All through the year, in the background, was Brexit! We kept stating that it wasn’t philosophy, but somehow it kept intruding itself on our discussions. We talked about the rise of ‘populism’ and what it was, and ‘sovereignty’ and such like.
However the group has evolved over the year. We have lost one or two members. We are all getting older, and ill health has taken its toll on some, the most recent and sadly missed being Paul Chapman, on the upside, we have new members who bring a fresh perspective to our discussions.
We have ventured into more scientific topics, such as ‘consciousness’ and ‘reality’, how far can we trust our senses? We still follow the same format: we agree a topic, somebody agrees to start off the discussion, and then pandemonium ensues! (No, we really are very polite and disciplined!) We always break for coffee and cake and a chat, (which I think is half the reason people come) but that is one of the benefits of belonging to this U3A.
I am often surprised by the interest shown by people in the group. When we started, more than ten years ago, I was sure we wouldn’t get many takers and it wouldn’t last. But here we still are, with people still wanting to join. We are even preparing for the return of Derek Dunn after his stints as past Chairman and past President. The problem always seems to be the timing of the group (Wednesday morning, third in the month) but I’m sure any other time would clash with other groups as well.
If anyone is at a loose end on a Wednesday morning and wants to try us out, do get in touch, there may be a short wait, but we can fit in one or two more.
Mike Silvester
This is an article published in the Spring 2020 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter .