There are so many things I could write about at the moment. If I had the energy I could probably write a blog every day of the week. However, would anybody have the will power to read my ramblings every day? I think that once a week is probably more than enough.
Around the world, turning a blind eye to the horrors of repression, violence against women, men and children, forced starvation and endless war waged by old men in suits seems to be rampantly out of control.
It is as if the four horses of the apocalypse have been unleashed, but they are unsure about where to focus their energy in order to obtain maximum impact from their antics.
But turning a blind eye isn’t something that just applies to distant events in other countries. I would imagine that none of us can honestly say we don’t ever turn a blind eye to what is going on around us just because it is less hassle, or we don’t want to get involved and put ourselves in the firing line.
I think this is why disabled people, poorer older people other vulnerable people and asylum seekers get such a rough deal in life. They are the easy targets of political condemnation. They are the ones we can choose to ignore because it can be so hard for their voices to be heard in a way that is meaningful, respectful and impactful.
So how do we address our desire to turn a blind eye? Firstly, we need to recognise when we are doing it and how that makes us feel. Do we feel guilty? Do we even notice our emotions? Or does it make us more likely to act differently next time?
Secondly we need to understand, are we turning a blind eye because that is what the group would expect from us? What are the risks to ourselves from standing apart from the group? What do we stand to lose? And what do we stand to gain?
Thirdly, we need to think about how we would feel if people were turning a blind eye to how we were being treated? Could this be the one thing most likely to change our own behaviour?
I’m not saying it is easy to stand up for others in a meaningful way. I’m not saying that not turning a blind eye doesn’t come with extreme physical and emotional personal risk to ourselves and family. Personally, I’m also not saying that in every situation we must act rather than turning a blind eye.
I am saying that we need to be more confident and prescient about when we choose to ignore what is going on around us and when we choose to act. At the end of the day if it was your partner and children who were being torn to pieces by bullets and bombs, verbal abuse, physical abuse, or ostracisation from their local community because they were different and didn’t fit in to local stereotypes of what it means to be British (insert your own nation here), would you turn a blind eye?
Jim Thomas
September 2025
Leave a Reply