Looking at the Bright Side of Life

Today, I look out the window to see a cloudless sky. This is very rare in the UK, I might add. Indeed, it's that time when winter gives way to spring, the days get longer, the nights shorter, the weather warmer, and crocuses and daffodils colour the landscape with their blooms. And oh yes, the beginning of Daylight Saving Time when the clocks go forward in the early hours of Sunday morning, that somewhat crazy phenomenon when you wake up each morning as if from a hangover for days to come.

Spring blooms - Daffodils and Crocuses.

For us, the thoughts of the seaside or boarding the Eurostar comes to mind. Or had I remained single, perhaps another prospect of a long-haul flight. On the other hand, the library of photo albums that would have accumulated over the past two decades would have required enough shelving in a public library for storage!

Maybe that's was it? By the end of the twentieth century, I was wondering whether the sense of adventure gotten from intercontinental backpacking was beginning to wane, especially to the States, after five separate visits already. Who knows. However, at the start of the new millennium, my original plan was to fly from London to Cape Town, backpack to Johannesburg, then fly to Perth, Western Australia, then surface travel to Sydney before taking off again to California. In other words, another Round-the-World trip like the one accomplished in 1997. Back then, such an endeavour was financially possible, thanks to British Airways signing special deals with other airlines, such as the Australian Qantas, originally meant to repatriate Aussies temporary residing in the UK and wishing to return. Instead, in 1999, I courted and married Alex, thus putting an end to all long-haul travel.

Then again, what if...

What if I held a driving licence, valid around the world? Despite the paperwork involved - insurance, collision-waiver fees, taxes, etc, hiring a car would have opened vast areas of the USA not reached by public transport, especially west of the Mississippi River. Canyonlands in Utah is one example, where trails pass through narrow slot-canyons, barely wider than my shoulders, with high vertical cliffs of patterned sandstone towering high on each side of me. Or the fantastic majesty of Half-Dome Mountain dominating Yosemite National Park, a mass of granite challenging any hiker to climb to its summit. Or the strikingly beautiful Crater Lake in southern Oregon. At the visitor's Centre, I would have gasped at how fire, heat, and lava from the bowels of the Earth could have created such a huge caldera lake, further enhanced by the presence of a small volcanic cone rising from the surface as an island located near the edge.

Then considering the sandstone pinnacles of Bryce Canyon, also in Utah, it's worth pondering how someone like me without a driving licence can miss out on nature's rugged beauty. Getting tired of visiting America? With a car, I would have never been tired! There were so many places worth visiting.

Hence the frustration of using the Greyhound Bus, even with a month-long pass ticket, or the Greyhound Ameripass, as it was called then. The busses linked cities, not natural wonders, although I was fortunate to make use of public services to get to Grand Canyon South Rim in both 1978 and 1995 respectively. 

Indeed, despite missing out on these dramatic attractions due to my inability to drive, yet, I have much to be thankful for. When I was young and pushing a broom across the floor of a family-owned factory workshop, I had never dreamed that not many years later I would gasp at the thundering cascade of Niagara Falls, or look down into Grand Canyon, let alone the need to hike down to view the Colorado River from close up, along with the numerous buttes that make up the rugged skyline from below - that contrasts vividly to the straight line of the North Rim as seen from the Village. Or when I walked through the rainforest of the Blue Mountains National Park near Sydney and looked up at the waterfalls cascading down those high cliffs. 

And turning to aquatics, those highly treasured moments when I hovered just above the corals of the Great Barrier Reef and over the corals of the Red Sea just south of Eilat. Two very different kinds of coral with their variation of species. Last but certainly not least, to stand on the summit of the Mount of Olives, looking west across the panoramic view of Jerusalem, the City of the Great King, and a view not unfamiliar with Jesus and his disciples.

It's during these present times that evaluating what you've achieved can be very helpful both spiritual and psychological. Whether it to do with leisure travel as was with me or having a high level of education, the ability to hold down a respectable career, to be successful in the business world, or to excel in a sport, whether as a team member as in football or cricket, or solo as a track-and-field athlete, or achieving a marvel such as swimming across the Channel or writing a novel or set of novels that fill the shelves of a well-known bookshop chain, such as Waterstones.

Or to pursue hobbies such as photography, as in my case, closely linked with travel. The inner glow felt within by having achieved something, whatever it might be, to fulfil your dreams are all good therapies to combat the challenges of life, such as the war in Ukraine and the threat of the rise in the cost of living. 

Corals at the Red Sea, Eilat, taken Oct 2000.

