The lessons of Ireland..and Greece...and Iceland...and....
Because I believe so profoundly that everything happens for a good reason, I try to see what is happening around me with equanimity and understanding and in a spirit of optimism.
For this reason I am careful in how I express my views on apparent crises and disasters in the world (current or to come) so that I do not sound negative or depressing. While we may be disconcerted from time to time, I truly believe there is no reason whatsoever to be fearful of what lies ahead.
I have written before about attitudes to money and how, if it is disrespected or misused by us as individuals, companies or countries, we will learn perhaps painfully the importance of recognising it as a tool from God to be used wisely. The financial meltdown of the last couple of years has left many people wincing at their credit card and other debts; companies large and small have gone out of business and the extent of national profligacy is becoming more and more apparent, with Ireland being the latest to be exposed for a massive debt situation.
Understandably, the people of Ireland who will bear the brunt of draconian spending cuts, job losses and perhaps taxation, are very angry that their elected leaders allowed lending, borrowing and banking to get so out of hand, just as the people of Greece and Iceland did before them. I believe Ireland will not be the last country in Europe or the world to face economic challenges like these in the months to come, and there may be further destabilising shocks to force a re-evaluation of the way the outdated global financial systems work.
If and when this happens, while it will be a little turbulent perhaps, it will be good. Sometimes we need a big shock to wake us up to the reality of how things are, and how they could be bettered. For now, the banks and the politicians have retreated into the familiar comfort zone of “business as usual” - but they will not be allowed to linger there for long. Watch this space....and remember to smile, and to trust.
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Marta Freundlich
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... Thank you dear Claire for the reminder to be courageous of spirit at all time; it is easy for my fears to get the better of me. The financial situation always produces the greatest heebie-jeebies, well health issues do too, but I am learning to understand that I can of course make informed choices, but cannot control these factors in life. The greater my connection with Spirit and the core of my being, the more ease I experience during challenging times. In fact it is precisely during these times that my greatest growth in trusting and connecting with Spirit occurs. This is not to say that I don't get thrown, but I am able to move along to a new even keel. One day I will learn as much from a half-full glass! I trust, for the sake of all the beings in this world, that our political leaders and financial wizards will too. With love and gratitude Marta |
Victoria Prekate
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... Apart from the financial sector, I feel that it will shake up political life too. I feel that people are angry against their politicians, not just because of the way they managed or, sometimes, abused their money, but because people feel they do not a say in what happens now. People’s reactions are neither selfish, nor fanatical, nor foolish, as is sometimes suggested in the press: For example, the majority of people in Greece, do not object the cuts themselves, but the fact that the cuts are done unfairly. It made me think a lot about ‘democracy’ and how the term is so misused today. Our political systems are not ‘democracy’, they are ‘elected party oligarchy’. The term ‘democracy’ meant that every week, the totality of a city’s citizens would gather up, anyone could speak and everyone would vote on every single decision affecting common life. Today, apart from voting for our preferred party every four years, what practical power do, we, as citizens have, to take a part in political decisions that affect us? Of course, it may be argued that for the millions of nations’ citizens today, weekly referendums are not practical. Or, that today’s way of life is so complicated and the decisions so highly technical, that they can only be taken by government ‘specialists’ and ‘experts’, on our behalf. But then, wouldn’t this be another reason for smaller-scale communities and a simpler way of life? |
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