Thirteen-year-old-grandson Luca and I were discussing two negatives making a positive. In maths, 8 – – 7 is the same as 8+7; in English, don’t not eat means do eat… Hitting somebody that annoys him is wrong; if he hits them twice, do two negatives make a positive – so that’s good? Stealing a chocolate bar is wrong, but stealing two chocolate bars is good because two negatives make a positive.
Yesterday’s news was dominated by challenges to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. Health secretary Wes Streeting resigned from the cabinet saying, ‘Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift.’ There are so many negatives that any positives that there might be, have disappeared.
In our local news: Jo and Stu went on holiday to Thailand… Jo fell from a horse. A hospital treated her… She’d broken her back. They were insured… Insurance wouldn’t pay out. Surgery cost £12,000… Stu’s employer raised £18,500 by online funding. Jo was recovering… she returned to hospital with dengue fever from a mosquito bite. Awful things happened… They’re now back home recovering.
Yesterday Clarence Carter died. His beautiful song ‘Patches’ tells the story of a young boy living in poverty, ‘I was so ragged that the folks used to call me Patches’. His dying dad says, ‘Patches, I’m depending on you, son, To pull the family through, My son, it’s all left up to you’. However many negatives you’re facing it’s up to you to deal with them.
St Paul says, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ Negative can always be overcome by positive.
I’ve read the story of Esther. Good conquers evil and there is a happy ending. It’s the continuing Bible narrative – Job’s suffering, Daniel and the lions, Zaccheus the swindler… negative becomes positive. Jesus’ death becomes resurrection
Musing… Negative and positive… Luca… Wes… Clarence… Jo and Stu… Paul… Esther… Jesus.
malcolmsmusings.org 