Gaza

I feel so strongly for the Palestinian people, both in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, and the scenes this week at the Egyptian boundary remind me of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Are we on the verge of seeing an end to violence and repression? Can we dare to hope that the 'movers and shakers' will really work at bringing justice to all those poor people, both Jewish and Arab, who live under a constant threat of violence?

Growing old

Yesterday I visited an old lady in hospital, who wants to return to her empty home, while everyone tells her she can't live on her own. Why can't we accept, as do little children, that others know best?

Balkan Politics

I read that the Serbian presidential candidate most likely to be successful is the inheritor of Slobodan Milosevich's policies. Perhaps we are on the verge of more bloodshed in the Balkans.

Rome and Constantinople fought, within the Roman Empire, to achieve dominace over the Balkans, and their self-styled inheritors have fought ever since to achieve the same goal. When are we ever going to realise that we must accept each other for what we are, or, at the very least, agree to differ in harmony? There are now those within the European Union and within Turkey who are striving to have Turkey accepted within the Union. What an advance that would be. Perhaps these verses from the New Testament, where John addresses Christ, should guide us.

Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbade him, because he
followeth not with us.
And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
Luke 9: 49-50

A lonely pastime...

I must say that I find writing to be a lonely pastime, especially at 6:40 in the morning, when everyone appears to be asleep, but not quite everyone: a plane just passed on its way into Dublin airport, I see another light on in the adjacent apartment building, and an early commuter pulling in to Portmarnock Dart station parking lot. There must be others awake. Hello!