Category Archives: Philosophy, Politics and Religion

Poems whose theme relates to politics, philosophy or religion

What We Think and What We Do

What We Think and What We do

[Belief and Action – are they a unity?]

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I am sure there are many who would claim that
Your beliefs DO make you a better person
And many too who would caution us that some beliefs
Can be the motivation for behaviour which
Is ANYTHING BUT GOOD and will never make you better

However I think at the heart of this pithy aphorism
There is an assumption that there is something
We can agree is ‘Good Behaviour’
Although religion is not necessarily its inspiration
But that by demonstrating that behaviour
In our daily living experience
We are therefore a better person

One other point
How do we know what beliefs a person holds?
More often than not their beliefs are shown in what they
Say and what they Do.
But we note that sometimes the words of their lips
Don’t match up with the actions in their life

So what to do?
Should we say nothing and avoid being a hypocrite?
Should we do nothing so that our behaviour is unjudged?
Surely not! Let’s just get on with life
Trying to ensure our beliefs yield actions for the greater good
And who knows – we might yet be seen to be a better person

Ken Fisher

The Enigmatic Smile

The Enigmatic Smile

[Apologies for a rather longer offering in this post]

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The smile of the Mona Lisa is said to be ‘enigmatic’

In seeking meaning for our lives great thinkers of the ages past
Have sought to help us to reflect on our brief span while here on earth
That having travailed in this world, and as our days stretch to their last
We may in time proclaim our little life has had some worth

The Socratic message helped to show us how to be
Plato, to the notion of the ideal form, a yardstick and a perfect guide
Aristotle claimed that through ethics we can be free
Augustine, that by freewill, into evil we may slide

And so down the years one long great noble procession
Of heroic thinkers, ready to direct our thoughts and mind
Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche in succession
Earnest seekers, men of faith and doubts of every kind

Of course for years we searched for meaning through astronomy
How life began, how it might end, our earnest quest sustains
The universe the heart of all cosmology
Our unrelenting search for purpose still remains

Then followed on the rise of science and technology
A brave new world which questioned all belief
Measured all our deeds in terms of each new ‘ology’
In sociology, or psychology we’re sure to find relief

There can be little doubt that science’s great progression
Has brought for millions release from ills and deprivation
But oddly in the minds of many remains a feeling of depression
The benefits of knowledge yet to prove our sure salvation

Perhaps fears raised by anxious thoughts on world ecology
Have tempered hubris borne of all these gains
The warnings raised by experts in meteorology
Foreboding life that offers unremitting pain

However, notwithstanding all hidden cares and apprehension
A new nostrum to ensure our fears are kept at bay
From that great power house of new invention
Yes Uncle Sam – the mighty U S of A!

It seems odd that despite centuries of deep reflection
Mankind had not stumbled on this simple and reliable solution
But in the nineteen fifties, after some introspection
Of thinking habits, a great new revolution!

You’ve heard of it before – you know it must be good
Cast aside all doubts, no need for bingeing or for drinking
This new solution to depression and low mood
None other than the Power of Positive Thinking!

Earlier versions of this brand achieved great fame
I think especially of ‘New Thought’ – you know of it as ”Christian Science”
Mary Baker Eddy, the promoter of its name
Illness could be cured by thought and body in alliance

But the 20th Century variant met even more acclaim
Its great advocate Norman Vincent Peale, shared its enormous potential
That “positive thought” was not just a punchy name
Its message soon hugely influential

And so sidelining the wisdom of the philosophical ‘giants’
Economists, political theorists, theologians and purveyors of such complex notions
The new peddlers of “Happiness” were soon to regale their clients
With joy untold to counter each and every dark emotion

The positive psychology movement, was cast by some as simply magic
Though many claimed it’s weakness was a certain lack of rigour
And others said to trust its simplistic dictates could prove tragic
But despite all that its growth throughout the West has shown great vigour

The advocates of living life with an ever-ready smile
Not just on the face, but in the heart each hour and every day
Proclaim life will prove for us to be so much more worthwhile
In illness, or any kind of trial, our fears it will allay

