Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, July 7, 2009

A Bottle and a Friend

There's nane that's blest of human kind,
But the cheerful and the gay, man,
Fal, la, la, &c.

Here's a bottle and an honest friend!
What wad ye wish for mair, man?
Wha kens, before his life may end,
What his share may be o' care, man?

Then catch the moments as they fly,
And use them as ye ought, man:
Believe me, happiness is shy,
And comes not aye when sought, man.

- Robbie Burns, Scottish poet, who died
on this date (which is also the date of
my birth 150 years later, in 1946), 1796


Ah yes. “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die”. I rather like thinking about this whole business as I celebrate my 63rd birthday today. I am looking at a picture on the lovely library table which Dennis bought be as a birthday gift. My paternal Scottish relatives. There were a lot of them. My grandmother bore twelve children, nine of whom lived, my father being the youngest. Plus there are the great aunts and uncles and their children. Quite a crowd, the McHugh’s were/are! Hailing from Dundee.

The McHughs are Lowlanders, but I rather fancy kilts. The one I have chosen to wear is the Orrock tartan – that of my paternal grandmother Elspeth – who was a “bastard” in the old (and I might say extremely stupid) way of looking at things.

But, back to Robbie Burns. I do not believe in the idea that we should limit our lives to a “moral” narrowness on this Earth, rejecting all pleasure, etc. Theologically, I think this is a bunch of crap foisted on us by wacko warped psychopaths. Why do we have a body, and why do we have such a glory of pleasure possibilities?? If you believe in a God who wants us to be happy and to enjoy Creation (as well as to understand that Doing Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You is the bang-on baseline), then let’s stop being sniffily haughty!

As Robbie (if he doesn’t mind me being familiar) says, the really blest of humankind are the “cheerful and the gay” (hee, hee!). Who could want more than a good bottle of some distillation and honest friends! Life is usually full of “care”, despite all we think we have in our culture to smooth the way. We have to make good use of the opportune moments, and use them as gifts from God for delight! Happiness is “shy”; so Carpe Diem!! And any sensible person would know that we are all interconnected in this.

If your “God” disapproves of delighting in Life – find another!

Brian+