Thinking about this phrase I understand the message of taking advantage of opportunities in life and seizing the day.  As much as possible, I endeavour to living a life which I enjoy and am grateful for.

Yet I cannot help but feel that if I was to truly live my best life I would be doing many different things.  Going to the Himalayas and meditating for a year, volunteering full time for a local charity or leaving everything behind and setting off on a long walk across Europe are all aspirational experiences.

So why do I feel I cannot do these things?

Mainly this is because if I were to do these things, I would not have the money to support my familly and pay the bills for our house.  Financially I could not stop working without risking homelessness within a few months, and there would remain the uncertainty of having a job to come back to.  I feel restricted.  I guess that many people also have this dilemma.

We have been told that we are free but we only have limited freedom and this is only if we comply with the working lifestyle to pay bills for housing, food and indulgences.  I struggle to comprehend how or why there are five days in the working week and only two ‘free days’? I can understand if the work was dependent on ensuring our physical survival but this is rarely the case.

I get that we are privileged to be born at a time without war and there is increased equal rights but shouldn’t we be doing more to create a utopia?  Motivated people doing work for a system they believe in opposed to our current ‘broken’ system (as Brexit exposes).

Overall I am not living my best life but instead living my best possible life because of my circumstances.  Wouldn’t it be great if the world’s circumstances changed so we could all live our best lives? Hopefully this will be the case in the future.

……

I write this later in the day.  This evening I spent some time just with my 9 month old son at home, gave him a bath, bottle and bed.  It was great.  Our best lifes are ahead.

The decision made by the British public to leave the European Union (EU) must surely be one of the most impactful moments in the United Kingdom (UK)’s political history.  I am 35 years young and cannot think of such an era-defining political event that I have been conscious of in my lifetime.

The decision made by the highest number of people in the UK to ever vote has been continuously opposed by remainers ever since.  The British Prime Minister Theresa May has repeated that “Brexit means Brexit” yet I remain hugely sceptical that it will ever take place; or if it does it will be a watered down agreement which bears small difference to if we chose to stay in the EU in the first place.

The creation of the EU has been hugely successful in preventing war in Europe following the catastrophic events of 1914-18 and 1939-1945.  Providing a fantastic opportunity for trade and freedom of movement, the EU seemed to be a progressive step for cultural exchange to be emulated in other regions throughout the world.  However, this decision represents a dramatic halt in the expected flow of further integration.  So what has happened?

Much to the dislike of many, I suggest that the decision to leave was in part because people had had enough of further integration and the greater centralisation of power.  The referendum may also have offered an opportunity for those active in the 1970s who held the opinion that joining the European Community would be little more than joining a customs union.

I argue that immigration was also a factor.  The photo of the lifeless Alan Kurdi on the beach in Turkey in September 2015 became a catalyst for the opening of Europe’s borders.  This led to 268,000 people reaching European shores via journeys over the Mediterranean or Aegean seas during the first eight months of 2016.  There is a difference between genuine asylum seekers and economic migrants and it is unfortunate that they are often confused – this has been poorly managed by the EU and may have added to the reasons of those wishing to leave. Education about these factors is required and Europe needs to understand that it’s support of the United States interventions in the Middle East may have contributed to the displacement and subsequent emigration of those affected in the conflict zones.  A more liberal immigration policy and additional asylum claims within the European Union has in turn, put pressure on the UK’s public services which in turn may have influenced the people who voted to leave the European Union.

However difficult it may seem a resolution to the conflict in the Middle East could be the remedy to the root cause of the immigration crisis and this is where attention should be focused.

Of course there are immediate economic challenges ahead intensified by a fearful media; yet following the Brexit vote in 2016 the value of the pound quickly recovered; sometimes it is the uncertainty which causes the impact.  A free trade agreement would be an optimal solution but is the European Union opposed to granting this because it fears a domino effect with other countries also opting to leave?

I believe the main reasons the British public decided to leave the European Union was because of a distrust of its intentions for ever closer union and the problems it faces because of further immigration.  The public have voted in greater numbers than ever to leave the EU, therefore rather than spend further time quarrelling, efforts should instead be made to find solutions to the root causes of these issues.

As I write this, the UK government is embroiled in a five day debate in parliament about the consequences of the negotiated deal; there are calls for a people’s vote and a General Election yet Theresa May is standing firm.  However with four months left I will remain surprised if on 31st March 2019 a ‘true’ Brexit has taken place.

What do you think? Please leave any comments you have below.