Winter time …..?

I don’t know if all people who work at art suffer a decrease of energy during the winter time.I would be interested to hear your opinion so feel free to contribute to this debate as the more the merrier .I have been unable and unwilling to do anything for weeks and at this state I am beginning to think that the Gods of art have deserted me? Is there something in nature that causes a ‘shut down’ .At this stage I am searching for a ,not only a reason to understand the depression rather a reason for living. Bears go underground for three months of the year,seedlings and many plants lie dormant, both, I believe have necessary reason,so perhaps I have as well? Whatever the reasons for nothing happening, I do believe the problem are a lot more complex than we understand for the decline of life spirit and creativity.The human is a complex species,far more then we realized and I will finish this chapter with the same comment which I started,”I don’t know…”. I will add an extra piece and this is that the anxiety that followed the artist, does not follow artists alone.

Social anxiety is a problem which, presumably has always existed but it is only recently that it been taken seriously by the professionals in tangent with the nations mental health issue.For the first time in Irish history the government is taking the area of mental health a priority and investing funds in this direction.The mind is a small word but it is arguably the most important organ (if it is an organ) in the total being,
and it has taken all this time to acknowledge its important.High profile people are ‘coming out ‘for the first time with this problem.It is slow ,it is in its infinity and it is under financed, but it has began.I suspect it will now take its own momentum,and because of the nature of the problem and its source , it will not again go underground and silent.Social anxiety like many human conditions has its in two main causes ,society and parenting and in many ways both are intertwined.

It is generally excepted,or a least it can be argued, that the ‘mind set’ of the nation itself, is responsible in part, to the citizens for its well being after all it thought the new children of the new nation (one hundred years ago this year) how and what to think.The term ‘under ground and silent’ is a term which can be attached to the philosophy that the citizens (and today) were given by the Dept. of Education to the children of Ireland. The day to day thinking which occupied the minds of the children in those days were predominately dictated by the 10 Commandment of the Catholic Church. Nowadays people seemed to conveniently forgot that there were ten other commitments and they were called “the ten commitments of the land” ,and this was imposed on behalf of the Nation. So if you failed to adhered to the laws of God your were punished by God ,but if you didn’t adhered to the laws of the land God also punished you. By the way,it was people who did the punishing in Gods name.

An imposed philosophy on a nation takes a long time to change and to replace it with a new and inclusive one takes perhaps as long again.So maybe Ireland is ,for the first time ,coming out of the mist of time, and taking for the first time,their destiny in to their own hands. Or is it? Have we a destiny ,or has this destiny been socialized and determined years ago?Who are we? It is an interesting thought .Generations of young people have been born grew up and many left the country to work in other lands.Some failed but many succeeded and some again brought back their fortune and contributed hugely to the Irish economy. What I am trying to say is,despite the “social mobility” over the generations and despite the wealth of knowledge all over the country somehow, every thing changes but yet nothing changes.

A recent documentary by the national TV station R.T.E uncovered a systematic on going case of corruption among the lower house of the government.There was a national outcry which seemed to last about a week. The shocking evidence on live TV was so that I fully expected a government criminal invitation into the exposure ,particular as the accused were representing the people? This is the effect it had on me, repulsed, disgusted and not happy with been Irish. Are these people,who are void of off any ethics standers,and worst still ,are they above the law?

Is the ‘consciences of the people’ in any way keeping with what the TV program , or is there a hidden high, ethical, silent, moral majority? The truth is that I don’t know.An the other hand I cannot accept a “sweeping statement” reply to the question with the ethical question,after all how do I know that given the position of power that the politician had, I would not take advantage of it?

This opens up the whole question of the subject of ethics in general, and political ethics in particular.We all assume that the institutions of the state know and work from a accepted standard.They are the limbs of the state for our protection and well being of the populous.I ask is this true or is a high theory (we are talking about the laws) we proceed.I am not going to talk a lot about law because i am not qualified to do so.However I will say what I know about the effect on the life of the people.

The subject of law is as old as time itself and like time it is not static.In Western tradition the law of the land is upheld by the courts. Judgements are handed down by a jury of the people or the judge/justiceor both. However the main point I wish to make is that the law is practiced,not applied as a finished product.Like time itself it is continually moving challenged and amended. This is a very crude and short version of the system in Europe. Do the laws of the land represent the people or do the people represent the laws.Is the laws becoming the protection of the rich ,dominant classes or is the law represent the classes equally?

They are but a few questions regarding the “social structure” of any nation on earth. Each citizen have the right to know at least what is happening on their behalf in the ‘hollowed halls’?

Many subjects within this writings merited a thorough examination and perhaps in the future I will return to it.

Example; Law
Social structure
Religion
Theology