The Ramblings of A Mad Man - Part Four of Something Something...

Far be it from me to be political (never!), I've been prodded & jibed by the online population far too much this week not to complain a little.

PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS!

Oh, you want more than that...? Fine!

I'm not a bold intellectual, a scholastic man. Not in the slightest. You may well find me pawing through some rather interesting videos on YouTube or scrolling my way into despair at some spectacular "scientific" articles. The problem there being you can rely on truth & proof as much as you can by delving into the Bible or any of the other Abrahamic "How To" guides. It's great for interpreting whatever the hell you want but standing up for anything you might believe, in most cases, tends to lead to embarrassment or offence. Finding the real gritty truth these days reminds me of a shit episode of the X-Files.

That wouldn't be such a problem if the obvious lies & conspiracy stood out to everyone as much as it does for me. We'd all giggle & move on with our lives, I'm sure of it. The thing is, we're not talking about flat Earth theories or hollow moons; I'm talking about the simple fact that our global society is in the toilet & everybody is pointing fingers, passing the blame to whatever fits their agenda. I am crazy so don't take it from me. In fact, if you're still reading this you might be crazy too; still don't take my word for it. Go outside & look around. Walk around your local shopping centres, parks, alleyways; think about what you see. Think back on your life & everything you've learned & assess the question, "is this it...?"

You may have assumed from my previous comments that I'm not a religious man & by many interpretations you may be correct. I see any & all strictly held beliefs as religions unto themselves, personal, spiritual, communal & political. By that understanding, someone who is devoutly healthy in their diet would be considered personally religious & may well have joined a gym with others who are communally religious in the same way. If that person enjoyed being an environmentalist who petitions for animal rights, they too could then be considered politically religious. I do hope I'm making sense. With all I've said in mind & nary more than doctrine to argue against me, religion & belief go hand in hand, whether you attend a church or not. Unlike many others, I would not consider myself religiously "tied-down" in any respect. I try to be open-minded to other peoples assessments & greatly enjoy the religions of Physics, Biology & Mathematics. Don't let that fool you; I also revel in reading anything that holds a message & serves a purpose, regardless of whether I believe or agree with it. I have been known to practise meditation & have great respect for the spiritual aspects of Hinduism & Buddhism.

There comes a point in everyone's lives, if the conditions are correct, that they will have to ask themselves; "What do I believe?". The question might not follow those exact words & indeed might barely be asked before action is required. In these moments it's up to us to act on our basic instincts & educations. Do we have that...?

Our priorities as a species are entirely misplaced if the current visual evidence is anything to go by. I see more homeless people on the streets now than ever before, families falling apart & children being abused, starved, misled & corrupted. News flash, that's only in this country. Friends of mine who have travelled to visit the most tragically affected among us tell of poverty & manipulation from the western world. At first I was asking myself; "Where are my taxes being spent?". Sure, the street lights are on & "I Love Bletchley Day" happens bang on time every year but what the fuck happened to the welfare state? In this day & age there should not be this blatant lack of mass education & harmony. People should know by now that we're all on the same bloody ship, heading for the same unknown destination. All the rest is rather clever but it's actually doing us some damage now. Could we slow down a bit & let the stragglers catch their breath? Equally, could you kindly ask that small group in the middle to stop whispering about killing us all? All too much has become important out of context. The optimist inside me cries out for a modern version of the 10 Commandments by means of a universal understanding. No? Would you rather keep on blowing up children in the Middle East while we figure out what's going on...? Why is it so hard to believe that we could all get our heads around a few simple rules like "Never kill a person without the consent of the person you are killing" or quite simply "Try not to be a cunt".

You're still wondering why people are idiots, right...? I'll get to the point.

More so these days, similarly to the homeless crisis, I see arguments on social media, news articles & YouTube videos galore. You're thinking; "Yeah but they're all the idiots in the world, arguing the toss because they're bored!" and you're right. I am literally shocked every time I see a well constructed sentence or God forbid a question. Instead what I see is people sticking up for things they haven't researched in the slightest or only believe in because they're gullible. Where does that get them? Nowhere.

