This and that, part 2

The chaos of free speech

Last Sunday a friend and I wandered through Hyde Park and came upon Speakers Corner. I'd been there before on a weekday, but no one was holding forth then. I imagined that if I ever did find someone there, there'd be one man or woman speaking from a stump or soapbox while a few people stood around and listened. I still have this image of the English that's more Jane Austen and less House of Commons. As we got within a hundred yards of the corner, I could see this would be more Parliament than Pride and Prejudice. Someone was waving a Union Jack, and there were lots of people, standing in clumps of various sizes. Each clump was centered around a man or two on chairs or stepladders, shouting out their opinions, often engaging in argument with angry other men in the audience. Very few women there.

The first guy we came across was standing in front of a red flag and excoriating the bankers and capitalists. The second was wearing a helmet with horns of different sizes on it, proclaiming himself to be Lucifer and laughing off the protestations of a Somali man. The third was a hoarse man proclaiming the virtues of Islam from a lamppost. About 20 yards away, a Nigerian evangelist in a purple suit was trying to convert the masses to Jesus and clearly enjoying the spotlight. A bit farther along, two men stood holding a sign saying Free Hugs. (No one was gathered around them.) And then there was what looked like it had started out as a debate between two speakers--an American Christian and a North African Muslim standing on chairs--on the respective merits of Christianity and Islam. But now the self-appointed spokesman for Christianity and the West was engaged in a shouting match with an angry Muslim who started shoving the people around him so he could get closer to the guy standing on the chair. "Isn't this the way it always is with the Muslims?" the American said, playing to the crowd. If this guy doesn't have a background in talk radio, he's certainly learned a lesson or two from it, for better or for worse.

Oy!

Since moving to Clapton I've let my Tube pass expire, so I'm getting around on bike and bus. I have a little ting-ting bell on my handlebars, but have been advised that a good shouted "Oy!" is a more effective warning. Still haven't got that syllable hard-wired into my brain yet though.

What is it with these signs?

Maybe it's the move to new surroundings, making me more alert to things around me. Or maybe it's something more transcendent. You tell me. Last fall when I first moved here and was preparing to begin this grand adventure or folly, I came across a traffic sign that said Changed Priorities Ahead. I haven't noticed another one like it since. Yesterday, having recently completed Year 1 and hoping to use the summer to reflect more on it as I prepare for Year 2, I saw one for the first time that says Priorities Changed.

Excuse my asking,O Holy One, but Your point is...?

And finally...

Words to live by

"The greatest potential for growth and self-realization exists in the second half of life." — CG Jung