Editorial

Editorial: 10th January 2020

Welcome to edition two of Adamah, the new online journal aimed at stimulating thought and reflection on life’s big – and not so big – issues.

Christmas has lit up the last month both in expectation and celebration and the feast’s secular cousin, the New Year, is upon us with, ironically, a very Christian call for new resolutions all round.

We set out our stall as a publication last month – a vehicle for words to spark interest, open minds and encourage dialogue in a world where words wearing the uniform of vicious soundbites and angry tweets are used all too often to wound and destroy.

With that in mind, what about considering these three suggestions for your resolution list for 2020 (and beyond)?

During this year open your horizons by reading a book by an author you are not familiar with, or a genre you normally wouldn’t consider, or about a time and place you wouldn’t immediately choose as your natural space.

Over the next 12 months try to watch a film in another language – don’t worry, the subtitles become second nature very quickly – and thus broaden your vision of time and place.

Perhaps the hardest … why not follow someone on social media with whom you do NOT agree?  Read their posts or tweets, and when (eventually!) they say something you agree with, write a positive response, opening up dialogue with a spoonful of honey rather than a barrel of vinegar (to steal an image from St Francis de Sales).

The current issue of Adamah is imbued with that spirit of openness to the beauty of life, wonder at this world and the sense of expectation that a new year brings. It offers something for everyone (go on, prove us wrong and say you don’t find even one of the offerings stimulating!)

Among the rich selection we offer you this month, we focus on how to disagree without being disagreeable in modern politics, and we examine the purpose of education. But we also consider the plight of those who suffer from the closed-mindedness of others and are persecuted for their beliefs. Then there is a look at Jane Austen as proto-feminist (can we describe her as such?) and a charming poem about grief at this time of year.

So … issue two is now in your hands.  We hope you enjoy it and find it stimulating. If you do, pass it on – good things are meant for sharing.  There’s another resolution for you!

Happy New Year!

Ronnie Convery is a journalist and broadcaster who has written for a variety of publications in the UK and Italy. Currently he divides his time between directing communications at the Archdiocese of Glasgow and serving as Italian Honorary Consul in the city. He has a long background in print and TV, a strong presence on social media and recently penned a book entitled Reclaiming the Piazza (about creating space for dialogue to overcome division). Ronnie is Associate Editor of Adamah.

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