In the affluent West a new industry has been born – the speaker motivational
Their task to encourage all the staff – especially those who’re disaffected
To meet each demand and need that’s organisational
And if they can’t then very soon they will be disconnected

In illness too, no matter that the diagnosis is quite dire
And the only future looks extremely bleak
Positive thought demanded thus to lift you from the mire
It’s your duty not to show that you are weak

Of course there are considerations other than just health
Who wouldn’t be positive about gaining much more cash?
It’s claimed that smiling is the thing to attract so much more wealth
Just visualise and it’s sure to come – there’s no need to be rash

But while we’re on the matter of our money and all that we hold dear
It has been claimed the credit crunch and everything to follow
Was caused by a smiling self-deception ‘gainst our inner fear
Which makes rictus acquiescence somewhat hollow

And so from my simple thesis you’ve had just a tiny glance
Of all that can be gained by positive emotion,
Protected ‘gainst the vagaries of risk and capricious chance
Your duty now to make quite sure your smiles will gain promotion

So what then is the final word – negative thought an equal danger?
Perhaps we need to monitor our thoughts to find the middle way
For when reality and truth become to us a stranger
Then surely false emotion only will hold sway

 

………………………………………………………………………………….

And now I am tempted to add a codicil to my earlier musings
As more recent concepts in this field have now arisen
I hope this will not lead to even more confusion
And ensure that our thinking will never us imprison

But rather bring  freedom through deep mediation
Guided by TM* or Mindfulness based concepts
We may readily accept our own living emotions
Threats to our peace we thus learn to contest

And thus through the means of such cognitive therapies
We might learn to cope in the maelstrom of our life
Finding a measure of calm and serenity
Heralding peace and negating all our strife

Ken Fisher

*TM Transcendental Meditation

[Reflections based on the book “Smile or Die” by Barbara Ehenreich]

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Light Darkens – Yet Again

When the Light Darkens – Yet Again

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The Promenade des Anglais, Nice, France

Following the Paris bombings in November, then Brussels in March, and now yet again with the runaway vehicle on the Promenade des Anglais, Nice, on Bastille Day,  July 2016.   One wonders if we are ever to be free of the spectre of impending terror.  And yet, I dare to repeat the sentiments of my poem posted on those two previous occasions

 

When life seems good and full of light
How can its days turn into night?
But that it does there is no doubt
And inwardly we have to shout

What has gone wrong, who can we blame?
Why can’t our path remain the same?
A life of praise for all its joy
No longer does our heart employ

We seek for reasons why things change
And far and wide our thoughts do range
But contemplation brings no balm
It does not cheer or bring us calm

We agonise o’er words and deeds
O’er failure to confront the needs
That might these tragedies divert
And so our sorrow thus avert

But in this time of sad reflection
No nostrum found for lost affection
And only sadness is in sight
No early hope of love or light

Thus we must journey on our way
No cure for pain our fears allay
Our only hope that time might ease
And thus restore our inward peace

But just as night will turn to day
We’ll find again the sun’s bright ray
Will slowly mend our broken heart
As warmth and love it does on us impart

Ken Fisher

Regime Change

Regime Change

[13th July 2016]

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Today the Queen will give an audience to Theresa May
Our new Tory Party Leader and Prime Minister
We are almost breathless at the political turmoil
Which has engulfed the nation since the EU Referendum

Whether this can be described as Regime Change
[As claimed for Afghanistan after the invasion]
Or something on a more modest scale
Nonetheless we have been witnesses
To cataclysmic change in leadership at home

The race to the top became more of scramble
As aspirants slipped on the mud slung at each other
Touseled heads rolled down slippery slopes
And the fairer sex became the victim of their own jibes

And not only the ‘ruling’ party but the opposition too
All seem bent on internecine strife, the nation
Watches on in incredulity and bemusement
Not our greatest moment midst political mayhem

But surely in due time the dust will settle
After all, compromise will no doubt be the cure
But in a new geo-political climate nothing can stand still
And regimes new or old must meet the challenge of the age

Ken Fisher

 

 

Making Sense of Society

Making Sense of Society

Or what on earth is it all about?