My ultimate question is; When did it stop being our responsibility to learn first & educate later? We base our systems on outdated modes & curriculum that seem to be less relevant than what the child could be learning at home or from experiencing the world for real. We have bred a generation of careless & uneducated parents who are now passing the torch to a brood of smart phone consumerists who barely know what happens outside their own doors. We need to learn how to compensate & fast, otherwise the work of many thousands before us could be undone in a matter of decades. We need to care more about ourselves & others, always looking for the greater truth in everything.

I want to be able to come back here in 20 years & not feel the need to bitch like a stressy victim. Alright...?

Cheers!
   

The Ramblings of a Mad Man - Part Three of 3.33333333(recurring)

To tell you the honest truth; I haven't got the guts to Google "What happened between series two & three of Red Dwarf?". Why did Kryten reappear so casually, why was Holly replaced by Hilly & where did those Starbug things come from? That's not to mention the vast interior decoration job that took place between the two episodes.

As an adult, having grown up alongside the commercial internet, I'm finding it to be making me more dubious by the day. Do you remember a time when comment sections & forums weren't full of nit pickers & trolls? No, me either... I used to enjoy it to be fair. As an adult I crave for real grit, content, information, maybe even something interesting to tell the kids one day. Instead, most of the "fun" places online are crammed full of crap, crud & quite frankly bullshit. From the simple "10 eggs with funny faces" to "Paul McCartney died in the 60's", it's stopped being funny now. Too many people have caught me being gullible...

As a busker who became a songwriter who became an entertainer, I cringe at the notion that a good proportion of my career is net-bound. I'd prefer to have the phone ringing off the wall, be in the presence of people, play where the party's at. Call me a cynic but any time spent on a device during that experience is a ball ache. Then again, here I am on a big one instead of out there making friends...

Do you ever feel like there's a force in your life that's entirely diverting away from what you want to do with yourself? Do you ever feel like what you think you want to do isn't actually what you want to do? Do you worry that you might miss out either way? 

Google it.

The Ramblings of a Mad Man - Part One of Four Million, Six Hundred Thousand & Twenty Nine

Most recently (recently, meaning within the last six months), my friend Lauren - an avid writer herself - urged me to write a blog in autonomous fashion (writing without thinking too much, y'know?). Well Lauren, get your filthy claws out of my best friend you petulant wench!! Oh, & I wrote you a blog...

I sit here amongst a third of a lifespan's junk & sentiment, imagining how it got so messy. Here I was minding my own business, only to find some amorphous figure known as "25 years", drinking my tea & commenting on my dress-sense. Me, me, me... I think the problem lies somewhere there, doesn't it? It's become apparent to ME that the old ways of compassion, cooperation & empathy have adapted as much as I have; much in the same respect. Narcissism reigns supreme over a generation plagued by technology. In yesteryear, if something had spread as quickly as the internet, people would have burnt it & buried it... preferably side by side to create countryside boobies. The trick seems to be; only empty the ashtrays if it comes to it & only tidy up if injury occurs. I'd like to say "I used to be so clean & tidy, I've fallen so far from grace. Woe is me!". Unfortunately, maintenance has never been my strong suit. Neither has grace.

My Dad says to me; "Your problem is, you've figured it out. You know every inch of every step you have to take & yet you always try to find a way around." Damn right Dad, my legs hurt from lack of exercise! Seriously though, I'm my own worst enemy... Someone else recently proposed "You're self-absorbed & full of shit". They weren't wrong & indeed I've noticed it in myself. Similar statements have reared their heads more so these last few years. For a while there I assumed I was a good person with only the best as heart, making an ass of you AND me. Turns out narcissism is contagious & good will is relative.

Don't you hate it when you're starting a new job, or school or making your way through the pearly gates & someone gives you THAT look!? You know the look... To you it's; "YOU'RE A MUG & I'LL TURN THE WHOLE WORLD AGAINST YOU!!". To them it's probably something more like; "Who is this guy? Is he going to disgrace me!? I'll tell my mum...". Something like that anyway. The point is, without an inherent sense of empathy & understanding, we're all a bit screwed.

