The world's going to pot.
Britain's going to pot.
The planet's going to pot.
Armies fighting each other.
Religions fighting each other.
Governments fighting each other.
Refugees by the million.
The rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer.
Prejudice of every kind against other human beings.
The British government demolishing every public service in sight.
Oceans full of plastic.
It's depressing and alarming and shocking.
I just want to run away and hide.
Shut it all out.
Live in a little isolated bubble in the middle of nowhere.
With just a cat to keep me company.
And Jenny of course.
We'll tell each other stories
of beautiful, unspoilt places.
We'll sleep and dream and smell the flowers.
We'll watch the sunrises and sunsets.
We'll listen to the birdsong.
No one will know where we are.
No one can bring us news we don't want to hear.
No one can spoil our solitude.
Just imagine that.
i recently heard of someone who was in the supermarket and suddenly felt completely overwhelmed by all the crappy food and excessive packaging and actually cried uncontrollably.
ReplyDeletethe scary part is the story didnt surprise me in the least
If I thought too much about the state of the world and society I'd probably off myself, because there's not much chance of it getting better.
ReplyDeleteMankind is in a spiral of self-destruction and I just hope I'm not around to see it all implode.
All we can do is cling on to each little grain of happiness we find, so we don't lose the plot entirely.
Kylie: It doesn't surprise me either! So much processed food is unhealthy, full of sugar and salt and other dubious additives. And a lot of packaging is totally unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteDave: You're right, there's little chance of things getting better. And happiness can be hard to find when so many people now have such stressful lives.
The more things change, the more things stay the same.
ReplyDeleteNick, you're safe in Jenny's heart and she in yours, that should be a comforting thought for you :) Greetings Maria x
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Unfortunately that's generally true. One civil war ends and a new one starts somewhere else. And most of the time goodness only knows what they're fighting about so ruthlessly.
ReplyDeleteMaria: Thank you, Maria, you're right, that's a very comforting thought.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: why don't you, there are lovely places available very reasonably off the beaten path.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't think you'd be happy.
XO
WWW
www: You're probably right. I like the idea of a remote, tranquil retreat but I also like my urban cultural amenities. I just need some sort of filter that would screen out all the really nasty stuff I have absolutely no control over but which constantly upsets me.
ReplyDeleteJust one example: a report today that a pensioner decapitated his wife, chopped up her head and flushed it down the toilet. That's so horrible I'd rather not know. I've read enough about the gruesome extremes of misogyny to last me a lifetime.
ReplyDeletePicked up your blog thru John Gray. I thought I was the only one feeling that way. It's pretty darn scary in this world and some days you amid all the hate and turmoil you find yourself barely hanging on. It's just crazy!!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid this is normal for the world/humankind. We were lucky to be sheltered for so long.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking of, "Keep smiling. Eventually the world will get tired of trying to upset you." A certain amount of defiance can be a good thing.
You're a happy hole today x
ReplyDeleteTheresa: Barely hanging on is about right. I wonder how I can cope with yet more horror and carnage. Each time I think I've seen the worst human beings can do to each other, something comes along that's even more grotesque.
ReplyDeleteJean: True, we in the West have been relatively sheltered for a long while. But things are getting more turbulent by the day.
John: A happy hole? I haven't changed gender just yet! What are you suggesting?
ReplyDeleteNick, when a guy flushes his wife's head down the toilet, that's not necessarily misogyny. A person who carries that level of hate probably is a misogynist but the crime was personal. It's not misogyny every time a woman is a victim.
ReplyDeletei no longer feel guilt for not following the news.
ReplyDeletei used to think i would be somehow 'less educated' or something if i didn't.
i don't think that way anymore. it has no place in my life.
i just do not expose myself to ANY of it that's negative.
finally i realized it affects me in a physical way.
it raises my blood pressure to dangerous extremes. my own little problem obviously... because MOST people seem to have no problem with it. other than strong dislike.
it's just the way i'm wired. seriously. malignant BP. 270/160.
those were my numbers in the past. no longer.
i'm not going to stroke out over idiots.
life is too precious to me. and to you nick! you're a caring man.
so... i ban it from my home and my mind. it's poison of a sort anyway.
you can do NOTHING about it. and yet it does harm to you.
it's not hard to not watch it or read it. i'm an ostrich I guess.
but a happy one!
the marine says that humans have a defective gene. :)
Kylie: Okay, you could call it a random act of violence and hatred, which is maybe what it was. I agree there's no evidence he was a woman-hater, except for telling his son that his wife was not the housewife she used to be.
ReplyDeleteTammy: I'm impressed that you manage to avoid the news so successfully! It probably doesn't do much for my blood pressure either. And what good does it do me to know that Syria (or wherever) is disintegrating into chaos?