[Perhaps an even more pertinent question following the EU Referendum result]

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Each one of us, a soul alone
Yet life is no a solo performance
Born into a family – even if only ‘nuclear’
[perhaps nowadays dysfunctional]
Socialised through nursery and primary
Dragooned through the schooling process
Finished off in higher education
Launched out into “society”
Like debutantes of old seeking a good marriage

How can we understand this complicated world?
From infant’s baby chatter to literature’s lofty tomes
From simple fairy tales to the treasure chest
Of history, philosophy, all the humanities
And that pragmatic realm of science
Describing all from single atom to the universe at large
Then technology the mighty progeny of science
And all of these given order by the ideology of politics

How then do we make sense of all of this?
Is this not too much for our tiny mind
Perhaps the point is that we cannot
On our own make sense of society
Rather, the very existence of society
makes sense of us and of our place in it
And only as we play our part as citizens
Can society be to our mutual benefit

And so let us rather praise that we live
Not as hermits on some island paradise
But as valued members of some collective realm
Each contributing to the greater whole
Which is the blessing of civil society
Combining our efforts and our gains
And accepting some loss of identity
Within the larger whole and for the greater good

Ken Fisher

But what about Mrs Thatcher’s much quoted utterance:
“There is no such thing as society”

So why try to make sense of it anyway?

NOTE: IN THE 1980’S THE OPEN UNIVERSITY’S Social Science Foundation Course
had the title : Making Sense of Society

For the Defence of the Realm

For the Defence of the Realm

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Viewed with much ambivalence
By politicians and public alike
These metal-crated behemoths
The subject of much controversy
Oft dividing governments and their citizens

Lofty sea admirals swift to defend
The lethal fire power and potency
Ensuring peace prevails long after
The Cold War threats evaporate
And new strategic challenges loom

The shipyard workers and technicians
Whose alchemy of science and craft
Ensured the growth of each vessel
From embryonic drawings to the catharsis
Of the launch midst pomp and ceremony

But few can be unimpressed when viewing
The construction and assembly
Of these mighty creations
Encapsulating the acme of
Technological ingenuity and invention

And so the building of warships
Melds together in one cauldron
The fruits of human capability
The skills of organisation
And the mastery of the material world

But in its ultimate potential application
This great endeavour never fails
To raise contentious issues
In the realms of politics, economics and philosophy
Can we ever afford to use or not to use its capabilities?

Ken Fisher
[Thoughts prompted during a visit to the Glasgow yard of BAE Systems]

And by the following fact: see this link

The 27th May 2016 is the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the German warship BISMARCK. This mighty battleship was scuttled following incapacitating battle damage on 27 May 1941 in the North Atlantic

 

Glasgow’s West End Charms

Glasgow’s West End Charms
[Look out for the West End Festival 3 – 26 June 2016]

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The centre of the universe where ‘life’ begins and ends
The hub, the focus, the vortex, on which true joy depends!
You can travel far and wide to the corners of the earth
And fail to find a home to match the West End’s worth

What is the fascination that this inner suburb brings?
Advocates would claim an extensive range of things
From its old world charms and faded housing stock
To pubs like the Curlers, the Aragon and the Rock

Restaurants and cafes abound on every lane and street
Friends and neighbours gather and each other greet
From early morn till late at night the coffee’s on the boil
Student baristas thereby finding useful toil

Others of a more sober thoughtful disposition
Revel in its Uni ‘s lofty learning mission
Religious devotees can find all Gods’ houses here
Seeking spiritual comfort without the need for beer

Many find that leisure abounds here in G12
Cinemas, the baths and libraries wherein to delve
Our public park is elevated to the status of Botanics
And you can follow any interest here even if you’re manic

So you can see why so many like Hillhead, Partick and Dowanhill
Living here in Glasgow’s terms is nothing short of ‘brill”
It’s got the lot for students, workers, e’en those on the pension
Its distractions are sure to relieve all your ills and tensions

