Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Remember, remember the fifth of November…

There are fireworks all around, pretty much every single night since Halloween started. Tesco sells fireworks to individuals above 18, and I reckon these guys don't go far to set them off since I can see fireworks from my window, coming from the nearby fields and recreation grounds.

They're beautiful. I asked about why there were so many fireworks recently, I didn't think it was a Halloween thing, and was reminded that it was the season to commemorate Guy Fawkes, who attempted to blow up the parliament building on the 5th of November, 1875 in an effort to remove the Protestant government and re-establish a Catholic parliament and end the oppression of Catholics in England.

This part of English history fascinates me. It reeks of conspiracy and rebellion, of oppression of a people I can identify with (obviously) and is deep rooted in politics. In case you didn't know, I'm deeply, deeply fascinated with politics and philosophy. In fact, politics, philosophy and economics are my three main, grown-up interests, it's a wonder I didn't succumb to taking the PPE course while at York. It was probably the first thing that got me and enuwy really talking, and although I am not that keen in following modern day politics (more paparazzi and marketing than politics, IMHO), I am still fascinated with politics as it occurs in life, not merely in government.

I believe Politics is ultimately about a struggle, but it is in that struggle that we find energy, meaning and power. One of the things that fascinated you about me was how much I was willing to "play the game" and how well I played it at the age that I am. Do you think this is a prerequisite to survive in the company that I work in? In any company, for that matter? I think this is a subtle flirtation, a teasing of the senses? It keeps me on my toes, makes me sharp, and keeps me alive and driven to go to work with a zeal and energy each day. If not for this, life and work would be so boring. And it's not just work. In anything that requires a relationship, from the one between man and woman, to the one between friends and family, there is politics. It is the language and method by which we all derive our relationships and attempt to connect with one another. Sometimes we fight. Sometimes we talk. Sometimes we flirt. But always, always, we are engaging in a considered dance, flitting from place to place, from thought to thought. And as the dance defines the dancers, so this engagement defines us and changes us.

In this definition, I wonder about how it is like to be a Catholic in England. Modern day Anglicans share much of the same traditions and beliefs as do the Catholics. Notable exceptions of course are that Anglicans do not subscribe to the power of the papacy, and condone divorce and abortion. Are these such crucial differences that they warrant a time when Catholics were nearly persecuted and oppressed in England? Of course, this had political roots. The queen was not Catholic, and was politically opposed to the Catholic claim to the throne. To this day, the heir to the throne of England is not allowed to take a Catholic spouse in marriage. When I read about Guy Fawkes in the Tower of London tour, I was surprised to learn how much I didn't know. Before I left, Fr Frans blessed me with the exhortation to go forth to England and always be proud of being a Catholic. Does that change the person that I am? Does that make me prouder to be what I have always been?

I cannot help but wonder why people still celebrate Guy Fawkes day. It is a reminder, as you said, of liberation and a time for peace, of a time when people fought for what they believed, and lived for it, and died for it. It was a time when people cared enough about an idea to act, react, and do.

That ended up as what I think about when I see fireworks from my window every night. At the end of the day, Politics is only a reminder of how things should be. If you feel strongly enough for something, do something about it. If you love something enough, show the world that you care. If you believe in something, live and breathe your dreams and your beliefs.