It is difficult for anyone living in Europe (and yes, I am a European and consider the United Kingdom to be part of it, unpopular though that idea is in some quarters) to be anything but gloomy as one takes note of each day's news. Financial turmoil fills the pages of the newspapers, as it has done for many months. Governments in several countries are under great stress. The rate of unemployment is high: In the UK, it is particularly high in the northeast region of the country. Given poor prospects of finding a job, many young people are, not surprisingly, feeling hopeless. It is easy to blame the government, but that is not really realistic. Of course some policies may be thought to be ill judged, but the causes of the problems are far more fundamental, and any realistic view of the situation has to recognise that there are no simple solutions.
Different perspectives
So much for the gloom. I have been thinking a great deal in recent weeks about how differently people of my generation react to national and international circumstances, and our own personal circumstances. To be fair, I must recognise that most of my contemporaries, whom I know well, are middle class, and have enjoyed reasonably successful lives.
That said, we are not immune to problems. We have been affected by illness, and by death and bereavement, sometimes sudden and unexpected. Some of us have had to face financial difficulties, or have been affected by them indirectly, through children and families. Adapting to big changes in society is not always easy.
The fact remains that most of us, in my experience, seem to be able to view our world in a positive way. I do not mean that we have an approach like that of Voltaire's satirical character, Pangloss, believing that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”. I mean rather that we are generally ready to accept the reality that things are not perfect, and that problems are real, but nevertheless we accept the case for taking a balanced view — not an unrealistically optimistic view, but one that is ready to take the rough with the smooth.
This was brought home to me a few weeks ago when we attended an annual informal reunion of friends who were neighbours in a village on the outskirts of London in the 1960s. For all of us, the fact that we still like to meet each year, half a century after we lived there, is a reminder of the importance of permanency. We are all now retired, and we have all led very different lives. We have seen our children grow up. Some members of the group have died — and we were of course sad when that happened, but not surprised. It was only to be expected. It may well be that the existence of this old neighbours' gathering, still continuing after such a long time, is unusual. We recognise that, though the annual reunion seems a completely natural thing.
Natural or unusual, it provides us with the opportunity to talk quite a lot about the “old days”, but that is certainly not all that we talk about. We remain interested in what the others are doing, and we are able to view each other's problems with understanding and sympathy.
The difference between the way in which we view the wider world, and the way in which we view developments in “our” world is, I suppose, a matter of context.
The depressing national and international issues that impinge on our lives as we keep up with the news are in general issues over which we have little control — and, without being too cynical, we feel that our several national leaders are similarly unable to control them. We know that they are serious, and we know that they will affect us, but this certainty goes along with the uncertainty of wondering what on earth is going to happen next.
When we are looking at “our” world, we are able to make a realistic assessment of the events that have affected us, and the problems that we and our friends are having to cope with. This makes it easier to be more positive. It is not a matter of ignoring, or being unaware of, problems, or of underestimating their significance. Nor is it a matter of believing that we can always find a solution. It is, rather, the fact that they are “our” problems, and therefore more contained.
bill.kirkman@gmail.com
