The current news about the sexual appetite of Jimmy Savile has very much been on my mind since the news broke at the weekend. I won’t deny that my initial reaction was “thank God, at last!” I’d been told of his sexual antics back in the early eighties and always had a suspicion that, at some point, something would come out nationally.
Sexual abuse is one of the most degrading forms of violence and it’s rare for it not to affect the rest of the life of the person who has been abused. I can fully understand why the women involved in the ITV documentary still felt they needed to bring these misdemeanours out in the open. There is no better way of cleansing than that of ‘telling’ what is haunting the mind and soul. By saying that I hope it is clear that I fully support the women involved, however there is another side to this.
Jimmy Savile died last year. The allegations being aired on the documentary will no longer make an ‘a’peth’ of difference to him. You can’t bring the dead to court. That said, I have no doubt that a large proportion of the audience for the documentary will only focus on Sir Jimmy and what he did during his lifetime and forget where the real investigative problem lies.
There is no gain from focusing on Sir Jimmy as either positive or negative, he’s dead. The message that should be learned from what has come to light is how easily money and power can pervert the course of justice and protect the rich and famous from having to abide by the same laws as the rest of the population. We are a nation that is obsessed with wealth, fame and power and while we suffer from this self-deceitful way of living we will always come across those who use such things to manipulate to their advantage.
I beg that, although Jimmy Savile is the person being focused on (and I acknowledge that it will be difficult to not feel some kind of anger or pity on the man for what is being divulged) we should focus our attention on those who knew what was going on and didn’t do anything about it. What were their reasons for abiding by his wishes and were they valid reasons?
I leave it to you all and your individual consciences to decide.
May ‘The Way’ of the divine perfection be your path.
