Outsider


I grew up in Northern Ireland and have been a teacher and lived in England, Ghana, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malawi, Mexico, Colombia, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

These are my memoirs which are arranged chronologically by year. Much is social commentary.

Aside from narrative recount, the style is often anecdotal, aphoristic and ironical. I try to soften the heavy social commentary with humour. Some friends have said I tend to 'rant' at times. I don't deny it! Perhaps it is the Irish in me. I apologise in advance then, if that is your impression too.

I do not intend to stereotype various nationalities but inevitably I will generalise for dramatic effect.

In a globalised multicultural world there is an urgent need to identify and face up to our national idiosyncracies and shortcomings. Nationalism has always seemed to me to be a bogus substitute for a genuine sense of connectedness and community. It is a highly dangerous concept when manipulated by politicians to get citizens to do things that are unpalatable to them-like going to war for instance.

If we don't begin to see ourselves as others perceive us - and not as we would like to see ourselves, then catastrophe looms.

I contend we can be comfortable with our heritage and still be able to criticize and even laugh at ourselves at the same time.


The two are not mutually exclusive.

Outsiders are in a unique position to show us our shortcomings because we simply cannot see them ourselves.

I believe that no culture has found the ideal 'solutions' to the challenges of life. Every culture I have lived in has both positive and disturbing characteristics.

In which cultures do people appear happiest? (notwithstanding natural and man-made disasters such as war and famine)

What question can be more profound than that?

The results may be surprising. In my experience, the happiest cultures were Ghana, Malawi, Mexico and Colombia. At the bottom of the list would be England, Ireland and Australia.

I think we need to learn from each other-not try to 'teach' each other...there is a big difference.

Please send me an E-mail if you would like to comment on anything.


Outsider


Outsider1952@gmail.com









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Retirement, Kota Kinabalu

Retirement, Kota Kinabalu
This is where I would like to be after I have robbed the bank

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Winners and Losers
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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

2016 Demonisation by the religious

One of the most disappointing things about 'religious' people is their  impoverished view of human nature.

For example, when they witness  'good works' by people, Christians and Muslims will not  fully acknowledge the people who carry out the acts-they give much of the credit to God or some other divine entity (not to the person who has done the good work)

The religious person thus  diminishes and dehumanizes me by not giving me credit where credit is due.

This could be why I have noticed that  religious people can not really form intimate friendships-their space for intimacy is already taken up by God. God is their only friend.

I believe this is one reason why the 'Christian' peoples of Europe where I grew up  are renowned for their coldness, their lack of ability to be intimate and hence their loneliness.

They are emotionally dysfunctional. How else can we explain that 50 percent of people by the age of 21 will have experienced a mental disorder in Australia? (I am sure the figure would be  similar in many of the so-called 'Christian' countries of northern Europe.)

The consequences of Demonisation

Because of this failure to acknowledge the good works of people, it is easier for the 'religious' person  to demonise others.

The consequences of demonization can be catastrophic...the next logical steps after demonization are enslavement, abuse and eventually murder..

There is a lot of false righteousness and shock regarding terrorist atrocities.

Isis should not be a surprise to us. We have been demonizing people in this part of the world for centuries. Now they are demonizing back with twice the ferocity!

The non-religious person gives credit where credit is due. He spends time thinking about others and his friends-and doing things for them - the religious person ignores people because he is always thinking about God.

If you are always thinking about God you will never be thinking about anyone else.

Give credit where credit is due.

Giving credit to God a very dangerous idea.




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