Taking care of my own parish

In times like this, you find hope where you can, even if it's in yet another bloody podcast.

I was listening to a recent interview with Dr John Cooper Clarke, the monumentally important punk poet, and in-between poetry readings and sartorial musings, Clarke talked about about his current political views, and how if you want to change the world, you have to start local. Keep an eye on your local parish, rather than the global community. It's the only way to change your world.

And those are some ideas that I've clung to with a feverish mental intensity for the past few weeks, as the global political situation looks increasingly grim, with vast hordes of people actively choosing bigotry, ignorance and downright malice in their leaders.

Because Clarke is right, when it comes to politics you can only make real difference on the local level, and take care of your own. Seeking any further political power always leads to compromise and inevitable failure, but you can change the world immediately around you.

It also makes me think of Ikiru, the classic movie by the mighty Akira Kurosawa, and the way a man at the end of his life finds purpose in doing one small, tiny thing for his own neighbourhood. He finds some peace in the task, although it remains tragic that it took a terminal diagnosis to actually do something. 

It's only natural to feel anxiety about world politics, even if you're far, far away from the epicenter of them all. But if you really want to do something, start small and start local. The worst thing you could happen is that you end up with a nice playground for the kids, and maybe you can change your local world, just a little bit.

(You can find the whole interview with Clarke here, on British comedian Adam Buxton's podcast. It's excellentt, like all of Buxton's interviews, although I am still confused over whether Rosie the dog actually exists or not. It's not the end of the world, all things considered, but it remains quietly infuriating.)