Category Archives: politics

Berlin, God, new writer, politics, prison, refugees, society, vision

Has God trumped himself in Syria?

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I don’t know whether you’ve noticed this too, but in recent weeks the first items on the news have been dominated by this uneducated, politically inexperienced, racist old bastard called Donald Trump.

Just like the United Kingdom with their Brexit, the North Americans have played beautifully into the hands of the Islamic State. Unlike the UK and the US, IS understands that racism takes precedence over democracy … if the voters are stupid enough. Proof is: Trump tries to ban people from states whose citizens have never committed a terrorist crime on US soil.

Very much secondary in the headlines is the random persecution and murder of men, women and children, yes, children, in Syrian prisons.

I ask myself the question, therefore, a) how can a so-called God of love allow a nation whose population largely claims to be believing Christians allow such a fucking idiot to rule over their nation and b) how can this God of love sit by and watch these children, women and men be terrorized, abused and murdered in this way?

I went to church last Sunday, and the preacher, Frau Doktor D., assured the nervous congregation from Genesis, Chapter 16, that through the story of Hagar and Sarai, Jews, Muslims and Christians all come from one God and are members of one family and that they should ultimately get along well as such in the long term. This should give us all a reason for optimism and hope.

I don’t suppose that the dear doctor preacher has ever read Romans 9:8 or Galatians 4:23 , John 14.6,  etc, – which give Christians the right to say that only they are God’s true children and that all Muslims will go to hell. We do come from one family, she is right, but our dad loves only some of his children. Conditionally.

Whatever the case may be, Christians sit in their pews around the world, feeding their spiritual bellies, one step below the yoga class next door to my office, and most do almost nothing to bring peace to Syria.

If Jesus really did exist, it is very clear that he expected a radical, world-changing movement of people who were prepared to sacrifice everything to change the world. Rather like the IS, actually.

Instead, we have a group of largely passive, sedentary people who massage their butts and shout “Amen” to the likes of pukey Joyce Meyer and who ultimately do, let’s face it,  …..

nothing.

What gives me the right to be judgmental? Nothing, really. Though I did once lead a church in the UK that was pioneering and radical, rather like a Bugatti. Now, like all churches after a couple of generations, it’s become sadly no more than a Vauxhall Zafira church. Grey, compact, boring, predictable, neat and tidy and full of air bags.

Plus, I was the only Christian in a movement of about 50,000 people in the UK who was prepared to follow Jesus and to do something radical. But not one smug soul was prepared to come with me. The result: I failed.

My big question remains. What can I really do to help the plight of the people in Syria? Joining the church sure won’t help. So, can you help me? Comments welcome, as always.

 

 

Berlin, God, movies, new writer, politics, prison, society, vision

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

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Patrick in “Manchester by the Sea”. (Lucas Hedges)

“Manchester by the Sea” is absolutely the most powerful movie I have seen in a very long time. It just won’t leave me alone. I am not surprised that it has received so many Oscar nominations.

It’s not fast-moving, but rather a character study, observing  meticulously how human beings react under the stressful situations that occur in life. Every detail is critical. You shouldn’t miss, for example, how the sound recording adds to the naturalism:  the familiar beeping and burring of the microwave that is somehow louder than the protagonists speaking. As in real life.

The movie shares its main theme with last year’s 3D drama, “Everything will be fine“, namely, to what extent are we as human beings entirely responsible for the unimaginably painful and dark tragedies that we are capable of causing? I’m pleased to say that the writer-director, Kenneth Lonergan, does not really give us the answer. He leaves it to the audience to delve deep for something remotely conclusive. Which is maybe one of the reasons why the film just won’t leave you alone.

It is not an exaggeration to say that every actor acts to perfection. Just watch the expressions on the face of the hospital nurse (who has almost no lines!) when Lee’s brother dies, or observe the convincing smugness of Patrick’s mum’s new husband. And yes, does his mum, a cured alcoholic, really go and have a quick drink in the kitchen during dinner? Wonderful, how this is all left to the audience to deduct.

