Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 7

Genocide.

Retaliation can be an arguable and ambiguous concept. How can you define retribution for a life lost, violations of human rights or abuse of property and land? In my opinion there is no revenge in avenging such atrocities, only the furthering of harm, damage and conflict.

Securing safety and defence is an issue that is undeniably important but how one obtains that assurance is equally significant. The political and diplomatic position of the UK and USA in recent times with regard to the Middle East is somewhat troubling. It concerns implications that could threaten reputation and diplomacy. It looks to be that both countries are complicit in the support of a country determined to seek vengeance at great cost. A cost to both humanity and the economy.

Politically it is paramount that countries supporting one another do listen and liaise adequately. Thanking the other publicly for the advice urged and then doing the complete opposite suggests that the relationship is not mutually empowering, at least not practically. Theoretical allies and ones who resist warnings and reject human rights guidelines are not the best of working relationships, either in terms of public representation or practical achievement.

Resulting in being at odds with international condemnation over multiple consequences, both the UK and USA appear to have jointly given free range to a country to carry out genocide. It is not enough to voice concern over human rights violations but enable the act to continue. What is worse is that the act of subjecting a group of people to suffer malnutrition and the problems of inadequate sanitation will spread disease and death. Even this dire consequence will not bring about a sense of justice to the aggrieved government of the attacking country nor will it provide a suitable political response.

The unwavering support of both countries has not led to a political breakthrough but has armed a government to grow in a need to sustain itself and extract arguably desired actions in many different locations. Sudden horrific deaths and injuries are a constant every night occurrence and it is more than sad to note about one hundred and sixty children are killed every day, and about two hundred and fifty adults are made to perish. Hospitals lack medical supplies and clean water thus recovering from wounds is made virtually impossible. Many doctors have been murdered or forced to leave and third party charities are not safe.

It should be in the interest of a country itself to want to look to a better future but instead there does seem to be a deliberate ploy to keep up the war and engage more countries into a conflict. The constant bombing of so-called legitimate targets is a war crime on its own. There have been repeated civilian casualties and each time attempts to legitimate such actions due to unsubstantiated claims of enemy sightings. Bombing refugee camps is not acceptable and the claim of even ten possible enemy agents is not justified for the killing of one hundred or more civilians. There is usually no confirmation that agents were killed or even in the building at the time of destruction.

Dehumanising actions have led to the farcical situation of a country no longer defending itself but attacking and provoking further conflict. Parading aircraft carriers, submarines and destroyers to intimidate any resistance does not help to bring about political diplomacy or help the plight of the victims of genocide. Objectives do seem to have become muddled, a vast population of people appear to be horrifically mutilated and murdered in the claim of War but the number of civilian deaths exceeds any other comparable conflict of recent years.

The world can see genocide taking place and in the name of humanity, a response needs to be given that indicates international political decency and positive forward thinking.

Riots.

The current riots that have rampaged throughout the UK and Northern Ireland can not, in my opinion, be justified in any way. The first instance was initiated by misinformation. The subsequent looting, setting fire to property and violent confrontation with the police is nothing but destructive. The actions seem to be enacted, by online and in person, hate inciting protesters.

There is a danger in labelling these violent thugs as being politically far right, as people like Nigel Farage will claim the action of the looters do not support the views of the far right. Yet his solution to the riots is, he suggests, to stop illegal immigration. A complex and significant political issue such as illegal immigration involves real lives, international responsibility and balanced thinking. Simply claiming that an end to such an involved issue will consequently stop the riots is somewhat of a bad example in conduct and an even worse precedent for political leadership thinking in society. Arguably a blackmail culture or response to concern, legitimate or not, with illegal actions is not useful. To make my position clear, I believe targeting any group of people as undesirable will only stir up hatred, damage and possible violence. Of course there can be legitimate concerns and issues in society, but to try to respond or even improve the circumstance with any form of destruction, only leads to further problems. There is a better way. Politics should not be used as an excuse for violence.

