This is me!

Posted on by Opher

Controversial, uncompromising, shocking, extreme, quirky, thought-provoking, passionate, extraordinary, embarrassing, ridiculous, intense, humorous, industrious, caring, idealistic, old, unstoppable, infuriating, outspoken, dangerous, thoughtful, energetic, unrealistic, imaginative, clumsy, angst-ridden, driven, impatient, concerned, anxious, impetuous, compassionate, empathetic, angry, articulate, inarticulate, loving, caring, upset, deep, shallow, intellectual, stupid, funny, lustful, zest, spicy, obstinate, individual, unique, furious, fervent, incompetent, adventurous……………………

 

There are many sides to my personality. Which do you see?

 

The human mind is very fragile

Posted on by Opher

Contrary to our perceptions of ourselves, we are extremely fragile. War, bereavement and fear can play havoc with our delicate psyche. The world is consumed by hatred and violence because so many of us have been desensitised and traumatised by the terrible things that have happened to them and the ones they love.

We have to find a way of healing our mentally wounded and prevent others from becoming traumatised.

In places such as Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan and Ireland people have been, or are being, incredibly damaged by their experience.

Opher’s World has the answer. Build a new Zeitgeist. Visit Opher’s World :

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New Roy Harper book – Ruminating on Roy Harper

Posted on by Opher

I’ve just begun work on a new Roy Harper book and I thought that it might be good to share the beginning with you.

This is the Preface to ‘Ruminating on Roy Harper’. I hope you like it. I’d love to hear your comments.

Preface

 

1967 was a momentous year for me. I was eighteen, boiling with hormones, angst, sex and rebellion. In the prefabricated world of the dedicated followers of fashion I was the rank outsider, too extreme to fit into the norms of the ‘in crowd’ with their Carnaby Street flares and neatly trimmed long hair and collections of top ten hits. With my shoulder length hair, Zen and head full of Kerouac’s crazy zest for discovery I was the acid tongued hipster more attuned to the psychedelic jungle of London backstreets, blues clubs and all night adventures than a sixth form common room.

I wanted to let rip. I was eighteen, wild and bursting with idealistic fervour.

The world was my playground, my university, my mystical, infinite source of wonder and awe. Life was there to be burned. I had to grapple with it, wrestle it to submission and screw answers out of it.

1967 was the year of freedom. I got my car and was leaving home. There were just a few side issues to put to rest: I had to take my A Levels and secure grades that would get me a university place so that the next three years were sorted and I could continue my explorations; I had to decide where to go; and I had to get somewhere to live. It wasn’t quite Kerouac’s dream. But it was close enough.

While the ‘in crowd’ studied I did my own investigations. I haunted the Toby Jug, Middle Earth, the UFO and Marquee. This was my year of psychedelics, Beat literature and poetry. My head was full of Acid Rock and Underground mutterings. I wanted to take it all by the scrag and wring it dry. There was not a moment to be wasted.

To top it all I was in love and that gave me another heady set of hormones to stew my rewiring brain. All those trillions of delicate neurons vainly trying to snake their way through the chemical swamp of my cerebrum as they futilely attempted to rewire me into an adult. For adult was the rudest of words and one I rejected forever. Adult was the vision of my dad with his slippers, TV, 9 to 6 job, and living death on the settee. Adult death had to be fought off and slain.

I was considered a bad influence and subsequently banned from the common room and so spent my days more profitably chatting up the girls, arguing music with the dead, sorting out the sounds, gigs and parties and hanging with the small group of similar misfits. Our task was to push the limits and watch with burning eyes as the bourgeoisie squirmed impotently.

Seemingly I was throwing away my future.

Nineteen sixty seven was a year that went off in one long slow motion detonation whose reverberations would echo through my life, whose tsunami washed away the life that might have been. I’m glad. For it meant that I lived.

I didn’t give a shit.

I knew what I wanted. I wanted it all – the whole fucking universe!

Nineteen sixty seven was the year I discovered Roy Harper.

We are all being controlled!

Posted on by Opher

It is quite apparent that we are all controlled. But we are not necessarily controlled by the institutions we think control us.

Government does not control us – government is controlled.

The media manipulates us but the media is also manipulated.

Religion controls us and religion is used by powerful forces for their own purposes.

