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Benjamin Zephaniah, poet and philosopher of love treasured as ‘the people’s laureate’ (1958-2023)
Benjamin Zephaniah in 2019 CREDIT: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images
N.B. I must admit, even though I never met Benjamin Zephaniah or knew him personally, I nonetheless feel very saddened and pained by the untimely death of this iconic poet and philosopher of love. I feel like I knew him. His words and presence have always been there. His poems, passion and commitment have always resonated with me. I always felt joy whenever I saw him on television or heard his loving voice on the radio.
I am now praying in my own way for Benjamin, may God grant him eternal rest; he was, in the old idiom, a lovely man, who, if required, may still be a peacemaker in heaven.
Benjamin Zephaniah, The Man for the Common Good
An iconic poet, a giant of a man. Our country, our nation has lost a man of integrity, creativity and moral intelligence. A man who tirelessly campaigned for a more just and truthful world. A man who till the end stood up for the disadvantaged and vulnerable and spoke truth to power.
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Cultivating a Living Wisdom for Our Time
Mediaeval monks in search of wisdom and the good life.
Madrid, Biblioteca de San Lorenzo de El Escorial (14th century)/Erik Kwakkel
“How Much Is Enough? What is money and wealth for? Why do we as individuals and societies go on wanting more? What is economic growth for? Can we/ should we carry on just growing, creating, producing, consuming,…, more and more, for ever more? Do we need to satisfy our needs or our wants? Should we be a “maximiser” or “satisfier” and choose the path of “enoughness”? Then, what is the good life? What are the main ingredients of a good, happy and peaceful life? Should we move away from Gross National Product (GDP) to Gross National Happiness? Why and what are we here for? What is the purpose of this journey we call life?”...Continue to read
There is, indeed, a beauty on earth, our sacred home, that is beyond comprehension. Since Aristotle first spoke of “the good life” almost 2,500 years ago, it seems everyone has been on a quest to experience it. Can the Good Enough Life be the path of discovery and finding meaning to This Journey We Call Life?
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When it comes to these very expensive and polluting Cop conferences, the words of the French writer, critic, journalist, and novelis, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr still ring true over 150 years on: “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose “ – the more things change, the more they stay the same…
However, my hope is for a miracle that somehow COP28 might be different.
COP28: Protecting the planet we call home is our moral calling and duty
'Heaven is my father and earth is my mother,
and I, a small child, find myself placed intimately between them.
What fills the universe I regard as my body;
what directs the universe I regard as my nature.
All people are my brothers and sisters; all things are my companions.’- Zhang Zai (1020–1077)
To address the environmental crisis and to suggest possible solutions we need a New Consciousness
“New Consciousness”
'Decades of discourse
led by lawyers,
scientists, economists,
and we are stuck.
They can’t do what must be done:
reach the human heart.
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