The Land of Nothing

Once upon a time in the Land of Nothing there was a famous king called Possibility. He was a
handsomely dressed fellow with a fine suit made out of mirrors. Recently his younger brother, Prince Apathy, had formed a rebel force and overthrown the king.

Now that Apathy was ruling the Land of Nothing the world had started to change.  People no longer looked into mirrors to marvel at the beauty of truth, and magic was something people bought in glass bottles to conceal the truths they'd rather not face.

Today, was like every other day.  Transparent clouds lazily chased each other across transparent skies whilst Apathy collected the voices of his people.

Meanwhile, Possibility sat in his cave of nothingness.  In truth, he felt a little lonely. But he remained hopeful that one day Apathy would be overthrown and Possibility would reign once more.

And so there Possibility sits.

Waiting...

Revels and Rebels XIII

Dear Santa, I’m sat by the Christmas tree. The fairy lights twinkle, the baubles sparkle, and the clip-on-birds look really confused. The white dove is looking at me wondering where peace went, and the robin, having given up on Christmas, is taking a nose dive towards the floor. I understand the birds’ confusion. 2020 is the year where the world turned upside down and inside out. Bound at home, unable to hug friends and visit family, attempting disconnected living in a connected world. Which way is the North Star – who knows? We’re all a bit like Odysseus down here, stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side you have the rock of reality eroded and twisted by politicians and media. The other side, the six headed monster of big Pharma trading health for profit and barking down contrary ideas to protect financial growth. One thing is for sure, Capitalism is not interested in paying the ransom for Freedom. You’ll be sad to learn that ‘Ho, ho, ho’ went out of the window mont...

Revels and Rebels XVII

Dear Santa, For Christmas this year, my wish is a simple one. Please send a copy of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to the technocrats. My hope is that the story’s magical fantastical encourages them to realise that in their rabbit hole of big pharma, big food, big everything, they are nothing more than the Queen of Hearts painting the white roses red. Santa, when you ride in the sky tonight, take a moment to look around the technocrat’s rabbit hole. You’ll see fields and fields of life-making soil covered up with solar panels. I know, where are the Christmas Trees of the future going to grow? And if that wasn’t change enough, some of your favourite words, like truth and happiness, have been given new meanings. It’s probably best that you stop off at a local independent bookshop on your way and pick up a dictionary to double check those definitions. I really hope that in all this topsy-turvy you haven’t been identified as misinformation and added to the cancellation list. “S...

Revels and Rebels XV

Dear Santa, When I was kid, I created a make believe village. Do you remember it? Every Christmas, between the ages of eight to twelve, I asked for Philip Laureston village figurines – perfectly detailed buildings complete with climbing roses and house signs. My village started with a cottage, the Rose and Crown pub and an oak tree. Over the years it was extended to include a farm, a school, a church, a village hall, shops and a duck pond. Each week I visited the villagers and had delightful conversations and arguments, and in the messiness of my imagination I understood what made their imagined lives happier. I remember one heated debate where the parents demanded a school house because they thought it was inappropriate to educate their children in the Rose and Crown pub. The children rather liked their lessons in the snooker room. The parents won. Since the Pandemic began, I can honestly say that I’ve truly understood what life was really like for my imagined villagers. This idea of...

Polka Dot Thinking...

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