Life is suffering
Love is the desire to see unnecessary suffering ameliorated
Truth is the handmaiden of love
Dialogue is the pathway to truth
Humility is recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn
To learn is to die voluntarily and be born again, in great ways and small
So speech must be untrammeled
So that dialogue can take place
So that we can all humbly learn
So that truth can serve love
So that suffering can be ameliorated
So that we can all stumble forward to the Kingdom of God
“Don’t underestimate the power of vision and direction. These are irresistible forces, able to transform what might appear to be unconquerable obstacles into traversable pathways and expanding opportunities.”
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (I think)
I often struggle with direction and the meaning of life; what Peterson says resonates.
…. and now for something completely different..
The Midnight Cowboy
What happened below is one of those stories that you couldn’t make up.
It was case that came before me when I was a Senior Magistrate, presiding in Salisbury Magistrates Court
The accused was charged with failing to obey a Police officer’s instructions and assault. He pleaded not guilty.
At about midnight on the night in question, a Detective Superintendent was driving home after a Police Officers’ Regimental Dinner. Formal dress was required so he was attired in his No 1 mess uniform – navy blue in colour with sword, spurs, medals, brass buttons and lots of braid. A glorious sight!
He observed a vehicle drive through a red traffic light without stopping. As a Police officer, he felt obliged to give chase.
He caught up to the offender and forced him to pull over, got out of his car and approached the other car.
He remonstrated with the driver who responded tersely with a coarse suggestion that he should go away and then roared off again.
Under cross examination, the Superintendent denied the suggestion that the accused could have mistaken him for the Midnight Cowboy returning from a Fancy Dress Ball.
(At this stage, I had to pretend that I had dropped my pen, to hide my laughter!)
The zealous policeman, now incensed, called in the registration number and got an address. He arrived there about half an hour later.
The fugitive came out, there was an altercation, and he biffed the policeman, whose spurs caught in the grass and he fell over. It was produced as an exhibit!
The Superintendent retired in high dudgeon and then called out the riot squad, who deployed in full force with rifles and spotlights to arrest the offender.
There was not a helicopter as later depicted in a Sunday paper cartoon.…
I had a great deal of difficulty remaining impassive and dropped my pen 3 times, I had to … I couldn’t stop laughing!
During an adjournment, I suggested to the Prosecutor that he withdraw the case and he said he wanted to, but the complainant insisted.
Eventually, I found the man not guilty of disobeying a policeman, as he may not have appreciated the glorious uniform contained a policeman.
But I had to find him guilty of assault, but gave him a paltry fine, which enraged the pompous policeman.
It really wasn’t so funny. The man’s hubris had besmirched the reputation of the Police force; he had deployed great force to deal with a petty infraction; such abuse of authority was astounding.
I wish I had kept a copy of the cartoon in the Sunday Tribune!
sillysocksonfriday 