Pistis ponders tests and judgement (weekending July 29th 2023)

 

‽istis ponders tests and judgement (weekending July 29^th 2023)

This week as:

·        the ‘Great British Sewing Bee’ final is aired on television[i] and the judges name the winner (what a final garment!) and home judges concur or not

·        a motorcycle theory test date is booked (after much putting off)[ii];

·        tributes resound and judgement is made about the life of a singer/musician hailed as sublime and beyond compare, an activist who may or may not have been happy to be called a ‘survivor’ but stood up and stood against and was inspirational to so many[iii];

·        the continued use of an exclusive private bank and the positions of two senior bank ‘bosses’ are both ended[iv] while what is considered ‘newsworthy’ and Prime Minister comment-worthy is questioned   

·        university graduates receive letters of apology rather than certificates with grades as final marking is delayed[v]

·        a venerable cleric is denied a Permission to Officiate[vi] as safeguarding matters continue to trouble the Church of England and abuse survivors and allies are still deeply, deeply troubled

·        sporting contests continue (the Ashes, cricket) and start (the football World Cup) with defeat and victory possibly still imposters[vii] both (like new members of the House of Lords – in some people’s eyes[viii])

·        identity needs to be verified before a service can be offered

·        one man is found not guilty in a ‘mercy-killing’ trial[ix] and another’s conviction is overturned as DNA evidence is attributed to a different suspect[x]

·        a friend awaits results that may indicate the speed of a progressive illness, the possible treatment options… the time left…

·        news is shared of the sudden death of an acquaintance…

…‽istis ponders tests and judgements…

Tests of life/test of life, of professional standards, of probity, of risk, of eligibility and qualification, of resilience[xi] in the face of trauma and its legacy, of evidence, of innocence of guilt, of failure or passing…

And ‽istis wonders

·        Who sets the criteria‽

·        Who and how do we pass judgement‽

·        Who awards or rewards – or fails and denies‽

·        Who does the marking and the double-marking and the moderation and standardisation‽

·        Who trains and teaches and prepares and coaches and mentors and supervises and supports us?

·        Who weeps with those who weep (‘happy tears’ and tears of rage, frustration, despair, injustice, hurt and pain) and rejoices with those who rejoice?

©‽istis                                                                                                                    

NB: further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders. Twitter ‘follows’ and respectful comment and dialogue welcome...  

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[i] https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001p3j6/the-great-british-sewing-bee-series-9-episode-10

[ii] https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/  

[iii] https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2023/07/26/sinead-oconnor-acclaimed-dublin-singer-dies-aged-56/ & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dKdBlKgquw

[iv] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/27/coutts-chief-executive-resigns-nigel-farage-peter-flavel

[v] https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-university-marking-strike-leaves-thousands-students-stuck-limbo-2023-07-27/

[vi] https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/28-july/news/uk/bishop-of-newcastle-does-not-feel-able-to-grant-lord-sentamu-pto (two articles available without subscription, ‽istis tries to avoid references to material behind subscription/pay walls) - & https://lawandreligionuk.com/2018/07/23/permission-to-officiate-the-new-policy/

[vii] After Rudyard Kipling – see previous blogs:  https://pistisrec.blogspot.com/2019/07/pistis-reclaims-sport-weekending-20th.html & https://pistisrec.blogspot.com/2021/09/pistis-reclaims-imposter-syndrome.html

[viii] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKFbEJcb98k & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRsHnDob1oA

[ix] https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/british-man-david-hunter-not-guilty-murder-manslaughter-death-wife-cyprus-b1095938.html

[x] https://news.sky.com/story/andrew-malkinson-rape-conviction-of-man-who-spent-17-years-in-prison-overturned-12927618

[xi] And testing whether the concept of ‘resilience’ is helpful or not, as indeed whether the terms ‘survivor’ or victim are helpful or not

Pistis is alarmed (weekending July 22nd 2023)

 

‽istis is alarmed (weekending July 22nd 2023) 

 
 

‽istis wonders again (with variousi others) whether there are perhaps two types of people in the world: those who think that there are two types of people in the world and those who don’t…  

 

And ‽istis ponders another possible difference: those who wake today because the alarm has gone off...  

• Alarms on clocks, smartspeakers, ‘phones, watches 
• Multiple, closely spaced before the final up-rising deadline  
• Reflex use of the ‘snooze’ button (just one more lot of 10 minutes, oh and maybe another) 
•  ...essential tasks before appointment or commitment, pared 
• Woken for – well, all the stuff of life that you might imagine, and maybe some that you might not imagine! 

 ...and those who don’t: 

• Waking whenever, routinely or intermittently but just not possible to get up because of illness or injury, in decline, in recovery, in despair, in hope
• Waking whenever, because there is no need to get up just yet 
• Woken willingly or unwillingly by others: rudely, gently (tea in hand), with a kiss or more – willingly or unwillingly, with a slap or a kick or a bucket of water, by pets jumping on or off the bed, by children jumping on or off the bed 
• Woken by the noises outside: birds, animals, vehicles; chatter, shouting, cursing, fighting, sobbing; whistling, singing, music; revving, bins being moved, alarms going off; machinery starting up; calls to prayer (or is this a type of alarm?), chiming public or church clocks; shutters on shops and garages, slamming doors  
• Woken by the noises inside, if inside is indeed where you are sleeping: others, family, friends, next door – getting on with their day; radio, kettle, flushing toilet, slamming doors; chatter, shouting, cursing, fighting, sobbing; whistling, singing, music; prison bars banged; hospital curtains swept aside; monitoring noises, processes and procedures starting
• Woken by the noises within: dreams or nightmares, voices, worries – nagging or utterly, utterly acute
• No need for an alarm, for sleep is elusive or largely absent
• Woken by pain 
• Woken by the sun  

And then there may be the alarms that help negotiate the day: medication, pick-ups and meets, calls and appointments and deadlines not to be missed, parking, routines; forgetfulness or anxieties – managed? 

 

And finally,‽istis wonders about all those who have woken today – and who are alarmed 

...and all the many, many potential sub-types of waking alarmed there may be and the many, many causes of alarm 

    ...including thinking about the people who are waking alarmed and the cause of their alarm  

And around the world, perhaps every single hour / minute / second / nano-second multiple alarms are probably sounding.  

Constant alarms...  

Constant ‘snooze’ buttons depressed...  

Constant waking...  

Constant rising to face the day with or without                alarm‽ 

 

 

©‽istis 

                                                                                                                    

NB: further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders. Twitter ‘follows’ and respectful comment and dialogue welcome...   

i    https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/07/two-classes/ and, with apologies (but it seems a good line!) in an earlier blog...