I am a little surprised at the US action against Iranian nuclear assets this morning. I had thought that the President would be most reluctant to get involved in foreign adventures, something he has often alluded to. But there you are, The ball is now in the Iranians court and we will see what they choose to do. If the game was baseball, I would have said they will opt for a bunt. Performative and making a statement without bringing hell upon themselves. But who knows?
At such times it is therapeutic to retreat into poetry (prayer as well, of course!) so I found this lovely piece by the Tang poet Li Bai (701- 762). He is one of the three of four greats of that extraordinary period in Chinese literature, a period when you needed to be able to write and recite poetry to get a civil service post. Li Bai was famously one for the bottle. If you don't believe me, have a read of his masterful, 'Drinking Alone by Moonlight' which is collected in many anthologies.
Parting at a Wine Shop in Nanjing
Christian eschatology (the study of the 'last times') argues that Jesus will return, this time in triumph and glory, to vindicate those who are saved and judge those who are not. It has been a lively source of speculation by theologians for 2,000 years, with many predictions of it's imminence, all wrong.
I think its takes a bold believer to posit that Jesus will return at such and such a date, though I am sympathetic. Consider the peasant in Europe in the midst of the Black Plague, with almost 40% of the population wiped out. That must have seemed like the end of the world to many.
I returned to the faith of my youth with my mind fully functioning - eyes wide open - if you like. There is an intellectual component to Christianity and an entirely faith-based one. Eschatology has always interested me and I too, have studied the prevailing circumstances of the world for potential signs. But it is God the Father who will decide the time and place, even if we are urged to watch and be ready.
Nevertheless, there are certain conditions in the modern age that put us within the boundaries of the predictive cricket ground of end times. Many of these are the result of human-generated factors that could lead to an apocalypse, unlike at any time in the past. The invention, use of and continued deployment of nuclear weapons is a unique event in human history, sufficient to wipe out all (or most) life on Earth. The degrading of the environment and global warming also present existential threats that may lead to disasters and suffering on a massive scale. The rampant and often insufficiently unregulated development and deployment of technology that may get out of hand, or be exploited by bad actors, is another deep cause for concern. AI, nano bots and so forth all have both wonderful and potentially cataclysmic applications.
We appear also to have entered a new age of reckless national aggressions, any of which could spill over into larger conflicts. Taiwan, the Ukraine and Israel are three current flash-points.
But God will decide ultimately, so it is unwise to go too far down this path. It is ceratinly wise, however, to keep your eyes open and your wits about you.
The situation in the Middle East is often fraught, but it is especially so just now. There is, without a doubt, a reasonable chance that things will go in a different direction to the one Israel and the US hope for. War planning does not always account for the many variables that could lead to either failure, or something much worse. It may claim to, but the outcome of previous blunders are there for all to see.
Iran and Russia have a strategic understanding. Neither country has many friends or allies to call upon, so one should not underestimate the potential for a wider conflict. Russia does not want to lose Iran to the West and the Iranian leadership does not want to lose power. The Trump Administration should tread warily when considering how far it should involve itself in the conflict.
This morning, Trump said he would make a decision, one way or the other, at a second's notice. I cannot recall any previous US Presidents of the past 100 years acting within such a short time frame, so it seems a trifle impetuous. Or maybe it all just Trumpish words, so much hot air!
Sure, the government of Iran is pretty awful, and whatever stern version of Islam it is following has little popularity at home. But there may be worse actors waiting in the wings. It is hard not to see the period from 1914 to the present in apocalyptic terms. But best not to.
Even as political parties of the left have taken up the cudgel for what has been called 'identity politics', they have dropped the ball around economic equality and the gap between rich and poor.
There is nothing wrong with arguing for an end to discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and so forth. It can go too far at times and some activists, by their intransigence and dogmatism, make a meal of their arguments, much for the worse. But the principle of equality is fair. I don't have to agree with the life choices of another but I do not wish them to be discriminated against. 'Judge not lest ye be judged' said Jesus. That is a fundamental benchmark.
But in taking up so many diverse and complicated and sometimes controversial causes, left parties have lost touch with what used to be a key plank in their platforms - a more just and equal society for the whole society. There has been a failure to rein in the worst excesses of this late capitalist era, allowing the gap between rich and poor to wide alarmingly.
Token increases in the minimum wage do not make up for the ongoing casualisation of work, the decline of decently paid jobs that will keep a family afloat. Moreover, the tendency of governments to pander to the pockets of the wealthiest generation - baby boomers - means that younger people will likely be unable to buy a house. It is a scandal.
