Ok, part 2, strength. I'm not talking about physical strength or any attribute like that but strength of character, strength of personality. People who win arguments are not strong, merely stubborn, people who can seem really self assured, are not strong, simply confident, people who are loud are not strong, they are just extroverted and like attention. While strong people may indeed have these qualities it is not these qualities that make them strong, in my experience anyway. The shyest person you ever meet could be the strongest, the most confident could be as weak as anything once you get underneath their facade. I remember someone telling me once that the strongest person he ever met was his 95 year old grandmother, who was in a wheelchair and knew she was going to die, because she knew she had nothing to lose and because she knew she had seen more than nearly anyone else she could never be weak in personality, though she was in body. It strikes me it's the same in life, when you have a lot to lose, you become weaker, when you have little you become stronger, when you know a lot about something, you become stronger, when you don't weaker. But the real test in strength is how you respond when you're down, when you've already lost, and when people want to see you stay there. The people who come back from the worst things become the strongest, and those who put you there know it... if somebody's got you down once and you come back, they probably won't try again. It's a cliche to say what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger but there's more than an element of truth in it. So if ever you get down make as much effort to get back up as if you do, you'll be a person who can do things knowing that they are strong enough to succeed. Also remember, it takes more strength to forgive than to punish. Take care all. Stuart

Right let's start with heavy stuff, evil! Evil exists, whether as a tangible reality itself or merely as the opposite of the reality of good. How we experience evil can be simply as a victim of it, suffering, or as a perpetrator of it ourself. Whatever people think, how we experience evil and how we respond to it is dependent on our existence and understanding of ethics. But the following thing is always true: evil is not just destructive, it is self destructive. Any attempt to bring misery on others also brings misery on yourself. Although evil is usually used in the hope of power, it's true motive is always naked self consuming hatred. The reason i mention this is not because I believe people are evil (i believe people are fallen from my faith, but not evil) but because the reverse of the above truth is true: evil is a form of self hating, so self-hating leads to evil. So be very careful how you perceive yourself: whether you're shy or confident, people can hide how they view themselves very effectively, even from themselves, and if you don't love yourself you risk hurting others as that's what evil does. So love yourself and be loved!

I must admit i've never really got blogs... i tend to keep what i'm thinking to my chest generally in a reticent fashion, so broadcasting my life and feelings on the internet has never appealed. I thought of putting up song lyrics or short stuff like that which i've written, but unfortunately they're quite complicated and deliberately misleading (i enjoy blurring lines between metaphors and reality) and i don't want people thinking i'm a closet psychopath or something by misunderstanding it- so i rejected that. So I thought i'd start posting random bits of wisdom i'd acquired over the years. Having a Dad who's a vicar has meant i have experienced a vast variety of different people, and living in three completely different areas of the country has given me a knowledge of life which isn't common for a teenager. So i hope what I say will be helpful to anyone who can be bothered to look!