Positivity is one of the most important things for us to attempt, even if we're not wired for it. True say, yeah; We're all organic manifestations or energy, cascading in universal power. You dig? What I'm trying to say is; when it boils down to it, you're not working in admin & doing the washing up. You're expressing the unending flow of the universe. Even if that sounds nuts, it might do you to know that particle physicists would agree. There's a huge gap in understanding that tells us science & spiritualism (or Church & Skate for any noFX fans out there) are completely different things. Even in my addled state I can see two professions following a different methodology. Then again, if we can't get Christians & Muslims to quietly eat dinner together & biologists from throwing wine in everyone's faces (trying to get a reaction), how are we supposed to unite mankind? Plus, Einstein & Buddha have both sprung this mortal coil - meaning any ideas of an amicable tea party are long gone.

In my madness I started following a webinar (seminar for agoraphobics) on "How to be Successful in the New Music Industry!!1!". Never the sceptic, I throw myself straight in for an hour & fourty-five minutes of lecturing & note-taking. Bear in mind that through my studies elsewhere, I've grown to know just about everything there is to know about what these people were calling "the OLD music industry". Fifty minutes in I'm nodding my head like an idiot - lapping it up like the soppy flannel I am. In any case, she finally gets to the point... "My secret ingredient to my special sauce is.... *drum roll*... FACEBOOK ADS!!!!!". I sigh & get ready to give up on the whole thing, thinking "No shit Sherlock - what's your actual point!?" See, for anyone in the know, it's no secret that if you have a basic understanding of who you're selling to & enough of a budget to throw at your Facebook page, you will start to see a return. It works, yay skippy... can I have a budget now please? Long story long; she was selling courses on how to improve your Facebook ads. What's the point you say? There was none... Maybe that I'm gullible & have too much time on my hands?

In conclusion - between you, me & the gatepost - I'm a little bit worried about the EU thing. I don't understand a lot about it other than the universe must be bored shitless to come up with all that hassle. Tomorrow at work, or school or hanging ten in Shangri La - turn to the person next to you & tell them they're just a figment of something special. I'm not sure what will happen but that's the beauty of life. Turns out there is a literal calculation for human action & reaction within the known universe (abiding by common science). Who knew that all them lab coats could figure out such a thing as fate, or dare I say it, destiny! Which, by the way, was an awful example of a well-coded MMORPG. Nuff said.

I'm Billy Nomad & welcome to my head...

Goodnight.

DISCLAIMER: I am as mad as I appear to be in writing, I've simply chosen a style of writing that accentuates that madness to provide entertainment for my fellows. I am not in any way dangerous but at no point should you attempt to feed me, stroke me or send me to "live on a farm". I will not have it.

P.S. Lauren tends to make a bit more sense than me. Check her out at https://lozzmagozz.wordpress.com/

That "War" Thing Over There...

"Until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes; Me say war."

Today, more than ever, we are aware of war. It comes in many shapes and sizes. From the petty disputes of overbearing policy & polite anarchy to the wars of religion, equality & money; we're all well and truly used to it. But, what is war? How do we as individuals better understand it and how can we better serve against it? First (as usual) we have to go back to the beginning!

Sorry...

As has always been the case, at it's core, war is seen as the ultimate disagreement. War occurs when two people cannot simply agree on a happy medium and conflict emerges. Originally this was an extremely brutal affair with much bludgeoning but has since developed into a highly orchestrated psychological attack. It is true to say that death and disarray still play a vital role in the success of war but only so far as to create a stressful working environment for one's opponent.

When the first kingdoms & empires sprung to fruition, land was freely available with little to no bloodshed. The tribes were a hassle to pillage, plunder and bribe but eventually the world was divvied up into his, hers & theirs. The rulers of these early nations saw profit in capturing their colleagues land and would arrange soldiers to occupy as much as possible, as soon as possible. Often, the opposing leader would retaliate by sending in their own soldiers and more often than not death on both sides would ensue. After a few hundred years, the more "in-tune" leaders formed alliances to make up numbers and protect themselves from the weaker, lesser nations. These organisations still exist and grow, although recent events have shown them for the fallacy they present. 

The excuses for war are endless and somewhat tedious but the reality of what war represents has never changed. Until now.

