You may be wondering what in heaven’s name that is. Well, it’s a long story, but I’ll keep it short. During one of the last five heatwaves that hit this glorious island (the UK, to those of you wondering) this summer, I was parched, my tongue practically cleaving to my throat. I decided to put this brownish-gold liquid into the freezer, hoping to take that chilled goodness into my throat. But I am a wonderful mum, and my daughter had just gotten her first job, so I asked her a question, and here goes our conversation:

“Hey dear, would you take this Malt to work?” She gave the Malt and me a quick glance and shook her dainty head.

“No, but thanks for offering,” she said, and left for work.

No, I got the story wrong – sorry! I asked her first, then put the drink in the freezer, and promptly forgot all about it. When I remembered, it was late evening, and the deed was already done! The drink had exploded. Curious me wanted to know how it happened. So I decided to write this post and tell you all about it. I will be equating this sad-looking, bloated, and poor drink with our world now. The most significant thing that happened was discovering what turned a perfectly drinkable Malta Guinness into a solid, tangled mess, a bit like our world right now.

That wasn’t the end of the palaver. I was drawn to the solid golden mess, and the little girl in me, over 50 years old, stretched out her hand. You probably guessed what happened, or maybe not. Anyway, I touched the solid gold, and a tiny bit of it went into my mouth. Well, fragments of broken glass travelled to my mouth as well and pierced my upper palate. I quickly spat it out, along with the blood. Well, maybe I still have shards of glass embedded somewhere in my throat, but this taught me a lesson – curiosity kills the cat. Thank God Almighty, I didn’t die!

The Baying of the Mob

The whole process is just like our world now. Earlier that afternoon, I listened to an interview James Baldwin gave years ago, where he lamented that “love has never been a popular movement”. So true, we need to start a love movement! Which brings me to how the late Cambridge Professor Jason Arday was hounded to death by continuous, unrelenting reporting about his alleged “plagiarism”, “lies”, and ceaseless scrutiny of his private life; his former university cleared him, by the way. Like the Malta Guinness above, he couldn’t cope with the stress and sensory overload. He left this wicked, loveless and unfair world.

Watching the news of his death unfold was heart-wrenching. Was he the first professor suspected of plagiarism at Cambridge? No, so why didn’t we hear about other academics like that? Your guess is as good as mine. Should academics be thoroughly investigated? By all means, but isn’t that the university’s job? Several factors contributed to his death. I am a PhD researcher, so I understand how research should be rooted in data and integrity, but the way the mob, so-called journalists, salivated and wrote about his case, you would think that finally the Epstein file has been released or aliens were actually discovered living amongst us. Even after his death, the hatred continued. Insidious jokes about his life, people hiding their own sorrow and shame found it easy to heap insults on him, mock him, and I wonder how many of those people who wrote and debated his integrity would survive such intense scrutiny; I bet not many?

And the guy who started the furore. I wouldn’t dignify him with a mention, but last I heard, he’s back at his job after a brief suspension. And yesterday, I heard he’s been given a room at Oriel College, Oxford, to discuss DEI hires. That was a true story. Another Oxford academic was accused of having child sex images. Was her name plastered all over newspapers? No. The unfairness of the world, you might say. A lot of questions are going through my mind. Why would the University of Oxford platform a man in the middle of the mess that took a man’s life? But what goes round comes round. I sincerely pray that we’d find it in our hearts to love truly, and be kinder to others less fortunate than us.

Note: I wrote this article several weeks ago; it’s now November, and Christmas is fast approaching. We honestly need to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask, “What is my purpose in this world? Am I only here just to live for myself or make my corner of the world a better place?” Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Wherever you are in the world, spread joy and love, and stay safe. And if you’re not in the right place right now, don’t worry; things will get better!

And you can get a copy of my latest book wherever books are sold, and if you want, there are PDF copies available; click on this link to get The Impossible President PDF copy.

Much love, always! 🙂