Letter 13...Merry Christmas y'all!

Dear the World,

Hmm...bit cheesy? I guess so. I would address it to the U.K. but feel I might have offended my friends in other countries around the World. Anyway, the reason that I felt that a mass Christmas letter was important is -also now a cliche- because of the current state of the world. In the last couple of weeks alone I have come face to face with so many disturbing current events:

• The War in Iraq -particularly the number of young men and women that died this year and won't be home in the UK and the USA to spend Christmas with their families. Also the young Iraqis who have died this year
• The issues in the Middle East -the growing anti-Semitism in this Country and in the world at large/the increasing anti-Islam movement
• Armament -the ridiculous, dangerous and downright terrifying number of destructive weapons owned by countries around the world

I know there are wonderful things in the world. I experienced a number of these things with my family today. I experience these by keeping in touch with some wonderful people from around the world. I experience these by looking outside my bedroom window, from studying cool subjects, from owning pets, babysitting kids, reading novels, going to the theatre, the cinema, travelling and going on day trips around Kent. I also know that there have to be shitty things in the world. But I can't help but understand why the Queen, why celebrities, why Church Leaders chose, this Christmas, to talk about all the sadness, war and suffering in the World. We're not dealing with natural disasters here -unless you argue that human nature is natural I suppose- we're looking at issues and potential ruin creating by humans and for humans. Grudges begun years and years ago and carried through to taint the current generations who, left to their own devices, may have allowed things to turn out quite a different way, may have even thought in a different way...

...Anyway, too late to dwell on such options now. It's important to focus on what to do. We're all, I know, so busy, so stressed, so scared etc. But my Christmas message to you this year is to do one thing, any one thing, towards helping the world turn out the way you'd like it to. I know people who write beautiful poetry, people who travel from city to city performing music written to highlight todays problems, comedians who use humour to argue what needs to be done, I've heard tell of campaigners who put their lives on the line to make a point...I guess I've -so far- just written a blog to incite action. So I'm not begging you to do anything radical. Just...I dunno...get out there, make a point, get the world back on track.

Merry Christmas