Thoughts From A Devonshire Farmhouse

THOUGHTS FROM A DEVONSHIRE FARMHOUSE

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I suppose, given that I, the Chief Cat Herder of fourteen more authors, have just (successfully, I hope) launched this year's Anthology, I had at least better mention it:

Courage: Tales of History, Mystery and Hope.

two guesses what it's about *laugh* ....

The lion has long been a symbol of courage, loyalty, and hope. A creature of power and, in some traditions, of the divine. We imagine it unflinching, unafraid. Yet the truest bravery is not found in the open, but within, where the lion lies hidden, waiting to be called upon. In moments of uncertainty or grief. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to face it. It is the moment when we would rather flee, but instead, find a strength we did not know we possessed.

These powerful and often emotional stories follow men, women, and children as they face profound adversity, the resilience to endure, cling to hope for the future, and the courage to change their lives forever.

Join these ordinary people as they uncover extraordinary strength and emerge, in their own way, lion-hearted.

"A stellar collection of well-written stories of history, mystery, and hope." Amazon reader

"This is what you want from a collection: not one weak story. These 15 tales of courage in the most adverse circumstances are all excellent, every one a winner." Terry Tyler's Book Review

But I'm not here to talk about the book (except to urge you to buy a copy or 'borrow' on Kindle Unlimited). What about Courage in general? A couple of the stories are special, not just because they are beautifully written, but because they make the reader think.

Think: "what would I do?", think: "how would I react?", think: "would I have done that?" Think as well about compassion, empathy for others, respect, love... Emotions that I suspect all too many (especially politicians and people in a position of power) have no concept of.

What about the courage needed to survive? Not just on a battlefield, where I would assume, once the fighting has commenced, adrenalin takes over. I imagine that courage is needed before battle is commenced, before the fighting starts, be it with swords and axes or guns and tanks. The courage to stay where you are and not run away. Fighting to defend your homeland or fighting against your own in (senseless!) civil war takes courage. But it also took courage for those men (and women) who were Conscientious Objectors during WWI and II. They were treated appallingly as cowards - yet many, many became ambulance drivers or field medics... that took courage.

It took courage to be gay when it was illegal to be your natural self. The moral disgust of bigoted others making judgement. How courageous was that?

Or simple fighting to stay alive? Maybe from fear, hunger and starvation, or maybe from controlling bullying?

Anne Frank

Is the courage of a Jewish family sheltering in a hidden room from the Nazis any different from a woman who dreads the sound of her partner coming home, drunk from the pub, knowing she has a night of pain and fear to face?

What about the mothers who stood at the end of the path or lane or street waving goodbye to their sons knowing that their boys might never come home again? Lost to war or the sea? How many mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, never even knew what had happened to that smiling lad who was so excited to go to sea back when America had only just been discovered? A ship caught in a storm or foundering on rocks went down quickly. There was no communication - unlike the Titanic, many a watery grave remains entirely unknown. It must take courage for a person to wake every day - every, every day - and wonder where a loved one is? Are they alive? Happy? Will they ever come home?

And not just war or dangerous situations require courage. Here in the UK there has been a recent report about all the unmarried mothers who forcibly had their newborn babies taken away for adoption. For years, right up until the late 1960s (early 1970s?) this disgraceful practice was carried out by 'those who knew best' Religious do-gooders, mostly, whether through the church or the NHS.

Young, pregnant mothers were treated shamefully - even if the pregnancy was the result of rape. (And the men were never shunned or made to pay!) How much courage did those women need to summon, day after day wondering where that child was?

So who was it, when was it, decreed as shameful to fall pregnant if you were unmarried? You can reach your own conclusion to that question. Pregnancy was not shameful when the Mother was the Pagan Goddess. When 'He' was 'She'. When love counted more than power. And I guess part of the answer lies in the fact that the only person who can know for sure who the father is is the mother. The father can never be certain. (Not without DNA.)

But there are small 'courages' as well.

The courage to walk into a hospital ward knowing gruelling surgery must be undertaken, the courage to face a driving test, the courage to keep plodding onward one foot after another to get to the summit of that mountain. (Well done Catherine, Princess of Wales for climbing the Three Peaks last weekend - Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). The courage to stand, inadequately provisioned trying to fight a wildfire - to save your home or your neighbour's. The courage to launch that lifeboat in the midst of a raging storm because somewhere out there one person is in trouble... the courage to dig amongst the rubble of a collapsed building after a dreadful earthquake. (My thoughts are with the awful situation in Venezuela.)

The courage to do something even though you are sh*t-scared to do it.

