It’s weird as you go through your version of life how your perspective changes. When I was younger and had better health, I was very driven I thought. I always worked ever since I was 15. I always did well at school and hoped to go to University somewhere. That didn’t happen because our (never very warm or stable) family fell apart.
I left school to start work in a country estate that was used by a major British retailer as a holiday resort for their employees. It was brilliant. I started as a regular waiter (it was live-in) serving from breakfast to evening dinner. Special events were huge fun, Christmas actually was enjoyable. I was allowed to work in the bar (it helped that I looked a great deal older than my actual 16) and I was also made wine waiter which was very enjoyable. Learning about wines was something that has stayed with me.
So, what happened? I got fired.
As I said it was a live-in position. I was unlucky enough to have a new member of staff move in next to me and we did not hit it off. She used to play music into the early hours, and it made it difficult for me to get up in time for work. This went on for a few weeks until I came down to the kitchen after breakfast had started and she made a catty remark. I responded loudly and profanely and, on reflection, stupidly. The estate managers wife was not impressed and, rightly, dispensed with my services immediately.
An object lesson in how not to handle a situation and one which I am ashamed to report that I failed to heed. (I should write some stuff about my time there, I had a lot of good times…but not just now.)
So, what do I mean by ‘your version’ of life? Well, altho’ our family was posted to many different places (Army ‘Dad’) including some fairly volatile locations. Aden, Cyprus etc. We were not very far from potentially dangerous places. (Ironically the most dangerous place was inside our home, thanks ‘Dad’…) However, under no circumstances whatsoever would I want to imply that my experience was in any way comparable to the lived experience of what is going on in Gaza. ‘My version’ is vanilla. Still valid, it’s what I have had to live through.
Another lived experience I have never had is being so rich I can see anything, anyone and everything as a commodity. Including the planet. The confidence I had when I was younger has diminished greatly in line with my health both physical and mental. When younger, in the middle of the nuclear arms race, Aldermaston, CND etc. I never, never felt at any point that Nuclear war would happen. Nobody would be that fucking stupid. Even Pakistan and India, despite absolute loathing of each other and having these weapons, they have never indicated any recourse to using them. And so it panned out, great.
Now, with the quality of people “leading” our nations being at such a poor and low level it is entirely possible that these utter morons will take us past brinkmanship and into… who knows. Look at the people who have the codes: Netanyahu. Do you think he would hold back for a millisecond in sending warheads if he decided Iran was about to get them? Look at what he and his Zionist cronies and the IDF are doing in Gaza in total full view of the world. And the world “leaders”, worried about their position in the trough being threatened, wring their hands and express sadness and proscribe “terrorist” organisations made up of people who just want to protest at what is happening in Palestine.
Trump is destroying America from within and to my utter surprise, the vast majority of Americans are letting him carry on. I don’t think he has the braincells to not press the buttons. I just do not understand the idiocy of people who vote for these people (Farage here of course) who really think that Trump, Farage and the rest give a fuck about them just boggles my mind.
Where is hope? Well, the resilience of ordinary Palestinians is just incredible. The groundswell of ordinary people around the world protesting against all of this is heartening. The flotilla heading towards Gaza is a very brave exercise. The trouble is, all this shit is still happening. What will it take for people to make the changes? I am genuinely terrified for the flotilla because I don’t think the Israeli’s will hesitate to stop them by any and all means necessary. Perhaps that is what will turn the tide?
Whatever happens, the way of the world must change. There are too many people on the planet. The way governments function needs drastic change. We really have not learned lessons at all. I don’t know what the solutions are other than removing these idiots and hoping common humanity will prevail. I will do my very, very small bit, posting what I can, joining organisations that I believe have the right values, if I can, attend protests. I hope you (if anyone is reading) do your bit too. But, sheesh, what a fuck up.
userdefinedlogic 
Where are we going?
It’s weird as you go through your version of life how your perspective changes. When I was younger and had better health, I was very driven I thought. I always worked ever since I was 15. I always did well at school and hoped to go to University somewhere. That didn’t happen because our (never very warm or stable) family fell apart.
I left school to start work in a country estate that was used by a major British retailer as a holiday resort for their employees. It was brilliant. I started as a regular waiter (it was live-in) serving from breakfast to evening dinner. Special events were huge fun, Christmas actually was enjoyable. I was allowed to work in the bar (it helped that I looked a great deal older than my actual 16) and I was also made wine waiter which was very enjoyable. Learning about wines was something that has stayed with me.
So, what happened? I got fired.
As I said it was a live-in position. I was unlucky enough to have a new member of staff move in next to me and we did not hit it off. She used to play music into the early hours, and it made it difficult for me to get up in time for work. This went on for a few weeks until I came down to the kitchen after breakfast had started and she made a catty remark. I responded loudly and profanely and, on reflection, stupidly. The estate managers wife was not impressed and, rightly, dispensed with my services immediately.
An object lesson in how not to handle a situation and one which I am ashamed to report that I failed to heed. (I should write some stuff about my time there, I had a lot of good times…but not just now.)
So, what do I mean by ‘your version’ of life? Well, altho’ our family was posted to many different places (Army ‘Dad’) including some fairly volatile locations. Aden, Cyprus etc. We were not very far from potentially dangerous places. (Ironically the most dangerous place was inside our home, thanks ‘Dad’…) However, under no circumstances whatsoever would I want to imply that my experience was in any way comparable to the lived experience of what is going on in Gaza. ‘My version’ is vanilla. Still valid, it’s what I have had to live through.
Another lived experience I have never had is being so rich I can see anything, anyone and everything as a commodity. Including the planet. The confidence I had when I was younger has diminished greatly in line with my health both physical and mental. When younger, in the middle of the nuclear arms race, Aldermaston, CND etc. I never, never felt at any point that Nuclear war would happen. Nobody would be that fucking stupid. Even Pakistan and India, despite absolute loathing of each other and having these weapons, they have never indicated any recourse to using them. And so it panned out, great.
Now, with the quality of people “leading” our nations being at such a poor and low level it is entirely possible that these utter morons will take us past brinkmanship and into… who knows. Look at the people who have the codes: Netanyahu. Do you think he would hold back for a millisecond in sending warheads if he decided Iran was about to get them? Look at what he and his Zionist cronies and the IDF are doing in Gaza in total full view of the world. And the world “leaders”, worried about their position in the trough being threatened, wring their hands and express sadness and proscribe “terrorist” organisations made up of people who just want to protest at what is happening in Palestine.
Trump is destroying America from within and to my utter surprise, the vast majority of Americans are letting him carry on. I don’t think he has the braincells to not press the buttons. I just do not understand the idiocy of people who vote for these people (Farage here of course) who really think that Trump, Farage and the rest give a fuck about them just boggles my mind.
Where is hope? Well, the resilience of ordinary Palestinians is just incredible. The groundswell of ordinary people around the world protesting against all of this is heartening. The flotilla heading towards Gaza is a very brave exercise. The trouble is, all this shit is still happening. What will it take for people to make the changes? I am genuinely terrified for the flotilla because I don’t think the Israeli’s will hesitate to stop them by any and all means necessary. Perhaps that is what will turn the tide?
Whatever happens, the way of the world must change. There are too many people on the planet. The way governments function needs drastic change. We really have not learned lessons at all. I don’t know what the solutions are other than removing these idiots and hoping common humanity will prevail. I will do my very, very small bit, posting what I can, joining organisations that I believe have the right values, if I can, attend protests. I hope you (if anyone is reading) do your bit too. But, sheesh, what a fuck up.
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