The Archbishop of Canterbury begins on a humorous note on Thought for the Day for Radio 4:
On the understanding that nobody will pass this around I confess that I am less and less cynical about politics.
Elections are, I admit, times when the journey away from cynicism sometimes slows down a bit.
We know that a certain level of exaggeration and manipulation is going on, but beneath the shouting and spin, I rather think on the whole that there are very decent human beings trying to find a way to be effective in making our country better. Even, making the world better.
They want a country where we or our children or grandchildren can go safely to concerts.
They want a society where people are valued even if they can’t, for one reason or another, make a huge economic contribution.
They want a country where those I saw on the streets of London late last night have a different option than sleeping rough.
They want our country to contribute significantly in the world so that we can go on being proud of it.
They want many more things, and generally they do not ask a huge amount in return, beyond a chance to come to the end of life feeling they have used their time well.
We all want our life to count. A sense of it having been worthwhile. Not in terms of recognition but in terms of a contribution that makes a difference.
Yet in ourselves, in our communities, in our country and world we too often sense the forces of disruption and chaos that defeat the good we long to see.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
