Do you remember religion? There’s a lot of it about these days, at least there is supposed to be. A clue is in the name. These are supposed to be among the holiest of holy days yet you might be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Peace on earth and goodwill to all men, my backside!
This is the time of year where sanctimony is the order of the day. Politicians are dreaming of sending their fellow humans on a 7,000 km flight to Rwanda while signing their yuletide greetings cards. So called journalists are fetishising throwing excrement at a naked woman for crimes unspecified while biting into a mince pie. Meanwhile in Eastern Europe a war is raging with the seeming support of the Orthodox church. God can never be fighting on both sides surely? While here at home the phoney woke wars still rage and it’s all a distraction from the complete mess that the country is in.
‘Tis the season to pretend to be Christian.
I am not religious in that I don’t subscribe to any recognised religion but this doesn’t mean that I don’t have faith. I have faith in the incredible capacity for humans to be good. There are still good people out there. I have faith that right will ultimately triumph over wrong. I have faith that through our own actions we can make the world a better place. I have faith in due process, the rule of law and truly representative democracy. I have faith that everyone has the right to be who they want to be (as long as they don’t harm others).
These days, my faith is being well and truly tested, on a daily basis. People tell me that my hope for humanity is naive yet you can’t argue against belief. My beliefs go beyond evidence and I guess that makes me religious, in an odd way.
As we used to say in the Northern Soul days – ‘Keep the Faith’ – whichever you choose to follow.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 