Strange as it may seem, for someone like me to say it, but there are times when I think that words have very little or no importance. Start with Blair and Corbyn. Let's say, I think that Blair is great and Corbyn is terrible. Now let's put them each through the mincer which I'll call 'Words or deeds?' In terms of actions, Blair did a lot, Corbyn did very little (he was never in power). So for me to say, Blair is great and Corbyn is terrible, I'm in effect saying that what Blair did is great, what Corbyn said is terrible. In other words, I am in effect comparing the Iraq War with the fact that Corbyn opposed the Iraq War (one example of the Words or Deeds ledger).
Even as this supposedly enthusiastic Blair supporter (in this scenario), can I say that the two are really comparable? In terms of effect or consequences, one involves the deaths of tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people. The other involves speeches and articles.
Now let's widen this. In the world at the moment, governments are carrying out mass murders. Sitting here in the comfort of my house, nothing I say comes anywhere near the importance of those deaths. And if we widen that out to the mass of verbiage (of which I'm part), streaming out of our TVs, on the pages of newspapers, on the radio airwaves...from politicians, journalists, commentators, social media posters (in our millions)...surely again, none of it matters like the deaths of those civilians.
And, I suggest, our governments know this. They operate with a clear view that what they do is more important than what they or we, or anyone says. And the situation in Gaza is one example of this. The doing has happened, is happening, goes on.
In viewing the world and the fate of the human race, the doing is a million times more important than the saying.
