Thought for the week

HOW many of you want this wonderful world to be a better place?

For most of our history this island has been separated and protected from the rest of the world by sea. Because of this we became a seafarer and trading nation and ultimately controlled vast areas of the planet. At the same time British missionaries followed Jesus’ great commission to make disciples of all nations.

Christianity with its central message of the sacrificial love of God for ALL of us was spread across the world in the footsteps of Empire.

As in all things human, good and evil struggled alongside each other. Education and health provision alongside commercial exploitation. A country whose wealthy thrived commercially on the income of the slave trade became the leader of the abolition of slavery.

The ultimate end of Empire was that many people around the world who had British passports and who had been taught to believe Britain was truly great wanted to come and live here.

We were already a mongrel nation with Celtic, Roman, German, French and Danish blood in our veins. It is therefore on the surface surprising that we have become a country where many people fear difference, especially at a time when the world’s biggest problems all require international co-operation: climate change, plastic, over population, nuclear armaments, pollution, etc.

It is a natural human instinct to want to be around those who share an affinity with us, be it tribe, party, culture, race, etc. A post Brexit survey revealed the strongest Leave areas were those with the least immigrants! Fear of the unknown and difference is natural, but is so limiting in enabling us to grow.

Let us have confidence in our history and engage with the world’s rich diversity! Roger Boon