Over time, common sense and rational thinking have led to the discovery of the meaning of life. There is no meaning, do what you want. People have been aware of this fact for some time but with the distractions of divinity and personal ascension, it has remained widely ignored. Human beings are incredible at making excuses and have done so for generations. At the turn of the 21st century, ignorance became uncool and we started speaking out. I was 11 when I was sent home from school because a group of men, thousands of miles away, had decided to fly passenger planes into heavily populated buildings. The whole world shut down in those few hours while we were introduced to our first mainstream gang of terrorists and taught the basics of the new world order. Not many questions were asked at first, people were afraid, the gang was to be dealt with. The allied forces were dispatched in vast numbers to all manner of places to do their work and 12 years later, we're no closer to achieving a sensible agreement. 

There is one major difference between this latest bout of conflicts and it's predecessors; support. Propaganda plays a vital part along the way and can often lead to victory all on its own. Sending a positive message to one's populace not only rallies support in terms of fire-power but also in terms of financial backing. If the average number believes that they are contributing to a noble cause they will contribute in almost any way they can, even in the face of death. The trouble being that these days, the numbers aren't rolling in quite as fast as before. Negative press from independent sources has all but stripped this war of any reason or rhyme and any informed individual is as likely to subscribe to the war effort as they are to sign up for the other side. Several more conflicts have come to the public eye as part of the latest wave of propaganda overspill and British nationals have been migrating in droves to support rebel forces & so-called "terrorist" groups, rather than serve the organisations that house them. In a few short months, the allied forces are set to evacuate the war-zone they have exacerbated, yet it seems unlikely the dispute will resolve itself at any point in my lifetime. After-all, it's only been going on since the beginning of civilisation in the middle-east. 

Understanding war is like attempting to remove a brick wall with a wooden spoon; You're more than likely to wear yourself out before you've even begun to break the surface. In fact, war itself is inherently human, entirely illogical and (I believe) highly unnatural. In nature, an animal does not kill unless it feels it must. It will hunt the living for food but never for fun or fortune. It could be that one day, Farmer Bill had a disagreement with Farmer Phil about where the boundary fence should be between their two farms. Farmer Bill wanted it there but Farmer Phil wanted it there. Bill threatened to send over his oversized sons (Will & Gill) to settle the matter by way of fatality and Phil defeatedly mumbled "Go on... Take it all!", having only his undersized daughter (Jill) to defend him. I could quite happily see the result developing from there. Land, resources & control are still the playing field but Bill & Phil are now big fat bankers with wallets as fat as your fist and little to no interest in who's sons and daughters are involved in the onslaught. It's a sad state of affairs but it is the reality we've created. On the upside, it happens to be a reality we have express powers to change.

Often I wonder how I, little old me, can impact on that "war" thing over there. How can I help the people just like me in their homes, scared for their lives and those of their family? How can I send a message to those that choose to set the target and those that choose to pull the trigger? How do I make it stop?

First, I have to remember that alone I can achieve nothing more than a ripple. However tempting it is to hide from the noise, I know that the less involvement I have, the less impact I will have. Just by talking about what is going on and creating a public attitude toward a global issue can create an immense change. From there the potential is endless. Confronting the people that orchestrate these terrible deeds is a necessity but not to slay them or torture them or enslave them. No. To relieve them of their powers and to educate them in humanity. 

Come on. Give peace a chance! If not for John; Do it for me...?  

To Me. To You.

It seems to be, that all you see, is violence in movies & sex on TV... Where are those good old fashioned values, in which we used to rely...? Lucky there's a judgmental bastard like me to put you right!

The art of conversation is a simple and effective affair, shareable by all speaking mammals. In the beginning, our vocal chords were fine-tuned for delivering the exact information we wished to convey, such as; "Help, I'm being eaten!" or "Let's go hunting over there today...". As we've developed, so has our language and the way we use it. More so than ever we share what I like to call "non-vital information", otherwise explainable as "things we don't actually need to talk about". Here is a valuable list of conversational do's that I hope will help comfort you through these spontaneous bouts of chuntering.

