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May
I have just come from a meeting where several of the
world’s gravest problems were solved in a most satisfactory
manner. There were only five people present at this historic moment,
and unfortunately there were no minutes taken so I have no concrete
proof to substantiate my claim, but I can assure you that this event
did indeed happen.
The meeting took place in Nuremberg, itself a city that has in the
past had its fair share of controversy, being a focus of one of
the darkest periods in modern history. In a previous century the
city centre was the site of a massacre of Jewish residents, an early
example of ethnic cleansing. It was here that Hitler built his parade
grounds and where those chilling displays of military might took
place. Post war of course, we had the Nuremberg trials.
OK, I admit, we were five co-workers sitting in a hotel bar after
a long and tiring day, doing what many similar folk do in bars –
put the world to rights.
What is it, though about the atmosphere of a bar that brings out
the strength of opinion in people who would otherwise not talk part
in political debate?
In the UK it is very difficult to capture the imagination of the
population when it comes to participating in local, and indeed national
elections. There is an underlying apathy which prevails, seeming
to say ‘My vote isn’t going to make any difference to
the way the country is run, so why bother?’
And yet visit any bar or pub in the country at around 10 o’clock
at night and listen to the discussions taking place around tables
or bar between friends and colleagues. Beyond the usual gossip and
talk about the weather there will be strong opinions on sporting
matters, and equally polarised views on local and national government,
education, taxation, health provision, world crises and so on. All
it takes is a beer or two and a convivial atmosphere to loosen tongues
and remove a natural reticence to participate in discussion.
I’m encouraged by this, because it means that deep inside
people do really care. They care about their local community. They
care about national government. They care about world issues and
can empathise with those who live under oppressive regimes, or through
national disasters.
We live in a society that embraces free speech, and yet so few exercise
that right. Somewhere between the outside and inside of that bar
a door opens and closes on such participation, and that is sad.
The same is true of those of us who follow a religious belief. It
becomes an intensely personal thing outside the familiar meeting
place.
We have a lesson to learn, I think in opening our hearts and voices
within the normal environment in which we live and work, so that
others may catch the vision that we have inside our hearts. And
who knows, our viewpoint might indeed make a very real difference
to the world if it were allowed the freedom to be shared. What is
it they say about a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of
the world causing a hurricane in another?
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