Human civilisation is the opposite of human brutalisation
And here’s the difference: brutalisation is black and white while civilisation is nuanced
Brutalisation is where rainbows (and small boats) are declared black and white
While civilisation is many-toned, where the seven colours of the rainbow are just the start of the story
It is the climate of nuance
And so we don’t applaud leaders, we don’t chant their names
Never
We can vote for them, work for them, admire them even; but we won’t wave banners, as if somehow they and their clunky programme are the answer
It never ends well…and we might make tyrants of them; they might begin to believe in their black and white, stupid-as-mince cause
Applause encourages foolish simplification and encourages tyrants, who hate nuance with a passion
And why?
Because nuance dismantles their labels in a world in which we discover
The violent librarian
The honest thief
The bigoted freedom fighter
The greedy Trades Unionist
The depressed clown
The selfish nurse
The compassionate Tory
Or the jealous bishop
This being human is a speckled affair, and civilisation is built on the truer way of nuance
Built on the truth there are no good and bad people or nations, only the speckled
All mess and magic
The controlling charity worker
The enlightened accountant
The lazy victim
The gentle fundamentalist
The hateful mother
The kind paedophile
Oh… and, lest we forget, the Good Samaritan.
