Thought For The Month

Wherever one looks nowadays, there seems to be nothing but bad news. Of course, the media in its various forms has enormous control over what we receive and good news never features in large measure. However, globally, there is real and understandable concern about what is happening in Ukraine, what is happening in the South China Sea as China increasingly flexes its muscles over Taiwan, or what is happening in Afghanistan, where any good achieved during the Coalition‘s campaign is rolled back by the Taliban. Closer to home, the huge increase in energy bills is a terrifying prospect for families already hard pressed to pay their bills, and the looming recession grows ever closer.

All this and more besides, capped by the major challenge of addressing global warming, paints a bleak picture. But, thankfully, there are ‘shafts of good light’ which pierce the ‘darkness’ of today’s situation. In one of my voluntary roles, I’ve had the pleasure of reading countless acts of goodness and kindness across communities in Hampshire put forward in nominations for New Year or Birthday Honours. These involve individuals who have contributed on their own initiative or as part of a group or charity. Their response to the Covid pandemic was particularly heartening, with tremendous acts of helping people in need, yet with no thought of seeking reward for themselves.

Looking across the county, Hampshire has a huge number of charities which support both adults and children with numerous acts of help and kindness. Talking of which, for those who listen to ‘Saturday Live’ on BBC Radio 4 hosted by Revd. Richard Coles, you will be familiar with the feature on acts of kindness when a listener, who was given much needed help during an incident but wasn’t able to thank the helper at the time, describes the incident, concluding with a heartfelt ‘thank you’. It’s often very poignant and reminds me of the parable of the Good Samaritan described in Saint Luke’s Gospel in the Bible. The Good Samaritan didn’t have to help the man who had been attacked and, likewise, people featured in ‘Saturday Live’ need not have provided help but, out of kindness, they chose to do so.

So, among today’s bad news which constantly surrounds us, I think it’s worthwhile to try and unearth the good news, particularly where acts of kindness are involved. Being reminded of the better side of human nature helps to sustain a more positive attitude to life.

Iain Henderson