Highlighting the needy with Anthony Bernard.

Violent disorder in Britain has hit the headlines, mobs demanding that society should be the way that rioters want.  This has no connection to the awful murders and stabbings of young people in Southport, where the perpetrator grew up in Wales and is not a Muslim.  Rioters ranting about Muslims and black migrants repeat Nazi slogans, a regime long beaten and discredited.  The rioters have no sense of reality, waving Soviet flags and emblems; they are just seeking an excuse for a fight.

The three bright young girls, so dreadfully cut down, brought tears to our eyes and sympathy far beyond the carpet of flowers left as a tribute.  Meanwhile, countless other children with equally bright futures have been cut down in Gaza, Somalia, Russia and Ukraine, plus those lost in landslides in southern India, and many not in the news.  It is right and normal to focus on what is immediately in front of us, but we should not forget that the whole world seems to be in turmoil right now with many bright young lives being cut short.

The perpetrator himself turns out to have been a bright youngster, dragged down by autism and mental problems - his own family and friends must also be terribly upset.  The care we should provide for youngsters with special needs must obviously be a matter for concern among Southport investigators, and indeed for all of us, but even the best managed situations can go wrong or have risks that could not be foreseen.

Every untimely death, especially of our own children, brings its own grief and anger at how and why it happened.  Having been there myself, many years ago, I know that one should never say "I know just how you feel".  Nobody else knows, and this is true in Southport, in Gaza and East Devon, it is part of our humanity.  What matters is for care and concern to be expressed in sympathetic terms, and to tell people that time puts things in a better perspective, but don't tell any bereaved parent that "time is a healer"; the wound and its scar never fully heal!

All we can do in this beautiful corner of Devon, is to be aware and appreciative of other people's troubles that may be visible and many that remain hidden.  Having lost our eldest son years ago, other people open up about situations and it is surprising to find how many have similar losses which they would only talk about to someone they feel could empathise.

World politics is in even more turmoil than the riots around England, driven by short term thinking and selfishness.  Both Israeli and Palestinian politicians reject a two state solution, and each wishes to destroy the other.  The USA supports a two state solution but provides arms to Israel as its main base to project American power in the Middle East.  Oh dear!!  Is that what is meant by "Make America Great Again"?. 

As we watch worldwide turmoil, all we can do is prevent the chaos reaching us by being kind to everyone around us, without regard to race, religion or any prejudice.  Amongst the people we meet every day, or pass in the street, there are many who are facing concerns and griefs, ranging from sickness, disability, bereavement or worrying about loved ones who are ill or in harm's way.