Forge Leadership Podcast. Episode 20 : Baroness (Caroline) Cox
Summary
Baroness (Caroline) Cox became a Life Peer in 1982 for her contributions to education and has served as a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords from 1985 to 2005. Lady Cox now sits in the Lords as a crossbencher and is a frequent contributor to Lords debates on Sudan, India, Nigeria, Uganda, and Burma.
Baroness Cox’s humanitarian aid work has taken her on many missions to conflict zones, allowing her to obtain first-hand evidence of the human rights violations and humanitarian needs. Areas travelled include the Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh; Sudan; Nigeria; Uganda; the Karen; Karenni; Shan and Chin peoples in the jungles of Burma; and communities suffering from conflict in Indonesia. She has also visited North Korea helping to promote Parliamentary initiatives and medical programmes. Additionally, Caroline has been instrumental in helping to change the former Soviet Union policies for orphaned and abandoned children from institutional to foster family care.
Simon Barrington caught up with Baroness Cox in the Royal Gallery at the House of Lords and asked her what motivated her and drove her to be a voice for the voiceless in parliament,
I think it’s another phrase that I find very helpful and that is the “sacrament of the present moment”. All we ever have is the present moment. There’s no point in living with regrets or nostalgia for the past. That’s been. And God can I hope forgive what was wrong and bless what may have been good. There’s no point in worrying about the future. Take no thought for the ‘morrow, except for those decisions you have to take at critical times but for most of the time just be in the present moment and live in that present moment to the full, give it your all and give it to God. God can bless this present moment and then use your ability which you’ve made available for him and then he will show you where it is that he wants you to develop your life and sometimes it will mean crossing frontiers of fear. It may not be going to a war zone. It may be going into something you find disturbing and scary but if you feel God’s calling you there then please do cross that frontier of fear and just be available to God.
In this episode you will learn :
- Why your availability is more important than your ability
- About the “Sacrament of the present moment”
- How Baroness Cox overcomes her “faithless, fearful, dread” and the benefits that brings
Resources
Show Notes
Click here for a detailed transcription of this episode
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