The more things change….

‘That is not dead which can eternal lie,

And, with strange aeons, even death may die.’

                            H.P.Lovecraft (1890 – 1937)

(Today’s meaning would be:  ‘There are always possibilities…’)

This is my first blog entry as John Cronin, having previously appeared on this platform under the pseudonym John Yorke, a name that has been my alias/nom de plume/avatar these past ten years and more.

Why then this sudden departure from the norm? Long story short; the TOI insists that only real names and identities can post blogs on its site. This is, no doubt, a wise precaution even though pen names can provide for a more liberated style of writing, the device being one that many well-known authors have used to good effect. H.P. Lovecraft above, according to Wikipedia, had four of them. 

Well, the Times powers-that-be (a.k.a Miriam) have now allowed me back on station and, although it’s been several months since my last contribution, I can see that not much has changed in the time elapsed.

Of course there was that missile crisis back towards the end of last year, leading to all manner of death, destruction, much cost and great tribulation. But, given the constantly charged and febrile atmosphere in the region, such an event does have about it a certain inevitability; it cannot be classed as entirely out of character with what tends to happen.

Then there were those Israeli elections in January, the result of which seemed to indicate a marked trend towards ‘the centre’ and that fresh faces, less entrenched mindsets might now be welcomed into what was becoming a somewhat moribund political arena. It remains to be seen, however, to what extent such an infusion of new blood can shape the future. Few, I suspect, will be holding their breath in feverish anticipation.

Everything else consisted of the usual clutch of ups and downs in matters Middle Eastern – especially so in the case of an Iranian monkey and his (or her) first venture into outer space.

But, as the old saying has it, ‘The more things change, the more they stay the same.’

Indeed, as far as the Israeli-Palestinian struggle is concerned, although entire generations may have come and gone, no major deviation from its long and painful history has been observed. It’s almost as if a semi-permanent ‘comfort zone’ has been established, a resigned contentment with the impossibility of the situation, an unconscious deal struck between the two sides to remain, more or less, in continual confrontation.

Well, radical changes are rarely encountered without some discomfort and not a little trepidation. My own transition here from John Yorke to John Cronin is certainly like that. Part of me still wishes all could be as it was but, with circumstances dictating otherwise, change must prevail.

And therein may lie the answer. Only by forcing a truly total breakaway from this cocoon of conflict, now with us for more than six decades, can any chance of new life be induced. Much like birth itself, some pain and apprehension may accompany the process but, with willing hands to assist and the proper technique in place, the result will always be worth the effort.

My own website, which has undergone something of a rebirth itself, details just such a procedure and can be accessed via the red link, top left. 

—————————————————————————————-

KIRK:  Spock, did we just see the beginning of a new life-form?

SPOCK:  Yes, Captain. We witnessed a birth. Possibly a next step in our evolution.

KIRK:  I wonder.

McCOY:  Well, it’s been a long time since I delivered a baby. And I hope we got this one off to a good start.”

Star Trek, The Motion Picture, final scene.