I always enjoyed the parables during RE at School . It was the clarity of thought I liked , here was someone wise telling me what to do in sticky situations. Of course , what you are ideally supposed to do , and what you can bring yourself to do , isnt always the same .To use this biblical analogy for this Royal situation may not be accurate or appropriate, but one cant help but recall that story at the moment. A story of Gods mercy , but mercy to me without true remorse and making amends doesn’t sit well .

Of course Lukes parable doesn’t go on to say what happened afterwards in the family , that wasn’t the point of this story. But I cant help but wonder , did the prodigal son learn from what happened ? One likes to think so, that mercy inspired reform ….or was the father wearing rose tinted glasses , living in hope ….perhaps he was even destroying other family relationships for a ‘repeat offender’ . Perhaps the Prodigal son just saw his Fathers response as a green light to continue to take advantage of the love and trust of his family, maybe it took his father or other family members to an early grave , We don’t know . It does though put me in mind of this painting below, inspired by one of Aesops Fables, I have to say that in my experience, this idea does make sense .

I imagine that if any of us was to write a sequel to Lukes moral tale it would be coloured by our own life experiences and personality. However, we all know that although family should have your back, they can throw you and any loyalty under the bus for whatever reason .

All I know as I get older is that the health of my family members is a priority . When seriously ill, and trying to get strong, the main route to that is kindness and consideration , not more dramas.

A fractured family relationship does in many ways mirror and focus attention on the fragility of civilisation itself. Both rely on a shared contract of mutual respect and kindness. When unwritten rules are broken without consequence, a dangerous sort of contagion sets in. Those badly affected do not just get angry; they get exhausted. They look at those who benefit from the love and protection of the group while contributing only chaos, and any collective bond begins to evaporate .

At a time when wars are raging globally and England faces its own deep troubles, the clash of personal egos and family dramas feels incredibly small. However, civilisation and family do run on the same invisible currency: mutual trust. I have come to realise that protecting the health and strength of those who actually practice kindness and consideration benefits us all. It’s a form of madness to keep incubating serpent’s eggs expecting a swallow to hatch.