Scotland and the return of musings

If I had to do a free form linkage of words of my experience thus far in Scotland it would go as follows: Harry McKenna, Celtic Football Pride, Strolls by Pipers, Haggis and Cooking, Discussions of Politics, Do We Really Want to Help Others Become Economically Sufficient if it Means That They Will Have to Worry About the Same Things as Most Americans?, What's Really Important in Life, Beer, Catholicism Can Be Beautiful, Free Museums, Castles, Parks, and More Parks, Scottish Ancestry, God Kill the Queen, A Pub Reserved for a Party when Margaret Thatcher Dies, the Bonds of Family, False But Beautiful Facades, War, How We Start Thinking About More Important Things When We Don't Have to Worry About Eating, Republicans and Democrats, Irish Strengths and Weaknesses, The Gambia and a Sack of Rice, A Flash of Horse, a Huge, Strong Highland Bull, Watching What We Say, and that's probably more than enough.

I'm way behind on my journal, so this entry will be elaborating on the previously mentioned topics as a way of storing mass amounts of information, and then I'll just keep writing in my journal from where I am. Some of this may be boring, so if you have any particular interests in what was mentioned above, I will label individual parts. This may also be more free form than past entries. So here we go...

On Harry McKenna: Harry was our delightful host in the city of Glasgow. A native Glaswegian, he absolutely loves his city and it shows through as he often displayed an accute knowledge of the city's and country's history and culture. He tried to give us a unique perspective by showing us sites off the beaten path, such as the Gallow Gate, the derelict buildings that are being torn down and replaced in what he described as a "Pheonix rising from the ashes." A lot of his notes will be quite prominent throughout these entries and I will point it out as I go. I loved conversation with Harry as he was able to talk about absolutely any subject and have great insight because of his vast knowledge of various topics (especially history, politics, and religion). Beyond that, he was very good at playing devil's advocate and dissecting superlative statements and generalizations. I was glad that he had a descent number of questions for me as I had a peppering assault of them for him. He fed us haggis, let me wear his kilt, showed us good Scottish tradition, and converted me to Glasgow Celtic. Speaking of...

On Celtic Football Pride: There are two teams in Glasgow, the Celtics and the Rangers, and wearing the wrong jersey into the wrong part of town could get you spit on, beat up, or worse, and I'm not kidding. I bought a Celtics jersey, and I'll explain why I bought that one instead of a Rangers one, but I was asked in 3 bars to cover up the jersey as they didn't allow colors. Bairds Bar, the Celtics Bar, was one excepetion, and the locals were delighted to see a Yank wearing the green and white hoops. Now, the Celtics team was formed by Brother Wolfrid in the mid 1800s as a charity to pay for soup kitchens to feed the poor Irish who were coming to Glasgow (and who received a heavy degree of discrimination as the Low Lands were heavily Protestant). The club was and is a source of National pride for those of Irish descent, and for the Nationalist community, which is quite strong here. Feeling a rather strong inclination towards both of those camps, I chose to buy a Celtic jersey as my Scottish soccer jersey and am quite happy about it. Harry showed me two documentaries about it, and I'm determined to find Glasgow Celtic games when I get back to the US. Speaking of football in the US, it's about time that Americans caught on to the beautiful sport.

On Strolls by Pipers: We walked around the center of Glasgow, which was quite impressive, and the main drag was a gradual slope up a wide thoroughfare which was frequented by various political booths, street performers, business people, tourists, and locals. The political booths were the most fascinating for me as they ranged from enviromental and human rights issues to the communist party and others covered with images of Che Guevarra (who is loved over here, and I still have mixed feelings about him, so I better read some more). Besides that, Jenny got some nice pictures of a young and talented piper. I gave him some coins for his playing and the picture.

On Haggis and Cooking: Scottish cuisine, in my mind, was basically famous for Haggis. That was about all I knew of it. Little did I know that Scotland, not the South, is actually home to frying anything and everything. Ever had fried pizza? You can here in most fast food places. Fried Mars bar? Yep. Haggis, Black Pudding, Sausage? They will fry them all. Fish and Chips (also fried, in case you didn't know) are also quite good here. Harry prepared us Haggis and I don't know why people are so adverse to it. I kind of liked it. You probably won't want to hear the ingredient list, but without knowing them, I think most people would be fine. Recitations of poems about haggis preceded the serving of the dish, and Harry explained how important it was in the culture as it was the main course of food for the poorer classes when the upper class shoved them to the side.