I don’t know about you, but I too, like Lee, have made the most awful mistake in my life. The consequences of this mistake have been absolutely devastating for all concerned, and most probably for a lifetime.  As in the movie, it is impossible to avoid the question: how can we do such awful things to those we love the most?

Today in particular, I carry both the pain and responsibility for my actions and would do everything to turn back time. But I can’t.

So what can be done? The answer to this question can be found both throughout “Manchester by the Sea” and in the closing scene. It’s by no means a neat, clean, satisfying answer. It’s messy. It’s a an answer that reveals how a  dynamic web of dysfunctionality kicks in once a major crisis has happened.

My doctor said to me two weeks ago, “As Einstein said, we cannot live in the past. We must live in the future. Every crisis in life, both for the perpetrator and the victims, is an opportunity to learn and to create a new way of living life better. If we are open to that.”

My enduring hope is that she’s right.

 

 

 

 

 

Berlin, European Union, politics, prison, refugees, society, vision, war

Freedom of movement?

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Freedom of movement is something that many of us in the West take for granted. Most of us can get up and leave our home in the morning and travel to work, go shopping or visit a restaurant after work with friends. We can travel around the country without let or hindrance, and, if we have a passport and enough money, we can travel freely to many other nations of the world.

Imagine for just one moment, however, that you woke up tomorrow morning and you were told by the state authorities that you will no longer have the freedom to move around. You will no longer be able to travel to other countries. You cannot leave your town. In fact, you cannot even leave your house. You are to remain imprisoned there until you die, even though you have done nothing wrong. It is simply a legally binding decision made by your government. Failure to comply will result in immediate execution.

How would we feel then? Cheated? Outraged? Infuriated?Rebellious?

Why? Because any restriction in movement is a contravention of a basic human right. It is also at the root of what started the first war. “This is my property, the boundary to my land, and if you set food on it, I will kill you.” It is also a main reason as to why prison is considered an effective form of punishment.

All this is something that Ms. May, Mr. Johnson, Mr Trump, Mr Corbyn et al. cannot understand. In attempting to maintain free trade of goods whilst restricting the movement of people, they are placing material gain higher than human rights.  This is supremely unintelligent and morally despicable.

All in stark contrast to Angela Merkel who understands that you cannot have the one without the other. She also understands that no wall will ever be able to stop unwanted crime and terrorist attacks. She understand that walls simply provoke isolation and racial hatred, not prevent them.

Racism and evil do not run along national borders. They run through the heart of human beings. This is where it all starts and this is where we as individuals can choose to end it.

 

Berlin, European Union, new writer, politics, refugees, society, tourism, war

Berliner

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It has taken me a couple of days to write again. I have been so upset by what has happened in my city, even though we are still waiting for details to emerge.

Last night I went to the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market which is right next to where I used to live. There was an eery silence while hundreds of people laid flowers and lit candles. Very faintly in the background I could hear Christmas music and a vacuous sermon from the Gedächtniskirche, totally out of kilter with the prevailing mourning.

When I went into the KDW, the largest department store in the EU, it was empty. Three days before Christmas. Surreal.

My main concern is the sadness for those who had their lives so unexpectedly and tragically taken from them, for the injured and for all those who are close to them. This tragedy will affect the most relaxed capital city in Europe for many years.

My secondary concern is that a possible act of terrorism will achieve the goals of those who carry it out. Society becomes divided. Acts of mercy are described as treachery. Racism rules. Trust is undermined. Faiths are divided although believers worship the same God. An ominous fear prevails. Democracy is hijacked by extremists.

This morning on the way to work there was a very large holdall unattended on the station platform. As I got nearer, an Asian guy approached it and I asked him if it was his. “Yes,” he replied. For the first time in my life I realized that the question was meaningless: if he was a suicide bomber, it would make no difference.

