Be a Friend

One of my best friends is my opposite in so many ways. She is young, athletic, and loves being outdoors. I’m a snuggly couch potato who only goes out to replenish my writing chocolate. She is pragmatic and focused. I cry at adverts. She gets tipsy after a couple of glasses of wine while I can drink a bottle with ease. She is a minimalist and fantastic at clearing things out. I hang on to a really nice box “just in case”.

But we also have tons of things in common. We both love cheesy movies. In fact, we occasionally take a whole day to binge watch films while stuffing our faces with cheese biscuits, fondues, cheese scones, and pizza. We have done the LOTR extended DVDs – twice - back-to-back, all six “proper” Star Wars films, had a Hollywood musical marathon, and are planning a Tom Cruise day in the near future. (My picks would be Knight and Day, Edge of Tomorrow, and Minority Report.)

We also love Twilight and dedicated one cheesy day to watching all five films.

We both enjoy reading, especially fantasy stories, and would rank David Eddings’ The Belgariad in our top ten.

Don’t mention The Princess Bride, or you will be inundated with quotes and lots of giggling.

I love her to bits.

Where am I going with this?

Here we are at the start of 2024, yet the glorious future portrayed by Star Trek where all humanity come together as one in peace has never seemed further away. Currently, there are 32 countries at war and many others without the freedoms that I enjoy here in the UK. Homes and families are destroyed on a daily basis, and the number of displaced peoples grows as they flee terror and persecution and seek asylum.

The news is full of tragic stories. Yet, the richest men in the world could give each person on this earth – and there are 8.1 billion of us – a billion pounds, and they would not even notice the loss.

What could you do with a billion pounds? Heck. Let’s not be greedy. Let’s settle for a million.

Buy a house. Get a car. Feed my family. Clothe my family. Go back to school and get a qualification. Have a holiday. Pay the bills.

I get cross when people talk about “overpopulation of the planet” and “finite resources”. The fact is, there is enough food produced worldwide to feed everyone on the planet. What needs to change is the political and ethical landscape, which demands more for me and less for you. Where the rich get richer. Where corruption and greed scream far louder than the cries of a starving child.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if this blog was the catalyst for change? Unfortunately, my words are a whisper in a hurricane. Unless a certain billionaire reads this and has a Scrooge moment, of course! It would be easy to shrug and turn away. I tried, didn’t I? Instead, be like the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean when there were hundreds on the sand. He was told it wouldn't make any difference. He picked up one and threw it into the sea. "It made a difference to this one," he said.

So, what if one person read this and decided to make a difference in their part of the world, with the people they met on a daily basis? Perhaps they might influence one other person, who in turn could convince another.

Back to my friend.

I could look at all the things which divide us and conclude that we could never really be BFFs.

Instead, I choose to concentrate on the things we agree on and not focus on our differences. Not that I lay aside my core beliefs. Instead, where possible, I live in peace as far as it is in my power.

The world needs to learn how to do that.

We have just celebrated Christmas, where we pray for peace on earth and good will towards all men.

All.

Not just the ones you like or have loads in common with. Your neighbours. The people you pass in the street. The ones you work with – yes, even the really irritating one.

Look for what unites you, rather than what separates. I don’t have 8 billion pounds to give away, but I can do my part in making this world a better place. I want my epitaph to be "The world was richer for her being in it."