Greed, Avarice and The Futility of War

As I view the world around me, I am saddened by the events which are unfolding and search in vain for answers. When our Grandparents fought in the war and their parents in the Great War, I wonder if they would have done so if they could see the legacy of their sacrifice today?

The Arab Spring of 2011 has ended in Syria. The formula is a painfully familiar one. A Dictator who is willing to cling on to power at any price has resorted to the murder of the very people he pertains to represent. The civilised, democratic nations in the morally superior West pontificate and procrastinate while village after village of innocent people are remorselessly mown down by their despotic ruler. Truly, it is an absolute disgrace that this is being allowed to happen.

Today, we learned of the latest chapter in the Euro farce. At no surprise to anybody, Spain made the now obligatory plea to their European partners for money to bail out their failed banking system. An estimated 100 billion Euros has been granted by Germany, the sole member with any credit to speak of. Really it is all a sham and a shocking one at that. This measure is the equivalent to wearing a toupee in a gale. Next will be Italy and no doubt more will emerge from the woodwork in due course. Meanwhile, summit follows summit while the leaders attempt to make a decision concerning the Syrian bloodbath.

For the first time since the late '70s, our doctors have voted to strike. Now, as then, they want more money. More money. The average salary of a doctor in this country is three times the national average for doing a job which is unparalleled in its privileges. In the late '70s the whole country was having a hard time and here we are again. But we are all in the same boat and asking for more will often meet with refusal. Are there no limits to the extent of greed in our lives now? We have never spoken less to our neighbour and never coveted more their possessions. Doctors are in the unique position of being able to recognise and appreciate the merits of good health and are able to convey advice as such to their patient. The result of this loathsome avarice will be a reduced standing in society while still enjoying the trappings of a life unimaginable to the many.

Of course arguments will point to the football players who earn in a week more than a doctor does in a year. They can only merit such vulgar sums if the public chooses to watch them. Everybody has a choice. How radical would it be if doctors were to request slight pay cut to fund aid for the poor people of Syria. It will, of course, never happen but with a true sense of altruism and appreciation for what they have, it could.

I see a world that has never been in a greater mess than it is today. The rise of far right facism in Eastern Europe, and, more worryingly, France is an ominous sign of these scary times. It seems the people once more need a scape goat to blame. God help us and God preserve the souls of those brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice for this pampered, spoilt generation. A complete collapse of the European banking system might not be such a bad thing after all. It might provoke neighbour to speak to neighbour and it might take us all back to common sense and gratitude. Let us not prove Nietschze correct. Let us return to a spiritual life and seek something more worthy than material goods. Let us show our morality.

Timing

Today is Trinity Sunday and the country is in celebratory mood. Festivities have commenced to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I daresay thoughts of such an occasion were far from her thoughts on that fateful day in 1952 when she first learned of the death of her father. But life is often like that throwing up the unexpected when we least expect it. The extra Bank Holiday on Tuesday has been granted in recognition of Her Majesty's acheivement and rightly so. For my family, it sadly marks the sixth anniversary since we lost our daughter Thea. At just fifteen months of age, she succumbed to meningococcal septicaemia and the pain is still with us. I learned on Friday that I have been successful in my recent exams at Medical School. I will now progress to the fourth year of my studies one step closer to being able to give back to the Health Service which has played such a significant part of my life. We received today a 'phone call from Mindy's niece who needed a place to stay for a few days. As a committed Christian I consider such a request to be a basic obligation. As a Human Being, such a request can only be met in the affirmative. In these times of financial austerity and hardship, much is made of broken families and a lack of social cohesion. It is perhaps apt then that on the day the country comes together to celebrate the reign of their monarch, we as a family do likewise to offer an open door and a friendly welcome to one of our own.