If I Had Three Wishes ...

My first wish would be that all women on Mother Earth could get together and make a difference to the way the world is. 

It's not that I'm against men, they are lovely, they are great, they are heroic and they can make me (and women everywhere) feel protected.  I work amongst so many of them, I know that for sure.  But, come on guys, there is a point when you simply have no option but to listen to your women-folk.  For instance, I know that it takes a woman's ideas to resolve an argument.  

Guys, you have an intuitive gut feeling that all women need to feel secure is for you to protect them from harm.  And, you are right.  As long as you show your appreciation for what she's done for you (even down to making you a lovely hot mug of tea), she'll love you and do all that she can for you, till the cows come home.   

When I look at the state of the world, I see a tremendous amount of good in it.  I see wonderful pictures of brave people making a difference to another's life in a brilliant way.  Standing in front of a line of riot policemen, begging them to understand.  Carrying wounded officers to a place of safety.  Guarding people bent over in prayer - even though their religious beliefs contrast with each other.  I see people running, jumping, swimming for charities raising mountains of money to help those who need it most.  I see creativity and innovation to get climate change under control by the tremendous recycling efforts and a sincere willingness to create a better world through creating healthy ways to eat and live.  And I see those who love their adorable pets, those who would do anything for their loyal companions in order to give back what they have received from them. 

But, I can't help noticing there's something yucky going on in the big wide world.  There's something we simply cannot escape, because it's kind of in our faces. 

It's something to do with the needless cruelty.  The horrendously unfair treatment of what basically amounts to hatred and anger directed towards innocents - be that women, children, animals or even men too helpless to protect themselves.  It seems like a never-ending stream of violence has encroached upon our world and, to be frank, its goal seems pointless and extremely sad to observe.

Of course, I could just get on with my life in my comfy country, going home each night putting on my microwaved dinner and sitting down to watch people being watched in the Big Brother House or take in the next episode of The Big Bang Theory, where respected adult scientists act like children.  Yes, I could do that.  But, somehow, there seems to be just too many damned things distracting me now.

Because of these distractions, my second wish would be to be able to put some kind of 'Magnificent Manifesto' together.  In my dreams, I would use the slogan 'Women Are Right to Resolve All Wars' (WAR-2-RAW - it's a catchy slogan, though needing a bit of work).  But it's a slogan that turns this 'fight against' something or other, around.  I've never agreed with 'fighting' a war (say, cancer) to end a war (cancer).  It just doesn't seem logical to me.   Wouldn't it be better to say 'Cancer - Heal It Together!'

So (apologies for the side-track) this Magnificent Manifesto would be shaped like this:

1.     fighting and hurting people and animals to stop - immediately

2.     politicians are to talk to each other – like adults (not like ruffians in a school playground - honestly, if I had attended business meetings that were run along the lines of parliamentary debates, I shouldn't think a lot would get done!)

3.      that citizens of each country (regardless of their individual status) be proud of their culture, their traditions their ways of being and appreciate and respect others in the same manner

And if, in my dreamland, this could be achieved, it would be through

·         discussing all issues – openly and honestly

·         putting our points forward – with a cup of tea and a piece of cake

·         insisting on diplomacy – between those who are voted into positions of power

You see, it doesn't matter how much I try, I simply cannot get over this notion that politicians are the nation's employees.  The people's taxes pay their salaries, don't they?  Therefore, isn't it right that a good employee should be demonstrating that they are earning that salary?  Shouldn't the employee be earning that by listening to their employer's concerns and drawing up a plan of action - i.e. what the employer wants them to do, they BrainStorm with others to figure out a way that might bring about a profitable outcome? 

(Am I pie in the sky on this one?  If I am, it's only because I'm crazily thinking about my three wishes). 

And on the subject of profits, my wish would include ploughing all and any profits (if there are any, of course) from sales of anything to do with fighting, to be ploughed into education, healthcare and improvement of infrastructure for those countries where people are suffering from lack of education, food and shelter (unless it does already then I'd be a wish in credit!) - at home and abroad.

In actual fact, my third wish would be to change the way government is organised.  It would include organising it along the lines of something like an old-time British Telecom Annual Staff Appraisal (and we can all guess what they were like!).  As an employee (politician), the policies that the employee puts forward at the 'job interview' stage, would ideally be successfully completed before the next campaign begins.  In my mind, that's a reasonable notion as I do believe they are given enough staff to complete the tasks they've set themselves within the time-frame that they are granted in ‘office’.  However, if they fail to reach their targets, for whatever reason, penalties should be applied - i.e. no bonus (or expenses - whichever is the higher), or even barred from ever returning for re-election.

The thing that got me thinking about these wishes, was (horrific though it is) the recent crash of the MH17 flight in Ukraine.  The events immediately after it, showed that our men (I'm talking global, here) could stop throwing bombs and bullets - when our employees (global, politicians, obviously) told them to.  Therefore, it showed that it wasn't the men on the ground 'doing the dirty', in actual fact, they were being ordered to do it by our employees!  On both sides.  That, I found quite odd.  And, in a strange kind of (hopeful) way, awe-inspiring, too.

So, if my wishes were to come true, it would mean that if any good was to come from the spirits that were lost to our good earth on that day, then we would be telling our employees that yes, justice needs to be done.  But first, we need to instruct our men to stop throwing the bombs and bullets at people who don't have anything to do with the decisions that have been made.  We all know by now, that violence only encourages more violence.  After that is achieved, for my wish to be made true, our employees would need to listen to their employers requirements - and to start diplomacy - well before throwing accusations like they were cannonballs that are only designed to get everybody heated with debates they didn't know anything about.

When you really put your thinking cap on, there really is no place in this modern world for people to throw bombs at innocent people (that includes children).  They do an awful lot of damage, not just to buildings and land, but to people too.  And we all know when the bombs have stopped flying around, the borders go back to the way they were to begin with, in the end.

Having said all that, it may seem a tad like I'm unpatriotic.  Well, I'm not the type of person to go round waving my country's flag in someone's face, but, I do love my country.  I love the rolling hills in the countryside, the tall silver buildings in the city, the little white cottages that line the white coast of Dover, and the dreaming spires of Oxford.   The quiet woodlands where blackbirds sing and the suburban gardens where ginger foxes rummage.  I'm grateful to the hardworking miners, the brow-beaten soldiers, the sailors, divers, chippies, builders and candlestick makers, the accountants, the secretaries, the H&S men (yes), the dinner ladies, the doctors, nurses, the health surgery receptionists - oh and, of course, the celebrities who serve to distract us from the goings-on of the world, as well as an assortment of many other people that make this country go round like clockwork 24/7.  I'm not going to mention specific groups, or particular 'rights' that this country adheres to, because basically, any human being with any tiny shred of compassion or empathy within their hearts is naturally that way inclined anyway.  Ask yourself the question, and you'll see.

Such a wonderfully huge variety of different lives, living and breathing and making this country work.  And I love the fact that people of all races and cultures want to come and visit this island land that I call home and that some love it enough to want to make it their own home, too.   And the natives (Welsh, Irish, Scottish and English) have been known to welcome newcomers with a fete that offers up our finest Victoria Sponge cakes and PG Tips makes me see the wonderful tolerance levels that naturally spread when people are left to get on with it.

Over the years, I've seen many men of my own country, and others, make huge sacrifices in order to protect their lands and to show the women they love, how much they love them.  As time has progressed and we've asked them to change, they haven't shirked from their duty of what we wanted from them.  They've abided by our every wish, at times to their own detriment.  And when they know what their women want, they go all out for it.  It's wonderful to see them in action.  When they know what is wanted, they cannot be faulted for getting the job done.  They really are great and I think it's time to show them how much we admire them for all that they've done.  So, rather than complain about what they do wrong (i.e. do the diy - wrongly), instead, tell them what they do do right.  I kid you not, rather than shut down and not do another darned thing ever again, you'll actually see them do more for you.  Yes, ladies, you are wonderfully capable of showing your love to your man.  They need to hear it too.

Sadly, there's a but coming!  But, if I really did have my wishes come true, in one gigantic wish, it would be to see that the men of the world know that what your women and children and pets really want is protection.  Not by being sent off to foreign lands to make war with other law-abiding citizens (whatever land they live in on this planet), who also only want to protect their women and children and pets.  They honestly don't want to fight you - that's a fact that's been proved many times (go read a history book on WW1, where the men used to fire shots into the air because they didn't want to kill each other, until they were ordered to, or be shot at dawn themselves!).  Those people would really rather have a beer and watch the footie with you.  And when you guys do want to pick a fight, we know it's always over and done with the next day and, strangely enough, you've become the best of pals.

Women know you have honour in your hearts, they can sense it and see it in the actions you take.  And women know you would lay the cloak in the puddle for us - if we would only let you.  In all honesty, we think you know, somewhere in your deep and loving hearts, that we don't want you pulverising innocents at the behest of the people we employ.

So, if I were to have all my three wishes sewn together, it would be for the women of the world to get together to make a difference in the world by putting into action this Magnificent Manifesto, and to draw up plans to organise a new version of government - the way a profitable company is run (like Virgin, possibly).  I just know you're capable of it.

However, if I were to have my wishes come together in one big wish, it would be to see everybody understanding that there is enough room on this planet for all people from all cultures and ways of being, to live peacefully together.   I really do think that the first step that can be taken is not to 'blame' anyone in particular, but to start with our self.  In our own heart.  Acknowledge that, of course, we do have 'off' days when we feel ratty and want to slap the dog because he's peed on the carpet (!), or feel paranoid that everyone is saying nasty things about us.  But if we can only just stop ourselves in our thoughts - right there and then - and say "No.  Must not think like that."  Then we could actually find ourselves on the home run. 

Of course, it is quite possibly the biggest pipe-dream ever.  But, to wish that we could all sit down to have a cup of tea and a piece of cake together, it's a nice one.  And to be quite frank, I'm getting too way old to be able to blow out all the birthday candles now.