Personal Blogs

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There is a Japanese folk tale that teaches us a valuable lesson about being human. One day a man recues a Crane that is locked into a hunter’s trap.

Some time later, a stranger knocks the man’s door. To cut the story short, they get married. The woman has an asset; she can weave the most beautiful garments which enriches the man when he sells them at the market.

But, and there’s always a but in these stories, the condition that his wife insists on, is that he never enters the room whilst she is weaving.

In the course of time, he discovers that she is the crane he saved, and she is weaving the garments with her own feathers.

When she realise, he has not kept his promise to respect her confidentiality, she leaves, and he never sees are again.

Now what is the moral of the story? The story highlights the delicate balance between trust, honour, and compassion.

We have all been there, we tell someone something and before we know it, our confidential talk is like a bag of feathers in the wind. Then, it becomes difficult to maintain a relationship with the person. We learn to exercise caution. A confidential matter does not need to be acknowledged; it goes without saying. 

Take a few moments to consider the following verse that teach us the value of virtue in these cases.

“Debate your case with your neighbor,

and don’t betray the confidence of another." 

Proverbs 25:9.

“And be kind to one another, tender hearted, 

forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you."

 Ephesians 4:32.

Verses from the World English Bible

Writing:  © 2024 Jim McCrory

 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"

Pyongyang, Metro, North-Korea. Image by https://unsplash.com/@thoeva

Korean society have this word, Kijŏng-dong (기정동). literally meaning Peace Village. Such villages are set up in demilitarised zones to exhibit the success and superiority of Korean society. There you will find immaculately clean streets. Roads with a minimum of traffic. Inhabitants with tired and unhappy faces reflecting the true nature of the society. It’s all a Potemkin village; a great dramaturgical fraud to full the outside world.

I am a non-denominational Christian for reasons that can be analogous to the North Korean Peace Village scenario. Many religious groups and cults can put on a show that promises love, but sometimes, when you look inside, there is no freedom of thought. Oppressive leaders in sheep’s clothing that lack human compassion. There's  rulemaking that has no bearing on biblical commands. And, the covering over of heinous crimes like child abuse less the brand be tarnished in the public eye.

In Jesus’ day, Jesus had no interest in the brand. He confronted hypocrisy in the religious system of the day. He said in Matthew 23:37 the following,

 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (WEB).

Writing:  © 2024 Jim McCrory

A righteous man respects the life of his animal.

Proverbs 12:10 (WEB)

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Do not cut up the worms or swat the wasps. They dearly need our help. Life and beauty would be gone in their absence. Without them, Wordsworth would never have written Daffodils, Jack would never have had a beanstock, Matsuo Bashō would never have written those haikus and Gyo Fujikawa would never have produced those stunning illustration that haunts the child within.

Now let us take this seriously for a moment. Worms decompose dead matter and pass the nutrients on to trees, flowers, and vegetation in this grand symbiotic dance of death and life. Wasps spend hour after hour, pollinating plants, and flowers. They bring pleasure to the human family. Think of this little workhorse the next time you see a rainbow eucalyptus tree or a bleeding-heart flower.

When I was a child, I took an aerosol and spray painted a hive of wasps silver. There they were, just buzzing away, minding their own business. I realised then, that small as they are, they can be protective and vengeful. They had every reason to be so; I invaded their private realm. Thirteen times they stung me. After you are stung, you cannot be unstung, they leave their mark. My mother counted the reminders as she applied the soothing calamine lotion.

Writing:  © 2024 Jim McCrory

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Some time ago, I responded to someone on Quora regarding the role that Christians play in society. His post implied that Christians sit around singing and clapping hands to music. I replied to his statement, but I got no answer.

I would have hoped the person posting had done some research. A simple Google search takes you to Wiki where we find multiple scientists from the 18^th Century to the present period who were at the forefront of science,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christians_in_science_and_technology#21st_century_(2001%E2%80%932100)

These scientists could and still do science because they observed stable laws that govern the universe.

Better Angels of Their Nature

There are some interesting passages in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov that illustrate patterns of Christian thinking that are in full view today. If you have read the book, it explores areas of mercy, morality, faith, and the human condition.

A case in point is Father Zosima , an elderly monk who is full of compassion and self-sacrificing love who offers kind words and solace for those who are laid low.

Then there is the youth, Ilyusha and his papa, Captain Snegiryov. Alyosha Karamazov, who is moved by Father Zosima example, demonstrates considerable human compassion to Ilyasah’s family despite suffering poverty himself.

