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50 years of
observations of people and events in 70 lands around the globe
Youth
longs, and mankind strives,
but age remembers, and sits by
the raked-up ashes of the past …
Oliver Wendell Holmes The Iron Gate
Images captured in the present
become reflections from eternity
David Malin & Steve Patterson Cosmic Reflections
These memoirs and
observations are dedicated to the millions of small farmers and fishers,
the food producers of the world, it has been the writer’s privilege to
serve, in five continents and on their seas and inland waters.
Flyleaf
 Reflections
contains a fascinating
kaleidoscope of first hand impressions of peoples and lands around the
globe. They are the thoughtful account of a Scot who left school before
he was fifteen years old, and spent the next 7 years on trawlers and
seiners in the North Sea and East Atlantic. A few years later he became a
lecturer in the College of Fisheries, Newfoundland, and an Assistant
Professor in the University of Rhode Island, USA. But his heart was set
on doing something for the millions of poor fishing communities in Africa,
Asia, South America, and the Pacific. So, he took up assignments with the
United Nations Agencies and bilateral organizations, which saw him serve
in over 60 countries, in both marine and inland fisheries. Thomson was
deeply touched by peoples he lived and worked amongst, and sought to
grapple with the economic, social and environmental issues they faced.
This led him to question some conventional approaches, and to study how
imperfect aid efforts could be improved. He was particularly influenced
by thinkers like E. F. Schumacher of Small is Beautiful, and by the
range of ideas and initiatives he encountered among development workers,
educators, politicians, students, and artisans in each country visited.
Few will agree with all of
the conclusions and ideas promoted in the book, but most readers will find
them stimulating and thought-provoking. The writer hopes that the
observations will also be entertaining and even wryly amusing in places.
While deploring current militarist responses to differences between
nations, yet acknowledging the threats to freedom and democracy of
terrorist activity and attempts by some governments to control the press
and judiciary, David offers a measure of hope and encouragement based on
personal experience and events witnessed in troubled lands and in troubled
times.
Electric Scotland Note:
We're delighted that David has decided to launch his book on our site.
Of course at some point he'll be getting it published in hard cover and so
he'd be happy to get any comments on what you think of the content and
also any errors that you may spot. Please email him at
thomson13@gmail.com.
Contents
* Note on
poetry and quotations: Most of the quotations from books, poems and
songs, are selections only. I have made slight amendments in places for
the sake of grammar or clarity, and occasionally altered a word or phrase
that did not accurately reflect my train of thought. Where such liberties
have been taken, the quotation is marked by an asterisk. I trust that the
few deviations from the originals in no way misrepresent the esteemed
writers whose works are quoted. |