There is a more sinister aspect to civil unrest that is eventually a breakdown of law and order, contributing and creating anarchy. Nobody wins. Unintentional consequences can harm people, business, environment and the economy. Politics can be a good way of initiating reform and bringing about an improvement in circumstances. It can be a positive movement and a response to problems. However, I must say that mixing up different views and terming it a particular political idea because it is perhaps the most similar has resulted in odd combinations of amassed confused culture and angry mentality. There are for example patriotic individuals who have advertised their love of Churchill and status as a Neo Nazi. Conflicts as such do nothing to promote clarity of thought or proposed political policy.

The form of planned riots suggest an intention to disable the police force, allowing fear to escalate, damage done to property and possibility for a revolution. There are certain figures in politics that are not happy with the current democratic system, as there have been suggestions that numbers of elected MPs do not reflect the number of votes received. In a political domain, it is important that careful consideration is given to the political election system and any debates are had in an appropriate way. Democracy and choice should be upheld and any devised changes agreed by the corresponding population. In many countries democratic leaders manipulate the voting system to ensure once elected, they can stay in power indefinitely. Fair elections and voting are an important and valuable part of a country’s identity and heritage.

On Wednesday in the UK a threatened targeted attack by rioters on immigration lawyers, places and certain business owners was thwarted by a peaceful counter demonstration of the general public showing their support and welcome for members of their communities. Up and down the country they were saying no to discrimination, any kind of racism and hatred. Promoting inclusiveness and community spirit indicated what was important. The counter demonstration far outnumbered the rioters throughout the country. It is not only about numbers though, the penalties and consequences for erosion of a culture’s social values would be dire.

It is important to remember that people should not be led negatively by disillusionment or difficulty. The minute anger fuels the actions of a person against another then the damage can be felt in multiple ways.

Geological Gems.

There are certain facts from geological history that are, for me, quite mind blowing. Factual gems of information such as from the early formation of the Earth it was covered by a sea of magma, that is extremely hot molten rock that lasted for at least fifty million years. There were three times that in amounts of solid land formed and the last one was the start of Continental Drift, as it broke to form what can be seen today. The interesting point I am making is that while there appears to be no fixed intention of geological progress, there is a lot of fascinating formation.

There have been several ice ages and more troubling for certain theorists could be the movement of the Magnetic Pole which is travelling at about twenty five miles a year. There is a possibility of several magnetic fields interfering with each other. In the past the magnetic poles have flipped. When I first heard about poles flipping I imagined it was the geological pole, which of course does not change its position. There are other information gems like the fact that the Moon has not always accompanied the Earth and was a result of a Mars sized planet crashing into the Earth. In my opinion, life in all its variety is a result of geological stepping stones that in hindsight can be traced but have vast gaps of time between them. There have been major changes in the environment which have been beneficial to some types of life but detrimental to others.

A very long time ago the Earth was spinning faster and a day would have been twelve hours long. However something has changed and in the last few years the rate of spin is claimed to have increased, although it may just be a blip. The slowing down of the spin is caused by the pull of the Moon. Scientists believe the speeding up of the rotation of the Earth is being caused by melting ice that subsequently increases the amount of water around the Equator adding to the centrifugal force.

Facts including implications of geological gems can be highly useful, fascinating and inspiring for works of both fiction and non-fiction. I believe the future of life is linked to geological events, arguably some of which we have no control over. Nonetheless there are some that can be countered in a positive way.

Enjoying Smells.

The sense of being able to smell something is arguably a gift with numerous benefits. Ranging from potential danger to more sensual pleasurable scents, the world of aromas awaits.

While I can appreciate how evocative and significant this subject can be, however I myself have a distinct lack of smell. What I mean by this statement is that I have been told repeatedly and I know myself that I seem to miss what should be normally recognisable smells. I have for example in the past, completely been unaware of people wearing perfume, much to the frustration of family members.

Some people, such as my nephews, have an acute ability to recognise identical toys or objects of belonging as being their own simply by smelling the toy in question. I must admit after putting aftershave on I do feel a more pleasant reaction to my presence, but as far as the scent, I am more often than not, the person not to ask.

