Lawrence of Arabia is a well known film.  A friend knew all about David Lean the director, Peter O'Toole and other actors, but did not know that the core story is fact from the first world war.  With all the chaos in today's news, it set me wondering is this all real or just imaginary?  "All the world's a stage and men and women merely players", said Shakespeare hundreds of years ago.

In chaotic social events, we have had the Covid inquiry, the Post Office scandal, the infected blood inquiry.  All of those have their roots in people behaving badly, many doing things they knew to be wrong, but concerned with keeping a job, making money.

Wars never fixed anything as thousands of years of history can show, and we have more wars around the globe than ever before.  The Middle East and Ukraine are hugely in our minds, but there are large areas of minor wars and violent unrest in Africa, South America and Asia, before worrying about the US election and possible conflicts with all their personal guns.

In muddled politics we have a new government explaining, if not exaggerating, how bad everything is, while promising how wonderful it will all become now they are in charge.  Actually, world news shows our economy doing better than most, equal second for growth among G7 nations, but many people are still struggling more than ever before.  Worldwide, whole countries are in desperate straits, with poverty and famine everywhere.

History shows that military might cannot overcome serious cultural beliefs.  Physical strength cannot overcome an idea.  Russia would have even bigger problems if it overcame Ukraine, whose population and resources would combine against the invader.  American military power famously did not suppress the North Vietnamese.  Closer to home, we British resisted German and Nazi overwhelming might.  As Winston Churchill said, when asked about the British lion:  "I only provided the roar" - the British attitude towards freedom runs deeper than any leader!

Supposing this life were just a horror film, the scriptwriters would be working towards Global Warming as satanic forces become supreme in final apocalyptic scenes.  Heat and drought would create huge areas of famine, while other regions would be washed away in dramatic floods.  However, these are already happening to a minor extent.  Is this a warning?

This life really is a test, but we do have clear instructions.  Our natural sense of right and wrong is our guide, whether trimmed by Christian, Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist or humanist beliefs. 

Community working together is right.  The great evil is selfishness, both around the world and around town, in big things and small.