I guess it's so easy to allow rage to simmer within over the evils of the Russian President, how through his selfish ambition to annexe this small, independent State back into the former Soviet Union has caused widespread misery to millions, even fear and death among Russian soldiers ordered to fight and take the land, after minimal training for many young conscripts. Yet, it can be so easy to refer to Vladimir Putin as the son of the Devil, evil, wicked, and yet find it nigh impossible to see him as also loved by God, who is sustaining every breath he takes, every heartbeat, every morsel of food digested, and the efficiency of his immune system. During our Zoom prayer meetings, requests were sent heavenwards for God to appear in a supernatural way to Putin, very much in the same way when God appeared to Isaiah the Jewish prophet:-

Isaiah then cried out, 

Woe is me! For I'm undone, a man of unclean lips who dwell among a people of unclean lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. Isaiah 6:5.

Isaiah already knew God before that particular moment, but the experience gave him that extra power to minister to the Israelites and to be forever changed. Using this Scripture verse as a yardstick, some of us prayed for Vladimir Putin to have a similar revelation of God, be converted, and the war coming to a rapid end.

I couldn't help but feel ill-at-ease. For Putin to become a trophy of grace whilst many die in his war without having faith in Christ seems to be the nadir of unfairness! However, no matter how uncomfortable it feels to know that God still loves him, yet, that's still true, for when Christ died on the cross, he atoned for him as much as to the most devoted Christian.

And then, news of the coming inflation, the rise in energy bills, higher taxes and National Insurance, no doubt would cause some, perhaps many, to shiver in his shoes and wonder how one will survive financially after the threefold crisis of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and runaway inflation still to come. But according to one journalist, many were around to remember the 1970s with industrial strikes every five minutes, the Winter of Discontent, power cuts, cancelled trains, disrupted flights, and the three-day working week. Yet, we got by.*

Not that I ever remember working a three-day week. During that era, I was working in a precision engineering firm making ball-bearing races (the two rings which in between the bearings rolled.) I fully remember the two diesel-powered generators installed to power the entire factory with all its machines and office equipment. As such, we all worked our full five-day shifts.

But whichever way things are likely to turn, especially on the financial side, I can thank God that we here in the UK are not involved in any war. My heart goes out when I see images and hear about how so many Ukrainians are fleeing from their homes to cross the international borders as refugees. And the courage and determination for all men between the ages of 18 and 60 to remain behind to fight the Russian forces. Indeed, they have already earned the respect of the rest of the world, especially from the west.

I find something so good in humanity, especially when based upon Christian principles. Countries of the European Union are showing wonderful hospitality to these Ukrainian refugees. Especially Poland, a member of the EU since May 1st, 2004 and a Schengen Area member, took in the greater majority of refugees. This seems to be in keeping with what Jesus himself once said, Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest - Matthew 11:28.

And this couldn't be more appropriate. What greater burdens are there and what heavier laden than being a victim of war? Here in the UK, refugees are offered hospitality from ordinary citizens. Unfortunately, Brexit-voting Britain is the only country in Europe insisting on an entry visa, and a layer of bureaucracy makes everything more difficult for a household to take in a refugee. To me, this seems insane! During the referendum and for some time afterwards, the EU was seen by some educated Christians as a precursor for the coming Antichrist, and the EU consisted of his kingdom to rule the rest of the world.

The level of hospitality shown to the Ukrainian refugees proves this Antichrist theory as unmitigated rubbish! If anything, as already mentioned, the EU is acting more Christlike than bureaucratic Britain! Therefore, rather than preaching from an ivory tower, is there anything positive we (as a couple) can do? I wonder whether we would qualify to take in a refugee by the bureaucrats, even if we have a spare bedroom in which we have accommodated overnight guests without any hitches. For one, my wife is keen to take in a refugee. However, it's left for each householder to select and sponsor a refugee. The snag with that, in my view, is that the better looking young and intelligent-looking type would be selected in preference to the not-so-admirable-looking crowd.

Thus my prayer for financial security, especially after next month, the start of the new financial year when all essentials will go up in price. Such prayers are not merely to avoid poverty. Rather, my prayer is, Bless me, O God, so that I can bless others.

Many Christians pray for God to help the poor. But I feel God is saying, You do it. You bless the poor. And so, I thank God that there are good and reliable charities who transfer my donation to those in genuine need without too much deducted for admin costs. Christian-based charities such as Tear Fund, Compassion, Salvation Army, Red Cross, and Shelter are a few of many charities I can donate. But that comes from financial security, allowing me to give freely in love and without the fear or concern for our own welfare.

The spirit of generosity is a gift of God, even to an unbeliever. Indeed, I may indulge in great travel memories, and yes, those memories are uplifting to the spirit, and I enjoy writing about these experiences on this page (as you might have already guessed!) But, I think the greater source of personal wellbeing is generosity to those less fortunate. And that includes war refugees. Thus, instead of wallowing in misery over the fate of those less well off than us, I can look on the bright side of life and give generously towards those in real need.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Richard Littlejohn, The Daily Mail Online, March 17th, 2022.