Behind the visible game is another much more odious and evil. The real power lies with the tiny elite who buy off the politicians, lobby to prevent or permit, manipulate our thoughts, feelings and perceptions through the media and utilise the power of religion to manipulate the population.

Our world is so controlled and we are so manipulated that it bec0omes difficult to know what to believe. We are given just enough to stop us rebelling. Every freedom and rise in our living standards had to be fought for and wrested away from the megalomaniacs who run things and want it all. Every freedom has been grudgingly given on the backs of a series of martyrs. Nothing has been achieved without a battle.

The society we live in is maintained in soporific oblivion through soap operas, game shows, sport, alcohol, drugs, Pop music and films – anything to stop us from thinking. Britain has talent – Britain has porn. Britain has the X Factor. Britain hates the French, Germans and immigrants. But I don’t hate anybody. I hate the systems that have been devised to keep us in check. I hate the cultural indoctrination that enables this shoddy, unjust system to be perpetuated. It is cruel, vicious, destructive, violent and unfair.

All I want is love, peace, respect and justice for everybody. I believe in a new positive zeitgeist. Perhaps we can find it at Opher’s World?

https://ophersworld.com/wp-admin/

There are 85 people who own the planet but we can make it better!

Posted on by Opher

I still find it had to accept that 85 people hold the equivalent assets to the poorest half of this world. That means that 85 individuals own as much as 3.5 Billion people – 3,500,000,000,000.

Am I alone in believing that is obscene?

I do not believe that it is possible for anyone to ‘earn’ that magnitude of wealth. That amount of wealth can only be accrued through the ‘exploitation’ of other fellow human beings.

That exploitation is a matter worthy of discussion but not the main thrust of my present argument; the issue I wish to pursue is what these superrich people do with these unimaginable resources. My contention is that what they do is horrendous for all of us.

Perhaps I should extend this slightly before I get started for it is not merely 85 people that I am talking about here. There is a superrich club of thousands who between them own most of the world. That is the reality. 99% of us live off the 1% they leave us. They, and their corporations, effectively control the world and run it for their own ends. That means they set up mechanisms to keep the power for themselves so that they can control what goes on and accrue more.

So how do they achieve this?

They exploit global markets.

They exploit tax loopholes.

They control the media.

They buy off politicians.

They lobby, bribe and pressure.

They threaten.

The end result is that this tiny minority of individuals run the world for their own profit without regard for the environment, ordinary people, wildlife or the future. They are a law unto themselves.

This is surely madness!

It is manifestly a recipe for disaster!

It is my contention that many in this group instigate conflict, wars, unrest and social inequality in order to create markets and maximise profits.

War, poverty, starvation, slavery, extreme hardship, deforestation, climate change, ecological destruction and pollution are the product of their lunacy.

We are controlled and indoctrinated with the view that there is nothing that can be done about war, famine and poverty. It is human nature. It will always be with us.

I do not accept that.

Human nature has two distinct sides. There is the negative selfish, greedy, vicious, cruel and destructive side that we read about so often in the news as people and animals are attacked, robbed and sadistically tortured for amusement. But then there is the altruistic side exhibited by the majority who really care about the world, individuals, other creatures and are helpful, friendly, honest and selfless.

Over the course of time, through the invention of civilisation, human society has come a long way. The world is a safer, more pleasant place despite the efforts of the negative players and all their thoughtless cruelty, greed and selfishness.

In general societies have introduced laws that restrict the worst of their activities and these laws work to a degree.

If we manage to survive long enough we will create a better world – of that I am certain. The only problem is whether we will be able to do this in time before the greedy minority succeed in destroying the planet through their insatiable desire for profit and power.

In order to prevent them we must put a stop to this incessant mantra for more. It is my contention that there is no need for further growth and expansion; there is only a need for greater fairness.

Just imagine how beautiful the world would be if there was a virus that destroyed human ego so that nobody wanted to be more important than anybody else, own more and show off?

Imagine all the world’s resources being used intelligently and benignly to solve problems universally rather than to accrue more yachts, mansions and control?

Imagine all the energy deployed by the gangs of lawyers, lobbyists, thugs and bully-boys employed by the elite to bribe, threaten, coerce, misrepresent, obfuscate and confuse, used productively to promote global progress.

