A few days ago I was thinking about a particularly miserable old sod I happen to unfortunately know. I most often picture him sitting, always in the same spot, wading through the worst of the ‘news’ he can find and quietly enjoying every minute of it. Seeing things wrong in the world reinforces every negative stereotype and bias he has and so he feels justified in both the wading and the enjoyment.
This time I reached a disturbing conclusion – he and I have something in common. We both (me only on my bad days) believe that the world is going to hell in a handbasket.
We believe it for different reasons though. He sees youthful excesses and traffic halting protests as a sign that society is broken, but businesses treating their employees badly is just the price we pay for a ‘free’ market that will rescue us all from socialism.
I believe the opposite. I believe that young women sailing halfway across the world to speak truth to old men may be the only things that could save us from food shortages and wild fires. I believe that billionaires complaining about ONLY being left with several million to live on (every year) is the price we pay for believing the hype (nope, the rest of us will not all become billionaires one day).
Even though we both believe things are broken we do not react in the same ways.
I cannot know what goes through his mind, I could guess, but I may well be wrong. What I can know is that his words and actions make the world just a little MORE depressing, unpleasant and toxic for everyone around him. Maybe the examples of him and his fellow believers have something to do with the way I react to what’s wrong in the world. I don’t want to wallow in self-righteousness, complaining loudly but doing nothing and I don’t want to sit comfortably and enjoy the to ride to hell. I want to kick and scream and make it difficult for complacent, unthinking people everywhere.
So I turn to the person next to me and I help out when I can. That might be supporting the eduction of a girl halfway around the world or helping to buy a sewing machine for a woman raising her family alone through micro-loans (KIVA) but usually it is simply by saying No. No, I won’t walk past someone obviously suffering. No, I won’t listen to your racist joke without calling you out. No, I won’t turn away a friend when they need something I can give.
I stick two fingers up to the billionaires, pay your fucking taxes if you want any more respect than that and no, I won’t be using your service/company/product. I send a FU to the fear-mongers, war-mongers and hate-mongers by voting each and every chance I get. I reuse and recycle, I save water and energy and I hold my head up high as I am part of the solution, not the problem.
The Errant Moon 
I love this Moon. I work with old people and im swimming with this miserable oldtimers. not all of them. they hate the world and think every person is bad but they love to read bad storys. they read about people on welfare and makes them so angry and happy and rightus. we must carry on being positive, you and me, even when it is hard. thank you for writing this
bill hicks “It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings or money. Just a simple choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defense each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.”
Thank you so much for sending that, I knew I liked Bill Hicks, now I know why.
I suppose it is easier to give in and just believe every bad thing you’re told, but that is too easy for me, I want the truth and the truth is that there ARE good people in the world, it just feels like it’s very difficult to find them sometimes…that’s why I appreciate the people who get in touch and prove that we’re not alone.
Thank you again 🙂
work was really hard today the world was kicking me in my party place. then is read this and I know that there are good people trying to make a better world. small people big people doent matter. just happy that you are in the world and you try. ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ
Thank you Pacquino, I’m glad you’re in the world too!
(I hope your party place feels better soon 🎉 They may be able to knock us down, but we will just keep getting back up).