1. A conversation is not a competition. DO remember to be open-minded and considerate of other people's perspectives. There is no way of "winning".
2. The information you're hearing could be just as important as the information you're sharing. DO remember to listen effectively and act accordingly. Assumptions make for a bad time.
3. The speed at which you process information is much slower than the speed at which you talk. DO remember to slow down to give your partner the optimum experience. Understanding is vital.
4. A conversation is served best at room temperature, face-to-face. DO remember that text messaging and phone calls are a cheap alternative to the real thing. Body language counts for over 70% of all conversational interpretation.
5. A conversation is a two-way street. DO remember to wait your turn. There's nothing worse than trampling on someone's point, even if you do think that what you have to say is more important.

Using these 5 simple rules will not only help you to become more adept at holding a conversation but will also make you a more enjoyable person to converse with. Be aware that not every person you come into contact with will have foreknowledge of these facts and may well require a small strike to the throat. Alternatively, send them here to learn what it is that's annoying you most. Sharing is caring...

Said-U-Cation

Once upon a time, not so long ago, in the heat of the moment, I made a statement. Some would choose to be greatly offended by the words that passed my lips, yet none so far have denied my truth;

"There are two things distinctly wrong with our entire society which have affected us to a great extent. Parenting & education." 

Bold as it is to state (being neither a parent or a teacher), I believe I may be able to save myself from the imminent death, which lurks in the mind of anyone serving either profession while reading those words. Please, refrain from doing so... I merely mean to opinionate and never to offend. 

Back when early humans were developing as monkeys, society was a natural & well-served affair. Participants were so unintelligent that they willingly partook in the habits of their brethren with little to no questions asked or answered. The "system", as it was in those days, depended on a few simple tasks being taken up by the entire collective in order to achieve contentment & safety amongst the body. Things such as hunting, foraging & childcare. There was never a need for much else and the people of that time both knew & respected the natural way of things. Instinctively, passing this knowledge to their children, the education & parenting systems were unknowingly formed. 

As our brains & bodies developed we became not only more intelligent but more considerate. We had achieved the ability to question openly and receive answers knowingly. The systems that we had put in place as our former selves had in turn become questionable & malleable. The first nurseries were formed as tribes grew in numbers while demands on parents became more time-consuming. With more mouths to feed; more meat must be hunted, more fruit must be foraged & more wood must be found for fire. Again, we respected these natural requirements. Revering the forces of nature as divine. Teaching our fledglings the same by way of practical learning when the time came. 

The late great Douglas Adams made an interesting case back in 1998 when he spoke of a similar assumption. He said; "Imagine early man. Early man is, like everything else, an evolved creature and he finds himself in a world that he's begun to take a little charge of; he's begun to be a tool-maker, a changer of his environment with the tools that he's made and he makes tools, when he does, in order to make changes in his environment. To give an example of the way man operates compared to other animals, consider speciation, which, as we know, tends to occur when a small group of animals gets separated from the rest of the herd by some geological upheaval, population pressure, food shortage or whatever and finds itself in a new environment with maybe something different going on. Take a very simple example; maybe a bunch of animals suddenly finds itself in a place where the weather is rather colder. We know that in a few generations those genes which favour a thicker coat will have come to the fore and we'll come and we'll find that the animals have now got thicker coats. Early man, who's a tool maker, doesn't have to do this: he can inhabit an extraordinarily wide range of habitats on earth, from tundra to the Gobi Desert - he even manages to live in New York for heaven's sake - and the reason is that when he arrives in a new environment he doesn't have to wait for several generations; if he arrives in a colder environment and sees an animal that has those genes which favour a thicker coat, he says “I'll have it off him”. Tools have enabled us to think intentionally, to make things and to do things to create a world that fits us better. Now imagine an early man surveying his surroundings at the end of a happy day's tool making. He looks around and he sees a world which pleases him mightily: behind him are mountains with caves in - mountains are great because you can go and hide in the caves and you are out of the rain and the bears can't get you; in front of him there's the forest - it's got nuts and berries and delicious food; there's a stream going by, which is full of water - water's delicious to drink, you can float your boats in it and do all sorts of stuff with it; here's cousin Ug and he's caught a mammoth - mammoth's are great, you can eat them, you can wear their coats, you can use their bones to create weapons to catch other mammoths. I mean this is a great world, it's fantastic. But our early man has a moment to reflect and he thinks to himself, 'well, this is an interesting world that I find myself in' and then he asks himself a very treacherous question, a question which is totally meaningless and fallacious, but only comes about because of the nature of the sort of person he is, the sort of person he has evolved into and the sort of person who has thrived because he thinks this particular way. Man the maker looks at his world and says 'So who made this then?' Who made this? - you can see why it's a treacherous question. Early man thinks, 'Well, because there's only one sort of being I know about who makes things, whoever made all this must therefore be a much bigger, much more powerful and necessarily invisible, one of me and because I tend to be the strong one who does all the stuff, he's probably male'. And so we have the idea of a god. Then, because when we make things we do it with the intention of doing something with them, early man asks himself , 'If he made it, what did he make it for?' Now the real trap springs, because early man is thinking, 'This world fits me very well. Here are all these things that support me and feed me and look after me; yes, this world fits me nicely' and he reaches the inescapable conclusion that whoever made it, made it for him."

