Wednesday 17 September 2014

Independence and national desires


 

The thing about independence

We are on the eve of a historic vote in Scotland.
After more than 300 years and shared history, the Scots are about to decide on a referendum to reverse this and proclaim independence from the United Kingdom. At this point is seems, as Wellington said at Waterloo (where he heavily depended on his Scottish forces) “a near run thing”. Tomorrow we will find out whether the Yes or No side prevailed.
When I wrote The Excalibur Parchment I postulated (in the words of a Druid leader) about the growing movements for independence around the world. She reveled in the fact that in Wales and Scotland an independence movement was mounting and that similar demands were popping up in Brittany in France and Cornwall in England. She notes too that Quebec and the Kurdish people are demanding nationhood while the Czechs and Slovaks, Bosnians and Serbs had already achieved their goals. All this was written before the Scots decided to proceed with their referendum.
What is it that leads people groups firstly to coalesce around a shared heritage and, secondly, to create a sense of nationhood that ultimately results in the calls for separation and independence? Is it simply a return to the old tribal or clan mentality that some have suggested? Or is it something deeper; a yearning for a simpler and more controllable present and future? Certainly the current globalization has complicated our lives and made us more and more vulnerable. Big Brother is alive and well and we fear him. (I wonder if Orwell was mocked and ridiculed when he wrote 1984; that his premise was ridiculous and could never happen).
It is perhaps a combination of the fear of the uncontrolled future and a rose-coloured view of the past that powers these independence drives. On an individual level we do it, don’t we? ‘Back then’ we remember all things were good; the weather was perfect, everyone was safe and life was wonderful. So too, when the ‘tribe’ or ‘clan’ was our primary governance model it was closer to those affected and there was a greater sense of being and of control. Those were the good old days, the days when heroes walked the face of the earth protecting the people.
Ah, that it was so. The reality is that often there was incredible grinding poverty, starvation and most certainly vulnerability on the political end of the spectrum. The sad reality is that these small ‘nations’ and tribes and clans began to merge into larger units in order to survive. It is the way of human history. From the beginning of time and the onset of evil, people have preyed on each other.  Being a big nation or small tribe was no protection against the ravages of an ever changing and, basically, malevolent world.
That’s the ultimate power behind the pagan Druids as they seek to manipulate the ebb and flow of history in The Oak Grove Conspiracies. There is an evil force in this world—our Druids were part of it—and it is deeper and more intrusive than even a fictional band of Druids can imagine.  I believe firmly that Satan and his demonic forces are indeed real and increasingly impacting our world. Here’s just a few of the groups exhibiting the uncontrolled hatred and violence that marks their controller regardless of their religious (or non-religious) background: Hamas, ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Queda and its various offshoots, Hezbollah, Al Shabaab and others. Then there are the political, economic and territorial machinations of the Putin regime trying to destroy the independent Ukraine having already seized Crimea. 
Seeking independence in and of itself is not a bad thing. But if big nations are falling prey to the economic trial and tribulations of today’s global economy, never mind the malicious machinations of satanic groups, what hope do smaller more vulnerable peoples have?
Independence—whether for the Scots or the Welsh or any other group—has a profound rallying heart pull on the people. Shared heritage and history, cultural and linguistic ties are incredibly strong and are a hugely motivating force, sometimes against the harsh realities of this 21st century world.
For all their longing for a misty long distant past, the Scots have also to remember an equally profound and glorious history as part of a united kingdom. They have had a lot to think about and consider these past months. Tomorrow will tell the tale.
Whatever they decide, one thing is sure. Yes or No, I will still love the bagpipes. And I will still love Scotch eggs and yes, even haggis!

