Whinging Loser

Humans in general are a confusing bunch. We work five days so we can have two days off and we spend so much time worring about possessions we can get our hands on that we fail to fully grasp the moments that befal us. Some moments are easy to appreciate such as the birth of a child or a wedding day however most moments we let pass with little fanfare and its these moments that we need to remember are just as important.

When times get tough the light at the tunnel seems far away and these painful memories overtake our happy but less heightened memories. For example at someones passing it is easy to be sad, confused and frustrated at the situation however we find it harder to hold on to those good memories.

Yes over time these memories will hold a stronger place in our mind however it is at our lowest we need these memories to sustain us. Maybe humans as a species like these lows for the simple reason that we believe that there will be an opposing high to come and take its place. However this isn’t always the case and speak to anyone struggling with depression and part of the issue is often the fact that it feels that all the lows come at the same time.

Trying to get the best out of everyday is a simple sentence but a very difficult propersition to achieve. However the more dilligent we are with it will mean more highs and hopefully less lows.

Is it just me or are more and more people putting there hands out these days? Truth be told its probably more of an issue of the internet where we hear about EVERYTHING but in this day and age its hard to figure out who to give to and how much.

There seems to be so many charities and natural disasters which means that sadly if you spend too much time worrying about it then its a depressing proposition, the simple fact is you cannot help everyone.

So the query becomes when do you stop. Do you stop when you have given all your money so you can’t afford a house? Regardless of where you draw the line there is always someone else needing money.

The sadest and simplest solution is to give up and not give at all which many have done. When you are young and expenses are something your parents sometimes mention then it seems that giving money is a simple equation. However when you get older you start to realise that sometimes its difficult to put your hand in your pocket for others. Do you buy your children new shoes or do you let them stay in the old ones for a little longer and donate more money.

When it comes to others I think all you can do is as much as you can afford, If its time or money then hopefully it makes someones life better. Hopefully one day no one will need help however until that day comes all we can do is try to make a difference. A difference no matter how small is always a difference.

I went to an engagement party the other week and it got me thinking about marriage. In 2010 has the whole concept of marriage lost its luster? In the days of our grandparents there were two near certainties a long career in one workplace and a long marriage.

In 2010 both those ideals seems to have lost their lustre. It is common for people to have many jobs in this day and age no longer working away in one company.

Work and marriage are earily similar when you break down the basic concepts. Look at the similarities and it becomes clear that both have a strong effect on life. If you are in a broken marriage or a bad job then your quality of life drops and you find yourself looking for an out. In both cases the hardest thing is to take the plunge and break away.

Likewise in a good marriage or work situation then it affects your life in a positive way as you spend so much time trying to make them both work.

In 2010 we live in a world with more optomism and choices. This has created an environment where in both work and marriage that people aren’t willing to work as hard to save their current situation. Their is the belief and rightly so in many cases that the grass is greener on the other side.

It begs the question is marriage in 2010 that same as it was 20 or 30 years ago. Does the union mean as much today as it has in the past?

If you look at the figures then its a simple answer as the rate of divorce has skyrocketed but are the figures the answer to this question? Its a great thing that people are no longer remaining in loveless marriages and but does that remove the luster or add to it?

If less people are remaining married then doesn’t it make the ones who are still together even more special? No longer, particularly for women is there a stigma on being divorced if you don’t want to be married you don’t have to be which means the people who are still married WANT to be.

I personally don’t like the concept of marriage, standing up in front of a group of friends and being the centre of attention doesn’t really do much for me but the great thing about marriage is (in MOST cases i know this is only a western society thing) you have to WANT to do it.

I mentioned above that the stigma is gone, its almost hip to be a divorcee in this day and age, which likewise means that not getting married is more socially acceptable than ever before. So people who want to be married have taken it upon themselves to make a statement to the world.

The best thing about being a sentient being is the ability to think and have a choice and thats what marriage is. So while the numbers are down marriage means as much now as it did in the past. Its the choice of two people to make a statement and the ones who stay married are even more special.

