Rob Horgan
A YOUNG British expat is campaigning to raise money for refugees in Greece.
Having spent the last two months on Lesbos with his mother, 22-year-old Josh Turner-Hunt is now home in Casares for a new fundraising effort.
Trained as a lifeguard, Josh intends to return to the island to help with the ‘incredible number’ of boats that arrive every day.
He also intends to take over essential supplies and has launched ‘The Big Red Van Project’ to feed and clothe incoming refugees.
“The instability of this crisis is worrying, that’s why mobility is so important, to be where I am most needed,” Josh, originally from Plymouth, told the Olive Press.
“I have converted my van into a mobile kitchen kitted with three big hobs and plenty of industrial sized pots and frying pans.”
He added: “The pain, suffering and humility from those that have journeyed so far from lands torn apart by war is hugely upsetting.
“Yet they show so much love, warmth, dignity and strength that it is truly inspiring.”
Josh, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for 18 years, is aiming to raise €4,500 for his journey back this spring.
To donate visit www.chuffed.org/project/red-food-van
This decent young man has his head on straight, and serves as an ethical model to others wasting their lives with opportunism and self-indulgence.
@ Chas
Perhaps it is not the opportunistic, self-indulgent types that you should be spouting off about.
I feel that your anger towards the yoof of today would be far better directed at the governments, their policies, military persons etc.
People who have actually had a hand in creating the very problems that this decent young man is trying to rectify.
Nice one Josh.
To compliment good actions by ethical people is not ‘spouting off.’ Its supporting the good. Positive remarks directed to good people doesn’t mean that one doesn’t recognize the complex and bad governing systems underlying problems. Both positive constructive action and resistance to bad power are needed – otherwise one is just spitting in the wind.
“This decent young man has his head on straight,” -This Part I agree with.
“and serves as an ethical model to others wasting their lives with opportunism and self-indulgence”
-This is the part I suppose I have issue with and would consider it “spouting off”. An unneeded comparison from someone who is trying to take the moral high horse, play whiter than white, or holier than thou.
Of course, Chas you have gone through the entirety of life without ever being self-indulgent or opportunistic at times.
It seems to me that striving for a ‘higher moral ground’ is more likely to achieve constructive human relations than cynicism. Nothing ‘holier than thou’ about that. Maintaining a balance between ethical behavior, on the one hand, and opportunism and self-indulgence, on the other, can be difficult, and we all succeed and fail to various degrees. But that is how life goes. And striving certainly beats ‘spouting off’ to those who support ethical choices.
Nothing ‘holier than thou’ about suggesting we can be inspired by another’s selfless act. We all succeed and fail to various degrees in our endeavors, ethical and otherwise. That is how life goes.
“It seems to me that striving for a ‘higher moral ground’ is more likely to achieve constructive human relations than cynicism”
Not really, it just seams like your are trying to come across as better or more pure than other people, and are using the generosity of this young man’s actions to try and force the point, or massage your ego, for some reason?
If you are trying to construct human relations instead of cynicism then what is the meaning behind this comment-
“and serves as an ethical model to others wasting their lives with opportunism and self-indulgence”
Comes across as a bit cynical and not very constructive towards human relations…..really.
Yawn.
Human relations manifest in real actions, not rumination. Its surprising that complimenting a person’s good actions would prompt such cynicism about human motivations: a young man does a nice thing by helping strangers, I compliment his actions and contrast it against less constructive behavior, you impugn my motives. This is a bit odd. Perhaps you are focussing on the wrong issue.
It’s not the compliment to Josh that has created your perceived cynicism, more the contrast or unneeded comparison against others who you do not deem to be as good as him, or yourself.
Why the need for the comparison, why can’t it just be ‘well done Josh’? …..
You must obviously think of yourself as being above, better than, or superior in some strange way than other more ‘opportunistic or self-indulgent’ types, otherwise you wouldn’t have made the comment or unneeded comparison in the first place, would you.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing (likely Edmund Burke).” That doesn’t make me (“obviously”?)better or worse than others; it just reflects my belief. No other point here but that.
Roberto,
you need to pull your neck in, you come across as very self important and dictatorial. Chas expresses himself as he does and I might say very well. It’s you who is coming across as having an inferiority complex which is why you project yourself as superior, inferiority always projects itself arrogantly.
It certainly is’nt for you to dictate how another should express themselves – you come across as very immature, is that the problem you have?
Any body know where you can make clothes donations? Around the Marbella area??