We could solve inequality, poverty, war, disease, overpopulation, pollution, and all the rest of the world’s ills. They are not insoluble as some would have us believe.

All that is required is that we find a global way of controlling the tiny exploitative minority so that they cannot mindlessly run the world for their own selfish ends.

Here is a simple 10 step plan to prevent the venomous greedy from controlling us:

1. We stop voting in politicians who are mentally ill sociopathic, psychopathic, paranoid schizophrenics (we seem to make a habit of doing this – Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Thatcher, Reagan, Bush, Trump etc..)

2. We do away with institutionalised religion. It is used as an excuse by the wealthy. We do not want pie in the sky and the poor do not always have to be with us.

3. We jettison all tribal nonsense – such as hatred for other people, nations, religions and races. We ban xenophobia and begin thinking with our brains and not our glands.

4. We discard the outdated idea of countries and nations and replace it with a global government with global powers to protect people and the environment, to tie up the loopholes and put an end to multinationals exploiting us and the absurd financial gambling that creates boom and bust. With one market and one currency we immediately remove speculation and all the stupidity that goes with it.

5. We replace the stupid outmoded markets that gamble on the world’s resources for profit and create exploitation. We reward people fairly for their efforts. A new global system should not be hard to devise with one market and one currency.

6. We enforce the United Nations charter of human rights as the basis of universal law to ensure that all men, women, children and creatures are treated fairly with rights and responsibilities and respect.

7. We create a universal tax and welfare system so that all are treated fairly, have a safety net of sick pay, pensions and unemployment benefit so that none are needy.

8. We limit our global population to 3 billion – a level that is sustainable without creating environmental mayhem.

9. We have universal laws to control pollution, conservation and environmental degradation to create a world where all life can thrive and everyone has clean air, water and food without destroying the world.

10. We unify our efforts and research to accelerate scientific advances to fight disease, solve potential global destructors posed by asteroids, viruses and volcanoes and create paradise on Earth.

All of this is perfectly feasible! I told you it was easy!

Check it out on Opher’s World!

 

 

The Sixties Counter-Culture saved the World!

Posted on by Opher

1950s post-war culture was drab and dreary. Life in Britain was dire with rationing and poverty. The country was littered with bomb-sites and no money to provide the impetus for a renovation to lift the country.

Socially life was equally drab and boring. For boys you wore shorts until you were thirteen and then went into long trousers as a right of passage. At thirteen you became a mini version of your dad. For girls it was even worse. There were strict taboos and dress codes. Life was very linear and stereotyped.

I grew up in the post-war period with the ‘Sword of Damocles’ hanging over our heads in the form of what was accurately called M.A.D – Mutually Assured Destruction. The Soviet Union and the West were at each other’s throats with thousands of nuclear warheads poised. The USA was quite keen to use Britain as a fixed aircraft carrier and there was talk of a limited exchange that would involve a European theatre i.e the USA and bulk of Russia would miss out on the action. Nuclear war did not just seem a possibility but more of an inevitability.

The nearest we got was the ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’. I remember going to school and listening to it in the classroom instead of lessons. The USA had told Russia that if they went over the line of latitude set by the States it would be an act of war and they would attack the ships. That would have been the prelude to the end. We were not sure we were going to get home again.

The 1960s was a period of liberalisation after the stultifying 1950s. Censorship was being relaxed and boundaries were being pushed. There was the Allen Ginsberg ‘Howl’ trial and the DH Lawrence ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ trial.

This was the setting for the Rock Scene to find it’s feet and become the political and social conscience of youth.

Behind the burgeoning Rock Scene was the Counter-Culture sensibilities of the Beat Generation and then the Hippie Movement. While these movements were small in number their effect was enormous. They reached right through the Underground Scene to have a great effect on Popular Culture. Most young people were not part of the Hippie/Beat experience but were affected by it through its manifestation in Pop music and fashion. They might not have heard of Captain Beefheart, Roy Harper, the Grateful Dead, or Edgar Broughton but they had heard the Beatles, Stones, Hendrix and Cream and they were affected by the plastic hippie Flowerpot Men, Scott McKenzie and the Mamas & Papas. They thought London swung and Carnaby Street and Haight-Asbury were the places to be.

