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Writing about a new politics of love 

Writing about LoveRev Philip Young explains why he is resigning from his post with the Diocese of Norwich to concentrate on writing a bestseller persuading people about matters of peace, justice and the integrity of creation.  

I have decided to lay down my job as Environmental Officer with the Diocese of Norwich as from 24th July 2014.
 
One very good reason for doing so is that I am engaged to be married to Ann, a delightful person from the town of Ipswich and it looks as if my life will take a slightly more southerly direction.
 
However at present I am not abandoning Norfolk and the delightful town of Aylsham as I intend to make my home there a base from which I concentrate on writing on the subjects of Peace, Justice and the Integrity of Creation.
 
My intention is to write a bestseller ready for the coming election of 2015 to stir up people to ‘Vote for Love’! I haven’t quite decided on the title yet - it may well be ‘Vote for Love’ or it could be ‘A call for radical equality in an unequal world’
 
Ever since 1980 when I lived in North Walsham I have realized that the three subjects that we need to deal with in our world, at this point in its history, are the areas of Peace, Rich and Poor and the Environment. Now in 2014 everyone is coming to realise that these are important issues.
 
I first heard the initials JPIC when I was with the Quakers in the 1980’s and now that
I have joined the Franciscan Third Order I am hearing those initials again. It shows that two of the groups that I belong to care passionately for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC). It is my intention to bring these issues to the forefront of the political agenda of our country and our world.
 
Saint Francis has been a great inspiration to me over the last few years and in his time he stirred up people to care passionately about God’s Creation and about the poor. We need to stir people up now in our own time as the prevailing political atmosphere is one of apathy and a feeling that we cannot change the world for the better.
 
One area where there seems great apathy is in the whole area of War.  We seem to accept that we cannot move the world to be more peaceful. I have written here before of my campaign 11/11 and my desire to see 11/11/2018 as a very good date to work for the abolition of all war. What a fantastic tribute it would be to all those who have lost their lives in war to bring an end to war a hundred years after the First World War, which was meant to be ‘the war to end all wars’. I fully intend to appeal to people to join me over the next few years in ‘beating swords into ploughshares’. The vision of ‘peace on earth’ is achievable through all of us joining together. We need to promote the vision that we all belong to one family and that we are all brothers and sisters.
 
The inequality in the world and in our country needs challenging and we need to see who are the politicians who care about bringing more equality into our world. It cannot be too difficult to spot politicians who are in politics to look after the rich and powerful. Therefore, we the people, have to be active and go out and vote for those who are willing to put ordinary people first. We should not be afraid to challenge the inequality that we see all around us.
 
As for the environment this needs our love and care and action more than ever. I am convinced that the environmental crisis is a spiritual crisis and that therefore the solution to it is spiritual. We have become disconnected with our natural world and human greed is destroying the very air that we breathe and the very soil that we tread on. Only by reconnecting with God and with creation are we going to change. This again is the area of concern that I want to concentrate on with my writing and with my action.
 
We are in great need of a new politics of love and care for one another and our world. I want to be part of that new politics where we have a politics as if people mattered.
 
Perhaps I can write a bestseller or perhaps I can make some impact on the way people vote next year. Who knows? I just know that I want to give it a try!!


Photo: 'Love Note 2' by Lindsay on Flickr shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  


Rev Philip Young is resigning as Norwich Diocesan Environmental Officer for the Church of England on 24th July 2014. He is also a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and a member of the Third Order of Franciscans. He has decided to concentrate on spending his time writing on spiritual and political matters. He is available to give talks, presentations or to preach and can be contacted at philipyoung@btinternet.com

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