Letter to Ukraine

 I am a nobody from Sheffield, I know nothing of war, but I stand with Ukraine.  I have never punched anyone, let alone held a gun, so I fight with words, as they are all I have. They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but are my internet posts mightier than the Himar?  Probably not, but the following is the best I can do.  

I have no idea what you are going through, it looks horrendous, but from what I have read of history, many before have endured as you do and emerged in a better world.  I stand with Ukraine in support of your fight for a free and independent Ukraine, but wish there was an easier way. I don’t like this war, any war, the suffering human beings face, which ever side they are on, pains me. And all because of selfish, loveless leaders who haven’t got a clue what they are doing.

Please remember to always fight because of your love of your families, your love of your country and your love of freedom. Although it is hard, don’t fight because of your hatred of Russians. Without love we are lost. And with love (and modern weapons) your soldiers are each worth hundreds of those who fight for money, power or just because they are forced to do so by others.

I believe the vast majority of people in Russia also love freedom, but are trapped in a country of lies, created by a psychopathic coward who has lost the capacity to love. When did you last see Putin standing with his wife or children? Who are his friends? Does he ever go and meet the people or show up at the front, to stand shoulder to shoulder with his troops? No, he loves no one, and no one loves him. His is the heart of darkness. His is the Horror. He is destroying himself. Pity him, he hasn’t even got a dog that loves him.

Do not hold the lines on maps as scared. There will come a time when the price of protecting what you believe to be scared will be too high. Always search for peace, even when you do not trust the enemy. Remember the art of war - you can fight the enemy, by not fighting.

Unfortunately, I cannot celebrate victory - to me, all war is tragedy. War is a primitive, backward and base activity that is promoted by people who are unintelligent and follow out of date philosophies. Those who start wars are people who do not have the skills  to solve their problems by normal political means, ie respectful negotiation and compromise. They can only achieve their goals by conning others to commit violence with threats and lies and so are not fit to lead. War only spreads, destruction, desolation, misery and pain. It is no solution to problems. Everyone has a selfless duty, not to hide from the horrors of our past, but to stand together against such cowards and fools. We should all unite to consign war to the history books, to keep war out of our present and humanity’s future.

I wish the west was fighting by your side, but that would strengthen Putin’s lie, that we want to destroy Russia. So be strong Ukraine, fight smart as you have been doing. With truth, freedom and love on your side, you cannot lose.

Effective Financial Investment

What is the most effective altruistic act that you and I can make? This is an important question and after a few months of thought I have decided to do the following.

I will drastically reduce and  then eliminate all fossil fuel and meat consumption from my life. I don’t want to do this, I have enjoyed a life of cheap energy based on fossil fuels, but I now know that I can no longer live this way. Because of the harm it does to those less well off, future others and all life on this planet, I must stop.

Socrates said that wisdom is knowledge and we now have the knowledge that climate change is “widespread, rapid and intensifying and the world must quickly and completely curtail greenhouse gas emissions to avert catastrophe” (Economist Magazine‘s stark summary of the IPCC’s most recent report). If you read the  IPCC’s freely available 6th Assessment Report (or for something less heavy The Climate Book compiled by Greta Thunberg), or just watched the news, or the weather in your local area, you cannot fail to know this, that the effects of global warming are true  and immensely damaging. We have to stop dumping green house gases into atmosphere or the planet will get hotter and hotter and hotter until our civilization collapses. So will you and the rest of humanity act wisely? Socrates thought that with knowledge you couldn‘t do anything but, however I‘m not so sure.    

Whilst knowledge is wisdom, we now know it is not enough. Humans have the capacity for delusion, disbelief and selfishness, so that we can dismiss knowledge as untrue or “fake news” or think we are already doing enough, or it is pointless an individual acting, or its up to Governments to act. We can invent countless excuses for our own convenience and inaction. We can create a reality that suits ourselves to give us short term pleasure (and maybe pleasure that will last until we die). However, eventually the true reality comes crashing in and we are forced to acknowledge the unavoidable truth. But, by then it will be too late and the planet will be unable to recover.

When you look at the cosmic, geological and evolutionary events that have resulted in the advanced life forms on this planet, how can you not be amazed by the world? For all we know, we may be the most complex life form in the Universe - but we are currently on a path to destroy ourselves by swiftly and radically altering the planet. Do we not have a moral duty to prevent harm to others, future others and other life forms?

So, the most altruistic the most effective act you can do is to stop dumping your pollution on those least able to cope with the consequences, namely those in less wealthy countries, future others who have no voice and other life forms who have an equal right to live. You will be helping billions and billions, not to mention saving the future of our planet.

Also, at the next election, vote for the political party with the greenest agenda,