So let us raise a cheer for all who promote this happy place
The Annual Festival which provides a great showcase
But above all let’s give thanks for this haven we call home
Our heart’s desire and trysting place no matter where we roam

Ken Fisher

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May We Hallow Life’s Brief Span

May We Hallow Life’s Brief Span

 

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The passing of a friend can often be the prompt
Sets the mind reflecting on this finite span
In childhood and youth there seems no end to time
In middle age, too busy, consolidating life’s gains

And approaching retirement can pull us up quite sharply
One quick retro-glance reminds us less than half left in our glass
Mind you the modern retiree – despised by many younger
Is conqueror of the world as o’er its globe they trot

Intent on spending their defined benefit pensions
Lump sums are blown hedonistically on experiences of a lifetime
Or taking early release within new pension freedoms
Why not they say? If life is short – live it to the full!

Darkly we observe the loving concern of the staff of the local
Care Home who strive to nurture their charges’ lives
As in second childhood they sleep twilight days away
Is this how we spend the bonus of a longer life?

But what about a Christian dimension to all of this?
The biblical span of years is now oft exceeded
But should our creed not permeate all the years
From earliest understanding to mature faith?

Notwithstanding the fact that our life seems long
Against the background of history its span is brief
So how can we hallow the years we have been granted?
How do we live the philosophers’  worthy life?

And as we tread life’s path in daily increments
We might seek to live and love as God would wish
Not neglecting our duty to ourselves and kith and kin
But seeking always to support others as best we can

And so life’s span would thus indeed be hallowed
All our encounters, all deeds both great and small
Made somehow holy as others we would seek to honour
And thus their lives and our own be truly blessed

Ken Fisher

[HALLOW: To make holy, consecrate, sacred, sanctified, blessed, venerated]

 

The State Opening of Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament

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Pomp and pageant, precedent and politics
Golden coach and heraldic caravanserai
The sovereign at parliament
Noble head bearing the Imperial Crown
And shrouded in the Robe of State

The Queen enthroned, confronts her Lords Spiritual
And Temporal in the grandeur of the upper house
The Commons symbolically excluded, then reluctantly
admitted as Black Rod hammers on the door

The procession to the Lords’ chamber led by
The Speaker of the Commons as lesser members
Follow on, recognizable faces then others in their turn
Thus all of parliament awaits the monarch

The Queens’s speech – written by the government
Mouthed by the sovereign, outlines the proposals for
Legislation and reform. Filled with noble aims
And high ideals but seasoned by ideology of the party

Thus the plans for the new session are set forth
Royalty, in great dignity retreat, and both houses
Begin the debate on the content of that speech
First to agree ‘An address in reply to Her Majesty’s
Gracious Speech’    Then let battle commence!

Thus continues a tradition stretching back to the 17th Century
Perhaps somewhat archaic but truly redolent of our
Constitutional democracy.

Ken Fisher

 

Election Time

Election Time      5th May 2016

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Time fast approaching when voters must make their choices
All sides in the debate near exhausted by the fray
Arguments finely honed and rehearsed so many times
So that, if prompted, even we might quote their party lines

Politicians seeking comfort from the pollsters
Turn to the pronouncements of psepholigists
[Modern custodians of the Holy Grail]
But interpretation of results they reserve as their own

This great event has shown the power of ‘branding’
With party emblems emblazoned all around
Zealots in each camp show no indecision
As cascading leaflets penetrate the letter boxes

The journalists like ‘war’ correspondents
Have not been afraid to enter in the fray
They have even been the cause of skirmishes
If seen to favour one party o’er the others

So TV political anchors readily bare their fangs
Determined to prove they show no bias, and give no quarter
They attack with vigour, candidates of every hue
Their confrontations grant no favours, make no concessions

But the TV broadcasts of the leaders’ debates have often palled
As participants talk across each other, stifling free speech
Nipping their opponents like ferrets fighting in a sack
Each must display the dominant voice no matter what

Perhaps a pity that the game of politics seems never to concede
Any potential virtue in an opponent’s stance, this might show weakness
But we have been told that politics is ‘the art of the possible’
Meaning a pragmatic approach as to what might reasonably be achieved

But promises of utopia seem to persist despite impossible challenges
And voters are expected to be credulous, no matter how improbable
All that is asked of us is that we trust our future to the party
And in due time we will surely reap the promised reward

But lest all of this seems too cynical, let’s pause for a moment
To consider the politicians’ contribution to democracy
At least we have some choice, and there is real competition
Who among us would be subjected to this gruelling process?