The effects of the Hippie movement in San Francisco and the Underground scene in London, Los Angeles and New York, was far reaching. There was an explosion of colour, fun, street theatre, hedonism, marijuana, sexual liberation and rebelliousness tinged with a distrust of the establishment, a civil rights unrest and an anti-war ethic.

It was hip to be young. There was a generation gap like never before. Youth was in revolt, marching in the streets, protesting and fighting for freedoms the previous generation could only dream of. They were pushing back the boundaries. Their musicians were the new leaders. Dylan, Hendrix and Morrison set the tone. The establishment were reeling. There was a camaraderie and sense of the bringing in of a new era.

The effect was felt globally. Youth all over the world saw the excitement and energy of this sixties culture and wanted to be part of it. Psychedelic bands started up all over the globe from Peru to India, Pakistan and Australia as well as all over the Soviet Union. Youth was in harmony with each other and revolt against the status quo. All over the world kids were donning kaftans, flares with scarves and beads, exhorting peace and love and forming bands. They wanted part of the sexual revolution, the liberalisation and fun and were kicking against the repression of the State. The historic animosities broke down. As far as the kids were concerned you were either a Freak or Straight.

Behind the Iron Curtain the youth of Russia were hooked on the Beatles, Stones, Dylan and Hendrix. They wanted Western music, Western jeans and Western freedoms. It led to a breakdown of the division between the East and West. Youth was talking the same language. It signalled the end of the Cold War.

We were not mutually destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. The 1960s counter-culture changed history.

If you want to read more about the 1960s, about the counter-culture or Rock Music then why not visit my blog: http://ophersworld.com/   It’s all there!

Who am I?

Posted on by Opher

Who am I?

I was born in 1949 in the Thames Delta in the deep South outside London. I grew up in the 1960s and was thoroughly immersed in the London scene and counterculture. I was a student through all those heady days and lapped up the idealism and optimism of the times. We knew we were changing the world and bringing new sensibilities to bear. Those were the days that spawned feminism, the green movement, anti-capitalism and civil rights.

I was there through the whole gamut of Rock Music. As a kid I heard Elvis on the radio and then there was the Beatles, Psychedelia and the London Underground, Acid Rock and the West Coast alternative culture, IT, OZ and a thriving Rock scene and cultural tsunami.

I got to see most of the important acts – Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Cream, Roy Harper, Captain Beefheart, Country Joe & the Fish, Muddy Waters, Pink Floyd, Son House and Bo Diddley – and hosts of others. I went to all the big festivals and events.

The 1960s counter-culture was not a fashion statement; it was a way of life. It looked at the boring establishment, the old-boys network, the stereotypical attire, the joyless lack of creativity, the conventions, religion, politics, blatant selfish greed, exploitation, inherent racism and sexism and looked to create something better. I was part of it.

We stood up for our ideals – the anti-war movement, liberation of sex, and the bringing of freedom and colour into a drab 1950s post-war society.

On a creative front, having discovered that despite my passion, I have no talent for music, I went into the real of writing.

In the 1970s the energy and creativity dropped out. Earning a living loomed and I went into teaching where I stayed true to my ideals. I extolled the virtues of fun, freedom and the joy of creativity. I brought a bit of colour into the profession and did things my way. I must have been successful because I rose up to Headteacher and my school became one of the best in the country. It’s Open, Caring, Friendly ethos was mine and I proved it worked. If you treated young people respectfully and made learning fun everything would work. It did.

During the course of my teaching career I built up a large number of books. I wrote whatever took my fancy. I never wrote for financial gain or to get famous; I wrote what I was interested in, moved by or felt the urge to do. I produced Sci-Fi to alternative fiction and Rock biography and history – whatever I enjoyed. I always harboured a desire to make a living out of writing but was always more than content to be a teacher.

To be a teacher is a privilege. A teacher is the equivalent of the tribes shaman; the holder of wisdom, dispenser of knowledge. I was happy with that.

On the family front I fell in love when I was eighteen and married in a great event in the woods in 1970. We have been together ever since and have four very dynamic, individualistic and vibrant kids who are changing the world in their own ways. They fill me with great love and hope for the future.

I now live in the North of England and continue writing and doing my bit to change the zeitgeist.