Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Portsmouth Point Editors

 by James Burkinshaw

This holiday, we release our most recent issue of Portsmouth Point magazine: the first to be predicated on a prefix.

Re- suggests that cyclicality lies at the heart of existence. From earliest history – whether through Egyptian symbol, Ouroboros, the Hindu belief in reincarnation or the Christian faith in resurrection – human beings have sensed that the physical death of each individual is not a metaphysical reality. Even in our more secular era, the language of rebirth and redemption pervades our culture, from Beckham to Beyonce. 

However, although humans seem designed to seek meaning, we live in a universe which often seems to evade it. This is the condition that Albert Camus labelled the 'Absurd' in his philosophical essay, 'The Myth of Sisyphus'. It is through myth, art and literature that we have sought to create meaning for thousands of years, in a continuous cycle of interpretation and reinterpretation: from Virgilian epic to mediaeval romance, Shakespearean tragedy to dystopian novel.

Writer Walter Benjamin personified History as a winged angel, its face permanently turned toward the past as its wings propel it irresistibly into the future blown by the storm of progress. It is said that those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat its mistake. However, 'black swan' events suggest that, in a world of increasing complexity, much remains unpredictable and perhaps unrepeatable. Indeed, the modern era has been characterised by revolution: religious, political and technological.  

In the wake of the disruption that revolution brings, how do we find justice? Do we choose the path of revenge or of reconciliation? One of the greatest disruptions we face right now is climate change. This has led to an increasing focus on regeneration, rather than revolution, with a new focus on reforesting and rewilding that benefits from the latest biotechnology but also returns to traditional methods of conservation dating back centuries.

And for many centuries, religions and cultures have celebrated festivals at this time of year - the Winter Solstice - to mark the return of the Light, as days slowly begin to lengthen for the first time since midsummer. It is a period in which we look to the future and reflect on the past. This 'Re-' issue of Portsmouth Point offers much to reflect on during this cyclical season, and the editors wish all of our readers a recreational and revivifying break. 

The Editors 

December 2023