Readers' letters - February 6

I wonder if the world would be a better place if we thought of ourselves and others as ‘human’ first and our labels second.

Yes, we are white, black, brown, atheist, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, agnostic, male, female, transgender, straight, gay, bisexual, left wing, right wing, liberal, socialist, conservative, blue collar, white collar, working class, middle class, poor, rich, Brexiters, remainers ... but these labels can and have divided us when we forget we are all human first of all. Increasingly we use labels and define people by these, we put people into boxes and separate ourselves into Us and Them. We all have our prejudices but the more we separate ourselves, the more we feel we are entitled to be nasty to ‘Them’, whoever They are.

We could go a step further and think of ourselves and all our fellow beings – human and otherwise – as sentient, living beings, with an ability to feel pain and suffering. I include all animals here.

I wonder, just wonder, would the world become a better place if we did this?

Would we be happier, living alongside each other and other species in harmony? Of course, we can carry on as we are, but, I believe, we will eventually destroy ourselves and our world.

CJK

via email


technology

Think before we tweet

Social media can be a positive thing, especially for charities and businesses.

But, wow, doesn’t it bring out the nastiness in people?!

One example is this.

Several years ago a couple lost their daughter while on holiday abroad.

Every parent’s nightmare.

Now, years on, we don’t know what’s happened. A mystery, which always leads to speculation.

Unfortunately I have seen comments on social media which, considering the parents are not known to these speculators and no one really knows the truth, are very unpleasant.

“They are guilty of neglect” screams the social media commentators.

Maybe, maybe not, but if 
so, don’t you think losing 
their child is punishment enough?

What if they made a horrendous mistake (we all make mistakes, believe it or not) and someone has snatched their child?

Can we imagine how awful that is?

We are all guilty of saying stupid, foolish things. Certainly I have, on many an occasion.

But surely on social media, it’s possible to think before we type?

Jane

via email

military

Calling Royal Navy vets

Thank you again, for printing my letters about reuniting those who have served together in the Royal Navy.

Many are missing the camaraderie of those who served in the Royal Navy.

“I wish I could relive some of it”. Well, this can be done in the form of an RN Shipmates Reunion to be held over the weekend of Friday, April 21 to April 24 in the Midlands. This includes a coach tour over the weekend and of course, a Tot Issue. Wives and partners are welcomed too. No association or annual subscription, just come and ‘Swing the Lamp’ and find old shipmates.

Contact me for reunion details, Mike Crowe on [email protected] or at 7 Heath Road, Lake, Sandown, Isle of Wight. PO36 8PG (A stamp will help the pension if writing to me for reunion details!)

Mike Crowe via email