Now is not the time to despair. Now is the time to foster hope and to organise around the values that makes us human.
'It’s natural to feel hopeless today. A decade of deep cuts have already caused incredible pain, with growing poverty and crumbling services across the country. There are many people who will undoubtedly have woken up today and felt fear about the future. I have spoken to many over the past decade, from disabled people who have lost their disability benefits to those on low wages choosing between eating and heating.
It is heartbreaking to think about what another five years of Conservative government will do to those who can’t take a further squeeze.
But there is always hope, just as there are steps we can take together. Charity is no substitute for a compassionate and competent state, and campaigning for political change will be the long-term goal. But in the meantime, it is a vital tool to help the poorest families get through – and to show we care.
If you’re feeling powerless, consider donating to a cause or volunteering your time. There are a number of incredible organisations in every community, which are already working to plug the gaps left by the state, and they will need our support more than ever in the coming months.
There will a lot of scared people wondering how they will get through five years alone. Let’s show they’re not...'-Frances Ryan and Guardian readers*
Today, the day after the general election in Britain, I got up very early. Somehow, I couldn't sleep. I came down to my office and turned the computer on. Wow! The horror I felt. The sense of disgust that rushed through my body!
How can this be? How can the people of Britain that I have always felt love and respect for, done such a thing? How can they have voted for such a known man? Anger was taking me to bad, dark places. For me anger is a sin, self-defeating and pitiful.
At times like this, I usually go to the gcgi.info to see what words of wisdom, what sources of inspiration and hope I may discover there, to calm me down, so that I can focus my mind, healing myself.
So, there I went and I discovered plenty good things.
As you may also be feeling the same as me, and be in need of recovery and healing, I thought I should share these with you.
All in all, this election in Britain places even greater responsibility on us, as the next chapter in British politics is shaped. The weight is awesome. Pessimism may seem in order. But for once let optimism and hope have its day.
Below, I have noted the beauty, wisdom and hope that I rediscovered at the gcgi.info this morning. Have a look, it may do the same for you as it did for me:
Photo:alicewalkersgarden.com
How to defeat hatred and fear: Don't Despair Walk On
(In my desperation to fathom out and understand better the rise of rightwing populism, Brexit, Trump, and more, I began to search for wisdom to see the light, brightening the darkness that these have brought to our world.
I began to recall the wisdom of those before me, and I discovered a few sages whose thoughts, wise and kind words, affected me, calmed me, removed my fears and gave me hope that I must not despair, I must walk on…)
Brexit: The Key Lessons- Now is the time for hope to build on the ruins
(It seems we were right all along: We need Globalisation for the Common Good and an economy that works for many and not the few. Call me an idealist, a dreamer, whatever. But, believe me, unless we address and tackle the causes of injustice, inhumanity, poverty (spiritual and material), inequality, loneliness, anger, frustration, hopelessness…, resultant from neo-liberal economic policies, then, the world falls deeper and deeper into the abyss...)
Don’t Despair Walk on: This is the Hope of Christmas
(It is hope which can give meaning to life and which will give us the courage to continue on our way into the future together.’ And this is why HOPE is truly what the world is yearning for this Christmas. We must remain positive. We must remain hopeful.
'In short, although, this is a turbulent era; paradoxically, it is also a period of tremendous opportunity, a time of enormous Hope for creating a much better future for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, our community, our country, our world. We need to see this Hope for a better future and play our part in building it.'...)
(Saving the Web of Life: The Time is now to Tune into Peace, Love and Wisdom with a Spiritual Revolution
Falling back in love with Mother Earth and not Economic Models will Save the World
We are the seeds of the future. We are the pillars of the better world we are all hoping for. The human family, indeed, the entire web of life, is going through some very chaotic times now...)
*Don’t despair: a practical guide to making a difference – from food banks to fighting fake news
...and now a pertinent question for your reflection: Would the outcome of this and other elections, here, or indeed, everywhere, been different, more meaningful and truthful, if there were a more values-led education, education for meaning and purpose?
Brexit, Trump and the failure of our universities to pursue wisdom
Neoliberalism destroys human potential and devastates values-led education
Britain today and the Bankruptcy of Ideas, Vision and Values-less Education