I can’t count the amount of hours that I have spent recently scrolling through articles about this virus. It has consumed us. Sitting at home waiting is exhausting. These kind of posts shouldn’t be thought of as depressing. It’s a way to connect us. I saw an advert with the line #alonetogether. I really related to that. We are all in this together. It’s going to be ok. We are going to be ok. For this little time though we have to be alone.
Author: politicsrants
Post V Day
As I strolled down the busy main street my single status felt like a neon sign above my head. Every person had a partner in one hand and a bunch of chocolates in the other. Flower stalls that were regularly seen as no more than a blockage on the street now attracted the eye of every passer by.
The next day things were back to normal. The flower stalls lay dormant, their owners lazily flicking through magazines. People had transformed back in to their busy, self involved selves. Valentines day had been and gone and I couldn’t help but think how pointless it all felt. All the money spent on chocolate, jewelry and flowers just to return to our mundane disinterest in others the very next day.
Enlightenment
In case you haven’t heard, the world is in a crisis. A mad man is running America and trying to build a wall. The British have decided that they don’t want to be friends with the rest of Europe. It isn’t going well for them. Countries like Ireland are stuck in the middle of this western world politics.
It came at a very bad time as well. All of this messiness has occurred during Ireland’s liberal enlightenment. First we allowed gay marriage. We gave all people the right to marry the person that they love. Then we gave women the right to choose what happens to their own bodies. We have an improving economy and have a relatively stable government.
Unfortunately some people are able to see negatives to this new liberalism. It is in stark contrast with Ireland’s conservative and religious past. Some have asked, when do we draw the line? Liberalism is all well and good but when does it get too much? When does it spark outrage? When do the proposals become too outrageous to consider? Is Ireland moving too fast or is this the way that the European revolutionaries traveled long before us? Will it be our downfall or lead the way to bigger, better and brighter ideas?
A Walter Mitty story
The story of Walter Mitty is captivating. The mundane life of a quiet middle aged man being transformed in to a true adventure. Has anyone thought of what would have happened to poor Walter if this adventure has not fallen in to his lap? Has anyone thought about what Walter was like to talk to? What are the downsides to trying to be friends with a person who only lives in their own fantasy?
Unfortunately I have had to experience this. I am friends with a compulsive liar. I met this girl when i was young, when everyone said that she would grow out of her silly lies. Long story short….. she did not grow out of it. Her lies evolved and grew. They warped in to the defining part of her personality. They became her whole person. She didn’t know how to talk without exaggerating every detail and slipping in to her magical fairy land.
For so long I have ignored these flaws, recognizing the sweet and self conscious girl that lay under these layers of lies. Other people have not had such luck, leaving the girl in a lonely school environment. Anyone else would have changed their ways and made an effort to adjust their terms of phrase. She did not. It got worse. Then it got worse again.
When is it too late to pull a Walter Mitty out of their fantasy? Will they every realize that it is effecting them and everything they do and learn to change?
Finally Finished
This week has been unusual. The all consuming subject on my mind has not been school. Crazy I know! Last week I officially finished, forever. Never again will I have to worry about state exams or mandatory subjects restricting me.
The only thing on my mind right now is relaxing. I drink in the sun which surprisingly hasn’t stopped since I left school. It feels like the entire world is celebrating my freedom with me.
If You’ve Got it, Flaunt It
The gap between rich and poor has widened. On the day that the moon mission launched in the USA it was the same day as the poor people’s march. Nobody ever talks about how the US space program was funded with the money that should have gone to the poor. Congratulations we got to the moon but at what cost?
Tricks and Tips
I sit in the dismal classroom, the flickering yellow lights illuminate our drawn faces. Even the sun shy’s away from this bleak scene. The teacher sits at the top of the room, aloft on their podium of knowledge and superiority. They recite the list of topics we should know, each of us listening and retreating further and further from the reality of the situation as we come to terms with the work we have not done. She shows us the tips and tricks. She squints her eyes and taps the board to illustrate whatever point she is trying to make. The tips and tricks won’t work any more. We already know it’s too late.
Tucked Away In My Little Bubble
I may have mentioned once or twice that I in 82 days I will be sitting my state exams. Everyone places the emphasis on these exams that they will define my life. They say that my getting in to these colleges will define the prosperity or lack of in my future.
Although for some people it is easy to say that they are just exams, they are all I know. We are not given the option of what to do without college. When I volunteered the idea to my friends and family that I would defer for a year and travel I was met by a wall. It wasn’t an option. It forces me to wonder about all the other things. We are all incubated in this little bubble. A bubble that will pop. How do I prepare myself for when it does?
How do you know that this path; college, career, marriage, kids is the right one? Everyone does it and I know that just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s right but what’s the alternative? You can look at the 1960’s and say the alternative to that path was becoming a hippie. The complete rejection of societies values. What is our modern day hippies? How do you decide if you want to stay in your bubble?
Another Day Older And None The Wiser
via https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/wrinkle/Daily Prompt: Wrinkle
As we get older the question becomes inevitable. How long do we have left? Is this going to be the last time I get to travel? How long do I have left with my kids? The unknown becomes a frightening cumulus cloud, hovering ominously on the sideline of our lives. teachers of poetry and English seem to have an in depth insight in to what we should do with the time that is left. I have found that they, more than most other professionals have an acute awareness of the fragility of existence. They take the time to appreciate the world around them, savor the time with their family and friends whilst also continuing through life in a normal fashion. There is no point in contemplating every moment of life with a sincere gratitude. That isn’t natural. With every wrinkle that grows, a reminder that we are on a stopwatch, take a moment. Whether it’s a simple gesture of kindness towards a family member or leaving work early to go home and relax. Take in the world around you, appreciate what you have and once in a while just enjoy yourself!!
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/wrinkle/
Ranting 