I think Tammy had a good idea. I'm not going to watch the new anymore. But do you think that hiding our heads in the sand will at some point hurt us? We won't be very informed. Will it even matter? Anyway I'm stopping today. Thanks Tammy.
ReplyDeleteTheresa: I'd find it hard to ignore the news completely. There is useful information along with all the horror stories. But I did go through a period in my twenties when I never read the paper and didn't have a TV. I don't remember feeling that I was missing out. So good luck with turning it all off!
ReplyDeleteYes, just imagine that and that is all that we can do.
ReplyDeleteRamana: Sad that so many optimistic "revolutions" have ended in tears and bloodshed and disillusion. But we can still dream of something better.
ReplyDeletebest of luck theresa!
ReplyDeleteand...
once a co-worker did tell me that i was very UNINFORMED! LOLOL!
as if it's a competition or something!
i responded by saying i didn't need to be informed of every murder and robbery and all the other unspeakable horrors happening... and
when they start reporting something of value i'll watch.
he wasn't pleased with my answer. meh.
what works for me may not be the best for you!
but sometimes even a sabbatical from it can help.
there are parts that are certainly worth knowing and can be invigorating.
the trick is to turn away from all the violence and CRAP.
and usually a headline will tell you what kind of article it is going to be so you can avoid it.
i just don't go there anymore.
there are so many wonderful documentaries available and science programs and good health related articles ... that's what's important to me regarding news now!
Would you like a cup of tea and a biscuit?
ReplyDeleteSx
Tammy: I think of all the stories about airline passengers who've run amok and had to be restrained. All they do is make other passengers nervous that someone on their own plane is going to go berserk and threaten the safety of the plane.
ReplyDeleteScarlet: Thanks, that would be quite delightful. Do you have any ginger nuts?
ReplyDeleteLOLOL!
ReplyDeletedon't quite know what to say.
i literally haven't flown since before 9/11.
so not where my thoughts roam.
but i know what you mean.
i'll settle for a spa day somewhere gorgeous but not too remote.
with delicious healthy food and a pristine aqua pool to float in and pretend for a little while that all is okay. fool's dream perhaps.
but still.
Maybe I'll go with just the headlines (which last all of 1 minute) and call it a day. If anything dreadful happens my son, who is glued to his phone and the internet will tell me. I don't need to sit through it anymore. I'M DONE!
ReplyDeleteTammy: You haven't flown since 9/11? Not even across the States? Then you've certainly done your bit to reduce carbon emissions! A spa day would be good.
ReplyDeleteTheresa: Good thinking. If anything truly dramatic happens, that you really need to know about, someone else is bound to tell you!
Oh dear! Having a bad day, Nick?
ReplyDeleteLiz: I'm too aware of all the misery and mess in the world. Unlike some, I can't just pretend it's not happening.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that uplifting post, I feel a lot better now because I thought things were far worse than that, but you have proved me wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to the supermarket now with a glad heart to buy some expensive crappy junk food.
Keith: I'm glad it cheered you up. I knew my boundless optimism and sunny disposition would do you a power of good. Did you buy some of the Tasty McNuggets made of mechanically-retrieved meat residues? My favourite.
ReplyDeleteI've started feeling a bit like that lately. I also think the government doesn't know what it is doing, too. At least I don't live in Syria or Pakistan or - well, an awful lot of other places, in fact.
ReplyDeleteNick: I bought a box of their own brand cornflakes and then threw the cornflakes away and ate the box. Apparently there is more nourishment in the box than in the cornflakes. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteJenny: Oh, I think the government know exactly what they're doing - their mission is to abolish public services and privatise them all, to make fat profits for their mates. Even all the military exploits, which seem so crazy, are probably intended to increase weaponry and help their mates in the arms industry.
ReplyDeleteKeith: The cardboard boxes are delicious. Mind you, bear in mind they've added industrial quantities of sugar and salt to the cardboard. I gather cardboard-related obesity is getting quite common.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama says IS is planning to use drones to drop nuclear bombs on European cities. Is he trying to scare us all shitless or what?
ReplyDeleteNick dear friend, time you took up crochet, it acts like a very soothing balm!
ReplyDeleteGrannymar: Crochet? Well, that's a novel suggestion. Perhaps I should try it....
ReplyDeleteBTW Nick there is such a place that you dream of where no-one knows where you are, and you are completely out of touch with the rest of the world and there is no bad news. I go there quite often myself. It's called "Cloud Cuckoo Land"
ReplyDeleteKeith: I've heard a lot about it, it sounds right up my street. Could you just email me the directions? Or can I get them from Google?
ReplyDelete