The courage to admit - or tell - the truth in public knowing your career may have to end and the media will unashamedly mock you. The courage to speak out, particularly by a woman about a man, (usually a famous, rich man.) Fill in your own choice of names here, but I suggest the previous owner of Harrods. A prince who is no longer a prince. A present president, a Russian leader. Several film producers, TV personalities... The list is dismally long.

It takes courage to blow that whistle, knowing you will not be believed and the man - or your boss, or the 'establishment'... or even your own father or husband ... will insist you are lying. Their position of power enabling the lie and the abuse. And it does not take courage to put on a false smile and nod and agree to turning that blind eye to that abuse of power. To comply with something that is blatantly wrong is weak stupidity, not courage.

I have a question here.

Is there no one, single male celebrity who has the honourable courage to admit he did wrong? Took advantage, couldn't control himself? To apologise and face the music - showing his own small piece of courage by owning up to causing another's distress?

No of course not, they all deny rape and abuse to cover their cowardice.

Let's face it, the narcissistic, psychopathic manipulative b*stards don't even admit to themselves that what they are doing is wrong. And Heaven help anyone who tries to intervene and state the truth.

It's like that game Rock, Scissors, Paper the one taking precedence over the other: rock blunts scissors, scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock - but in reverse. Power, Greed, Corruption. Greed produces corruption, corruption produces power, power cause greed.

My Dad was courageous. And paid the penalty of PTSD ever since. (Although when he was alive, PTSD was not even recognised, let alone treated.) A King's Royal Rifleman, he was captured during the early years of WWII and became a P.O.W. He was an ordinary corporal who had volunteered to fight in 1939. (Not conscripted).

Dad

The officers who were prisoners of the Germans were not expected to work, so had little chance to try to escape, so some of them asked for volunteers to change identities. Whilst in transit from one Stalag to another Dad swapped his identity of Corporal Fred Turner and became Flt. Lt. Rex Reynolds instead. Rex himself, now Fred, made several attempts to escape, and return to England to continue flying bombers. Dad had no idea about planes or flying. And because he'd changed identity he had no chance to escape. If he'd been found out he would have been shot. He remained a prisoner until the Americans liberated the camp in 1945. He took part in digging the tunnels in The Wooden Horse. Witnessed The Great Escape. Saw what Courage meant.

I promised myself I'd not rant about anything political this month, but I have to say I felt sorry for Keir Starmer. I do believe he's an honest man trying to do his best, but the back stabbers stabbed him because he's honest and trying to do his best. The best and honesty - and the courage to maintain it - is not tolerated by the cowards who do not have moral courage but want to stick to their high pedalstools of power. No matter the cost others may have to pay for it. Look at the hypercrits who enjoyed partying with Boris Johnson during Covid. Did we ever discover how many of them got sacked?

It doesn't take courage to lie. It takes courage to admit the truth.

Theresa May was stabbed too. She didn't stand a chance against the Boys Club of Missongenists. It's widely said that she did not do a good job and is still mocked ... but who does this mocking and sneering? Yep, the men and the media. I suspect Kamala Harris suffered a similar fate. She seemed to not be a liar, but look at how she (in my opinion, incorrectly) carried the can for the mistakes of others. Was she really entirely responsible for the problem of Mexican illegal immigration? Really? And Hilary Clinton a supposed ... well add all sorts of conspiracy nonsense. None of it true. Ah, but she's female. Can't have a woman being truthful against the stories created by insecure men, can we?

Think of another woman who was mocked and ridiculed for being clever of mind but had the courage to be comfortably 'ordinary' in appearance, not caring about having to look glamorous, and spoke her mind even when threatened online by arrogant men. She refused to be cowed, had the courage to speak even louder. And gained our respect because of it. Her name is Mary Beard. There are quite a few such woman recently who have equally gained our respect. I suspect there are still too many men who mock, though. Why? Because the bravery of a courageous woman highlights their withered incompetence.

one of my heroines - Dame Mary Beard

I happen to also think that Barack Obama was, like Keir Stamer, an honest man who tried to do his best. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is another courageous hero. (And I assume if you are a Republican, Nigel Farage supporter or the dreadful woman who leads the pathetic Tory party, you will disagree with me. That's your problem, not mine.)

It is not the arrogant bullies who have courage. It's the ones who are afraid but who fight anyway who possess courage by the bucketload.

And just as a P.S. If you look really carefully at the cover of A Mistake of Murder, the 4th of my Jan Christopher coy mysteries, you'll see my Dad's photo on the mantlepiece.