And in Scotland we do have a measure of Proportional Representation
Thus giving each of us two bites at the cherry
One for the constituency candidate, another for the party list
So perhaps by this mystical procedure some balance might yet arise

All that each of us must do now
Is exercise our hard-fought right at the polls
Enjoy the excitement of the night
And somehow accept the result with equanimity!

Ken Fisher

Personality

Personality

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Introvert or Extrovert, Intuitive or Sensor
What type are we, as seen by those experts who us measure?
Thinker or Feeler, Judger or Perceiver
I hope the test ne’er proves to be a false deceiver

Personality typing is a tool with many uses
And cynically, I suppose, even some abuses
I am told it is a method of true self-discovery
Sometimes even helps us in self-recovery

Historically the main researchers in this field
To whose opinions we might humbly wish to yield
Were Jung then Briggs and the Myers tribe
And subsequently others who to their views subscribe

Myers-Briggs have defined sixteen different profiles
Each of these describes just one distinctive style
Each profile has a group of letters to avoid confusion
The group defines the type thus by allusion

So here we find the ISTJ known as “The Inspector”
The ISFJ – apparently “Protector”
Then there’s the ESTJ who’s a “Supervisor”
While ESFJ’s a kind and good “Provider”

The INFJ is known as a “Counsellor”
Better still, the INFP can often be a “Healer”
The ISTP is a handy “Artisan”
INTP “the Architect” another useful man

Many wish to be an ENFJ that is a “Teacher”
An ISFP “Composer” or ESFP a “Performer”
Then there is the ESTP known as a “Dynamo”
But can the ENTJ “Commander” him readily o’er throw?

We still need ISFP who’s a “Composer” of fine work
And ENFP the “Champion” – never known to shirk
Finally ENTP the “Visionary” in front and never left behind
But best of all there’s INTJ known to all as “Mastermind”

The jumbled letters range from narrow INTROVERSION
And at the other end, expansive EXTROVERSION
The letters also point to the humans’ wide dichotomies
Similarly wide-ranging in size and shape like their anatomy

So S stands for “Sensing” against N for ‘iNtuition”
J is “Judging” against P for “Perception”
And finally we set T for “Thinking” over against F for “Feeling”
Such categorization might not seem so appealing

Anyway this is my summary of personality typing theory
I have to say I am now getting somewhat weary
No doubt the experts in the detailed field of HR
Will apply the testing for employment near and far

But I have to wonder if putting us into a labelled box
And judging all we do against the ticking clock
Will really make us willing to put our best foot forward
Perhaps a smile, a kindly word, yield just as much reward.

Ken Fisher

[Acknowledging data from Myers Briggs and Jung Personality Tests websites]
http://www.humanmetrics.com           http://www.myersbriggs.org

A Timely Warning!

A Timely Warning!   Not to be taken too seriously

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Just cast your eyes upon these tombs
And think what in the future looms
If we stray from the straight and narrow
Our fate it certainly will harrow!

As we gaze upon these stones
From underground, do we hear groans?
What pains were suffered by the dead
‘Fore resting in their earthly bed?

But surely all that here do rest
In life did all their very best
To earn a place in heaven above
By showing others generous love?

So here’s the lesson we must learn
If just reward we hope to earn
Throughout this life be kind to all
That from God’s grace we will not fall

Lofty gravestones may impress
But monuments can rarely bless
If when we’re gone we seek respect
In this life, let love reflect

The simple message of these stones
And tombs filled with those old dry bones
Is nothing does forever last
Live life today, accept what’s passed

 

Ken Fisher