An Alternative Scenario.

An Alternative Scenario.

Many moons ago when I was no bigger than a grasshopper and all the grass around the locality had grown long and shaggy, just like many will think this tale bears a remarkable likeness to, due in the main to efforts being made to win the second World Conflict. My dear old mum took me to see the headmaster at our primary school to discover his idea of my chances in the local examinations coming up for the local grammar school.

His report and manner glowed with confidence and assurance at my chance of success. Certainly he will pass with flying colours that much is certain. Overall in the class he is top, and in most of the necessary and prime subjects solidly in the lead. Really you have no worries as to your son's success. In fact I would say he is definitely one of the brighter and more able lads we have had here for some years.

After such a glowing report and gratifying endorsement of his judgement of my chances. The follow up letter to announce my success, though with the invitation to an interview to complete the offer of  a place in the school quickly following. It all seemed the barely worth the effort of a single doubt. How harsh, and brutal life can appear to be sometimes? With retrospect the scruffy lad who had stood before the interview board must have looked a very unlikely candidate for their preparation schedule, of potential university material.

So to an older hand like my father the ways of the world held many disappointments though few surprises. For the odd moment or two he allowed a brief glimpse of his feelings to show before consoling me. As I have been trying out recently is the idea that, with the circumstantial evidence of my own experience racketed up over sixty or more years there is a convincing alternative scenario, and a much more positive one that I feel can be considered.

On our way through life there are many forks in the road and which choice you take is not always dependant on the free will though many will attempt to seduce us with the idea that this is the case. With so many oddities that have occurred over the years in my erratic voyage of trial, error and discovery it is rather surprising never to have considered this before.

But then perhaps it is possible that I have and might also have come to much the same conclusion as now?
At the time one of the comic strips in the Daily Mirror our usual reading fare in the house were running a strip cartoon with the leading character called Garth who was being brought up away from prying eyes by two eccentric professors , using controversial techniques. Their system in the cartoon soon produced a super man.

Naturally I soon dismissed any romantic idea that my own disappointment was in anyway linked to this odd idea, of social engineering. However over the years the idea in embryo did reappear many times but could usually be fobbed off, until that is forty years ago, when my 'revelation,' put the final nail in its coffin. Though in point of fact in the intervening years the revelation of December 1972, put a vast swath of my previous, rocks of faith and points of reference into limbo in trying to interpret its meaning.

Now reviewing the checked history my career has experienced since the age of ten, and a more sober reflection of events there does seem a more objective possibility to why the answer to an age old conundrum could be unravelled by other than the sword.