Time needs to be made to answer author’s Question and realise you are alive
THERE is so much in life we take for granted. It is easy for us to go through weeks in only human doing mode rather than human being.
Of course we get lots done but at what cost to our bodies?
In this mode we also miss so much beauty in the world.
In Jamaica I have created a habit of getting up at 5.30am to sit and just be. To reflect and just pause before the day starts.
There are many areas of my life where I feel that I don’t pause to think more, to be fully aware and really appreciate life.
Then there are other times in life that remind me that I am alive.
I pause to notice the birds and the sounds around me.
Each day I try to be more aware of these moments.
Paulo Coelho, the author of The Alchemist, asks one of the most powerful questions about paying attention to life.
He asks: “Do you remember the day you were alive?” and for me the answer is yes.
It was when I was on the anaesthetic table before surgery, and every time I lay down into an MRI machine.
That is when I have this overwhelming feeling of being alive.
Perhaps that old saying that you feel most alive when close to death is true.
I guess it’s why, when you speak to extreme sports athletes they always talk about
We miss so much beauty in the world
the rush they get when they are on the limit.
This mental state fascinates me.
My morning reflection this week was around the life of Professor John Mallard, who passed away at the age of 94.
Why, might you ask, is my relationship with Professor Mallard so profound, especially considering he was someone I never met and didn’t know of until I read about his passing?
Well, because I owe much to
Professor Mallard – along with all the other people who have been saved by MRI scans.
Professor Mallard led a team from Aberdeen University who built the first scanner, which was used to carry out the world’s first body scan of a patient.
This pioneering discovery would go on to save millions of lives around the world and has become a familiar part of my life over the last 11 years.
You could say that Professor
Mallard was key in helping me discover the answer to my Paulo Coelho question.
What I realise more as I write this column and read people’s emails is that life pulls us more to the human doing than the human being.
It is important that we strive to get a balance and to become more aware of life around us.
So my question to you this week is the same as Coelho’s: Do you remember the day you were alive?
GORDON ELLIOTT has been handed a 12-month ban, with the last six months suspended, following an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board referrals hearing into the image posted on social media last weekend of the Grand National-winning trainer sitting on a dead horse.
In a statement issued late on Sunday evening, Elliott confirmed the image was genuine and apologised “profoundly for any offence that this photo has caused”, while seeking to explain what he said was the “context” of events that led to the picture.
The image was roundly condemned by racing authorities in Britain and Ireland, with the IHRB announcing an immediate investigation and the British Horseracing Authority issuing a temporary suspension on Elliott’s runners until its conclusion.
On Tuesday, leading owners Cheveley Park Stud removed their horses from Elliott, with the unbeaten Envoi Allen one of those to join Henry de Bromhead.
In addition to the suspension, Elliott was ordered to pay costs of €15,000.
After considering the evidence, a statement from the IHRB referrals committee said in their view there was also a sinister aspect to this case.
“The committee are satisfied that the publication of this photograph is part of a concerted attack on Mr Elliott, the full circumstances of which are unknown.
“This has been canvassed not for the purposes of defence or absolution but in order to
explain the publication of a photograph that has existed since 2019.”
In considering sanctions, they said: “The committee recognises that the sanction must be arrived at taking into account all of the circumstances, and the aggravating and mitigating factors including Mr Elliott’s personal circumstances, in order to achieve a proportionate result.”
Among the matters considered was the fact “outrage has been expressed by the racing and non-racing public that a horse, albeit
deceased, could be treated in this manner”.
The IHRB said Elliott had “expressed what we believe to be a genuine remorse and accepts that he is unlikely to forget this episode in his life”, with the committee adding they believed he “genuinely accepts that he was extraordinarily foolish to participate in the way he did”.
They went on to say: “Whilst the incident in question was unforgivable, it was, nonetheless, an event which took place without deliberation or forethought over a time period of some seconds. There was a pointed absence of common sense.”
Elliott will not appeal the decision and said in a statement: “I accept my situation and my sanction and I am satisfied with my engagement with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. It is not an easy job to sit on the panel but I was dealt with fairly.
“I am in this situation by my own action and I am not going to dodge away from this. With my position in the sport I have great privileges and great responsibility. I did not live up to that responsibility.
“I am paying a very heavy price for my error but I have no complaints. It breaks my heart to see the hurt I have caused to my colleagues, family, friends and supporters. I have a long road ahead of me but I will serve my time and then build back better.
“I will carry the burden of my transgressions for the rest of my career. I will never again disrespect a horse, living or dead, and I will not tolerate it in others.”
Officials at the British Horseracing Authority have welcomed the resolution of the investigation.
Their statement read: “The suspension will be reciprocated here in Great Britain. The existing restriction on Mr Elliott having runners in Great Britain will stay in place until the suspension takes effect on March 9.
“Today’s decision confirms that horses will not be able to run at the Cheltenham Festival or Grand National Festival in the name of Gordon Elliott.
“However, if horses are transferred directly to other licensed trainers prior to March 9 – when the suspension is due to commence – they will be able to run.”