Icarus @ 59 # 363

At the University there is a garden for peace and reconciliation which has a pond, and in that pond there is a sculpture and last night I caught it lit up. This picture doesn't really do it justice because there is no real sense of perspective; its about six feet high and it looks quite superb. But the peace and reconciliation idea is not one that will go away either. Yesterday a Palestinian politician died while being apprehended in a peaceful demonstration. They had planned to plant olive tree saplings on a patch of land near the Jewish settlement of Shiloh, which Palestinians believe has been earmarked for annexation by Israel. I know this situation and the politics therein are complex and have been for thousands of years  especially after the second world war resurrected the state of Israel, but seriously,  sledgehammers and nuts come into my thinking. What is it about the human race that we can't live and let live, that we can't get along and that conflict is commonplace in so many places around the world when peace and reconciliation would be so much better. But its just not there - do the USA think we are idiots by confirming Guantanamo is a metaphor for US torture - and indeed one the UK government was complicit in, and in our name too?  Did they think we didn't suspect? It's a source of great frustration, and of deep concern. Man's inhumanity to man is as old as Cain and Abel, a constantly repeating, disgraceful pattern for mankind and this year has had its fair share of that, boat people, border skirmishes, conflict, war... I sigh. But let's not colour the day with despair, instead let's try to resolve to keep making it better - its all we can do. I haven't done nearly enough and the year is coming to an end, but I have tried where I can and I already have a resolution for next year. I posted this song before but this is a live version, just one person, guitar and his voice - colour me in: