Writing and Running for ME/CFS No.13

http://fmp.cit.nih.gov/hi/ Title: Coronary artery bypass surgery Image ID: 657 B Photographer: Jerry Hecht Restrictions: Public Domain Image Date: 10/1/1981 Slovenščina: Kardiovaskularna kirurgija: koronarni bypass arterije. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Running:
Managed three runs, but one was truncated due to time constraints and travel. Still, managed to fit the regulation 3 in. Read below for the reasons for the shorter effort. Still on track with this. Believe it or not, I'm down to do a 10 minute run on Christmas Day!

Writing:
Been a very busy week for many other things. A visit to my wife's relatives and friends in Washington, (that's the original, not the USA copy), took us away from home for a couple of days. Then a diversion to visit my younger brother in hospital in Middlesborough. He's had a double heart bypass and, as a type 1 diabetic, he is taking longer to recover than most. But he's a tough old bugger, so he's now out of Intensive Care and in the recovery unit. I'm hoping to collect him and get him home to his wife before Xmas, all things being equal.
Still struggling to get some sense out of the buyers of our house so we can organise our move. But they're proving less than helpful. Patience,  it seems, is essential in this one.
My publisher released the last book in my fantasy trilogy, A Seared Sky, so I've been to visit him and sign some of the paperback versions. And, of course, been doing some marketing, especially as he's organised a special deal with all 3 digital versions for the Christmas period.
The truth is that I haven't been able to get to the book at all this week. But it's still there and still in preparation. I intend to do some more work on it once I've finished this post and posted it, in fact.
And, just to make life simpler at this time of stress and effort, a couple of the vital programs on my computer decided to play up this week. I think I've more or less sorted those now, but I'm not convinced!
The current week, of course, is Christmas. So, I'll be a little less busy with writing and associated things. A short spell of relaxation is necessary if I'm not to start dropping back into the ME/CFS: stress is definitely a serious factor in the condition and I refuse to allow it to take over my life again.
So, let's see what this week brings, eh?
Merry Christmas to all.

Courting Contentious Content.

Julian Assange painted portrait - Wikileaks (Photo credit: Abode of Chaos)

Are we subject to a type of censorship that curtails freedom of speech and prevents honest debate of issues of vital importance to civilisation?

In the West, we pride ourselves on our tolerance. This is especially the case in Europe and even more so in the UK, a land noted for its cultural diversity and its acceptance of the beliefs, customs and traditions of others. In order to protect those institutions, beliefs, sensibilities and creeds that differ from our home-grown varieties, government has implemented laws intended to prevent prejudice and insult. But, because of the undeniable threat of terrorism, they’ve also set in place watchdogs to detect activity that may be considered a threat to the State.

It’s my belief that the combined effect of these two factors is to stifle serious debate about religious bodies and/or traditions and customs.

Let me illustrate my point. If I wish to write a feature, or even a piece of fiction, highlighting perceived dangers presented by extremist groups, my first recourse is research, so I can get my facts right. So, I start to  investigate terms like Al-Qaeda, mujahadeen, taliban, islamist, the Army of God, Ku Klux Klan, etc. In common with most modern writers, my first port of call is the web. But wait: if I start typing such words into my search engine, am I going to immediately become a target for the anti-terrorist organisations that filter such words from our emails, texts and online searches? The danger certainly exists. And, I suspect, for many that’s sufficiently worrying to prevent them even taking the first steps.

In writing this piece, I wanted to ensure I spelt the words correctly (many of them have variant spellings, after all). For me, spelling is the prerogative of the SOED, a 2 volume version of the Oxford English Dictionary, which comes as a printed book of 20 volumes with 3 additional volumes to account for more recent words. My copy of the smaller book was printed in 2007. Al-Qaeda has been active since 1988, but doesn’t feature in the SOED. So I went to the web. I used the roundabout route of searching for Al-Jazeera, a respected broadcasting company, and was directed to the inimical Wikipedia. From there, I was more comfortable searching for the other terms.

But you see my point? Fear of the heavy-handed authorities descending on the house to remove my computer for forensic dissection, especially in light of the fate of such protectors of free speech as Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, makes me, and many others, wary of even investigating certain topics.