I generally find that I speak to people older than my age (I don’t pretend that its due to some higher level of maturity as truth be told I have times of very low maturity) however one draw back of doing this kind of thing is you speak to people who are clearly at a different stage in life. Most people older than say 35 have a fair idea where life is going whether that be kids and a wife, a successful career, or some other direction. They might not have the kids and wife however they might be looking after their finances in preparation for the next step of their life.

When you speak to people older that 40 as I often do you, start to talk to people who have moved into another phase of their life. They own a house, might have family, or have started a business. It is a depressing reality when you talk to these people if you are in your late 20’s. Except for the lucky few of us most of us will not be setup financially in our 20’s or even 30’s. We need to slug away to look after the basics food, rates, and accommodation while trying to work our way up the corporate ladder. However something has happened over the past 20ish years, We have been told by people to strive for greatness.

My father while only in his late 50’s has mentioned to me in the past that when we were born the world was an uncertain place. Hard for us young people to think that in the 80’s however I have been told my parents were worried to bring up children in this time. Yet since then we as people have gone from strength to strength, while not perfect by any stretch of the imagination we have managed to start trying to aim for something better. This however has led to my generation expecting to rise the corporate later faster, expect to have larger houses, and better cars. We are so fast to complain about what we don’t have we fail to see what we do have, My generation is cocky and savvy. We are driven by technology, rather than having to pick something up we have grown with it. This get everything straight away with no waiting has led us to expect our entire life to be the same.

The fact is we will not be getting our dream home in our 20’s, we will not be the CEO of a company by our 30th birthday. Going forward this frustration is a positive for the human race in general. Having young people push the older staff members is good for industries on whole. While some older staff members might lose jobs in general the workforce will improve. Driven by the desire to hold off the young bucks many older staff members will improve. Combine this with everyone’s awareness about environmental issues and the future is bright.

While a big house and a big salary would be nice it needs to be remembered that these things (in most cases) come with great effort and sacrifice. Work hard and you may be rewarded with these things. Then when your kids come to you and tell you that they can’t afford the house they want, or have to settle for a smaller car you’ll be able to tell them that especially when you are young you don’t always get what you want.

Greetings all in interwebs!!!

Apologies for not writing however i’m sure we all understand that life is busy sometimes. I have had a tough few weeks. I had a job which I was in charge of which needed to be released and had to bury a mate. Being in my mid to late 20’s burying a mate comes with different states of confusion, sadness, laughter, anger, and irritation.

Being called by a mate to be told one of your friends has past is one of the most surreal experience you can have. The only thing that I can compare it to is when someone tells you they are pregnant but you didn’t know they were trying to have a baby, The first reaction is shock and almost disbelief. The obvious difference is if someone tells you they are pregnant its usually followed by joy whereas death only brings confusion and sadness.

The confusion is the first thing I remember of the night I found out that my mate had died. Nothing made sense and I couldn’t believe it was true. Walking into a house to meet your friends after a mate has past is a depressing realisation that your worst nightmare is true. Confusion becomes sadness as you all realise that nothing can be said or done to change the situtation.

Eventually the sadness becomes laughter as you think of all the good times that you had. I think i spent just as much time laughing as I did crying. For a solid week I wanted to stay with my friends because that’s where the memories shone brightest and the bad memories were banished.

After the laughter comes anger and irritation, another great person taken too early. Its such a crap part of life that your time on this earth has nothing to do with what type of person you are. Consider how many poor kids die of various causes and consider that Hitler lived till 56 and it gives you an idea about how ridiculous this world is.

The first thing that I couldn’t handle was knowing that my mate wouldn’t enjoy the things that the rest of us will. I have never been religious and if anyone ever tried to push religion on me I would push back with some of the above. I find it hard to believe in some sort of god who doesn’t punish the bad but for some reason punishes the good.

