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 21^st 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!

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.