The other cause for concern in writing about such matters stems from the potential outcry and threats of death that may result. We have only to recall the cases of Salman Rushdie and his Satanic Verses (a book I actually read at the time, forming my own ideas about the real reason for the fatwa), and of Jyllands Posten, the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Islamic prophet, Mohammed. But it isn’t just Islam that poses such problems. There’s evidence that raising the subject of Christian, Budhist, Hindu or any other form of religious extremism can cause serious problems for those daring to criticise such organisations.

Even at a less heated level, the criticism of many religious groups, no matter where those beliefs originate, is invariably seen as an attack on faith and belief, so that simply questioning these issues often results in tirades of abuse, threats and even physical atttack.

Those of a rational turn of mind are effectively silenced by a system that was ostensibly put in place to protect the rights of minorities. It’s become very difficult to even venture an opinion on the validity of faith, the truth about religion, or the real value of certain rites and rituals unless the writer couches such ideas in the most delicate language.

Fear of causing offence, coupled with very real concerns over both official and extremist responses, has effectively neutered those who wish to hold open and honest debates about certain religious beliefs, traditions and customs. It takes a brave writer to raise these contentious issues. I suggest that the balance of the law has shifted dangerously toward censorship of those who employ reason and rationality and is now overprotective of those who wish to maintain what are often erroneous and frequently dangerous belief systems. This fear stifles the very necessary discussion of subjects that are often directly responsible for much injustice and harm in the world. What do you think?

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Digging Deep, by Boyd Lemon, Reviewed.

Subtitled, ‘A Writer Uncovers His Marriages’, this piece of autobiography is a fascinating and compelling insight into the mind and spirit of an American writer.

A reader from outside the sometimes insular and self-congratulatory arena of the USA, I found this memoir accessible, moving, entertaining and surprisingly informative about more than just the author and his wives. The reader is taken deep into the lives of the subjects. All are flawed and most reflect the human condition that prevents us from learning by our own mistakes, let alone those of others. The repeated patterns of ill-advised behaviour echo the lives of so many.

That the author was the instrument of his own downfall is the superficial judgment that first surfaces. But, as he digs deeper and reveals more of his early life, it becomes apparent that he, and almost certainly his wives, suffered from the consequences of inadequate parenting. The account recalled to mind an excellent book on that topic: everyone should read ‘They F**k You Up’, but that’s a different review.

Boyd Lemon is frank, courageous and surprisingly honest about his relationships with women, treating his wives and girlfriends with the unconscious disdain engendered by the values and traditions of the far right. He loathes his job, but is too much in love with the money and what it can buy to break out of the cycle that traps him in unhappiness. Living the American Dream, he is initially blind to the true consequences of an existence led in pursuit of material benefits intended to impress his peers. Does he finally discover the reality? You’ll need to read the book to find out.

There is intimate detail here; the emotional, physical, spiritual and philosophical threads that are woven into his life are untwined and laid before the reader to inspect and examine. I suspect the act of writing this autobiography has been deeply cathartic for him. As a reader, I felt involved, intrigued, irritated, exasperated, excited, hopeful and joyful by turns. This is a ride that takes you high and low and hides none of the ugly details, whilst showing you the delights and wonders life can bring.

I’ve had the book on my Kindle for a while and finally got around to reading it as it popped up next on the list. Although unable to read it all in one go, I was driven to return to it whenever an opportunity presented itself. Anyone interested in the lives of others, curious about writers, involved in a difficult relationship, unsure of their place in the world of work, or simply intrigued by what drives individuals to make the choices they make, will enjoy this book. I recommend it without reservation.

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Charley, by Shelby C. Jacobs, Reviewed.

Novels are works of fiction, by and large. But we can often learn from them, especially if some of the

subject matter is unfamiliar to us as readers. In this romance, I learned about aspects of American Basketball, the position and influence of the church on certain moral issues and the ways in which business might be conducted in the USA.

This is essentially a love story, employing an important theme with which I have sympathy: it discusses, through the interactions of its protagonists, the difference between lust and love. The eponymous Charley is a very strong female character and, in PJ, she is thrust, literally in certain passages, into the arms of a very strong male character. Their introduction, mutual exploration of sex and love, and their attempts to resolve the problems they face in getting together form the plot of the story.

