Anna May Mangan’s Writing News

Last night I went to a talk called ’Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?’. It was given by Gordon Smith who is a spiritual medium, also known as the Psychic Barber.

His views on life and death were certainly Book and CD shifting stuff.  After his talk Gordon autographed merchandise  and generally coined it in. My usual response to writers/musicians/poets/slebs flogging stuff is “Good for them!” whoever they are –  but last night’s event left me sleepless  – and that is RARE.

My £10 ticket for the event came via a friend who is a member of  ‘Compassionate Friends’, a  support group for parents who have lost a child. Last night I was  sat with three women who have suffered that most devastating grief.  They were at the talk to search for answers, reassurance  and a scrap of consolation. They got anecdotes and platitudes instead. Gordon Smith ’revealed’ that there is no reason why bad things happen to good people. His talk about ‘Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?’ could have consisted of  the two words “Don’t know”, but he stretched it to an hour so that he could flog his book for 59 and a half minutes.

After the talk  questions were invited and the microphone was handed to a lady so overcome with emotion that she cried into it for a long time before she could even manage to speak. Fighting back tears she told the audience that her and her loved one had been ‘joined at the heart’ and ‘did everything together’ and enjoyed a ‘deep and special love’ until his sudden death. Her question was about whether she should  have known that the death of her loved one was imminent. The pair had shared everything – how could she not have known his time in this world was coming to an end ? The room rippled with sympathy. And then she revealed that she was talking abut her dead DOG.

I know all the Californian stuff about her entitlement to her feelings and their validity (read that with an American accent) but last night that room was full of people seeking solace. They had lost children, and husbands and wives and parents too soon and in heartbreaking circumstances and that daft and insensitive dingbat thought it was good time to bring up the demise of her dog. I know she might be lonely, I know she might have nothing else in her life – and that maybe I should be kinder to her.  But I wanted to choke her.

If I had, would that have been an example of a bad thing (me) happening to a good person (her) or a bad thing (her) happening to a good person (me) ? What do you think Gordon ?