A traditionalists tithe.

Tithing is usually done for religious reasons, because God likes it or because it is expected. No doubt this was often done for the wrong reasons but the age of tithing left us with a very great number of beautiful buildings.

Societies that raise money for their own maintenance tend to prosper while those that do not will always decline. In theory the government should be willing to maintain the fabric of our civilisation but for some reason this is regarded as politically incorrect.

Once upon a time Christians would at least try to give ten percent of their income to the Church. which was then a multi purpose institution providing welfare services, social focus and local governance. In the absence of an all powerful state it would suffice.

I do not want to romanticise what was probably a harsh and narrow existence but maybe we could learn from them. Maybe we could start to build the same resilience into our own communities? Maybe it is time for us to do the same things but without the religion.

Maybe it is time for philanthropists to look closer to home because without the survival of civilisation there is nothing.

The old religion of England and the new- the designer brand.

A photo posted by Richard Ford (@richard.ford) on Jan 29, 2017 at 8:16am PST

The first picture is of St Mary Le-Bow, home of Bow bells and the Court of Arches. The second is of a designer shop, Private White V.C. Designer brands have become a substitute for religion. Both offer a transformation to an idealised self.

Giving should be a joy.