Overall, the book is rich in examples of love, compassion, and forgiveness in imitation of the Christian paradigm.

But that’s just fiction, right? What about today? Well, our city streets are filled with Christian groups delivering essentials to street people. There are Christian food banks. I see Mercy Ships full of Christian medical, dental optical and pharmaceutical personnel treating children and adults in the developing world who have life threatening disorders, cataracts, disfigurements, and multiple other issues. They bring comfort to societies that many never give a second thought to.

Now, I know many others who are none-Christian do the same, but the question that was raised in Quora was directed at Christians.

Mercy Ships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtqkXdYcc1c&t=2s

Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

Psalm 1:1

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One of my favourite words is the word sincere. The double syllabic consonants slide smoothly off the tongue. It’s a soothing word in my mind; it summons up images of the type of humans I like to be with; those who are genuine and unpretentious. There is a hygge feeling with the word. But I self-reflect on the word as well. Am I the kind of person others are refreshed by?

Some years ago, I had an epiphany; I realised that many of the people in my life were making me unhappy. Lack of empathy, gossip, slander, bullying, and control tactics were the norm. I decided to withdraw and create new friendships. It wasn’t an easy decision; it meant withdrawing from those whom I had known most of my life. It also meant reinventing a new identity. The decision brought happiness. My epiphany was this: as a person I was intrinsically happy. It was the unkind people in my immediate proximity that brought negative energy into my life.

Ridding such ones demands radical decisions. What if it’s your boyfriend, your workmates, family, or friends? The truth of the matter is, we must enter the darkness if you are to see the dawn, the new day.

How do they treat you? Do they corrode your self-esteem by being offensive, then say “I was only joking” or “You’re too sensitive” or “Get a life”? Do they bully you to the extent that you never make your own decisions? Do they humiliate you in public by saying you're too fat or stupid? Are they nice to your face but criticise you behind your back? Do they defame your values, destroy your dreams, flatter for profit and leave you as empty as a pocket?

You cannot afford to be naïve and think they will change. They may have been this way all their lives. Don’t think marrying your future partner will make it happily ever… “Marry in haste; repent at leisure” the aphorism states.

Can you categorise those in life that make you unhappy? Is the person a narcissist? Uncaring, perhaps spoiled as a child. They always think of themselves first. The language gives them away. The “I” and the “me” stand erect in every sentence. They bully you into their way of thinking all the time.

There may be economic considerations to consider. That will take planning. Hitch your waggon to others that feel like you, who are kind and thoughtful and really care. It maybe you can flat share to get away from the immediate crisis. This is especially so where violence is involved. Remember, violence visited on a partner leaves lifelong emotional scars on you and the children if you have them.

Is it friends that is the issue? Join a group where you can find new friends. Is it family? Remember, you are attached to family by reason of history, but genetically, you are almost as much related to every human. Find another family. Join a walking, photography, writing, language or sports group. The internet is full of sources and meetups. In many cases, some groups have people who have shared and have suffered what you have gone through. God bless your efforts.

Fix my own steps solidly in your saying. 

And may no kind of hurtful thing domineer over me.

Psalm 119:133

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As a child, I read many books: Pinocchio, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Peter Rabbit and Tom Thumb, to mention a few. I read many books now. One thing every book I have read has in common is that they all have happy endings. We demand the denouement to have a just conclusion, or we feel robbed. Have you ever wondered why that is? We like happy endings. It's human to see justice prevail.

I was in Manila Airport earlier this year. I was waiting in a long, long queue to get through security. Well guess what? Someone tried to skip the queue. Many in the queue reacted and the perpetrator was sent packing (forgive the pun). As humans, we cannot accept this kind of behaviour, it triggers our ethical alarm bell, our sense of fairness.

You know this, we are led to believe we are in an aimless universe with no meaning. But If so, why fair play? If we are creatures dancing to our DNA, justice would never prevail.

Many years ago, I was searching and searching and searching for answers to this dilemma. It was then that I had one of those experiences you only read in fiction. By sheer serendipity, I opened a book about justice and found the following paragraph.

‘[God] has so inseparably interwoven the laws of eternal justice with the happiness of each individual, that the latter cannot be attained but by observing the former; and, if the former be punctually obeyed, it cannot but induce the latter.’

