I don’t doubt that I have lived a privileged and sheltered life, but before Israel’s genocide in Gaza I had never seen a hospital patient on an intravenous drip being burned alive.
What we are witnessing is not merely war, but a perverse ethical spectacle — genocide dressed as self-defense, starvation repackaged as strategy. The real obscenity is not just in the bombs, but in the cold bureaucratic decision to let children starve while claiming moral high ground. In such moments, ideology does not conceal reality — it is reality.
Engaging piece as always. I remember as a teenager first getting involved in the martial arts. I grew up in the 1970s and one of my favourite TV programs at the time was Kung Fu. David Carradine's character resonated with me. I was always attracted to the esoteric side of the martial arts. I also did Tai chi on several occasions. At one point I went to the local Buddhist Centre in Glasgow where I live. We always ended a session with a 10 minute meditation. I had previously read a book on Buddhism and found it inspiring. Although I haven't formally engaged with the religion, I have a lot of respect for the philosophy.
I recall in one of your previous articles where you mentioned writing for writings sake - or something to that effect! I can identify with that. When I first became a campaigner initially focusing on environmental issues I found myself wanting to pursue the issue in more greater depth. I began studying a degree in Environmental Studies with the Open University. After a few years I wondered how I could get the message of what was happening to the environment 'out there'. That's when I started a blog. That was over 20 years ago. 5 years ago I began writing on Substack. Over the years I've became more acutely aware of the deep flaws in our system. I've experienced personal trauma in the past, but always took the position that there will be someone else in a worse position than myself. Now we face the gamut of emotions related to Gaza. I find that I can express myself most effectively through my writing and have written extensively on Palestine/Israel, as well as other issues. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Barry; I wrote about writing what you love to write without worrying about results (money, attention, respectability). 👍 Well done on the blog; can you post a link?
What we are witnessing is not merely war, but a perverse ethical spectacle — genocide dressed as self-defense, starvation repackaged as strategy. The real obscenity is not just in the bombs, but in the cold bureaucratic decision to let children starve while claiming moral high ground. In such moments, ideology does not conceal reality — it is reality.
Engaging piece as always. I remember as a teenager first getting involved in the martial arts. I grew up in the 1970s and one of my favourite TV programs at the time was Kung Fu. David Carradine's character resonated with me. I was always attracted to the esoteric side of the martial arts. I also did Tai chi on several occasions. At one point I went to the local Buddhist Centre in Glasgow where I live. We always ended a session with a 10 minute meditation. I had previously read a book on Buddhism and found it inspiring. Although I haven't formally engaged with the religion, I have a lot of respect for the philosophy.
I recall in one of your previous articles where you mentioned writing for writings sake - or something to that effect! I can identify with that. When I first became a campaigner initially focusing on environmental issues I found myself wanting to pursue the issue in more greater depth. I began studying a degree in Environmental Studies with the Open University. After a few years I wondered how I could get the message of what was happening to the environment 'out there'. That's when I started a blog. That was over 20 years ago. 5 years ago I began writing on Substack. Over the years I've became more acutely aware of the deep flaws in our system. I've experienced personal trauma in the past, but always took the position that there will be someone else in a worse position than myself. Now we face the gamut of emotions related to Gaza. I find that I can express myself most effectively through my writing and have written extensively on Palestine/Israel, as well as other issues. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Barry; I wrote about writing what you love to write without worrying about results (money, attention, respectability). 👍 Well done on the blog; can you post a link?
Best, David E
Thanks David. Yes of course, here it is: https://shadowlightblog.substack.com/