Words

Events in Arizona have caused waves of reaction, possibly the most interesting and potentially useful being the recognition on a wide scale that words have power, can hurt, and the way they are strung together can carry great influence s the people who speak them are responsible for the results of what comes out of their mouths. Political hyperbole has reached such a fever pitch in the US that finally people are being forced to realise the likely results of telling their followers to take arms, regroup and reload, bring bigger weapons to bear, be warriors for the cause.

The president they have now is a thinker; he is quieter, better read, better educated, more intelligent, more in control of his own oratory and hopefully that too is sign that the American people are fed up with being led by ignorant puppets wearing cowboy hats. Hopefully it means that rootin’ tootin’ gunslinging Christians like Sarah Palin won’t have a chance at the White House whereas once upon a time she would have been a shoo-in, a George Dubya in skirts.

So much for self-righteousness. My week brought me two opportunities to experience just how difficult it is to keep an open mind and hold back from tack-spitting judgement. Not that I was roused to fever pitch by the 2 friends I lunched with but both in their ways provoked thoughts on subjects that I felt I had justifiable opinions about and the right to express those opinions.

Tuesday I lunched with J. We have children of a similar age so the conversation opens with an exchange of news from the family front. We agree that they may be in their thirties but we are just as anxious about them as when they were three and wish we could still pick them up and cuddle them to make everything better. It helps to talk to another mother like this and I hope J felt as warmed as I did by this part of the meeting. Then we moved on to books and films. We shared a liking for Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I couldn’t follow her into an equal enjoyment of the ‘Twilight’ series. Not that it’s a problem. What is a potential rock in the water is J’s pleasure to see the, to me inexplicable, insistence on celibacy before marriage. I’ve never seen the point of that and I’m constantly amazed at the growing following amongst the young. I’m also amazed by the assumption that it’s a ‘Christian’ virtue. Since when? Probably like most Biblical laws it arose from the social mores of the time. A father would get a better deal for a virgin daughter and no man likes his wife making a cuckold of him. Simple. Probably women liked the idea that men should remain faithful too - more security for them. It’s all very practical in context, and given the frailty of our human egos. I’m sure papers have been written on it but it looks pretty basic stuff to me. Times have changed. Saving oneself often leads to disappointment, but of course that can’t be admitted!

Second encounter to follow.