A Life Stripped Bare: My Year Trying to Live Ethically

No, not me, Leo Hickman. I remember making my second visit to the Eden Project in Cornwall in August 2005. The first time was when it first opened. If you have never been there, I would recommend it, should you ever be in Cornwall. It is a most impressive ecological experiment constructed in the wastes of an old china clay quarry. Even if you have not been there, you will recognise the biomes, the two giant greenhouses which replicate the environments of temperate and tropical zones. Well, no visit to a place like that is complete with out a trip to the book shop to round the day off. This is where I chanced upon A Life Stripped Bare: My Year Trying to Live Ethically by journalist Leo Hickman. The book documents his journey from his 'mange tout' moment, that is his epiphany when he realised that his supermarket green beans had been air freighted at great expense from Kenya just so so that he could have out of season veg in London. Hickman responded to a challenge to live ethically by having three ethical auditors visit his home to talk to him about how he could live more ethically and exposed the dark secrets lurking in his cupboards in the process. The book was a great eye-opener for me and is a superb read for anyone questioning western lifestyles in this year of Living Simply. Hickman traversed the whole gamut of ethical living; the dilemma of whether to buy Fair Trade or organic, to buy import or local, ethical investments, composting, the disposable vs terry nappy debate, natural or synthetic furnishings, natural cleaning products, travelling carbon neutral, voluntary work and anything else that you can think of. What I loved about this book is that it wasn't a fundamentalist rant on the subject, it was a relatively ordinary bloke and his family trying to do their bit and the heartening thing is that some things worked really well and some things just didn't work at all for them. But it was all washed down with a healthy dose of humour. Surely this is an encouragement to us all to have a go.

A Life Stripped Bare is available from all good bookshops
(ISBN-10: 1903919614, ISBN-13: 978-1903919613)

The Guardian's Ethical Living Site featuring Leo Hickman

The Vocations Crisis

The recent pastoral letter, as evidenced by a recent post, has raised more than a couple of controversies of its own. Nevertheless it must be accepted as an honest attempt to address the increasing problem of priest numbers, a problem which, it seems, grows more grave by the day. I think Fr Simon has said that 2008 is the big year for the diocese with something in the region of 12 priests due to take their retirement after a long life of service to God and to their community (though I have no memory for numbers, so be warned, I may be way off beam there!). Sadly this is not mirrored by the numbers of those coming into the priesthood. What is more tragic is the startling number of younger priests that this diocese has lost through death and decisions to leave the priesthood. Meanwhile this places a heavy burden on those who are left behind. Is crisis too strong a word?

When I was younger and had not been married for very long I recall that there seemed to be a spate of marital breakdowns among my friends and colleagues. It was what I can only describe as a domino effect. At times I felt destabilised. Although I had no reason to feel unhappy in my own marriage, the radical departure from the seemingly happy domestic scene for so many people that I knew made me feel restless and question, rightly or wrongly, my own situation. I suppose I was in shock. Ask yourself, when people you know have divorced, could you always see it coming? Or from the outside, did it go from apparent domestic bliss to the divorce courts in one fell swoop? I say this to suggest that there may be a parallel with those who follow a vocation to the priesthood. Is there a support mechanism in place for our priests to talk about and deal with how they feel when a colleague leaves? Or are they just left to get on with it? Do we consider the implications on our priests?

I think I have been guilty of self-interest when considering the implications of the diocesan restructure. Perhaps I ought to consider the effects that the priest drain has on the morale of those who are trying to follow their vocation in evermore stressful circumstances and what I can do to alleviate the situation.

But I, as an individual, cannot solve such problems in isolation. Perhaps I am being unfair but I am perplexed that Rome appears to disregard the problems of vocations. Historically they have created a structure which relies upon the role of the priest in order to function. Can there be a Catholic church without priests? Whilst they are the only ones allowed to administer certain sacraments, no. Then why the inflexibility? I would say that some creative thinking is called for but actually we could all suggest potential answers; it is not, as they say, rocket science. But it would seem that Rome is happy to fiddle while the church in Britain burns. The vocations crisis will not be solved by a snazzy marketing campaign though this did not stop the Archdiocese of Indianapolis trying with the little bit of fun pictured above.


