Â鶹Éç

Available for over a year

This weekend has given us some wonderful and also moving images of the power and mystery of human relationships. More than anything else, the collapse of the footballer Christian Eriksen during Denmark’s opening game against Finland, shook us all. The emotional scenes of his team mates creating a protective shield around him on the pitch, the tearful football fans on both sides chanting his name were encapsulated in the words of the Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand, that what the evening reminded us of is that the most important things in life are – meaningful relationships. Sometimes it’s only when we are pushed to the edge that we truly appreciate what really matters. As one Danish newspaper wrote ‘Denmark lost but life won.’ Away from the football pitch, the work of building and rebuilding relationships was happening by the beautiful waters of Carbis bay in Cornwall. The sea provided a stunning and calm background to some difficult conversations. There were some lovely even amusing photo opportunities among the G7 leaders. President Biden wants to show that his leadership marks a new beginning, that things will be different now, and our own prime minister Boris Johnson called the connection between the UK and the US, as a ‘deep and meaningful relationship’, the ‘indestructible relationship’. Relationships in all their various meanings are what draw and bind people together and healthy relationships are based essentially on trust and good communication. For any relationship to be successful long term, in politics as well as in our personal lives, I think your core values have to align. But nurturing a meaningful relationship isn’t always about resolving every conflict. I think that our relationships can make or break us. The 11th century Muslim theologian al- Ghazali wrote that for all the focus on worship and prayer we take nothing to our graves except our good deeds; these deeds remain our companion. But individual good deeds can’t happen in isolation – they need us to cultivate human bonds, trust, community, friendships and alliances. Our moral life is created in encounter. Today with so much at stake, neither individuals nor governments can afford to neglect the relationships which can bring about a collective good. The global economic ravages of the pandemic, the challenge to distribute the vaccine, issues of climate change and a more sustainable future - these are not problems we can leave for future generations - they demand trust and cooperation now, the putting aside of our differences and narrow self-interests. None of this may be easy but nor is it impossible. And even though some critics may dismiss the G7 summit as little more than political optics, I always feel hopeful of greater justice and change when people come together for a common purpose.