home back to band page	THE SOAP BOX John Jowitt - April 1998
	I’ve got green eyes, I’m right handed, and have no knuckle joint on the thumb of my right hand. So what, you reply, never even noticed. Exactly. But if I was a different colour all over, or couldn’t write, or was disabled more visibly, then how would you feel? Prejudice and bigotry are very pervasive poisons. If I say I don’t like a person without knowing him or her, or a food without having tried it, I’m not only making an injustice, I’m actually missing out myself on valuable experience which I might even enjoy. Closer to home, the obvious example is music. People who say they don’t like jazz or reggae or even prog are only harming themselves. The music will still be there, as will the people who like it. The only ones to miss out are those with the hang-ups. Don’t ever say you don’t like a particular genre of music, after all that’s what so many people do with prog, and look at the great stuff they’re missing out on through simple prejudice. The same with the rest of life. Have you ever cursed another driver’s poor driving, and then mentally wondered at the impatience of others when making a mistake of your own. I have. All you can try to do is learn from your actions. If I could have one wish, it wouldn’t be world peace or a cure for all illness. If the world kept its prejudices, I think that you’d find that those with such cures would keep them for themselves. Accept, and enjoy. John Jowitt