Saints’ Days. A bit of Michael Rosen. The sillier consequences of protesting.

It seems to be Saint Patrick’s Day again.

“Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Lutheran Church.” 

Wikipedia doesn’t include in that list “anybody at all who fancies dressing up and getting drunk”.

I never remember it being celebrated when I was a child but then we didn’t celebrate St George’s Day either. Nowadays people seem to need more celebrations. 

Here are a couple of items by Michael Rosen.

'Do you ever wonder, tutor, 'said the King, 'that we only exist because others want us to exist?'

'That's a very deep question,' said the tutor, 'I'm glad that you're thinking along philosophical lines. Go on.'

'What if,' said the King, 'we are only who we are, me the King, you the tutor, and only here because others want us to be here?'

'That would be to deny our self-will, though,' said the tutor.

'Yes, indeed,' said the King, 'but what if we are pursuing the objectives of others?'

'Too easy to say,' said the tutor, 'better that it should be expressed as two mutually approving objectives perhaps.'

'You mean it just so happens that our objectives coincide with others' objectives?' said the King.

'Yes,' said the tutor.

'The only problem with that,' said the King, 'is that I can't help feeling sometimes that we are very, very small and those who want us to be here are huge. Massive. Gigantic.'

'That's not a problem,' said the tutor, 'it's an advantage.'

'Some people are hurting, tutor,' said the King.

'You mean poor people?' said the King's tutor.

'No,' said the King, 'they are people who think that we are good and who do good things but who discover that we are not always good and sometimes do bad things.'

'O dear,' said the tutor, 'and you want me to worry about them?'

'I just think that we should bear them in mind,' said the King.

'Why?' said the tutor.

'Because they have our best interests at heart.,' said the King.

'I don't think so,' said the tutor, 'I used to think so, but not anymore.'

'Don't we need them?' said the King.

'No,' said the tutor.

'Oh,' said the King, 'who do we need then?'

'We need people who are 100% with us,' said the tutor.

'What? No matter what we do?' said the King.

'Exactly,  said the tutor.

No comment.

And here’s an article about how doctors who take part in protests might find themselves struck off and banned from practising medicine. In a time when we have a shortage of doctors this seems like an amazingly silly idea.

But it’s okay. People have other stuff to worry about, such as whether the Mother’s Day photo sent out by the Princess of Wales was a secret message that all is not well. The fact that you can’t see a wedding ring on her finger is taken as a sign. Good grief!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!