William Blackstone, an 18^th century British jurist, penned this. I found the unpacking of it fascinating. Was there a universal sense of justice? I wondered. Is this gravitational pull towards goodness in my conscience that accuses and excuses me, the work of a wise architect? It made sense. Why form the moon, the stars, the earth, and mankind without a gravitational pull towards what is right and wrong?

Many choose to abuse their God-given free will, but those who respond to God's direction will find a future life in which justice will be an everlasting paradigm.

"let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."  Amos 5: 24.

Consider:

"...that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;" Acts 17:27.

If there is a God who nudges us towards goodness, why not approach him?

The German word schadenfreude has found a place to rest in our English language. It is the spirit of the times. Some are failing to become better angels of their nature as divisions political and otherwise, fester and news and media items rejoice in other’s misfortune.

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It is refreshing to come across the nobler words in circulation such as the Hebrew word Firgun. It is the antonym of that trait. It captures the essence of rejoicing over other's happiness. It prompted me to write the following micro memoir:

Firgun (Hebrew) Taking Pleasure in Other’s Happiness

My wife asked me what was my happiest childhood memory? It was the day my two friends came and asked if I was coming with them? It was a spring morning,
and we took the ferry across to Kelvin to visit the museum.

We were there for several hours and on our return, we were rubbing our tummies with hunger. A man said, ‘Here’s a half-crown, buy yourselves ice-cream.’ We jumped up and down singing ‘Chips, glorious chips.’ Then… we stopped…went silent. The man told us to buy ice-cream.

But he just smiled, and we jumped up and down again singing ‘Chips, glorious chips.’

And I would have to say, that was my happiest childhood memory; the day the kind man smiled and thought it was okay to buy chips.

*

Reflecting on that man's kindness all these decades later, I sense he found great pleasure in our happiness.

“When you realize that the laws of nature must be incredibly finely tuned to produce the universe we see, that conspires to plant the idea that the universe did not just happen, but that there must be a purpose behind it.”

.                                                                 John Polkinghorne, (Physicist).

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There are thoughts that shimmer in our heads and hearts in our silent moments. Arising unexpectedly like the Northern Lights. Awe-inspiring in their scope. They reach the deepest parts. 

Why are we here? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does our solar system work? Why is the earth filled with a bountiful array of fruit and vegetation. Why do we love? Why is the earth so pretty. Who made all this? 

As a child I had an ache to know who created the wonderful planet we live on. Afterall, this didn't just happen, it all seemed so purposeful. 

One profound fact that confirmed this as I got older, was the  fine-tuning of the cosmos. Four of those  fundamental physical forces are  electromagnetism, gravity, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force. The minutest tweak with any of these constants would send humans into oblivion.

I would ask questions like "What prompts the electron to spin round the atom?" "What compels the photon, when you cut it down the middle,  and  put one half in Australia and the other in UK,  that it still behaves as one in this dance of molecular entanglement ?" I could only see a wise and purposeful designer behind all this?

Some may argue that with all the possible universes that exist, by the law of averages, one solar system would have accidently produced the goods for life. Really? We are dealing with figures that are infinitely unlikely and beyond the laws of averages. Besides, even if that were true, there is still the matter of where matter came from.

But that is not all. What about DNA? Look at the image above, what do you see? Would you say that these crude images just appeared on the rock by accident? No. The truth is some intelligent mind formed it on the landscape. Now look at the image below. It is far more complex than the Mount Rushmore images of former presidents of the USA. And yet, many acquiesce  to the irrationality of it all.

The Occam's Razor concept proposes that we go for the simplest explanation 

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20 (BSB).

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As a child, I recall a strange ornament an old lady had on her mantle. It was three monkeys. One with his hands over his mouth, the other with his hands over his eyes, the other with his hands over his ears.

It wasn’t the fact that they were monkey I thought strange. It was the puzzling gestures; I couldn’t understand what it all meant despite the caption being “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”

It was some years later that I discovered the wisdom intended. Now, more than ever, there is a desperate need for young and old to counteract the tendency to gossip or slander. Many have taken their lives or fallen into depression because of spread rumours. In my case, I left the religious organisation I was affiliated with for this very reason. Not only because I found it hurtful, but because I found it a toxic environment.

Now why do people gossip? Sometimes it’s innocent, it may be curiosity. Some gossip to raise their self-esteem. After all, by putting others down, you raise yourself due to pride. Some gossip to be accepted by the group. Some gossip because of hatred or malicious intent.