As a child, I did have a better ability to smell and recall the smell of roasting chestnuts and particularly even the smell of a new set of racing car toys. The newness of a slot together castle was another delight and the smell was an experience of happiness, on top of that I had great joy of firing my cap pistol and I recall the pungent acrid smoke.

A chapter of smells that I remember fondly are the times when I visited my grandmother, as she had a smallholding that my family intended to rejuvenate and my senses were awakened. A regular activity was preparing the wet washing to put through a mangle and hang it on a line in the yard. I remember the powerful smell of the waiting baskets of wet washing and just for fun a number of my grandmother's cats would peruse the items waiting to be cleaned. In one corner of the yard there was an unmistakable smell of cat. On the far side of the outhouse there was a row of four stables. There were no horses but still a pungent smell lingered in the empty stable. At the bottom of the front garden was a chicken run complete with an assortment of different coloured chickens. In the back garden was my grandfather's pride and joy of a glasshouse complete with earthy smelling tomatoes and numerous other vegetables.

Inside the house was a scullery that was cold with a tiled floor. There was a distinct smell of various foods awaiting to be used. Only used for special occasions, the front room was hardly ever entered but on one rare visit I recall the atmosphere of entering a room where time had looked to have stood still. The best china ornaments and patterned plates were on display in glass fronted cabinets. I often smelt the wood of two miniature grand pianos and that was a part of my memory of smells.

Smells undoubtedly define and help to transport back to an event, experience or memory. Good, bad or simply something recollectable, a small snapshot of my personal enjoyment of smells include childhood and more besides. I encourage others to explore their own treasure of memories sparked by smells and hopefully you can make some more positive and permeating aroma experiences.

Right from Wrong.

Making sense of the world can be an arduous task. For me, I found philosophy falls short when contrasted with reality. Take the Zeno Arrow that in theory never reaches its target or the first cause. This implies intention, but in fact could have been an action, with no thought whatsoever. Science does not at this time answer everything. However in order to know something it is not necessary to know everything. I decided that was my starting point. Thus it means I will not have to ponder metaphysics or question is there such a thing as nothing? Not knowing how and why the Universe and life came to be, is not a hindrance to forming a social plan, and establishing a moral compass.

When it comes to surviving in this world, having ideals is all very well but putting them into practice can come up against others who do not always share that same sense of right and wrong. So many times a gift horse has turned out to be a Trojan Horse in disguise. However I stick to my principals and often showing good will to others has its own reward.

For a time I felt it necessary to look for groups that shared my outlook on life but I soon found there was a vast difference in a willingness to discuss the truth of their belief once I had entered their domain. I was contemplating several groups of established thought, when it was a shock to see members behaving in an unethical way and when challenged, denied their actions. Quite simply there are good or bad actions and belonging to an organisation in itself does not guarantee always doing the right thing. In fact the organisation in some cases can actively cover up misdeeds and thwart any investigation.

Now I am content to keep my own council and believing what is right or wrong does not depend on support from others. Right or wrong can be personal culminations of experience, learning and individual thought. It is important to apply a standard of justice and fairness in terms of any decisions when publicaly intended. People can usually find their own objectives and enhance upon the two judgement calls but be it for the individual or on a wider scale, being able to ascertain an appropriate sense of reason matters.

Life's Opportunity.

Life is what you make it, or so I recall being told, at one time. The responsibility for happiness and a successful life is yours. What success is might be a debatable point, however looking back on my earlier life, so many times it was the not so happy times that muscle their way into first place.

I have actually made a point of deliberately recalling happy times such as birthdays, holidays and other special occasions. The reason being that it is important to keep a balance of thought as this could impact your current mood.

To widen my point about recollections, there have been times whereby it might be argued that I had not thought through the consequences of my actions enough. They of course have built up to be part of the disquieting thoughts that I remember as those hindsight highlights. My experience of many such moments has taught me to always take time to think through options rather than reacting in a spontaneous way. It can usually be best to never respond to provocation without taking a moment to consider if it is temper rather than an action based on clear thought.