On Discussions of Politics: This topic could go on forever, but speaking with Harry was quite enlightening. He is quite happy with the Scottish system of government, which, at least to me, is coming more and more to resemble a true democracy (especially as they try to break from England). He says the health care is quite excellent, though dentistry is not as good (his explanation was that dental work is usually not life threatening). That is also improving, though. I've honestly forgotten a lot of the discussion, but it highlighted certain hypocrisies of politics in both the US and the UK. One interesting difference that I've noted in all of the European countries that I've visited, and in contrast to the US, is that people accept taxes as necessary to provide certain services. I'll elaborate on this when I get to Parks, but people understand that you pitch in your part for education and health and other services, regardless of your personal use of them. In the US, especially the conservative tax policy viewpoint, is lower taxes and private provision of those normal services, but to me it seems that some services will be completely neglected otherwise and that doing such will marginalize many groups, especially the poor, and not help to raise up others. Though that leads me into another topic. Before I get onto that topic (cancel lead-in), I've been thinking a great deal about how I wish government were simpler and people governed themselves based more on principle. That's one of the reasons we must have social programs--because people are too selfish in providing for others and many people expect "charitable" types to do it and hoard the rest for themselves. This is rather vague, but trust me, the gears are turning quite a bit on this issue. Back to the lead-in.

On Do We Really Want to Help Others Become Economically Sufficient if it Means That They Will Have to Worry About the Same Things as Most Americans?: I was explaining to Harry about my experiences in Peru and how being there instilled in me a desire to help those I met to gain the same economic freedom that we enjoy in the U.S. At the same time we were discussing how those in third-world or developing countries often have more of a focus on family, community, and religion and seem to be happier despite lower standards of living. It hit me, why do we want to gain the same socio-economic status if it only means less happiness and more preoccupation with pointless and materialistic worries. It dawned on me that instead of needing more money, we need a better standard of living through healthcare, education, housing conditions, and so on.

On What's Really Important in Life: As I said: family, community, religion. I've had a great deal of thoughts on religious freedom and its role in government, but I'm still mulling over those.

On Beer: What a social scene and community come along with it. I've still had a great deal of respect from people when I tell them that I don't drink, but I've been able to peak into that culture simply from being in pubs and bars. I've drunk so much soda here, and now understand that you want to nurse that drink as long as possible. It's more about socializing, talking, and watching a match than it is about getting drunk. I also understand moreso why God has restricted it--it still causes a great deal of damage, a great deal. There are many who can handle their liquor, but also many who can't, and when you think about it, it's one of those things that doesn't serve a real purpose even. People drink beer to socialize, but why can't you just socialize? Smoking has been more of a fascination for me as it is not only a monetary cost to smoke, but a huge cost to the environment in terms of waste, and in terms of the health of others because of second hand smoke.

On Catholicism Can Be Beautiful: I saw Catholicism in terms of heritage, culture, and family, and it was the first time where I truly saw the beauty of the religion. I suppose I should've known as all religions, when practiced based on their true and actual tenets, point us towards doing good and loving and serving others. We need to find common ground with other religions, not point out rifts, differences, and disparities. We need to acknowledge the truth that there is in others.

On Free Museums, Castles, Parks, and More Parks: Glasgow is amazing as almost all of their many museums are free and provided for by the city council. As I said before, people here tend to accept taxes as necessary to provide for such services. Glasgow is covered in Museums showing amazing art and history, the latter especially important in understanding the culture and people (I could go on about my latest thoughts on history and its importance). We went to Crookston Castle which overlooked the city and you could see pockets of greenery in every direction. We then walked through what's been voted Europe's Best Park (Pollok Park), in the middle of which is the Burrell collection (an amazing personal collection that was donated to the city, over 9000 paintings, sculptures, tapestries, glasswork, furniture, pottery, and even door frames). There are highland cattle, horses, and athletic facilities in the park as well, and it's gorgeous. They help contribute to Glasgow and Scotland's attitude of protecting the environment (regardless of how you feel about global warming and its sources, protecting the environment is our responsibility. Mormons especially should understand that).