May I ask anyone who visits this blog this week, to pray for more men to have the courage to respond to God's call on their lives and to pray for strength for all who are trying to follow a priestly vocation. And perhaps for those at the zenith of God's Church on Earth to wake up and smell the coffee...Fair Trade, naturally!

Britain's Best Kept Secret

I am referring to the Northumbrian coast. Family circumstances have recently been drawing me to this part of the world and it has been a real treat. I have visited it at different times of the year and each time there has been something different to enjoy. This recent journey has revealed the power of the North Sea in all of its glory. You can't help but be inspired by the waves crashing over the harbour walls at Seahouses. Sadly there were no boat trips to be had but nature provided her own show.

Last time I was there was in early June and I was able to take a boat ride. We were in quite a small boat and so were able to get in close the the rocky cliffs which provide shelter for a whole host of nesting sea birds. I've seen many such scenes on television but to experience nature in the raw in our own islands is breathtaking. Nothing prepared me for the smell - the many thousands of puffins, shags, terns and guillemots which gather in the Farne Islands each year will produce a phenomenal amount of droppings. Believe me, when the smell of pure guano burns the back of your nostrils, you know you are alive! Fantastic!


This time we visited Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, which took on a new mysterious beauty, veiled as it was in sea mist. We had to wait a little while but patience was rewarded, as it always is, by some little magic or other. This time, as we stood, a solitary group, looking out to sea on St Cuthbert's island, we saw something move on the rocks below. It was a seal. We have seen them in the past from boats, but this one was really close by. We marvelled for a little while before leaving the little fella to his own devices.

Oops! She did it again...

It seems that a day cannot go by without poor old (young) Britney Spears being pictured in the press in the act of some embarrassment or other. The latest is her decision to cut off her locks in favour of the Grant Mitchell look. Who would be a 'celebrity'? Sure, there is the advantage of the lavish gifts from clothes designers who want to publicise their latest range, not having to wonder where the next meal is coming from and what have you. But where is the joy? I can remember Britney as a teenager promoting clean living - remember her talking about how she diligently completed her prayer journal at the end of each day, even when on tour. Remember her expressing a desire to remain a virgin until she married? The press loved that one and couldn't wait for the opportunity to snarl 'I told you so!'.

Poor Britney is struggling. All things aside she is still just a young mum, recently estranged from her husband and she has to face humiliating images and stories of herself daily in the so-called newspapers. The hair shaving worries me. I'm no psychologist and I may well be wrong but I would say that is classic low self-esteem behaviour rather than a fashion statement. It seems she is now seeking professional help. I for one hope she sorts herself out. Even celebrities shouldn't have to be unhappy. Who amongst us hasn't messed up somewhere along the way? But by and large our mistakes are relatively anonymous. If you have a spare second in your prayer time, you could do worse than to remember Britney.

Not that I would buy any of her records, you understand...

If it ain't broke then why are we trying to fix it?

I've spent a couple of weeks mulling over the pastoral letter from the Bishop and I am no closer to figuring out what it is all about. He initially contextualises his letter within the sphere of the diminishing numbers of priests and cross-references it back to the Pastoral and Property review and the ensuing 'White Paper'. I suppose everybody thought that that particular catalogue of horrors had been filed away and forgotten about; though we must not forget that a number of communities in the diocese have been cruelly culled as a result of the 'rationalisation' which followed the publication of the aforementioned document.