Being aware of the pitfalls does not ensure safety, unless one can learn from past mistakes or arguably take advice from those who might have fallen victim to their own lesser positive qualities.

A useful practice that I have learnt can be to honestly know yourself, such as how you react in different circumstances. Would you speak up for yourself or others? It is so easy to have a false or exaggerated belief in one's capabilities, but knowing your weakness is ironically a strength. It can give an opportunity to enhance and improve the situation. In the interest of being frank, as a child I could at times as the saying goes, cut off my nose to spite my face. Now at least I hope that I can be aware of that tendency and act in a more measured way.

Sometimes if life doesn't turn out the way I would like, it becomes a blame game but in truth the responsibility is majoritively mine. If I want to make a difference then I need to do something about it. It can be empowering and positive to use an opportunity for improvement, and it can help to increase improved outcomes.

USA Laws and Order.

Something really strange is going on in the USA. A judge of the Supreme Court who jointly ruled six to four that the President had immunity from prosecution while in office has also repeatedly stated publicly that rules in the Constitution did not allow for anyone, including the President, to be held above the law. The judge was appearing in court-like surroundings and this happened several years earlier at a formal questioning to become a member of the Supreme Court. This occurrence has led me, as I am sure many other people, to question just how are the Supreme Judges selected?

As it happens, the Supreme Court Justices have been put forward by consecutive ruling Presidents and thus it could for some imply a question of political bias or gratitude. It is a significant consideration in how to explain this anomaly in interpreting the law.

Does it matter, it certainly does when a former President refuses to accept that he has lost an election and actively appears to incite his supporters to take matters into their own hands and storm the Capital resulting in several deaths. The Supreme Court ruling is arguably making a mockery of law and order. When a court is no longer abiding by the law, what can be done? The USA is only a short step from a dictatorship.

Is the current President Joe Biden about to save the day, sadly in my opinion, no. He clearly is failing to spread confidence in his leadership and for the good of the Democratic Party should gracefully step aside for a more active and capable candidate to take up the baton.

The leadership of all countries can have a significant effect on world stability and future growth.
The USA is involved in so many areas of trade and military action, it is vital that the President is up to date and fully understands the consequences of world politics. Part of the emigration all over the world is the result of wars actively perpetuated by the USA and the UK. It is important that a country that claims to take a lead on many economic, environmental and humanitarian issues does have a leader who can make these matters better and not worse.

Potential Change.

One of my favourite subjects to ponder is the universe and life. On one bright sunny day I was discussing with my elder brother the possibility of life evolving without any intention. My idea at that time was based on the time that lapsed between significant major changes in the history of life's development, such as the first single celled life appeared about one billion years after the formation of the Earth. Then it was about six hundred million years ago for multicellular life to form.
That means there was a time gap between single cell and multi cell life of about two plus billion years.

There is also the drastic change of direction of life when oxygen increases through natural events. Insects can grow to enormous sizes and this is amongst many other potential changes, for example the era of dinosaurs saw incredible large creatures.

This thought process for me indicates things change without any direct goal, although over time a pattern can be traced. My brother challenged me by claiming that what is noted shows intention and ultimately a goal. I replied, because you can construct a pattern that does not show the way of any intention in its formation. He then changed the point of view by stating the chances of life coming about without intention are phenomenal. I however felt differently. I put it over that his summation was brought about because he was looking at Earth as if it had to have life and was intentional. I think natural events could occur anywhere and any time. Therefore it is the conditions of the planet and events that might start life.

Until life appeared on Earth there were no agents that could have intention, therefore natural events were the only existing form of change. My brother pointed out to make the Earth you would need enormous powers. I agreed and replied without doubt that was right, but that does not show how the original earth and life came into existence.

There is a marked difference between intentional actions and natural occurrences. Intentional actions have an aim and end in a finished result, whereas life and the universe are in a perpetual state of potential change.

My brother's final reply was that there has to be something before the start of the universe to create everything. Not necessarily declared I, as I believe everything can be explained by actions within the universe.

