I’ve missed posting the past few weeks’ worth of newsletters. In the time since I last updated the blog, my little sister graduated from university, the first real, hard frost touched ground in Scotland, and sixteen and a half thousand people died in Gaza.
It feels utterly dystopian to be celebrating occasions like my sister’s graduation, and the inklings of yuletide festivities blowing in on a sharp winter breeze. It feels like a helpless, hopeless lost cause when you’re preparing to celebrate Christmas with your loved ones, knowing that there are people in the world never quite knowing if they will live to see another day, all while millions – and more disturbingly, their governments – watch on with varying degrees of empathy, and abject horror.
If you’re reading this hoping that I’m going to make some sense of all this, maybe write some poignant think piece; I’m sorry to disappoint you. I don’t believe that opinion pieces have a place in this, because an opinion piece would imply that there is a measured and considered argument to be given from both sides.
I wouldn’t say that I’m godly – far from it. If there is a God in any form, celestial, corporeal, spectral or gaseous, it feels as though he’s hiding from what he’s created. But I would never deny anyone their faith; I would only ask if they’ve read the divine memo on loving thy neighbour. I heard it was even translated for ease of understanding.
If you’re able, please donate what you can to a registered charity providing aid to those trapped in Gaza. If you know of any other reputable charities looking for donations or volunteers at this time, please feel free to comment their details below.