By now I am 400 words in and you are all very confused by the title however I chose the title because of the world cup. So many media outlets are pushing the fact that South Africa shouldn’t have the world cup due to the amount of homeless and the deaths the country has. While I think its hypocritical to fly media over to a country and then bitch about the homeless I find the hardest bit trying to figure out why the world cup should not be in South Africa.

There are homeless people in most countries, there are drugs in most countries however one person can’t change the world. Even Bill Gates or whoever the new richest man on the planet is couldn’t save all the homeless and the fact is their are some people who are probably unsaveable.

If you sit down and think about every issue with this world you get caught up in a violent circle of pain and suffering. There is nothing surer than while the world keeps turning someone or something will suffer. Even if we all decided to become vegans then animals are still going to kill each other it is an unfortunate side effect of nature.

So what I have learnt over the past few weeks is this. Do I really need to go out on Friday night and get drunk with my friends? No, I don’t however I plan to live my life, everyday of it and I intend to make the most of it. If I earn enough money that I have some left over then I will donate some to less fortunate. If I am struggling to make ends meet myself then I won’t. I will live my life the best way I know. In happiness with my friends and family. It won’t save the world but sometimes you just have to be selfish.

While its probably not a correct number its good enough to illustrate my point. The world is ruled by 1 percent of the population. While all of us normal people sit there doing the right thing we are quietly pushed and shoved by the 1 percent of neanderthals that sit at the bottom of the evolutionary chain. These people make the world a less than awesome place to live.

You are probably sitting there thinking one of two things. A) This ranting idiot is correct or B) what is this ranting idiot talking about. For the folks in section B) I will explain however you should know if your in B) this may affect you and if it does i’m sorry!

The basic idea is this, in nearly all cases there are 99% of people that are ok with something. The issue is the 99% know that the majority is with them and know that its the logical or better option. However the 1% of pond scum do not understand the logic and decided to carry on which pushes their point of view.

Whenever there is an argument regarding racism its never the 99% that have an issue. I think back to when I heard about a community pool that wouldn’t let black kids in when the white kids were using the pool. 99% of us think this is a stupid idea but 1% decided that they would do it.

What about teenagers having to abide by rules. Many teenagers haven’t done anything remotely bad however due to the 1% they are expected to tow the line.

Look further and you can think about leaders over the years. The man and wife down the street are just getting by day to day paying their bills and surviving. Meanwhile leaders continue to send troops overseas to fight wars that have NOTHING to do with them. How many people died in the world wars yet the 1% made the decisions.

The world is ruled by 1 percent and things would be better if we were ruled by 99% instead. Will this ever happen? No. So does it make this post pointless? Yes

However next time you hear a dumb decision because a minority bitched and whinged you will think of me and realise that being the majority doesn’t always work out like it should.

While I have no sympathy for Tiger Woods and i think that he’s getting everything he deserves and realistically should suffer some more in my opinion however why is it all these women are so fast to come out and talk about their private life? What happened to keeping all of that stuff private.

They are so quick to come out and say they have slept with a celebrity for their five seconds of fame. I think that making it be known that someone has cheated on their wife is acceptable however why accept money for it? Why not take the moral high ground. I guess the argument is the fact that if you are sleeping with a married man then you probably don’t have the highest morals let alone if you sleep with men on camera for money but wouldn’t it be nice to here someone say ‘Yes I slept with Celebrity X’ and that’s it. No ‘the sex was like this’, ‘we did it in this location’ and definitely not accepting payment.

We are so fast to attack celebrities when they cheat but we don’t ostracize the people they sleep with when realistically what are they in it for? Then there are others who sleep with single celebrities and STILL kiss and tell what are they in it for? One wonders if they are looking at these celebrities or if they are whoring themselves off for their five seconds of fame.

If you are not talented enough yourself then its not something that can be sexually transmitted. My suggestion is find yourself a nice hard working man and keep your mouth shut you might miss out on your five seconds of fame but when your old and grey you can look back on your life and know that you took the moral high ground.