On Scottish Ancestry: I should just call this Ancestry, but this trip has invigorated me to family history as I want to find out where I came from, what my history is, and who my ancestors are (history is so important). I've seen names like Burns and Cameron, both of which are in my past. Also, the Gaelic word for family is Clann (interesting), and Plaid is not a pattern but a cloth while Tartan is the pattern. The tartan comes from the Scottish clans as each clan had its own Tartan to distinguish it. I want to know my history so that I can find my tartans.

On History: So I need to mention this. History has determined where we are now and why things are done the way they are. To understand our history is to understand ourselves, and we should learn from both the mistakes and successes of the past. I've come here and been quite impressed by how much others know of American history and politics while we know so little of the history and politics of other countries, and I've been disturbed as I've realized how egocentrically we teach history in high school. Basically, we're vaguely taught western history and only those events that directly lead to the formation of the United States. We tend to brush over the black spots (from which we should learn) and emphasize how great we are. I suppose it's true that the victor does write the history, and we've tended towards that role, but we need to understand what is out there in the world and get more of a worldview. It's been amazing for me and will be so for all who actively strive to gain it.

On God Kill the Queen: Harry would turn off the TV if God Save the Queen started playing. He used to think that Scotland could change the system while still a member of the UK, but he's seen years of discrimination from Westminster Abbey and, like so many others in Scotland, has decided that it needs to be its own independent nation. We discussed how many acronyms the US uses (see US, UK, LA, etc etc) and Harry said the only prominent acronym in Scotland is FTQ (and that doesn't mean FOR the Queen). I'll leave you to figure that out.

On A Pub Reserved for a Party when Margaret Thatcher Dies: The Scottish and Irish, and even a lot of English (the Northerners) HATE Margaret Thatcher, and I mean HATE. From what I've heard, she was an extremely nasty prime minister, especially towards those who now hate her most (surprise). Harry says that his brother has reserved a bar for a party for the day that she dies (which is fast approaching), and I wouldn't be surprised by similar parties across the UK and Ireland (the IRA tried to kill her and almost succeeded). Harry said that she would 'experiment' with tax and public policies on Scotland, and those that failed she would tweak until it was suitable for London and surrounding areas. I have to research more after what I've found.

On the Bonds of Family: Being out here, especially in Scotland and Ireland, has planted in me the strong desire to find my history and heritage. It has also reminded me of what I saw in Peru and the importance of strengthening our family bonds that are here now. Harry's bond to his family (all of them live within miles of each other, three generations) was also a great example to me.

On False But Beautiful Facades: Glasgow has an incredible heritage of beautiful architecture, but at the same time are very progressive in modernizing their city. They've taken to preserving the facades of the buildings and demolishing behind them and then building modern buildings with the classic front. One of the funniest examples of this was a building where the design didn't have it reaching all the way to the front, so they had it supported and saved for whenever there would be a building reaching all the way. Fun stuff.

On War: I realize that there is way too much to put here and still have to ponder about this.

On How We Start Thinking About More Important Things When We Don't Have to Worry About Eating: So an archaeologist at New Grange pointed out that the advent of most religions coincided with the coming of farming. It reminded me of an economics problem where (this may be quite confusing) people stopped hunting monkeys after they had enough income to eat enough. Basically, if you don't have to just worry about eating, you can start to care about other things as well. Interesting concept, and I want to think about it more.

On Republicans and Democrats: Ugh. I won't start now.

On Irish Strengths and Weaknesses: Irish people are incredibly friendly, outgoing, and willing to talk to you forever. There really are a lot of red-headed people here, and a lot who wear green as well. I thought it might just be stereotypes, but it really happens. The weaknesses weren't so much about the people, but their food isn't that great of quality, and the roads and driving are absolutely nuts. There should be more here, but I'm getting tired of writing =).

In fact, you can just ask me about the rest for now.

On The Gambia and a Sack of Rice: This is a good story.

On A Flash of Horse and a Huge Highland Bull: Great art.

On Watching What We Say: Observing and responding.