James 1:26 reads, “If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religious is useless, and he deceives himself.” (CSB see footnote).

If you find yourself in such a toxic environment, turn around and walk away. It’s not so easy if it’s the family, the congregation or the workplace, friends or the internet, but make every effort to avoid being drawn in or being hurt by such ones. Additionally, search yourself and ask, “Have I hurt my neighbour by gossiping?” If so, correct it. James showed that your relationship with God is otherwise hindered.

(Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.)

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The 18^th century Japanese poet, Fukuda Chiyo-ni wrote the following haiku

My Dragonfly catcher,

How far have you wandered

Have you gone

From time to time, some humans are placed in a dark place. The loss of a loved one, especially a child, can be unimaginably painful. I just cannot conceive how dark that place must be. The poet who wrote the haiku  became a nun. Perhaps in search for some meaning. Death is so unnatural; we cannot get our heads around it. We spend the rest of our lives wondering, hoping, seeking, and praying.

The Japanese concept of natural decay (wabi-sabi) and the transience of nature presents its paradoxes. When reading Kobayaashi Issa’s haiku, one feels his existential angst at the loss of his daughter.

This world of dew

is a world of dew,

and yet, and yet.

The line, “and yet, and yet” gives the idea of wabi-sabi not holding up to his instinct. He desires to see his daughter one day. It's my hope they will.

"Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God, and those who hear will live "            John 5:25 (BSB).

'He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.'

Proverbs 22:9 (WEB).

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I've just returned from the shops. I was in M&S getting some coffee and milk. There was a young disabled lad sitting outside and  shivering in the rain in 10%. He slept under a shop doorway last night. I had no money, just a credit card.

I returned to the car. My eyes welled up in tears.  The only thing I could think of was to pop in to McDonalds and buy a breakfast and return to him and give him the ticket with the order no.

I tell the world this, but not to blow my own trumpet, but to stir in the reader to think about helping the homeless in your little corner in this broken world. Don't judge by saying things like "Go and get a job." 

We don't know what conditions brought them into the situation. Perhaps drugs, alcoholism, broken marriages, bankruptcy, depression and many other situations that are beyond their control.  

When I take a walk in the park, the beach, or a star filled sky in a winter’s evening, I see God all around. This planet has the footprint of a wise, benevolent architect.

Would God make all these provisions and not make himself available to his intelligent creatures?

There is a reassuring promise made in Acts 17: 26-28,

“This God made us in all our diversity from one original person, allowing each culture to have its own time to develop, giving each its own place to live and thrive in its distinct ways. His purpose in all this was that people of every culture and religion would search for this ultimate God, grope for Him in the darkness, as it were, hoping to find Him. Yet, in truth, God is not far from any of us. For you know the saying, “We live in God; we move in God; we exist in God.” And still another said, “We are indeed God’s children.”

Think about that last phrase that reads God is never that far from any of us.” Think of the other expressions such as “Grope for him,” “His purpose……that people of every culture and religion would search.”

These expressions highlight the need to seek God with an element of effort on our part. There is a level of commitment to seeking God. It means reading his word, making every effort to harmonise our lives with God’s requirements. Remember, “... in truth, God is not far from any of us.”

Scripture taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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My wife and I were in Edinburgh last weekend. The Edinburgh International Festival is taking place. I looked around at the mass of faces as we walked around The Royal Mile.

"It's strange, we are connected in some way or another to every person here." I said to my wife. I was talking about the six degrees of separation idea. The theory that we are six or less social connections from one another. The idea came to the public ear when Frigyes Karinthy wrote of it in a short story in 1929.

We may be connected. Does that surprise you? I don’t mean your great, great, great grandfather was a Celt from the Braveheart country. No, it’s something else.

The theory stipulates that we know a friend of a friend of a friend or business partner or neighbour to a maximum of six steps before we discover we are connected. Fascinating! Let me illustrate.

2008: Auspicious Coincidence

It was the depths of the British recession. I flew to Krakow to visit Auschwitz. I had never been to Poland before.

One evening, I was having a meal with some friends in the square in Krakow. A man around 22-years old kept staring at me from a nearby table.

 Eventually, he put on his jacket and stood up. But before he left, he approached me and asked if I gave a lecture in the UK about young people in crisis? I said, yes, and asked how he knew. He said he had a copy of the lecture on a CD that he received from someone un the UK.

 “It's your voice I recognised,” he said.