Quite simply, because of what’s been in my heart and in my thoughts and because of the physical tiredness of seeing Wales’s overwhelming brightness kept in the shadow of a dark heritage of centuries of oppression.
I will explain from a Shaolin viewpoint. Shaolin Gong Fu espouses the attainment of happiness/unity by creating harmony between mind, body and soul/spirit.
Like the increasing numbers who support independence, I see our challenges in today’s Wales. By now, more and more people are becoming aware of the democratic deficit we have in Wales and the way it stifles our economic development and, in turn, prevents any organisation in Wales from performing effectively. I see the lack of opportunity, the deliberate degeneration and our communities withering away every day.
I see inequality in the UK, I see how the UK equates to the Empire, believing every word of its own boasting and dragging us ever further towards an oblivion caused by selfishness without thinking beyond the short term. Everything that happens is beyond our control. We are displaying the symptoms of dependency.
For me, the current conditions, the endless list of economic, social and democratic problems clearly show our state of mind. We cannot come to a solution to ease our discontented mind. Our mind cannot find an equilibrium, it’s overflowing, under pressure, anxious and negative, and it doesn’t have the means to express itself.
We are dependent! Dependency is a state of mind! When the mind is in poor condition, the body’s ability and strength decreases.
Our organisations and our systems of government represent the physical condition of our nation and our systems represent the body. If they work well, the body and all the body’s systems will function well. For example, when blood circulation works at its best, then blood flows freely. It will supply the body with oxygen and new protein. The body sustains itself and can develop and grow.
Mental functioning also improves. At present, our blood is not produced by our own body. We’re getting a continuous transfusion. That transfusion is under the control of Boris Johnson, or whoever happens to be Prime Minister of England. We have no control over the timing of the transfusion, the quantity, or even the blood type! And bear in mind that some of our internal organs are missing!
The body serves the mind, in the same way as our institutions, our laws, our practices and so on are the infrastructure for our society. By comparing them in this way, it is easy enough to see how the body affects the mind.
How about the soul? One’s soul is intangible, but one cannot deny its effects. When we discuss spirit, we refer to our nation’s history, the Welsh language, emotion, heritage, culture and the natural desire to share and to belong, to have an identity and connections, and to feel hope and love. Our nation’s soul is at the heart of our drive for independence now, it’s the reason we are still here, or “Yma o hyd”.
Our ancient soul that has suffered under the same conditions exactly for millennia, of being ruled. Wales’s soul has a historic international outlook on a tremendous scale. It is testament to centuries of believing in the Welsh nation, come what may. From Hywel Dda to Llywelyn the Last, Owain Glyndŵr and all the patriots over the centuries to the politicians, the campaigners, teachers, parents and artists who have kept the faith. The older generation who have inspired me over the years, in their 70s and 80s and still at it distributing leaflets, fund-raising and organising. Not in hope or expectation of any personal gain, but simply because they believe in Wales and our nation. It is the Welsh soul that has determinedly sustained this body that still lives on. It is the soul that has brought us here.
This is what lies at the heart of my desire for independence. Put simply, I believe, first and foremost, in the Welsh nation. In telling the world who we are, we exist, and by existing, we have a voice. And we need to use it!
When mind, body and soul is as one, we can realise our potential.