Inspiration for a Woke Mind
As a life long Liberal, these are some of the things that inspire me.
(The following essay was inspired by a recent one from Tessa Slessinger.)
I can summarise what inspires me under two broad subject headings: history and politics, science and engineering.
Common to both is people. And when I think of people who inspire me I have to begin with the millions of my parents’ and grandparents’ generations who sacrificed so much as a consequence of two world wars.
Alongside them must be a group among the survivors of those wars who, as politicians, lawyers and economists, came together to establish a global legal framework that was supposed to ensure that nothing of the sort ever happened again. It is thanks to them that my generation has been able to enjoy greater freedom than many of our predecessors were able to.
History inspires me because it is about people like that — politicians, philosophers, scientists and teachers — who contributed to the creation of the world we inhabit. It is also about the mistakes that people made and the cost of those mistakes in human terms. Mistakes that we should learn from, but which seem doomed to be repeated so long as the false ideas and ideologies that spur them are espoused by people with the power to influence folks who are incapable of thinking for themselves.
I was brought up in a Protestant Christian tradition in which ‘scripture’ and religious education were a part of the school curriculum. Inevitably I learned a lot about the history and origins of that particular religion. As an adult I questioned many of the contradictions within Christian teachings. How, for example, could one reconcile the commandment to love one’s enemies with what I saw as the need to oppose evils like fascism? I learned, too, that many other religious traditions contained truths worthy of serious consideration.
I was inspired by writers whose work, even when predicting the future, drew on the past, both distant and recent. From Greek mythology and the Judeo-Christian bible to Science Fiction the stories that inspire are those that involve heroes and heroines who battle against the forces of evil. Throughout my childhood and adolescence those stories often concerned events that took place during the then still recent struggle against fascism. A struggle that continues to inspire writers and film-makers today.
I never knew my father. Unlike millions who spent the war years in foreign locations, as an airman based in England he will have been able to hold me at least a few times in the two years between my birth and his demise whilst engaged in retaliatory bombing of Germany. I have good reason to believe that he was inspired by a strong Christian faith. But I imagine that he was as incapable as the rest of us of living up to the high standards he set for others.
In my twenties I was inspired by politicians who pursued policies calculated to increase the well being of ordinary people through the provision of education, health care free at the point of delivery, and an economic safety net that ensured those who fell on hard times were still able to access the basic necessities of life. I still find it difficult to understand why anyone would oppose such policies.
At the same time there were men like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela who advocated for people of colour to have access to those same privileges. Others campaigned on behalf of women, many of whom were still denied the same privileges that men enjoyed. They all followed in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi in making their case using non-violent means.
I admired all of them. I should perhaps add that I chose the word ‘privilege’ in preference to the more frequently applied ‘rights’, because I believe that rights can only exist where sufficient people consent to fulfill the obligations the granting of rights entails. I am also well aware that access to such privileges is still denied to large numbers of individuals in many parts of the world.
I am appalled by the push-back that is happening in some of the nations that allied to defeat Fascism during the first half of the last century. We are witnessing the dismantling of the legal framework that guarantees those privileges for their citizens. I deplore politicians who pander to citizens who are unwilling to accept the obligations we all need to undertake if ‘rights’ are to be upheld.
By the time I was forty I had come to admire a particular group of English politicians who had decided to remove themselves from the party they had once served in government. Instead they formed a new political movement. Among them were three who had held senior government positions in previous administrations. One, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, had introduced progressive taxation policies and, as Home Secretary, had overseen important reforms of the judicial system. Another had been Minister of Education whilst the third had formerly been Health Secretary.
The new party they established entered a partnership with one which was, at the time, led by the man who had introduced the Parliamentary Bill that legalised abortion in the UK. I was sufficiently inspired by these events to become an active member of the latter party, attempting to pursue a political career alongside my profession as an Engineer.
Soon my political activities took up so much of my time and energy that I was forced to make a choice. I chose politics, encouraged by a generous severance package from my employer, one that I am still benefiting from nearly forty years later. I do not regret making that choice, believing that I did make a worthwhile contribution during my four years as a member of one of the largest County Councils in England.
Unfortunately the electorate had other ideas, demonstrating — as they continue to do — that they prefer the extremes of Left or Right and eschew attempts to steer a course that seeks to unite people in a common cause. I remain inspired by all who try to follow such a difficult path.
Before, during and after my decade of overtly political engagement I devoted some of my time and energy to volunteering. In this I was inspired by those who, despite being affected by what many would describe as a handicap, nevertheless used the skills they possess to the benefit of society.
As a gardener I am inspired by gardening experts who share their knowledge and skills in books and on television, encouraging organic and sustainable practices. As a cook I am inspired by ‘celebrity’ chefs who demonstrate their love of foods from different cultures and promote the use of ingredients produced with high standards of quality and animal welfare.
In contrast, I am not inspired by great sporting achievements. Whilst I admire anyone who uses their athletic prowess to attempt exceptional feats in order to raise funds for good causes, I have little regard for those who exploit their athleticism to become millionaires. The same is true of the arts and entertainment. It is not the success that I resent. It’s what such disproportionate financial rewards represent.
There are two reasons for this. The first is that the cover price of every ticket represents a part of someone’s labour which, though offered willingly by the individual purchaser, when multiplied thousands of times adds up to effort that could have been expended to provide a service or artifact of benefit to humanity. The second concerns the impact the travel involved has on the climate. Travel, not just for the athlete or performer, but for the entourage of support staff and, of course, the very audience that, having paid for the tickets, still have to make their way to the venue.
Finally, and this might surprise some, one of the great thinkers of the past by whom I’m inspired is one not lately associated with Liberal thought. Adam Smith understood the importance of service and acknowledged that craftsmen and small traders, the butchers and bakers, the tailors and tanners, wheelwrights and wagon makers of his day, deserved to be rewarded for their activities just as much as any labourer. But he condemned anyone who exacted a price in return for nothing tangible. He deplored excessive rents, interest and tariffs. He would be enraged by the likes of Apple, Amazon and the Social Media moguls of today.