When we as a species moved away from the idea of nature & into the realms of Gods and Goddesses, we adapted the way we taught our young significantly. The first churches and indeed schools were formed, taking education further from the control of experience. Over successive generations, wires crossed & necessary values were overlooked. More value was placed in the ever-growing sense of divinity that we ourselves had created than in our instinctive knowledge. By the time our modern, mainstream Gods had made centre stage we had established trade and with it an economy. Distracting us further from the most important of our few necessities; childcare. With the fall of the divine Goddess during the Pagan genocide, women were placed at a lower importance than man and seen as a subservient being. Religion, conquest & the economy replacing her as man's best friend. 

In the modern age, we have all but overcome such travesties. In the western world, religion is falling rapidly and the economy is steadily becoming something of an irritation to the average person. With the rise of the internet we are more aware than ever of the corruption which has stalked us from our very earliest developments as a species. Politicians, religious leaders & banking executives are often perceived as the bane of our existence. With it though we are awash with conflicting ideals and moral values, sprung from the very cause of our confusions. Lack of effective education. We are well and truly bombarded with the moral dilemmas of what we see happening elsewhere in the world and have little to no knowledge of what to do to help make things right. Children die on our TV & computer screens as we watch in deliberation and dismay. We have absolutely no idea of how to liberate our fellow man without the necessary sacrifice to our own relatively comfortable way of life. 

Today, the issues we face as a species haven't changed in the slightest since our humble beginnings. The three major components for our survival remain in tact, regardless of our distractions & conflicting ideals. Yet, with our early hobbies becoming modern habits we seem unable to break out of the cycle of curriculum & conformity. One's career is seen as a higher importance than another's happiness. Personal growth & development have taken the place of collectivism & mutual satisfaction. The trouble being the sheer amount of what I like to call "Said-U-Cation". 

I have always made the case that one cannot possibly know what has not been experienced or learned personally. The assumption was made some time ago that by simply unearthing a truth on an individual or group of people somehow makes them wiser and as such in a higher state of education. Consider for a moment a carpenter who has yet to craft wood. The individual may well have been preached the basics of woodwork but without undertaking the psychical process involved, they can be no more assured that what they have learned is based in fact or rumour. By interacting with said wood and forging the intended article, the participant is no longer educated but experienced. This brings about an absolute truth that can no more be denied than avoided. However, our society wrongly relies on so many things that cannot be physically experienced nor enjoyed. We are taught that relieving ourselves of any and all physical hardship is the highest priority and will lead to our much sought after enlightenment. Our basic desires are placed in the background of conciousness and more often than not entirely taken for granted. 

I believe that the easiest way to escape this apparent trap is remembering to teach our children the reason and rhyme behind our existence. Remembering to teach them what is necessary and what is accessory. Remembering to teach them to teach the same. Although in the great scheme of things our time here is minute and fleeting, the significance & impact we have while here is both incredible & awe-inspiring. Yes, we have a responsibility to develop and grow, but as a species and not as a rabble of individuals. Parents, teachers & in turn all of us alike hold an equal responsibility to share the truth that we all know by pure instinct alone. We all deserve to know the reasoning behind our existence and we are all accountable in delivering it. First & foremost we are here to survive. Everything else is a bonus...



