Not so much a new Thought as a very old statement from the Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 1 beginning at verse 1. I prefer the King James’ Bible version as it is in my head from the Christmas Days of my childhood.

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.”

On most Saturday mornings I walk to the Farmers’ Market opposite Oval tube station, do my shopping, and take the bus home. It’s not a long walk. I walk to the market beside Kennington Park and, when the weather’s good, it’s a very pleasant walk. Last Saturday I hadn’t bought much so I decided not to take the bus and to walk home, on the other side of the road from the park, beside the shops.

On my way back I passed the Sugar Pot, a coffee shop, a beauty salon, then a nail bar where I gathered from the signs in the window, customers could have acrylic nails, shellac nails, gel nails and OPI. I don’t know what OPI is and I didn’t go in to ask. Then there was another restaurant.

Two shops on, waxing, facial, massage, spray tan and electrolysis were on offer along with treatments to improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, treat acne, rosacea and pigmentation, and reduce uneven skin tone.

There was another beauty salon and a bit further, Dino’s barbers, a traditional barbershop, where I get my hair cut. Their advertisement is a barber’s pole. There are no detailed descriptions of what they do. I turned from Kennington Park Road into Kennington Road and after the Japanese restaurant and the Post Office I had my biggest surprise.

Here, advertised on billboards outside a shop, were offered, non-surgical Brazilian bum lift, fat freeze cryolipolysis, vaginal tightening and HIFU non-surgical facelift. It was something of a relief to see, two shops on, the sign for chiropody, osteopathy, massage and reflexology. That’s where I go to get my toe nails cut.

Where there were ‘visuals’ to go with the advertisements they were all of women. What has happened to Women’s Lib, burning bras and unshaven legs?

And some of this I find embarrassing to write, but I’ve written it, and my mother would have disapproved of today’s ‘Thought’ and would have described it as, ‘Unnecessary’. But I do wonder about this preoccupation with outward appearance.

On the other side of Kennington Park is St Agnes Church where I go most days. I think and hope that there the inner self is being nurtured and kept in reasonable shape.

My Asian friend was in the changing room this morning he having been to the gym, me having been for a swim. He told me that he has thought every day about what I said – that living each day in the knowledge that one day we will die is positive and enriching. He didn’t use the word ‘enriching’ but that was basically the gist of it. He also told me that he is from South Korea. And he said that he still argues with his wife. When I suggested that must take a lot of energy which could be used in more positive ways he said, “We both enjoy it.”

There were only three of us in the pool for Public Swimming at 11 this morning. There had been six of us at mass at St Agnes at 10 but of course there’s only one service a day and there are swimming sessions on the hour every hour from early morning into the evening at the Castle Centre. When I climbed out having done my 600 meters in half an hour there were five in the pool.

There was a newcomer in the changing room when I was getting dressed after my swim and he said that he thought the water looked very cold. He’d been to the gym not the pool. I said that if it had been cold I wouldn’t have been swimming and that it was much warmer than the temperature outside.

After a bit more chat about keeping fit, or in my case mobile, he asked how old I was. I told him and he said, “Isn’t being eighty a bit sad? You can have nothing to look forward to.” And then, “You can’t even be a politician.” He was in his forties, I guess, and Asian, Japanese I think, and he might not have realised his comments were perhaps unconventional for British culture. Even for me it was a bit of a surprise as a conversation for the swimming pool changing room. And why he picked on being a politician I have no idea. Perhaps politicians in Asia tend to be older than in the West.

I said that being eighty was not in the least bit sad and that my life was very full and, on the whole, fun. “But how can it be?” he said, “You’re old.” He seemed genuinely surprised and wondering so I told him the story.

“There was a student who asked his master. ‘What is the most important thing in life.’ To which the master replied, ‘To know that one day you will die.’
The student said, ‘But everyone knows that.’ And the master replied, ‘Yes. But not everyone lives with the knowledge of that.’”

“Now that really is sad!” my new friend said. And I explained to him that, on the contrary, living with that knowledge gives value and strength and meaning and lots more besides to every moment of every day. He said that he’d never thought of it that way. We talked a bit more. He said he must think differently when he argued with his wife. I don’t know where that came from. Then, being dressed and ready to go, he smiled, said, “Thank you for a lot to think about,” and went.

There was another man in the changing room getting ready to swim. He’d been listening in and said, “It’s a bit early in the day for philosophy!” And he went off to swim. I was left thinking may be not philosophy – theology. And in my book it’s never too early in the day for that.

November 30th

I checked with the Vicar, Fr Paul, from whom I’d first heard that student/master dialogue to see if I had it right. I had, more or less. Traditionally the dialogue begins with the student asking, “What must I know to be enlightened?” And it continues from there.

On the BBC news website in an article about the young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg I read that she, ‘has called the climate summit a, “failure, and a PR exercise.” ‘ And in the same article, ‘However, Thunberg has avoided getting into the detail of what action should be taken, saying, “it is nothing to do with me.” ‘

Unless this is ‘lost in translation’, surely the whole point of what she is saying and doing is that it is to do with all of us, especially the young, including her. I keep remembering the Chinese proverb used by President John F Kennedy, “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

Surely the climate summit is far more more than “ blah, blah, blah”. I believe it is trying to light candles and I suspect too many are still more cursing the dark. Pity.