Today the moon is round again — we have been living in Gillingham for three months. I have not exactly experienced them very conciously. Especially since I work in the office, my life is a bit limited and not very exciting. An overview of the highlights: Freddy and I sang in a gospel choir during the ‘Christmas Lights On’ event in Gillingham. My best time for the 5km run is now 25:09 minutes. And I am reading a hefty theological book which I do not expect to finish before 2015.
The fact that when I am in a shop I can keep apart the British coins without thinking very hard is an indication of the passage of time. Another one is the announcement of the new James Bond movie. I still remember like yesterday how we went to see Skyfall here in Gillingham. In fact, in Kenya we watched a lot of James Bond, because you could buy a DVD with 20 movies for one euro.
It is a year since Nelson Mandela died. Desmond Tutu commemorates him with these words:
We thank God for him, and the example he gave us, he taught us about the worth of a human being , all human beings. He never looked at your dress or ethnicity or your class. He respected everyone for who they were.
I think that today we can really use the example of Mandela in Europe. Racism in politics keeps crossing the line of the unthinkable, whether it is about immigrants or Muslims. The Dutch programme Nieuwsuur interviewed a number of Dutch Muslims this week. A woman who was tired of everyone asking her if she supported IS, made an interesting comparison with the Ku Klux Klan. This group saw themselves as the defenders of American values and Christian morality, but was condemned by virtually all Christian denominations. It always amazes me how people generalize about Muslims. A Dutch news message about acceptance of homosexuality speaks about ‘Muslims and strictly religious Protestants’, so it nuances only the Christian subcultures. By the way, acceptance of homosexuality is another area where the value of each human being should be celebrated — not just a Rainbow nation but a Rainbow world!
This blog is almost even fuller than the moon and rotates faster. I am afraid that I am not liable for dizziness, headaches, or other symptoms that can occur when reading it. I wish you a peaceful weekend.
No headache at all, was nice reading you thoughts!