P.S. I highly recommend reading the entire speech made by Douglas at Biota 2 in '98. He makes an extremely inspiring case. Check it out @ http://www.biota.org/people/douglasadams/ 

Anti-Social Media

How fitting that my first venture into "Blogging" should be in order to complain about the state of the world as I see it. More precisely, the digital world. The internet.

I often jokingly blame my day to day indiscretions on my Irish heritage, but there is no doubt being born and raised in Britain has had a significant effect on my behaviour. Most importantly my ability to queue & complain, as well as drinking gallons of tea and finding even the darkest of situations funny. Here in Britain and in particular England, we are fantastic at complaining until we're blue in the face while doing precisely fuck all constructive about any bad situation. I've honed that skill to a tee...

Take for instance the riots not so long ago in London and beyond (even here in Milton Keynes). Through the haze of national media crossfire and social media hype my grasp of the story is thus; A particularly nasty police officer shot and killed a man in cold blood & was subsequently unsuitably punished. This turn of events caused one or more areas to fall into anarchy and begin to riot, inspiring much of the country to do the same. Understandable, to a degree...

I for one have seen many sides to the British police force. On occasion in the past they have been a much welcomed help, as well as an unbearable nuisance. I find it best to consider them as a gang, much like you would find in a ghetto or estate. They sit in the pocket of the organisations in charge of our everyday administration & survival with an aim to keep the peace. All in the name of the greater good. It was no great shock to me when they amended their mission statement to read "To reduce the fear of crime" instead of our well kept and much loved "To Protect & Serve". Granted, I have noticed a decrease in the fear of crime, or rather, an acceptance of crime. However, I've also noted a massive increase in fear of the police and said organisations that administrate their actions, as well as our own.

It pays to remember that these people are put into power by us and that that privilege may not be around forever. As we've seen over the past century in particular, party politics does not work and will not work in the future, regardless of how it's tweaked and prodded about. I've been saying for a while that the true leader of our country will be the man or woman who is nominated by us the people and takes the initiative to approach our queen and ask permission to abolish party politics forever and form a fairer form of government, to set the way for global politics and into a new age of human evolution.

Bold as that statement sounds, I speak some semblance of truth. Due to the insatiable fashion of our bureaucratic baby-sitters, our very development as a species has been compromised through conventionalism and conformity. Today more than ever it is nearby impossible to be genuinely different and to have our inspirations see the light of day. Since the age of Thatcher, there have been so many rules & prohibitions put in place that the entire nation juggles between walking on eggshells and being scolded like children. Respect is a misnomer in this day and age, with importance and success at the forefront of social standing. Soul & culture have become a hobbyists dream. We are no longer developing into a species that we're happy to be a part of. In many ways, we're getting further from it.

Little surprise is it that our entire race has instead chosen to confine themselves inside, away from the madness, hypnotised by a false reality. The world-wide-web. First commercialised during my childhood, the internet promised fun and frivolity until it eventually became it's own sub-society around my teenage years with sites like Bebo, MySpace & more recently FaceBook. At first, such things were harmless and still being used to achieve positive things such as laughter and other such arousal. Nowadays the same playgrounds are occupied by children who wish to inflict their negativity, depression & loneliness on each other. All of which are caused by a lack of mental productivity (A.K.A leaving the house and doing something proactive).

Never take for granted the world you're presented with. Regardless of how badly the management are chuntering along, this planet is yours & mine as much as it is theirs. Hiding away and complaining about these issues on a social media site may well help to scratch the surface but the real potential you have before you to inflict actual change is incredible. If as many people on FaceBook cared as passionately about things as they appeared and were willing to go out into the world to physically effect the change they desired, all the worlds problems would be solved by next week. That's not to say that these people don't care. They just don't care enough.

The internet & indeed social media are valuable inventions to a degree but for now they are not the reality we live within. There is only so much impact man-made data can have on the physical world and unless we heed that revelation promptly we may well drive ourselves stupid and eventually, useless...

The funny thing about a home is; it's bigger on the outside. Go have a look!