I am sick of hearing everytime something goes awry with someone who was not born in the country that its a racist attack. It may well be, but all that does is feed the beast. As you might have guessed by the fact i write a blog i ‘LOVE’ the internet. Not to the extent i’ve done anything inappropriate with it but more to the extent spending 6 hours surfing youtube is a productive use of my time. HOWEVER the internet has created a new generation of people who say before thinking. When you can instantly tell the world what you’re thinking the need to be clear and concise with you’re opinion seems to disappear.

It frustrates me that people are so quick to say that a country is ‘racist’, thats like saying the ocean is full of homosexual animals. Do two male dolphins get it on? maybe but that doesn’t mean all the ocean is homosexual right? I fail to see how someone saying ‘all americans are racist’ is that much different to someone saying ‘white people are of lower intelligence’ or for that matter ‘all fat people are ugly’. Constantly calling everything racist does nothing for relations between races because it pushes those who are not racist to defend themselves over and over again.

If an attack is racially motivated then they attacker should be sent to prison but lets not one minority change peoples minds about the majority. We have so many other things to get right on this planet like sorting out pollution issues and stopping wars that mudslinging is not helping anything. Lets spend more time teaching kids that differences are what make you unique and stop people from labeling all attacks as racist.

Earth - Enjoy it cause your going to have to pay to fix it!

Years from now I think will will clearly define the second half as the 2000’s as the climate change era. It seems to be come so cliche to care so much about climate change. People who live in big houses and have fleets of cars all seem to come out and tell us we should care about the planet. If you are a father/mother your probably more concerned about your kids than the environment. The easiest thing to do as a celebrity is to comment on something and not do anything. Bono as much of a complete tool he seems to be atleast backs up his comments. Why is it all these young singers can come out and say ‘do something to say the environment’ and the reply is never ‘okay what do you do?’

They cart expensive tours all over the planet with no consideration about consequences except for how much money they make. Why are more celebrities not self sufficient? Are they so concern that their roof would look discusting with solar panels? I have mentioned celebrities and that should probably be changed to rich people because they make the rules for the poor and expect us to live by these rules.

There are discussions that rates such as water and electricity will rise to ’save the planet’ which means good people like you and me are resigned to paying for problems that big companies have spent YEARS creating. Shouldn’t they be more accountable for their previous actions? Their profits are enormous however for some reason we the little people have to pay for their mistakes.

While I agree that the earth needs to be saved who is it that should be saving it? The rich who have made millions destroying it or the poor who are too busy working day to day to be able to handle such issues. One thing is for certain ’saving the planet’ is going to make even more money for the people who have been spending years destroying it because environmentally friendly alternatives are going to come at a greater cost to the consumer.

The earth will end up being saved which is obviously fantastic news for future generations. Lets hope that they do not end up paying the price for big businesses decisions that are occuring now.

Yes we could have put the money to curing cancer but have a look at that flame!

If you haven’t heard there is alot of discussion going on at the moment about NASA’s efforts to return to the moon. Whether or not you agree spending billions of dollars to visit the moon does seem kinda stupid especially in this time of financial crisis.

Now don’t for a second think that i’m against money being given to research tasks. As a man who isn’t exactly religious i’m putting all my eggs in the ‘immortal in my generation’ basket. However spending billions going to a place we have already gone seems really stupid (not quite as stupid as spending billions on the hadron collider and then having it not work but stupid).

Most of us can’t imagine having 1 million what about spending one million dollars to go to the next State. You could spend that money on so many more useful things and thats what I find with the moon. We could be spending that money on so many better things. What about cures for cancer or aids or environmentally friendly cars.

The moon to me holds no mysteries anymore and especially for billions of dollars and lets not mention the fact its going to take like 16-17 YEARS!!

Lets conquer the mysteries of earth before we worry about spending more on going to the moon.