Difficult Times

 Hello Everyone, I hope you're all doing as well as possible and that there are still reasons to feel positive because I have to admit, the world is not making it especially easy, is it? There are so many news stories from all corners of the world that make you feel as if things are on a downward spiral. Obviously, the war in Ukraine is an ongoing concern but this has been perhaps overshadowed by the increasing violence in the Middle East. I cannot imagine what it must be like for those who, for example, live in Lebanon, who until recently were just going about their lives and yet now are being regularly bombed in ever more fearsome raids. As regular readers know, I don't write about politics, but I do feel there must be a better way to resolve conflict than this unrelenting violence.

Away from the hostilities between nations, I am sure we have all been shocked and horrified by the arrest of Sean 'P Diddy' Coombs for allegedly committing a variety of crimes involving sex trafficking amongst other things. He is, of course, innocent until proven guilty, but if even a tenth of the stories that are emerging from the media are true, it's a despicable series of events. What has saddened me, (but not surprised me), is the obsession with the celebrities that are allegedly involved rather than focusing on the women who were apparently abused to an unimaginable level. I'm assuming this disparity is due to the somewhat dismissive attitude of the media towards women who work within the sex industry, as if whatever happened to them, they somehow 'deserved.' This is absolutely NOT a view I share; abuse is fundamentally wrong regardless of the occupation of the victims. No doubt the feeding frenzy of the press will be on overdrive as more alleged facts are revealed, we can only hope those who perpetrated any crimes will face the full force of the law.

The other story which has dominated the headlines, at least within Europe, is the case of Giselle Pelicot, a wife who discovered her husband of over 50 years had been routinely drugging her so that he and a vast number of other men could rape and abuse her- all without her knowledge. It is a sickening situation on so many levels, that a husband, who she trusted, had behaved in such an appalling way for approximately ten years. Mme Pelicot bravely stepped out into the public eye, even though she could have remained anonymous and has attended the trial, even speaking as a witness. Unsurprisingly, her courage has not been matched by those men who are facing criminal charges, as they frantically attempt to hide their identities, swear that they thought she was a consenting partner even when they've been forced to admit, she was in a coma-like state when the sexual acts took place. Aside from the horrific physical abuse she endured, her mental wellbeing has also been deeply affected. Apparently, over the years, owing to the excessive drug intake, Mme Pelicot believed she was suffering from some kind of mental health problem as her memory was affected, she often felt intense confusion and so was understandably worried. It's awful to imagine that she probably confided her fears to her husband, who must have known, it was his criminal actions, that were causing her suffering. As, at least, he stood in court and described himself as a rapist, she will be free from him and maybe even be able to rebuild her life while he rots in prison.

Madame Giselle Pelicot

And these are only a few brief glimpses of the current state of the world, so much cruelty, violence and abuse of the most vulnerable members of our global society. Those in power- of all kinds- routinely using their position to wreak havoc on the rest of us. I think we all hope that they start to face some kind of punishment, or at the very least, that they take a step back and really understand the human cost of their actions. Whether it's a music mogul, a perverted husband or a national leader- this belief that they are all somehow above the law, has to be changed -for the good of us all.

Despite it all, I do believe, that the vast majority of people are basically good, they simply want to get on with their lives in peace, raise families, achieve dreams etc without resorting to hurting anyone else. I think it's worth remembering, this group is infinitely larger than those who want to cause harm and if we could just all speak as one, effective change can happen. None of us want to live in a world where we send our children to school in the morning, knowing that their lives could be at risk. None of us want to stand by and watch a woman or man, be routinely abused without the perpetrator facing severe consequences. Finally, none of us want to live in a world that is constantly under threat of war. If we can just look past any perceived differences, whether it's faith, sexual identity, social status etc, I feel change can happen as those in power would be forced to listen. 

I called this post 'difficult times', and as I've said, as a global community, we are facing some of the worst but let Mme Pelicot be our example- if she can stand up, despite all the horror she has experienced, we can too.

Anyway, that's more than enough from me, as always, I hope you can all stay safe...until the next time,

Take very good care out there xxx