Sure, baby boomers worked hard to get where they are, but under present conditions (the salary to housing ratio is now x ten!), they would have been working forever to get into a property. Meaning never, with little chance of building the wealth they have today.
I think social democratic parties are beginning to catch on (beyond the buzz words) but it may be too late and too politically difficult to act decisively.
Before my family moved to the northern beaches area in 1968, I had attended primary school in Rose Bay. At that time, and likely still today, the population of the school was overwhelmingly Jewish. All my friends were Jews and naturally I developed a healthy respect for their heritage. That possibly explains my pro-Israel bias (though I am critical of of that government's policies) and my abiding interest in all things Jewish. I was even engaged to one sometime ago and sported a yarmulka at family occasions, that especially being the case during festivals.
When I was in Grade 3 we had scripture classes and the few children of Christian faith (in those days everyone was something, even if only nominally) gathered today for a lesson. I recall our teacher being a very large woman who appeared to have legs like tree trunks (though this may have been a youthful mistake). But she was a very good teacher and many of the stories from the Bible remain with me as a result of her lucid and interesting retelling. I seem to recall that she was a dab hand with chalk diagrams because they were often in the background on the board.
We had a test at the end of Year 3 and surprise, I came top. My prize was a small book of the Gospel of Mark called 'The Right Time', it being the then new Good News edition. You know, I still have it, my name in neat underlined print on the inside cover.
I owe that good lady something, for she planted the seeds of what later became real faith. And I am grateful for that little volume. If you're wondering, the 'right time' is now.
Today is the day of Pentecost, the day back in the first century when the Holy Spirit descended upon the first (Christian) believers in Jerusalem. It is also the birthday of the Church as such. Truly, it must have been bedlam, with disciples rushing into the streets and preaching in myriad different languages, astonishing passers-by.
The Holy Spirit that day was said to be 'a violent wind' (Acts 2:2) and today, we have a lot of wind blowing outside. It's very cold and gusty. It is hard not to reflect and compare the windy day we have and the day then that was Pentecost. It is constant reminder of God's abiding presence and overarching sovereignty.
Yesterday I wrote a poem about wind because it was indeed windy. The birds were in hiding. I have rarely seen such an absence and you will know that we have a large bird population in the Mountains. Today they seem to have adjusted to the weather and are getting about, albeit sometimes clumsily.
I never miss a windy day without quoting my favourite poem on the subject.
It's been a busy few days. Yesterday was the anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944. Even though the Nazi's were already being beaten everywhere (though mostly by the Russians), it was an important last nail in the coffin. It opened up a proper second front to add misery to the Hitler's insane machinations and downfall.
Yesterday also I sadly said farewell to my trust Hyundai i30, perhaps the best car I've ever owned and driven. This car served many purposes over the past six and a half years, not least it's role in being a part of Ann's PR application to Australian immigration. I hope that the next owner has the same pleasure that I had and that they treaty her with respect.
The i30's replacement is a Mazda CX 3, a car that has been around for 10 years but is still selling strongly in the Australian market. We bought the base model and last year's stock to save money, so the bottom line (despite an underwhelming trade-in price) was manageable. I have driven Mazda's in one iteration or another for a long time and look forward to the new relationship. More on that later.
Finally, Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Spurs, after a tumultuous second season. Tottenham performed relatively poorly in the Premier League this year and despite winning silver in Europe, the proverbial writing on the change room walls was likely inked in months ago. Personally I think Ange will do much better elsewhere and the London club may end up ruing the day that they didn't hand him a third season. Of course, time will tell.
Last night Oldham Athletic were promoted to League 2 of the EFL, after a 3 year stint in the National League. The latter is a notoriously difficult competition to get out of, being both competitive (despite being the fifth tier) and well supported. Oldham's exciting, last-gasp win over Southend United (3-2) at Wembley in front of a record crowd of 52,000 opens what I hope is a new era for the club.
Part of me is very surprised, for the Latics did not play well in the last few months and finished in fifth place. Top placed Barnet were directly promoted, whilst the second spot was subject to playoffs between the next 6 highest teams. Poor old York, who finished a clear second and 23 points ahead of Oldham, were eliminated in the playoffs. Such is the cruelty of the promotion system.
I really hope that Oldham can kick on in League 2. There's no point in being just a place-taker, is there?
