There are many days where my feelings about my story of Heirs to the Kingdom clash with what is happening in the modern world, and today is very much one of them. Today in Green Park the Queen unveiled the memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in the many bombing raids of World War two. Personally I think it has been a long time coming, but finally there is a place in this land where honour and respect can be paid to those who served and gave their lives for a principle we all take very much for granted, our freedom. What I actually think adds a greater touch of respect for these often very young and brave men, is the fact that this memorial also carries an inscription that honours those who lost their lives flying for Germany, for although at the time they may have been seen as an enemy, like our brave airmen, they too gave their lives in the name of their own people.
Those who know me, will know I am indeed very opposed to war, I see it as a waste of life, not only on the part of the soldiers who fight, but also those who get caught in the middle and suffer as civilians. I believe strongly that all life is precious and should be preserved, but I also understand that at times the race of man can be blighted with madness, and those few who crave power will stop at nothing to get what they desire, and at those times in the past it has lead to war, as even today madmen around the world are ruling in a reign of terror driven by greed and the lust for power that had lead to conflict and weapons.
Looking at the world back then, and making the comparison with today, you see the stark difference between then and now. Let me elaborate slightly, looking at those men of Bomber Command from the 1940’s, you are acutely aware of their age, for most of them were under 25, in most cases they were just 21, hardly the age you would feel was right to put your life on the line. These very young men felt honour bound to step up to the plate and serve their country, never forget that most of these young men actually volunteered to serve in the air force. They did not join in peace time and then get caught up in the war, they actually sat and thought about it, then made the very brave and bold move to enlist, because they felt it was their duty to do so. All of them believed that what they were doing was right, and they did it to play their role and try to save the pain and suffering of the people of their nation, it is a massive undertaking from one so young, who has not even began to live their life. Just ponder that for a moment, for it is something I feel many have forgotten, and it is massively important that it is understood in the right context.
They gave their lives willingly to protect everyone in this nation, even with my anti war stance, I cannot help but admire and respect such an act of courage.
Something else has happened today that has made me think about the way in which I portray certain elements of my story Heirs to the Kingdom. Today the news is filled with Barclays Bank, and how at a time when the government of this country was using taxpayers money to bail them out for mismanagement, they fixed interest rates in their favour across the banking network, to rip off thier customers and gain massive profits at the same time. Somehow these men who are actually older and wiser, chose to fiddle the system for personal gain and profit. Somewhere in the midst of all of it there are a few young men who had the benefit of not going to war to die, and they chose to go to university and train to enter the banking world, where they dreamed of making money at the expense of everyone else. Today, at a time when the whole of the country is on its knees and suffering because of the many mistakes and bad deals made via the banks, they chose to push harder and gamble on a high stakes game of money, so that they would fill their own pockets and not suffer the pain they have caused. Just take a few moments and think about it, just think of the selfish and greedy state of mind they must live in to actually chance yet greater risks to a bank system already on its knees, so that they alone would be free of any kind of suffering whatsoever.
It kinda makes you feel sick to the stomach doesn’t it?
I write fiction fantasy stories, and yet in my mind there is no greater example of the difference between those of the Woodland Realm, who fight to protect those who cannot fight for themselves, and those of the Empire of Mason Knox, who are driven by greed, power and a selfish obsession to benefit themselves.
Comparing the two it also marks a huge shift in the way the modern society is moving and has indeed moved over the last fifty years. Since World War Two we have entered into what I see as the age of technology, because in the rebuilding of this country we have researched a great deal and have indeed turned the corner, on bringing modern devices to the masses to be sold at huge profits. The ordinary people have sold into the lie that they cannot live without the endless lines of goods sold to them, and using the latest research in psychology to help gain the advantage and brainwash us into believing we need this endless line of new modern products, capitalism has taken hold and changed the world and the people forever. I am convinced that my age of modern man is here, and looking at how we treat each other and the world around us, I suddenly feel that what I considered fiction at the time of writing makes me feel a little uncomfortable looking at the world of today.
People have changed, it is woven through society with fine strings of greed, but one can only ask will it ever change or end? I have one theory on its ending, I wrote it into my story, but there is a large part of me that thinks the world will continue as the divide between those who have, and the have-nots grows wider. Maybe at some future point the divide will become so great that their will be some deciding action, I cannot really say, environmentally I think the signs are there that stronger forces are at work, and that poses the question of whether or not man as he is today could deal with a massive natural disaster. Somehow I think not, the stark difference between those who fought the war and those who run our country today feels very much like they are at complete opposites, I may be wrong, and would hope in many ways I am, but just to be sure, and if I had the power to do so, I think I would much rather turn back the clock and live amongst men like those who paid the ultimate price for the country and people they loved.
