Don’t Rock the Boat.

 

There's a story in the New Testament part of the Bible about Jesus walking on the water, which is recorded in three different books: Matthew chapter 14, Mark 6, and John 6.

The story relates to the disciples in a boat when a storm comes. Then, they see Jesus walking towards them on top of the water. They, of course, think this must be a ghost and are even more afraid of him than they are of the storm.

The next thing that happens is that Peter, also in the boat, shouts to Jesus and says, “If it really is you, bid me come to you on the Water” Jesus responds with, “Come on, then.”  Peter then gets out of the boat and starts to walk towards Jesus – on the water.  Somewhat of a miracle, hey? But then the story continues; Peter looks down at his feet and the stormy waves and stares as they seem to sink into them.  Jesus puts out his hand and pulls him up, and then they both climb into the boat, and the storm ceases.

Now, I personally, in ‘church time’, have heard many preachers talk about Peter “not keeping his eyes on Jesus” and thus losing faith and therefore sinking into the sea.  To me, I have always thought, 'Hang on a minute, at least Peter got to walk on water. Wow!'  What about all the other eleven men who just stayed in the boat?  I think I would rather have had the experience of walking on water, even with a bit of sinking, than just to be one of the boat watchers.

So, why am I going on about this? Well, because just recently I was told that it is good not to, “rock the boat.” Nothing new; many times, I have been told that you should not, you cannot, this is not wise, keep your nose clean, and don’t rock the boat.

We used to own a double-decker bus; I was told that you need a special driving license to drive it. However, you can't do it. I toddled along to the police and asked if I could, and they said, “Is it a heavy goods vehicle?” My answer was “no.” Is it a public service vehicle where you will be charging fees? Again, my answer was “no.” Then, you can drive it; it’s a grey area. So, I asked, “What would you classify it as?” They answered, “It's a 90-seater car.” I am sure those regulations will have changed, so - check it out if you're buying one.

A friend of mine told me one day that the problem with the UK is the god they want to serve. I asked what that was, and he responded that it’s the god of safety and security.

The difficulty with that one is that there really is no confirmed safety and security. We take a risk every day; it’s a risk crossing the Road, going outside our house, and even being in the house. I am not saying we should be silly and take unnecessary risks or act out of stupidity. However, if you want to move forward, if you want to get somewhere, and if you are not satisfied with just being “a boring do-nothing”, then you will probably have to take a risk and rock the boat if you want to see change where things are wrong. You won't be able to keep your nose clean.  The easy answer is probably not the best answer.

I would rather have the experience of walking on the water than just sitting in the boat.  I would rather rock the boat than leave things as they are. I have discovered that taking risks brings many benefits.  In many areas of the world, we need change, and we will need to be bold and courageous to effect it. Let's rock those boats.

 

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Adrianhawkes.blogspot.co.uk

17 July 2025

 Democracy?

I recently read the Hitler playbook on how he took over Germany, all done by so-called democratic means, leaving him in office as a dictator.    Watching the end of the US Empire, I do not see any difference in the playbook being used there. When you read it all as a bit of history, it sounds just the same.  As Churchill said, “One thing that we learn from History, is that we don’t learn from History.”   

What Churchill said in 1948 was, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” It appears that this is what is being done in the USA, and if we let Farage have his say, he will likely follow the same playbook.

Of course, the big cry is, “But these people were voted in.’ It’s interesting to note that Hitler was voted in; he had great support from the “Christian” vote.  And is it not true that Putin was elected? And is it not also correct that the Donbas voted to become Russian?

Some people believe that a dictatorship may be preferable to a democracy. Interesting to note C.S. Lewis’s comment on that position, when he said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. We would be wise to be thankful for the praiseworthy aspects of democracy while working to avoid the others.”

Sure, refugees sometimes do bad things, and so do British-born people; but is that a reason to “tar them all with the same brush”?

Right now, in the UK, we are seeing people with Balaclavas over their heads, late at night, climbing ladders, scaling lamp posts, and erecting English flags, claiming that what they are doing is patriotic. Do we really believe that that is what it is all about? Patriotism? I really do not think the British public are that gullible.  It is about racism, it’s about protecting “the real English”, whatever that is.

A friend of mine, a ‘real Englishman,’ conducted one of those family history searches. To his great surprise, he discovered that his family line had Albanian ancestry.  (Great Britain was the title designated to Britain as opposed to other nearby islands.) Who are the English, Angles, Saxons, Celts, Vikings, and Norman French?  We even spoke French for a long time.

I like the comment by Greg Valerio, who looked at a line of the English St George's flags recently put up: “I am enjoying the irony that St George is not English, he never visited England, and in fact was Syrian. I think it's great that England is so multicultural that we have a Syrian as our Patron Saint. May the flag of St George always be a symbol of our multi-cultural and inclusive diversity.”

Saint George originated in the late 3rd century in Cappadocia, an area now in Turkey, as a soldier in the Roman army who refused to recant his Christian faith, leading to his martyrdom around 303 AD. He is a venerated Christian martyr.  

 

I am writing this because, yes, I am very concerned; I do not want to see the UK follow the same path as other places in our world. We need to be watchful. We need to be savvier.  We need to not listen to those who shout the loudest.  We need to think.

 

And, no! I am not part of the Z Generation, nor a baby boomer. If you want to check those phrases, I am one of those who they call from “the silent generation”. However, on these dangerous issues, I do not want to stay silent. Please do some research. Don’t listen to one source. Don’t just read the ‘popular press’. Check, and then check again.

 

Adrian Hawkes

adrianhawkes.blogspot.co.uk

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