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Fiction vs Non Fiction


They made an impression

The other day I had the privilege of doing a radio interview on “Arts Connection” on FaithFM with Robert White. (You can listen in on my website www.barriedoyle.com). Rob asked me a very interesting question that got me thinking deeper than I was able to within the span of the few seconds the interview provided.
Very simply, he asked me what books had influenced me in my writing career. On the spur of the moment I suppose most of us could trot out the ‘standards’—The Bible, War and Peace, Shakespeare, and so on. But it is a good question that deserves deeper thought.
What books influenced you when you were growing up? For me, I remember reading, no devouring, books by Arthur Ransome. Swallows and Amazons, Winter Holiday, Coot Club and his many other stories about young kids spending holidays in the Lake District and Norfolk Broads of England. It was a time of freedom, adventure and little parental or adult interference. Camping on a deserted island and sailing across the lakes with a bunch of kids with vivid imaginations. John and Susan, Nancy and Peggy were pirates and explorers. So what if it was the mid-30’s England and I was in Canada in the 50’s! The stories were real and captured my imagination.
Then there was C.S. Lewis and his Narnia stories. I graduated from them to Lewis’ seminal works such as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. Interestingly, I was not as fond of his science fiction trilogy even though others loved them.  From Lewis I moved on to the glory and wonder of Middle Earth with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I try to read those books every couple of years and have loved Peter Jackson’s rendering of the stories (recognizing that movies can never provide the depth that books do, simply skimming the surface and adapting the stories for visual and cinematic reasons). I cannot wait for the conclusion to The Hobbit this Christmas.
As I reflect on these books, I realize that I was always enraptured by good solid storytelling. There are hundreds if not thousands of other authors who have also enthralled me with good stories. And, if there is one common denominator it is this: all those stories identified human situations and as stories embedded in life, they also reflect humanity with all its triumphs and failures. Whether these books were written with an underlying Christian world view or not, the really good stories document the gospel in action—sin, courage, love, redemption and forgiveness among them.
Tolkien’s masterpiece exemplifies this. Frodo is challenged to undertake a perilous journey. So are we. He is bucked by malevolent forces and tested to the extreme. As are we in our life journey. He is guided by a kindly, loving, powerful man named Gandalf. So are we and his name is Jesus. Frodo is surrounded by loyal friends who go to the wall with him. We have them too—family and friends who love us unreservedly and who will support us to the end. And finally, Frodo achieves his quest and is given the ultimate reward of immortality. We too have the same ultimate reward.
Too many of my friends brag about the fact that they are “not into fiction” and never read fiction. And I feel badly for them that they lose so much by not taking the time to relish good fiction and become part of a new and different world. Good friends they will remain, but they miss out by not cracking open a good story that paints the human condition in rousing ways. They miss out on stretching their imaginations. They don’t get to observe the ultimate endings of stories. They never get to enjoy imaginary friends who feel like they do, suffer like they do, accept challenges and succeed like they do.
There is a place for non-fiction. I spent my career as a journalist and public relations executive telling the true stories of real people. But in the back of my mind always, was the thought that there is something more, something missing in the human condition if that’s all we concentrate on. The human mind was conceived by God to embrace both reality and imagination. If we shut one element off, we deplete the power of the other.
Put it another way. All music—classical, opera, rock, country—is fiction; it is created from nothing. Yet not one of my non-fiction friends would argue that they are not “into” music because there is no such thing as ‘non-fiction music’. The same applies to art. So why do they think that missing out on fiction is somehow good and to be celebrated?
Sure there’s good non-fiction but there is also some really bad non-fiction. And, conversely, there is also some bad—sometimes grossly bad—fiction. But that too is life.
My challenge to you is two-fold. First, identify the books (stories and novels) that first impacted you and made and impression. Then explore the exciting world of writing and discover new books that will charm and challenge you.
For me, I have two more books in the Oak Grove Conspiracies trilogy to write. The Excalibur Parchment is almost ready for its debut; The Lucifer Scroll and The Madoc Treaty are in the hopper. More suspense thrillers I hope my non-fiction reading friends will enjoy.
But first I think I will brew a good cup of coffee (thank you Keurig) and curl up on a hill overlooking the Lake District in England and enjoy the adventures of John and Susan and Roger and the rest of the Swallows and Amazons gang. I need some more inspiration.