What is quite perplexing is the language in which the Bishop has chosen to couch his 'pastoral' letter. Not the language of a loving father, forced to take tough decisions which hurt him as much as they hurt his children. No, he has borrowed language from the cut-throat world of business. We have 'down-sizing predictions', and new councils (yes, more councils!) with 'key personnel'. I was waiting at any minute for parishioners to be re-Christened as 'stakeholders' (Anyone for B.S. bingo?). Let's just go the whole way and bring in Jarvis to handle the Facilities Management. If this is born of the Holy Spirit then my name is Donald Trump! It is a pure management consultancy - what is worse, it is amateur management consultancy. It is heartening to know that it has the full support of the clergy (subtext, it's going to happen, get used to the idea, and your priest's remit was to obey his bosses, not to consult his flock).

I love the way it is sold as an opportunity for those who wish to get more involved in the life of the church. The Church recently spent a fortune on a survey about church & family life. Didn't you get the message, guys? These days we all work 40-50 hours per week, that is we leave home at one end of the day and we don't see it again until the other end. After that there is the most important job of all, FAMILY!!! In short, we laity are not just sitting here scratching our backsides waiting to be given church responsibilities. Perhaps a good start would have been to do a review of the current division of responsibilities in parishes. You might have been surprised by the contribution of the laity.

I'll let you into a secret, shall I? The rest of God's church is waking up to the fact that small is beautiful. Real strength in church life is built upon the close, supportive relationships formed in small groups or cells. So why are we rejecting this model in favour of the 'bigger is better' route? People are actually less inclined to become involved in a large, impersonal church.

I really am hardpressed to see any advantages in these proposals. The only logical one is this; if the Diocese chooses, at some time in the future, to get rid of a church, they can argue "Well, we're not really disbanding a community because the real community is the Pastoral Area. We're just liquidating surplus building stock."

I would be interested in any comments that you may have, whether you are from this parish or not. Follow the links to download copies of the Bishop's letter and the Pastoral and Property Review.

Amazing Grace - the movie

Who can deny the power of Amazing Grace by John Newton? It is a wonderful song in praise to the God who changed Newton from slave trader to preacher in an incredible conversion. Sunday 25th March is designated as Amazing Grace Sunday in the UK. Churches in the UK are being asked to sing Amazing Grace on this day and to pray for an end to modern day slavery. I wonder could we manage that?

It seems it is only once every 'Preston Guild' that the opportunity naturally arises to talk openly about our faith. Thankfully, for all of its negative aspects, the world of cinema occasionally provides us with just such an opportunity. The last conversation starter, whether you loved it or hated it, was The Da Vinci Code. Now we have Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce and the abolition of the slave trade. If the subject matter and the top class cast is anything to go by, it should be a good and thought-provoking watch, not only for Christians of all flavours, but for those who are seeking more than a largely materialistic world can offer. The film opens in cinemas in the UK on March 23rd. Could you treat someone to a night out at the flicks?

It is a sad fact of life that slavery is not a thing of the past. There are many parts of the world where the bonds of slavery still subjugate God's people; men, women and children. Through the release of this film, the movie makers are combining forces with campaigners to bring an end to this scandal. Follow the links below to find out more about the film and the campaign.

Amazing Grace movie site.
Amazing Grace Sunday information.
The Amazing Change campaign.
Stop the Traffik - Global campaign to bring an end to people trafficking.

Beggars Belief

I recently saw a beggar, nothing unusual about that you would think, we have all encountered them haven't we? You are almost used to seeing them in major city centres, railway stations, tourist areas etc. I myself have blanked them in Paris, Barcelona , London , Widnes and dozens of other locations. These people are mainly viewed as 'wasters' , 'lowlives' even vermin by the comfortable majority. They are a million miles away from the world that 'I' live in. Or are they? What was so unusual about my encounter with the beggar I most recently met was he was sat outside the local convenience store in my own middle class neighbourhood. I'm on the way to spend a tenner on our chippy tea and this bloke is sat on a blanket asking for 20 pence. I gave him the 20 p , "thanks mate " he said, "no problem" I replied, and off I went. What did he do with the money he collected? Your guess is as good as mine.
The main thing about this beggar is that he was similar age to myself. What had happened to him in his life for him to end up like this? Is he a dad? Is he a husband? Something has gone tragically wrong for him to end up in this position. Was it unemployment, debt, broken relationship, illness, addiction? Who knows? One thing though , these are situations that can hit any of us . It is a fragile line between success and failure, having and not having. It beggars belief that these people are not a million miles away from our lives and we are not far from theirs.
Blagmiester must reavulate his opinion and approach to these people.

