Today we were joined by Rosy wife of Dougie who designed
the peace garden at Crookham. Rosy was a lively addition to our pilgrimage
telling us about her textile business and her life in Galashiels.
I only walked one of the three sections of the walk but
once again I must point out the gentle beauty of the borders and contrast it
with the bloody carnage of 10,000 dead at Flodden Field which we reached in the
afternoon. We were given a lecture about the actual battle and the weapons
used. Luck seems to have played a large part in the english victory. If the
land had not been boggy, if the scots had used different weapons it could have
turned out differently. History is full of ifs.
We ended our day at the Peace Garden at Crookham which is
beautifully designed to illustrate conflict, war, its aftermath and peace.
Dougie James explained that he felt war was a choice one makes and there is
always the choice not to fight. That may be so but it may nevertheless be an
extremely hard choice and can lead to
death and the death of those you love. Some people die rather than take
up arms such as those who followed Gandhi but its a rare choice.
Conflict is a part of the human existence and its our
duty and ambition as christians to rise above the dog eat dog mentality, to try
to love our enemy and to live in peace with our neighbours thereby bringing
Gods kingdom on earth. I am fully aware that I will fail in this aim because
its a high ambition and I am a sinner but it should always be the Christian's
aspiration both in his or her relations with family (who are often the hardest
people to love!) and the outside world.
Caroline Byles
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