In January 2018, days before her death at the age of 88, Ursula Le Guin emailed this to a friend: “One of the things I least like about being very old, is the unreliability of my energy; up one day and down the next, bleh! Writing has always been the job I want to be doing – the work that keeps me steady and content. But too often there just isn’t the wherewithal.” Wellbeing and work can be inseparable for creatives.
Not long before he died at the age of 86, Carl Jung was interviewed for TV by John Freeman (a historic coup). Like Le Guin, he was still working, mind still sharp. Jung explained that the human unconscious simply disregards the threat that it will soon come to an end; it knows that we only live properly looking forward; that afraid, looking back, we petrify – get stiff, die before our time.
One of my strongest connections to the mind of Le Guin is through her own ‘poetic’ translation of Chinese classic, the Tao Te Ching (1997) – her version is my favourite. She suggests that the whole book can be seen as an explanation and demonstration of Lao Tzu’s concept ‘wei wu wei’ or ‘doing not doing’: you do nothing, yet it gets done… This statement is not open to logical interpretation, but it’s a concept that transforms thought – that changes minds. This for me became one of life’s little puzzles: the Tao nudging us towards the wisdom of deliberate inaction – while our unconscious braces for future adventures. Well – for as long as we can muster sufficient energy – the ‘wherewithal’.
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Word is, because I’m 80, I’ll be included in one of the first groups to be offered the Covid vaccination – but, truth be told, I’m not without hesitation; the possibility that it’s all been a bit rushed? Of course, this raises the question of our moral responsibility not to infect others – so, on balance, I’ll do whatever our NHS advises – I trust them. Present science indicates that 60/70% of people would need to be immunised to achieve the desired ‘herd immunity’. This Conversation article by Prof. Tom Solomon looks at an option which I hope we don’t go near – the moral, ethical and practical implications of compulsory vaccination. Compulsion invites resistance – informed choice is the way to go.
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It’s important to consider the opinion of those who disagree with our prejudices; occasionally I hold my nose and read the Spectator (some good writing). Last week, the ‘Speccie’ held its nose and posted this piece by former SNP MSP, Andrew Wilson: ‘Why Scotland can’t afford to stay part of the Union’. Personally, I was ‘underwhelmed’ by Wilson’s article.
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I would take for granted, that the Tory establishment with such a commanding majority, would favour their chums in the procurement process; but the corruption stories filtering into the media have a new arrogance. Five Guardian investigative journalists have contributed to ‘How Covid revealed the new shape of the Tory establishment
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Paul Mason’s prejudices are similar to mine – European, post-Capitalist etc – but he does more strategic thinking than me – some I even understand. This Social Europe article reflects on the present Brexit cliff edge and wonders if our Tory masters have any coherent vision of the UK’s future in the world order.
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Finland is governed by a five-party coalition – each represented by women leaders – four of whom are in their 30s; the PM, Sanna Marin, is 34. Finland has roughly the same population as Scotland, but this BBC article gives the impression of buoyant energy, compared to the visible ‘burn out’ of our administration. The end piece which follows, is lifted from the Senscot Bulletin exactly 10 years ago – which I can re-post without changing a word, because so little has moved.
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I posted this in the Senscot Bulletin exactly 10 years ago – what’s changed?
I much admire the Scottish writer and commentator Neal Ascherson – he has great historical perspective – his essay in Sunday’s Herald was a rare treat. Ascherson believes that our welfare state lifted Britain out of despair and desperation. The shrieking, guffawing Tory cheers which welcomed the spending cuts, indicate to him that welfare is about to be dismantled with relish. Ascherson argues that Scotland is a country with different traditions – communitarian rather than individualistic – deeply suspicious of our own and everyone else’s elites – obsessive about equality. He believes that Scotland could become the last bastion of belief in a public sector state – but that we are a nation with half a state – incapable of implementing our own policies. https://senscot.net/?viewid=10372
