Remembering the Life of Raymond R. Barnett
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Remembering Ray Davey, who passed away on this day twelve years ago.
The Interview that literally changed the direction of my life.
In the 1980s, I applied for a transfer within the BBC from Northern Ireland to London. That’s because I was tired of living with the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland. I felt that London would enhance not only my career, but my quality of life. As I was single at the time and without commitments, it seemed like a sensible move.
I had already had my first BBC interview for a transfer when I visited The Corrymeela Community at Ballycastle for the first time to interview its founder Ray Davey. This was very much a research interview since I had read about Ray and his wartime experiences, etc., and thought there might be documentary material. I had picked up the idea after meeting some young people in Belfast who had been radically transformed through a Corrymeela schools programme.
Meeting and interviewing Ray that day had a profound influence on me. His perspective on life’s meaning and purpose, spoke, almost prophetically, to my selfish motivation for wanting to leave Northern Ireland. I had a very uncomfortable drive home from Ballycastle that day. After a period of reflection, I knew I was being led by God to stay and make whatever contribution I could to a better Northern Ireland, instead of running away for the sake of a potentially more comfortable life.
I got to make that documentary for the BBC. It was called “The Path of a Peacemaker” and was broadcast in 1990 for the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Corrymeela Community. It can be viewed below.
The Path of a Peacemaker: A Profile of Ray Davey and the Corrymeela Community BBC Northern Ireland 1990
My 1st image snapped in 2024
Glenarm, County Antrim
The photo above is my very first image of 2024, snapped today, Monday 1st January 2024, at the lovely village of Glenarm, on the Antrim Coast Road. The images below of Glenarm harbour were also taken on New Years Day 2024..
Going to the Moon
Neil Armstrong once said, “There are only two problems to be solved when going to the moon. The first is how to get there and the second is how to get back. The key is, don’t leave until you have solved both problems.”
It was on May 25, 1961, that US president, John F Kennedy, stood before the US Congress and declared. “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. The idea didn’t receive universal enthusiasm, however. A Gallup Poll indicated that 58 percent of Americans opposed the idea
Photo credit: NASA
Preparing to send a man to the moon was a bold step in 1961. It hadn’t been done before and therefore no one knew the ‘how.’ (Photo credit: NASA)
When Kennedy set that goal and vision, complete with the timeframe of making it happen in under ten years, no one knew ‘how’ it was going to be achieved. But they started preparing as if it was going to happen. And did it happen!
Maybe there’s a lesson here that too often we are afraid to go for the goal because we can’t see how it’s going to be achieved. Maybe there are times we need to move forward in faith, Faith requires that we take action steps and start moving forward, believing that the ‘how’ will be revealed as we move.
This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.
The Thanksgiving Turnaround
On Thanksgiving Day in America a number of years ago, a family weren’t planning to celebrate since they could only afford to buy very basic food. But when the eldest son answered a rap at the door that morning, everything changed, when a complete stranger arrived with a hamper containing enough for a feast for the whole family. By the time that eldest son reached his 18th birthday, he had saved enough money to buy food to deliver to other families in need. He reckons that the Thanksgiving Day in his youth, was actually a gift from God, guiding him and directing him towards helping others in the same way that his family had been helped.
That eldest son was Anthony Robbins, who became a famous personal development guru and multimillionaire His food distribution programme continues to this day, and, in fact he has partnered with the charity Feed America to create the 1 Billion Meals Challenge – with the goal of providing 1 billion meals by 2025. And it all started with one, seemingly small, act of kindness. Someone cared enough to feed Tony and his family, at a time when they needed it most.
This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.
Prioritising Your Values
Lou Tice was a once football coach in an American High School. He got an emergency call one day because his colleague was having a breakdown and was threatening to commit suicide. Lou subsequently discovered that the ‘trigger’ was that a pupil had thrown the shot-put into the swimming pool. Probably not a valid reason to get so upset.
But as Lou Tice points out, if you haven’t decided what you value the most, then the tiniest thing can upset you. But if you can prioritise 6 or seven things that are most important to you, then you’ll operate from a sense of values. That can help put things in perspective and make you realise that some things just aren’t worth getting upset over.
Since I believe there’s a life beyond this one on earth, I’ve made my spiritual life number one. Then family, friends, health, etc. So what do you consider to be the most important things in your life?
This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.
The Power of Words
Paul Rusesabagina, is the real-life character who inspired the film, Hotel Rwanda. It was the 9th April, nineteen ninety four, and the genocide which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives had begun. Paul had been abducted by a death squad. An Army Captain thrust a gun towards him and ordered him to execute a group of civilians. Paul was petrified but he noticed that when the captain gave him the order to kill, he didn’t look him straight in the eye.
So he lifted a baby and said, “Is this baby your enemy?” I don’t think this is what you want to do. I think you are tired and stressed. I think there’s another solution..
By his words, Paul talked his captors out of carrying out massacres and saved the lives of 1200 people.
A Bible verse in Proverbs says: “death and life are in the power of the tongue. Yes – your words, good or bad, can be that powerful.
This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.
Put Yourself in Our Shoes
I walked past a shoe shop which had a sign in the window which read, ‘Put yourself in our shoes’ I’ve thought about that since and wondered, What impact could that simple saying have, if before we got into arguments, fights or even wars, we first of all sat down and tried to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are opposing us.
Edward De Bono points out that we have a usual ‘argument’ or ‘adversarial’ thinking model in which each side seeks to attack the other. He recommends that opponents should try looking in the same direction. In other words, they put themselves in each other’s shoes.
Putting yourself in other peoples shoes totally changes the dynamic of how we look at differences.
If you’re in a conflict situation. Maybe before you go any further you should try looking at the situation through the eyes of your opponent. Try putting yourself in their shoes.
This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.
Chicken Soup
Chicken Soup: 60 sec radio script
When Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen completed their manuscript titled, Chicken Soup for the Soul, they just knew they had a winner on their hands. The problem was, book publishers to whom they submitted their work had didn’t share their enthusiasm. After fourteen months of trying, their agent said it couldn’t be sold – more than one hundred and forty publishers rejected the manuscript.
Undeterred, Mark and Victor went off to a Booksellers convention, still hopeful for their first ‘yes’.
After two and a half days of further rejections, on the afternoon of the third day, they eventually found someone willing to give it a try. But they were told they shouldn’t expect too much.
The rest is history. Today the ‘Chicken Soup’ series of over 250 titles has sold more than 500 million copies worldwide in more than 40 languages.
The next time I’m tempted to give up, I hope I can recall this story. I just might think again.
This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.