote a series of nine books with a title of I Robot. This title was used for the film starring Will Smith which I enjoyed watching, the astounding special affects had me believing every element of the surreal scenes. I questioned what progress is being made with Artificial Intelligence and how much of a human world we would retain if robots were to take over the majority of our functions as human beings...
Stephen Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence moved me very much and the theme of a little robot boy wanting to be human is pre resembled by the story of Pinocchio as a wooden character wishing
that he could be human. It has to be asked how much of Science Fiction is based on the ideas of the qualities we have as human beings in life, how odd is it to ask questions about what progress in scientific fields can do for us as people, is every advancement positive and does the theory match the practical reality?