Thursday 4 September 2014

Ikea and new technology


Ikea and new technology

I have to admit that I am ambivalent towards the furnishings giant Ikea. On the one hand, there is no doubt they have great products. On the other hand, their stuff is a pain to put together.
Having said that, their advertising is often brilliant, bordering on the cheeky at times. Case in point: their latest “BookBook” campaign. It’s a poke (well deserved) at the ‘nerdy-look-at-me-I’m-much-trendier-than-you’ approach of techno giants such as Apple. In their minds, you have to have the latest gizmo or feature and they regularly add ‘features’ that suddenly become ‘must haves’. 
Ikea introduces the outrageous notion that books—yes ordinary books—are a technological wonder. They store information, easy to share, easy to search and bookmark, not need for plugs or wifi, and so on. And it is all done with Ikea’s trademark sense of humour.
But it does bring about some interesting thoughts. Books, hard copy printed materials, may just be making a comeback after too many computer or ebook crashes, internet malfunctions, gigantic data bills and hacking issues. And why not. Books are simple, easy to use (no manual needed—and if you did need a manual, it would be a book!) cost efficient, found everywhere online or in brick and mortar stores. It’s an idea whose time has come!
Not too long ago, the techno revolution swamped the concept of vinyl LP records in favour of compact disks which were then swamped by mp3 and itunes. The sound was said to be inferior. Now, however, vinyl is making a comeback and it is said to be superior to CD’s and digital offerings.
The wheel is turning. It’s not just troglodytes embracing the joy of holding a book in hand, turning the pages and revelling in a good story.

There’s hope for me yet. 

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Lessons from the Ice Bucket


Lessons from the ice bucket

Unless you are living in a sealed environment you have seen, challenged or been challenged to the ice bucket fundraising for ALS. Some have had fun with it. I have seen some very creative responses. Some have argued with it and denigrated it. I have seen sometimes poignant and sometimes offensive objections to the ice box challenge.
This post is not about the rights or wrongs of the ice bucket challenge. Rather, I want to reflect upon the astounding success—the viral success—of the challenge. It is not the first such campaign to consume the social media world of course, nor will it be the last. But it makes me wonder about the thinking that causes one item go viral while something else does not.
It's not just good causes that go viral. Conspiracies theories develop a life of their own on social media. False stories, political claptrap and faked photos and videos do the rounds, die away, and then miraculously do the rounds again. The thing is, people get sucked in time and time again and never seem to be able to differentiate good from bad, true from false.
Could it be that a large majority of people today, all over the world, have lost the power of discernment? Could it be that the concept of independent thinking has been so beaten out of people (metaphorically speaking of course) that people have become like sheep and follow a fad, a trend, a person, a cause, without thought? Social media provides anonymous and somehow unconnected connections to coalesce around situations or concepts. Yet here I am, using social media to promote my thoughts and give a platform for my books.

As I said, this is not about the ALS ice bucket challenge, but the challenge does illustrate the point. Someone somewhere poured a bucket of cold water on someone else’s head to raise money for a cause. Others saw it and copied it. For a while it was a unique and creative thing. Now it has become de rigueur for celebrities, politicians, and athletes to promote themselves while taking the challenge. There is a “me too” or “monkey see monkey do” narcissism about this social media stuff that sometimes makes me cringe. Why do we have this incessant desire to copy what others do or say? It’s been a question for time immemorial. Moses had that problem in the desert when the Children of Israel worshiped a golden calf. The Spanish Inquisition, Stalinesque communism and even the current ISIS holocaust in Iraq provided the masses with an unthinking, follow-the-leader-and-forget-about-truth mentality that resulted in utterly evil destruction of peoples and society.
Social media, like mass media, has the capacity to do great good or great harm in our modern world. It can spread truth or evil. It can promote or destroy. One careless comment on Twitter has already ruined careers and caused employment loss for hundreds, perhaps thousands. Deserved? Sometimes, perhaps. But as Jesus pointed out, only cast the stones if you yourself have never uttered or shared offhand or insensitive remarks. I, for one, would not be able to meet that standard.
The missing link is discernment and rational thought. Why do people carelessly “retweet”, “like” or “share” without taking a moment to think about it? Is it out of line to suggest that a little research, a little scrutiny, a little sceptical thinking be utilized before carelessly spreading a story?
Let me close with an illustration. I mentioned false stories. I was inundated a couple of years ago with heartfelt pleas from my Canadian friends via email and Facebook to stand up against evil, anti-Christian thinking in government that was planning to remove the phrase “In God we trust” from our currency. Really? Canadian currency has no such statement anywhere. Never has. But my Canadian friends thoughtlessly spread this nonsense (which obviously emanated from the United States which does have that statement) without considering either the truth behind it or who initiated this fabricated nonsense.
I sometimes despair for the human race.
Kudos for the money raised for ALS (a despicable disease) and other causes that have benefited from the ice bucket challenge.
Despite that, I will be my usual skeptical journalistic self and question the veracity of a lot of the junk that passes across the social media.
But before I do, I am going to my ice bucket, take a chunk of ice and drop it into my drink.
Cheers.