Don’t you just dread turning on the news at the moment? So much bitterness. Don’t you shun the newspaper headlines? So much simplistic expression of intolerance. Some of it promoted by people who claim to have faith.

Yet the heart of all  the great religions is a message of peace. O.K. in the face of what the world throws at us some of these teachings and messages are tough to achieve and live by.

The Bible says “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great.”

  And “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. “

And the Quran says “We have appointed a law and a practice for every one of you. Had God willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to God and He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed”

 And Hindu teaching suggests this “All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore love for love’s sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live. The great secret of true success, of true happiness, is this: the man or woman who asks for no return, the perfectly unselfish person, is the most successful.”

These give you a warm feeling but try and live them as you face your own personal challenges. And yet there are outstanding examples  of people who have been faced with real evil and whose lives have been destroyed by others, and forgive.  So for example, the moment when a murderer is released from prison can be a traumatic one for the victim’s family. But for American Bill Pelke the release of his grandmother’s killer this year was different – he has not only forgiven her, he wants to help her start a new life. How are people able to forgive a crime like this? Here’s the full story.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23716713

Of course there are inspirational people who took this to a world scale , Luther-King, Mandela and Gandhi. And yet despite their reconciling spirit, they were not weak. They endured themselves but also fought for what they believed and yet found the resolve to be the people they peacemakers they became. 

  But many of us despair at the moment about the climate of fear, anger, hatred and antagonism that is displayed around the world. At no other time in my lifetime has there been a need for a visionary who can harness good and remind us that there are more things hat unite us than divide us.  

It’s 7th November. I’m flying to New York and tomorrow is Election Day. I wonder if I will be this philosophical on the way home after the result. This election has epitomised our problem. Issues are not discussed and there is a peddling of hate that reaches and harnesses  the darkest places of prejudice. 

Our own referendum was equally as dishonest. No one really wanted to discuss the issues and have dialogue. They just want to justify their decision in whatever way they can find. We are the subjected to headlines across newspapers that augment the prejudice. 

BREXIT may mean BREXIT, but can we remember that a half of the electorate thought differently. So whatever the reason we are doing this, can we do it without the rhetoric. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if people said, we want to find a solution that honours everyone on every side of the decision. Rather ,  we have the argument that we must not show our hand, and need to be in a strong bargaining position. It’s not a battle. Every country is affected. Find a mutual solution.

 

 And what did we see when we implemented one of our core values – the rule of law and asked if parliament should be involved. The news gave us headlines demonising our independent judiciary. One of my friends posted this on Facebook. Not the first similarity with the 30s I’ve seen.

So when this election is over, I pray for some bridge-building, some humility, and some forgiveness to heal and pull people together to tackle the many many issues our young people face. 

 It is not just at this supra level we see this animosity and conflict. I have just been involved in negotiations with the government on another issue. The way that they wanted to achieve their objective was to exercise their overbearing power and to bully and threaten. Look at how the NHS is being managed. If you don’t agree doctors we’ll impose. If you don’t improve this school instantly, then you’ll be sacked. And then those in charge of those institutions repeat the action at their own level with their own employees.

I’m reminded of the Simon Sinek TED talk describing another way. (if you have time do watch the first few minutes 

I admire the Nordic way of doing things. Certainly in Sweden immense effort is put into discussions to ensure there is, if not agreement, people can balance the reasoning. Look at how few strikes and industrial disputes there are there. I see respect for one another and their specific responsibilities.

 Think on this then. Love conquers all. Evil never wins. Look at the great atrocities of our age – Cambodia, the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda……not one of them lasted. Similarly corrupt regimes go, disappear and are rarely continued. Sadly it takes a hell of a time sometimes and the misery is everlasting. And the flaws of human character seem to keep reinventing the intolerance and atrocity.

People lose hope

But for those of us who are parents or even in our case grandparents; those of us who are teachers- we have a responsibility to model the right way, to explain the way things  accurately and fairly and let them make informed decisions. Even when people let you down-and they will -speak up for what is right, but show love and understanding. Such love is incomprehensible to those who peddle hate and seek to use power rather than reason. I’ll leave you with Robbie Williams and a new song new song he wrote to his  children. I dedicate it to my children and grandchildren.