‽istis wonders what is stopping you‽ (weekending March 30th 2024)
This weekending
‽istis has been chasing a phrase, haring about not unlike participants in an Easter egg hunt
in a field or garden with too many hiding places, or maybe like a writer
desperately seeking an original simile[i]… and that phrase is: what is stopping you?
More than usually disparate topics, news and 'stuff' from the week - and related ponderings and wonderings - can perhaps be herded together like a flock shepherded by
the winning team at a County Fair, or find shelter together under a necessary ‘late
March in the UK’ umbrella… enough!
So, some stoppings and not stoppings noticed this week:
‽ What didn’t stop the Rector of Liverpool resigning citing the
"institutional validation of homophobic and misogynistic views in the
Church" - and the "obvious and lamentable failure of safeguarding
across the Church," which Rev Canon Dr Crispin Pailing described as
"itself an abuse and a further assault on the image of God." And what
stops others from following suit?[ii]
‽ What stops other bridges in major waterways from collapsing
when struck by ships out of control?[iii]
‽ What stopped the fleeting thought become a reality: that new
wellies (wellington boots) worn with a tutu might start a major fashion trend
and turn heads on a walk with the dog – and why might certain high-profile
‘fashionistas’ potentially be able to carry it off with Style(s)[iv]
and panache?
‽ What didn’t stop terrorists (apparently from the Islamic State
group in Khorassan) kill 140 people at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow?[v]
‽ What didn’t stop the parents of Finlay Boden - those with the
primary and fundamental caring responsibility - from abusing (apparently
inflicting ‘130 injuries on their baby boy, including 57 breaks to his bones,
71 bruises and two burns – one of which is believed to have been caused by a
cigarette lighter’) and killing their 10 month old child who was ‘completely
dependent on their parents for all aspects of their care.’ [vi]
‽ What stopped and then didn’t stop the UN Security Council passing
“a long-awaited resolution on Gaza demanding an immediate ceasefire and the
immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” Antonio Guterres.[vii] And what is stopping peace in the so-called
‘holy land’ this Easter? And that may be a very big question to ponder this weekend…
‽ What, if anything, in a suggested stepped process of thinking
stuff through, may have helped someone decide to carry on in a job or not (for it
is from this situation that the ‘to stop or not' theme first emerged)?
And this week, while pondering papers and digital files from
past work, there was a reminder of a model developed by David Finkelhor[viii]
in relation to offending behaviour (including offences against children and
young people) that seems potentially helpful for prevention, practice,
planning, policy and indeed therapeutic work.
Finkelhor proposed that four ‘conditions’ need to be in place or
barriers overcome for an offence to occur: a motivation to offend; the overcoming of internal inhibitions; the
overcoming of external barriers; the overcoming of ‘victim’ resistance.
And ‽istis
thinks that perhaps, possibly, maybe there is something in the middle two
conditions especially (internal barriers and external barriers[ix])
that could help us think much more generally about:
·
why
things are done or not done, occur or not - even the ‘stoppings’ and ‘not
stoppings’ pondered this week
·
why
possibly some people do and some people don’t do something
·
about
why you do or don’t do something
·
about
why I do or don’t do something…
…now where are those wellies‽
NB:
further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme and past blog
entries to be found on X/Twitter with replies, retweets (which don’t
necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’:
@Pistis_wonders.
X/Twitter ‘follows’ and
respectful comment and dialogue welcome...
[i]
And what a splendid internet rabbit hole opened up, not least taking a reader
to ‘The Paris Review’ and an article on literary similes: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/01/21/striking-similes/
[ii] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/rector-liverpool-cites-institutional-homophobia-28880563
[iii]
Many references to the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, including: https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/
[iv]
With apologies to the much referenced Harry Styles. Hoping that a link to the
webpage will offer some consolation: https://www.hstyles.co.uk/
[v]
Many references, but here is what seems to be an interesting source: https://www.iris-france.org/184928-moscow-attack-russia-confronts-islamist-terrorism/
[vi]
Including: https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/safeguarding-practice-inadequate-in-last-weeks-of-murdered-finley-bodens-life-as-chesterfield-baby-should-have-been-one-of-most-protected-children-4570626
&
[vii]
UN Resolution 2728: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147931
[viii]
Again, many references including: https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/news/preventing-child-sexual-abuse/#:~:text=David%20Finkelhor's%20%E2%80%9CFour%20preconditions%20to,abuse%20of%20the%20child%20victim
& https://www.recovery-from-child-sexual-abuse.org.uk/the-finkelhor-model/
[ix]
And maybe in Derbyshire the imagery could be of dry-stone walls that bar or
block, and of stiles that enable barriers to be overcome… What dry-stone walls can
be put in place that may serve as external inhibitors? The report published
this week has 11 recommendations for practice, policy, procedure, services and
resources: https://www.ddscp.org.uk/media/derby-scb/content-assets/documents/serious-case-reviews/ddscp_tds20_lcspr_final(2)_14.03.24.pdf