On the train, I then read about that (excuse me) fucking idiot, Nigel Farage, saying that this event in Berlin was Angela Merkel’s fault. Horst Seehofer and the AfD are following suit.

In Berlin we have the first ever ruling red-red-green coalition. Last week, it looked as if Berlin was going to pioneer the political future model for Germany. As just one minor example: they have up-to-now rightly stood against increased video surveillance of our city. Will all that change now?

I hope against hope that my adopted city and country will not give in to the aims of terrorism. I hope that democracy and freedom and racial tolerance will prevail. And I trust that, in spite of all current appearances, the pen will triumph over the gun.

 

European Union, new writer, politics, war

The greatest crime: forgetfulness.

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This morning on the way to work I saw a new poster of a woman with a child in her arms in the middle of a war zone, with the title: “The greatest crime: forgetfulness.”

Over 3.5 million children die unnecessarily every year (that’s a city the size of Berlin). And right now, so many children and their families are being killed daily in Syria, Yemen,  Nigeria, Cameroon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Niger, Chad – to name some of those that I am aware of.

I feel so challenged. What am I doing about this? Why are Europe and the USA so unbelievably powerless to help? Where is the church? Where is God?

Humanly speaking, our selfishness must lie somewhere at the root of the answer. I know that if it were my son depicted in the image below, I would drop everything and do all that I could to stop this from happening. If these atrocities were happening in our country, we would have to do something. But we are too far removed. We seem to have become numb to the images, as if they were scenes from a fictitious movie rather than real life. We forget.

Tony Robbins wrote: “Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”

I don’t know about you, but I have made my mind up to spend my remaining years on this beautiful planet helping to bring healing, peace and reconciliation.

For further information about how you can help, contact:

Caritas International

Save the Children

Amnesty International

 

Berlin, European Union, new writer, politics, vision

Brexit Schadenfreude

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I am sorry to have to say that I read the current UK news with a certain amount of Schadenfreude: industrial action on the railways, postal strikes just before Christmas, inflation (butter has gone up 80%), the decline in the value of Sterling, supreme court battles over the government of the country and so on. We are now finding out what many always knew: that the net advantages of remaining in Europe are very much greater than the financial subventions being paid to the EU.

And that is only the financial consequence. I am just as baffled by the British lack of vision for Europe as I am by all those flag-waving Americans cheering at the speeches of Donald Trump. As I wrote two years ago in my short story, Beyond Redemption: “Racism runs much deeper in our veins than we care to think.”

In the UK there was no debate before the referendum about the consequences of a Brexit to world peace, international democracy, human rights, the environment or the freedom of movement (the most fundamental freedom of all). No-one made the point that all relationships are costly in terms of time and money.

Instead, which David Cameron should have known, the decision was made at the mercy of the gutter press and an older generation who will not be alive to suffer its consequences, along with erroneous financial greed and the ugliest racism imaginable.

Enormous lies were plastered on the sides of buses by racist buffoons such as Boris Johnson, but he has now been made Foreign Secretary. As the German press asks, where is the integrity in that?

Since I was a student I have been such a pro-European that I would always say that I was a European when people asked me where I came from. And I still have a passion for Europe that I am not going to give up on. So my question is, where are the politicians in the UK that have a genuine vision for Europe? The best we had was Nick Clegg, but he stood down as a result of David Cameron’s somewhat unexpected, though short-lived, success at the last general election.

It is my firm hope that one day, we will have politicians with a vision and passion for Europe that goes way beyond the financial. Politicians who swap roles in each other’s nations for a few years. Women and men who can speak other European languages, who promote school and university exchanges between continents and nations, who embrace other cultures, who are prepared to invest time in international relationships. Reading the latest UK news (and I apologise to the people of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for the London-centric nature of this blog entry), I think this my be some time away, don’t you?