Unity

If you want to read my poor offering go to 'comments'. I've had a somewhat frought time 'logging on', however all is well, a learning process you might say!

(This deserved to be in its proper place)

Just a few thoughts I had recently,we have had the week of prayer for Christian Unity and of course there are similar events. However, according to a pundit on a site I visited recently Christians of all denominations will form a minority religion by the year 2030 if not well before!

I think Christians of all 'labels' at grass roots level should seriously deepen awareness of our 'Oneness in Christ'.

Never mind the 'High Level Management' problems which of course must be addressed but there is so much more that could be done on the 'Shop Floor'.

Perhaps two or three local churches could establish a 'covenant' and pledge to develop such things as shared prayer, combined outreach, social events, pilgrimage, in fact anything that would promote a real sense of solidarity and wider community without compromising doctrinal issues that are the domain of the 'Management'.

If it became clear that the 'Workers' were really serious about unity perhaps the Holy Spirit would inspire the leaders of our churches with answers to accomplish the Lord's Prayer that 'All may be One!' what a powerful witness to seekers for the true meaning to life!

Just a few thoughts I had in my cave

yogi

Heir to an Execution

Well I was looking forward to an earlyish night last night. But you know how it is when you leave the TV on just that bit too long and something hooks you. Last night it was a film/documentary on BBC4 (just about the best thing to come out of the digital broadcasting revolution). It was called Heir to an Execution and told the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married couple who were executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in New York in 1953. They had been found guilty of treason - specifically passing on secrets to the Russians concerning the atomic bomb. This was during the height of McCarthyism and east-west paranoia.

The story was told by Ivy Meeropol, the grandaughter of the couple. The facts of the case are not clearcut. The Rosenbergs were both communist sympathisers and evidence which has since been made public would indicate that Julius probably was involved in espionage though to what extent, it is unknown. Ethel, however, though she could have known of her husband's involvement was probably not involved directly. One of the many tragedies of the case is that the couple were implicated by Ethel's own brother. He has since admitted perjuring himself to save his own life and that of his wife. Julius and Ethel both protested their innocence until the end. A third person charged at the same time as the Rosenbergs pleaded guilty and received a 30-year prison sentence. Evidence was flimsy to say the least and the Supreme Court Judge refused to admit vital evidence from the Defence. Rather than show clemency to the couple, the state chose instead to orphan the couple's two young sons. Family members declined to give a home to the two little boys who were later adopted. This was another great tragedy of the case.

The film was most thought-provoking and it is little wonder that this era in American history inspired playwright Arthur Miller to write his most famous play, The Crucible, about the Salem witch trials. Ivy Meeropol's film raises many questions about the power of the state and the moral rectitude of the death penalty. Many ordinary Americans protested at the appropriateness of the the death penalty in this particular case. To an outsider the case smacks of scapegoating to the nth degree. Ivy, her father, her uncle and the rest of the Meeropol family have had to live in the shadow of this appalling injustice for a lifetime.

What was heartening about this story is that in spite of the traumas of early life, the sons of Ethel and Julius appear, whatever they may privately feel, to have grown up without the obvious bitterness that one might expect. The making of the film was a journey for Ivy and her family, to rediscover the couple from the Lower East Side of Manhattan whose political interests became their undoing. It is a tragic story but it is one which Ivy has now reclaimed for her family.