0 comments - Add comment
What a strange week for news. Amidst all the hullaballoo on the phone hacking scandals, and the questions of when it will end and how much deeper into the establishment it will cut, there were two other events that left us all speechless on the same day.
The murderer in Norway beggars belief in his cowardly manner and cold-blooded ruthlessness. For a country that is so beautiful, charming and tranquil to be ripped apart by such an atrocity is appalling. The murderer’s feeble minded attempts to justify his callous actions are beyond reproach. However, the Norwegian politicians and people have shown great humanity in not wanting their country to seek further recrimination than their 21-year maximum sentence.
Juxtapose this to the tragic but probably not unexpected news of Amy Winehouse’s sad passing. I think I might be in a minority because I never thought she was that great a singer and watching her on stage was kind of painful as she moved off beat – perhaps that was her talent and I am a heathen! I must be wrong because George Michael called her one of the best singer-songwriters of all time.
It does, however, highlight the value of life and the precious commodity that it is to all of us. There may be a sense of futility for the Norwegian parents and relatives mourning their loved ones. Those murdered had no choice and for the lucky ones who escaped it just was not their time. Amy’s parents might be wondering if they could have guided her to new tracks to find solace and comfort or was she just on a free-fall to inevitability?
I guess the fact of the matter is as linked as we all are by DNA, structure, form and features - we never actually know what is inside the mind. What we tell each other and what we think may coincide but there is probably always a mask we hide behind.
How much better could the world be if we all live and let live? If we all genuinely cared for each other and if instead of conflict and aggression we could get to harmony and peace?
In reality, though, whatever we are involved with, whatever activity we do there is always competition, always challenge, always conflict.
Trying to change that is controlling too much; we just have to accept that some mornings we will wake up to our broadcasters telling us news that to a drowsy mind is beyond comprehension and to an awake reality is truly shocking.
03 Aug 2011 16:45:16