It does not matter if you are a scholar of science or of history, the subject of life and the construct of it can cause intrigue. It can mystify, clear up or even lead careers into the comprehension of claims. Learning or even studying this subject can help to form a better understanding of life and potential change. It is fascinating and for me, a fabulous field of thought.

Depths of Humanity.

It can be so interesting when acts of humanity are displayed by other creatures. At times I am appalled at the lack of humanity displayed by humans to their fellow creatures and other forms of life and that makes those moments of visible humanity extremely important.

One day on a visit to India while staying in a small village in a bungalow, a family was visited by some monkeys in their small yard. They frequently called on the off chance of gaining food. The lady of the house took two bananas to give to the monkeys but was cautioned by her mother not to give them all to the one monkey. The lady offered one to the nearest monkey while keeping the other banana back, in her hand, hidden behind her back. Quicker than anybody had guessed possible, the monkey took the offered banana and procured the other one in an almost simultaneous flash of nifty action. The mother complained with an expression of I told you so, as both ladies paused to watch what the monkey was doing. It was at that second that the monkey went straight to the other and offered the second banana to her. The two ladies watched quite astoundedly as the monkey shared with the other monkey who could be seen as pregnant. Both monkeys sat companionably as they ate the bananas, perched on the top of the wall at the side of the yard.

This small glimpse of generosity and provision shows how some animals have far deeper emotions than they might be given credit for or known for portraying. In another true account, a crow fell into a pool and was in danger of drowning until a saviour came about in that of a bear who fished it out and onto dry land. There are other numerous times when baboons have saved deer from attack from leopards, also the famous time when a very young boy had fallen into the enclosure of a Gorilla only for the larger dominant creature to stand guard and watch over him, ensuring the safety of the boy.

The instinct of a mother is not confined to her own species; there are accounts of a female lion protecting an injured fox cub with a damaged back. She drove off several male lions risking her own life to protect the injured cub. Subsequently the fox cub was integrated into the family of young lions.

It is sad that some people will on occasions call other people animals as if that devalues their humanity. I think they forget humans are a part of the animal kingdom. It is heartening when one can see animals showing a deeper concern for the welfare of their fellow creatures. It provokes thought and inspires the heart and mind.

Talking Evolution.

The ideas on Evolution can be insightful and controversial. On occasion, this very subject can be a bone of division. When looking at myself, I can see traits mixed with my parents and grandparents. That is because of the genes passed on by heredity. I was an only child however, I had a much older step brother who for the most part of my early life was brought up by an aunt. We had the same father but different mothers. There were distinct differences in appearance and attitude but still recognisable similar traits.

Even with the same parents there can be a vast variation in the characteristics of offspring. This in later life, could be a marker in survival against others in the brood, or changes in the environment. For example in the wild, natural camouflage could help in survival, yet that environment could change and work against survival.

Mutations happen but they do not come labelled good or bad, it is only later in life that the usefulness or not, of a mutation becomes self-evident. Mutations are only one part of the visitor of variations that happen with the young.

Survival to reproduce is paramount in the progress of life. Change is a step by step process and has no specific goal in nature, however deliberate intervention can determine a course of heredity such as breeding pigs, sheep, cows and dogs to name a few.

A new species of life comes about when it is not able to breed successfully with its original population and only with its new competitors. This could happen for many reasons such as physical separation.

Humans share a common ancestor with Chimpanzees as they have 98 percent of the DNA that humans have. Mind you a banana has 50 percent of the same DNA. Do we share a common ancestor? In a way, all life is linked and by this evaluation of thought the concepts can be easier to understand.

It is good that people question the details of evolution and ideas can come about surrounding issues such as soft tissue in dinosaur bones. Unfortunately, some critics resort to less well argued statements and end up subsequently misstating how evolution works. Despite attempts to reinforce it, the basic concept stays the same. You can't get a cat from a dog, or a dinosaur can't give birth to a bird.

Evolution is a fascinating insight into life's diversity but keeping an open mind means a willingness to question long-held ideas. It can be productive to question, think and evaluate. It is imperative that people be aware of facts and how they can influence the future.