Dear Ipswich, I love you!
I was neither born nor bred in your bosom. So I do not have the kind love for you which arises from that. But, living in your bosom for 25 years, I have found that if I want to get something started, or get involved in something, you encourage me a lot. So it’s easy to get going and from there often to succeed.
I found this when I was in business and later on with artistic projects and other ventures. It is in part due to your size: not so small that there was ever insufficient talent and resource within you; not so big that someone would get swamped by too much competition and petty rules and restrictions. But it is also your informality, your laid back, ‘can do, make do’ style, and most of all your warm embrace and encouragement on every level.
The Ancient Greeks had many different kinds of Love. My love for you is not Eros, the romantic kind of love, or Storge, the love born of family relationship. It is Philia, the compassionate love that comes from friendship and intimacy.
Anyone who has a new idea, commitment and right effort will find that you will open up for them your halls, houses, streets, your places of worship and buildings which once were. Even your centre point: your town hall.
I have met many great people, through networking within you, to supply what I need. Before my time it might have been tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor. In my time, it might be printer, plumber, broadcaster, financial adviser. As an aside it is important that working from home and AI must not take away your networking charm.
You have inviting, engaging radio stations, great newspapers and several vibrant community organisations. Finding like-minded groups within you is easy. For art, for history, for exercise, for dancing. For spiritual and philosophical nourishment, so we can grow ourselves in all ways.
Your university, born in my time with you, has added greatly to your treasure trove by becoming a cultural hot spot within your boundary as well as without. Despite your not being my native place , I can walk around you, see something and say to myself ‘Ah, I did so and so there and that was a great time’
The Ancient Greeks had many different kinds of Love. My love for you is not Eros, the romantic kind of love, or Storge, the love born of family relationship. It is Philia, the compassionate love that comes from friendship and intimacy.
All my love,
Anthony Wooding
Visiting Senior Fellow at University of Suffolk