I have to confess that much of the Basketball description went over my head. As a Brit, I have little knowledge of the sport and, with its own jargon, which is clearly understood by aficionados, I was often in the dark. But it wasn’t important, as the sports sequences are few and their content is more emblematic and symbolic than essential. I was able to grasp enough to understand the significance.

Similarly, although I’ve been involved in the business world, both as practitioner and in the role of tax collector, many of the practices exposed in the book were new to me. Of course, this is set in the southern states of the USA, so a degree of fraud and double-dealing was not unexpected. The author makes no moral judgement on the issues raised, but allows readers to come to their own conclusions, which is a stance I heartily applaud.

Also, as an agnostic, albeit raised on the rather loose moral standards of the Church of England, I’m not particularly sympathetic to the church movement as a whole. I felt the author managed very well to convey the inherent hypocrisy and self-imposed blindness of the protagonists as they allowed their actions to declare their true feelings whilst their words frequently hinted at more scriptural concerns. Again, it was left to readers to make their own judgements. In spite of the inclusion of scriptural references, I never felt I was being preached at.

The characters are drawn so well that it’s easy to get to know them and to feel with them. Since such empathy is an essential component of fiction for me, I was able to enjoy the read so much more. Written in the first person, and with occasional ‘mental asides’ that hint at the true state of mind of Charley, this complex and multi-layered piece of fiction reads easily, whilst challenging the reader to make certain judgements, sometimes only to discover that new facts must overturn those conclusions.

A really good read, this. The romance and erotic element will undoubtedly appeal more to women readers, whilst the other components will probably have a stronger appeal for those men who don’t generally read this genre. That sounds sexist, but I’m trying to point out that there’s something here for both genders. I have no qualms in recommending this novel.

In Search of Identity, by Anwer el-Sadat, Reviewed.

I rarely read autobiographies; they tend to be showcases for the subject, with little concern for the truth. However, this one is different. Partly because it’s a mix of personal and political memoir, but mostly because the author was fundamentally honest. That is, he was as honest as any man placed in a position of power and probably more so than most in that situation. For those who are unaware of the man, he was the President of Egypt (for those Americans who believe the world ceases to exist beyond their borders, this is a large country in North Africa, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and site of the Suez Canal: sorry to all those other Americans who do know), from 15 October 1970 to 6 October 1981, when he was assassinated during a victory parade.

He was active in the military and in politics during a period of extreme upheaval in his country and took action that impacted on the whole of the Middle East and, possibly, the world.

The book is full of the detail that matters to the politician but it is written with a clear care for his country and a deep love of those he admired and respected. His relationship with Nasser in particular is told with such frankness but such affection that the reader feels present at many of the exchanges.

There is very little of his personal life in these pages. His wives each get a brief mention and his children are not even alluded to. This is a book about the public rather than the private individual. But he does detail his emotions and concerns during his period of imprisonment. And his matter of fact style does nothing to conceal his frustrations with fellow officers and politicians engaged in coups or revolution.

As a Brit, I was intrigued to learn of the hatred and sheer disrespect he and his fellow countrymen felt for Great Britain as we reached the latter days of imperial power. I had, of course, always known of the mistake that was the Suez War. And I was fascinated to learn of Sadat’s hero worship of Zahran, one of the victims of the appalling incident at Denshway. I knew of this shameful event that had typified the arrogant and despotic nature of British overseas rule at the time, as I worked on a piece for radio with a fellow author, Dave Wallis. It was never broadcast because the authorities felt it was too political.

The book also gives an insight into the gentler side of Islam, whilst unconsciously validating the opinion that faith schools that brain-wash young students do great damage to the ability of those pupils to make fully informed decisions or to question the reality behind the dogma they are fed.

As with many political memoirs, this is a book peppered with names. Some are world famous individuals carrying their own reputations; Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Aleksei Kosygin, Yasir Arafat, James Callaghan and Menahem Begin come to mind. But many are, of course, figures only really known within Egypt, with little exposure on the world stage. He brings these people to life, however, and places them into the context of a country struggling first with the ideal of independence and then with establishing the rule of law amongst a population dangerously divided by sectarianism.

It is a fascinating read. I recommend it to those who have an interest in world politics and, especially, to those concerned with past and present events in the Middle East. A good, if sometimes difficult, read.

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