Robyn Charlesworth's Blog
February 8, 2017
Some things to ponder
Among my acquaintances there are those who have a strong belief in their particular religious faith, there are those who have no religious affiliation at all and there are ‘fence-sitters’ who at different times may be swayed one way or the other, depending on the topic of discussion.
What I find particularly interesting is that when the subject of religious faith is raised, there’ll be those who believe that their choice of affiliation is more ‘right’ than anyone else’s. They will quote their particular ‘book’ as the only true God-given instruction but when you speak with them individually, each person lives by their own version of the writings therein. So if there is an ‘absolute truth’ who actually knows what it is and who is living according to it?
I don’t believe anyone can say they have all the answers to the ‘what, why, where and how’ of the universe and yet some will arrogantly assert that they know better than others and are quite willing to give instruction on their own version of what they consider to be the truth.
I’m not in any way disparaging anyone who follows a religious belief, every person has the right to form their own opinions in regards to their spirituality, but what is immensely disappointing to me is the increasing level of prejudice and bigotry in all areas of society.
Homosexuality for example, is a subject that raises extreme opinions and outright hostility at times. Terms like unnatural and abnormal are often used to malign the simple love of one human for another. The greater the lack of understanding, the stronger the emotional response and judgements are made without any foundation in truth.
Consider for a moment the following;
What if we removed all of the labels that a minority in society have applied and the majority have accepted like a flock of woolly-headed sheep. No more men, women, black, white, gay, straight, abled, disabled, religious, non-religious and we were all just referred to as ‘people’. If those of religious affiliation find that a difficult concept to consider, I believe that it’s generally accepted that God is a non-gender being.
What if our essential essence, our spiritual true being is also non-gender (in the image and likeness of God); that our physical bodies were created male and female simply to facilitate the procreation of the human species. Perhaps our physical bodies are just ‘borrowed’ for this particular purpose; not to define us or categorise us but to provide a vessel within which we are able to experience human existence.
Love; that incredible, marvellous state that is unable to be qualified, quantified or reasoned, transcends physical bodies, gender and the human state. It exists outside the realm of human understanding and societal stereotypes.
How could we, in good conscience, decree that marriage should only be available to ‘breeding pairs’? That just makes a complete mockery of love.
Just some things to ponder………………..
What I find particularly interesting is that when the subject of religious faith is raised, there’ll be those who believe that their choice of affiliation is more ‘right’ than anyone else’s. They will quote their particular ‘book’ as the only true God-given instruction but when you speak with them individually, each person lives by their own version of the writings therein. So if there is an ‘absolute truth’ who actually knows what it is and who is living according to it?
I don’t believe anyone can say they have all the answers to the ‘what, why, where and how’ of the universe and yet some will arrogantly assert that they know better than others and are quite willing to give instruction on their own version of what they consider to be the truth.
I’m not in any way disparaging anyone who follows a religious belief, every person has the right to form their own opinions in regards to their spirituality, but what is immensely disappointing to me is the increasing level of prejudice and bigotry in all areas of society.
Homosexuality for example, is a subject that raises extreme opinions and outright hostility at times. Terms like unnatural and abnormal are often used to malign the simple love of one human for another. The greater the lack of understanding, the stronger the emotional response and judgements are made without any foundation in truth.
Consider for a moment the following;
What if we removed all of the labels that a minority in society have applied and the majority have accepted like a flock of woolly-headed sheep. No more men, women, black, white, gay, straight, abled, disabled, religious, non-religious and we were all just referred to as ‘people’. If those of religious affiliation find that a difficult concept to consider, I believe that it’s generally accepted that God is a non-gender being.
What if our essential essence, our spiritual true being is also non-gender (in the image and likeness of God); that our physical bodies were created male and female simply to facilitate the procreation of the human species. Perhaps our physical bodies are just ‘borrowed’ for this particular purpose; not to define us or categorise us but to provide a vessel within which we are able to experience human existence.
Love; that incredible, marvellous state that is unable to be qualified, quantified or reasoned, transcends physical bodies, gender and the human state. It exists outside the realm of human understanding and societal stereotypes.
How could we, in good conscience, decree that marriage should only be available to ‘breeding pairs’? That just makes a complete mockery of love.
Just some things to ponder………………..
February 6, 2017
My First Book
I've been writing poetry for as long as I can remember and there came a time in 2012 when I realised it was possible for me to publish a book.
I had a collection of many poems going back to when I was a child of 11, following on through my teenage years, marriage and motherhood and up to that point in 2012 when I decided to publish.
It was natural then to arrange the manuscript as a timeline of the events of my life, interleaved with thoughts, feelings and ideas. It became my life in reverse, in a way. The first poems in the book were the most recent and then they work their way back in time to that very first poem I'd kept from 1969, preceded by the poems I'd written as a teen during the 1970's.
This was how I wanted it. I didn't give any consideration to what may be preferable to the reader because to be honest I didn't expect there to be anyone else interested in reading the book except my close friends and family.
I was wrong about that, I'm very pleased to say and the book generated quite a lot of interest. Whilst 'Heart's Window' will never be on the best seller lists, I've been so very gratified by how many people have read and enjoyed the poems. I'm so glad I didn't listen to my lecturer when he told me that I should change my writing style to be 'more sophisticated'. I did try to change things to please him and 'fit in' with others in my peer group but it just wasn't something that came naturally to me. I finally decided to stop trying to be something I wasn't and to just write what came naturally to me. If that was seen as simplistic or unsophisticated well that didn't concern me because I wasn't writing to please anyone. My poetry would take on different forms at different times and I determined that I would just express it as it formed in my mind. At various times my poems have helped me to cope with difficulties, to express my joy or gratitude and to simply be an outlet for thoughts and ideas. Some of them are narrative, relating true events; albeit with some embellishments and often with a humorous twist. Most of all they are mine; raw, simple and from my heart.
I had a collection of many poems going back to when I was a child of 11, following on through my teenage years, marriage and motherhood and up to that point in 2012 when I decided to publish.
It was natural then to arrange the manuscript as a timeline of the events of my life, interleaved with thoughts, feelings and ideas. It became my life in reverse, in a way. The first poems in the book were the most recent and then they work their way back in time to that very first poem I'd kept from 1969, preceded by the poems I'd written as a teen during the 1970's.
This was how I wanted it. I didn't give any consideration to what may be preferable to the reader because to be honest I didn't expect there to be anyone else interested in reading the book except my close friends and family.
I was wrong about that, I'm very pleased to say and the book generated quite a lot of interest. Whilst 'Heart's Window' will never be on the best seller lists, I've been so very gratified by how many people have read and enjoyed the poems. I'm so glad I didn't listen to my lecturer when he told me that I should change my writing style to be 'more sophisticated'. I did try to change things to please him and 'fit in' with others in my peer group but it just wasn't something that came naturally to me. I finally decided to stop trying to be something I wasn't and to just write what came naturally to me. If that was seen as simplistic or unsophisticated well that didn't concern me because I wasn't writing to please anyone. My poetry would take on different forms at different times and I determined that I would just express it as it formed in my mind. At various times my poems have helped me to cope with difficulties, to express my joy or gratitude and to simply be an outlet for thoughts and ideas. Some of them are narrative, relating true events; albeit with some embellishments and often with a humorous twist. Most of all they are mine; raw, simple and from my heart.
