For myself, I was reasonably pleased with how the service went. Heidi-Rose spoke well, with feeling and humour, and Geoff did what Geoff does best, speak with conviction, albeit reiteration seemed to surpass actual content. Having promised Heidi-Rose that I would sit with her, Esther and I arrived early and plonked down about 3 rows back. I had no urge to sit at the front, and while waiting, Geoff came over and spoke. As convivial as ever we passed pleasantries and renewed our interaction, something which we do seem quite good at. Misguided as his faith is, I suppose I can at least appreciate his fullness in engaging in it. Then the procession of family came in with the coffin and with them Heidi-Rose, who sat on the front. In an attempt to keep my promise, I moved forward but ended up sat by Nikita, thus ending up with the result of sitting where I didn’t want to be, and next to someone I didn’t want to sit with. Good start!  

And from then on in fairness, pretty much everything went smoothly. We all ended back up at the Kings Arms in Crewe, Anne and Rod had traveled up to Crewe, but neglected to speak to either myself or Esther, either at the church, the graveyard, or at the pub, Andrew spoke at the graveyard, but then accidentally/purposefully (pick your option) never said goodbye to Heidi-Rose after pointedly shaking everyone else’s hand. Considering Heidi-Rose’s contribution to everything, I found this a touch out of order, certainly more so than Anne mysteriously managing to avoid any contact with me and her sister-in-law. So, people filed out, the god squadders first to disperse after a swift indulgence in a drink that doesn’t turn into some zombie saviour’s blood! Eventually only Es, me, Hamish, Hazel, Chris and Richard remained. Much was talked about, all in done good spirits. Eventually Hamish and Hazel headed home, and we all migrated to the Duke, where I handed out a lesson at pool!

And so it was done. I will forever have a certain sense of amusement at the fact that mother was buried in the same plot as dad, presumably (if you believe mother’s claims and protestations of innocence) on top of the old man for the first time! A swig of whisky with Heidi-Rose at the grave side, a toast of sorts, and a set of good memories from the bar. For myself, all my expectations were surpassed as to quite how well things went. For that, I suppose I should offer up some thanks. And Esther? Well, her exposure to Wiseman’s en mass was not anywhere near as bad as it could be.

It should be noted that, the ice had been broken the day before the funeral. Sat in the Kings, Heidi-Rose, Hamish and Hazel came for a drink with us. After a few, and escorting H to the bus station, we wound up back at Hamish’s for food and beer. Singing on a mic that Hamish sprang on us ensued, and it’s fair to say that a good time was had by all. It was good to have the initial meeting thing out of the way after so long. Certainly it made for an easier experience the day after, probably for Hazel and Hamish as much as Es and myself.  

So now, after a day out in Liverpool, we’ve returned home. I wonder now quite how much I will see of my family again from now on. Given Anne’s behaviour, and Susan’s non appearance (so still no trainers/ flight money!!!) I would think that this will be the last interaction I have with either of them. Andrew wasn’t exactly forthcoming, Iain stayed in New Zealand and appears to be unable to communicate in a coherent capacity, so that leaves Hamish as the only direct family. As I now really have no real reason to be back in Crewe again, it may be that the only time I would see him is if he passed through Holland. I guess we’ll see. 

I wish I could end on something positive about mother, some sort of indication that all that was past, has now past. In truth, I can say only this : I went to the funeral to make my own peace, and if possible, maybe offer some support for others, something I could do due to my own detachment. I know I did one of those two, and hope I accomplished the latter in some way shape or form. The funeral offered me this chance, and to have managed/achieved it, makes it worth my while having attended.

For that, I am grateful.

As a post script, I should say a thank you to my wife, who supervised me (lol) through all of the above. I could’ve done this without you, but I probably would’ve been a less sane man afterwards. Thank you Esther! 

Heidi-Rose had the unfortunate experience of finding her, in the hallway at Cornwall Grove. Arriving for a visit, she could see her gran laid out on the floor. I feel for her. No one should have to find someone like that. Since then, it has been protocol and family stuff to deal with, of which neither are doubtless anything which H needed to start the year with. After her last year you would assume the poor lass was expecting things could only get better. 

So, i suppose, technically I am an orphan! I’d like to say I feel something, but I don’t really think that would be accurate. I think Es was in shock, having been presented the duty to tell me as even up until now, a few days later, none of the family besides H has had enough about them to actually physically speak to me. Not that it matters now, it is however indicative of the wonderful workings of the Wiseman’s. Es received a mail from Susan telling her “frantic call from H…. Mum’s died, can you tell Al”, which, rather than digest, she just read aloud, blurted out, and so that’s how I found out. All day from then on she was, what I hope is, not herself, so much so that at the end of the day I could quite happily have packed my stuff and left, never to be seen again. Really not the best day to test my mental strength and stubbornness. Having spent 12 hours telling her I was ok, and not being listened to, I’d had enough. Esther having never met the woman, I think, was simply not computing how I was able to deal with it, and cracked herself. I truly believe if someone had rung up, that reaction wouldn’t have happened. It was irresponsible to mail anyone. The family all have access to my number, I should have been told in person. As it was, I ended up having to call Heidi-Rose to confirm.

I have to point out that, I cannot fault H in how she is dealing with this. The woman is strong, and I for one, am impressed. 

So now what? As yet I have no funeral date. Esther is granted time off, so that’s good. I could do the whole thing on my own as I did with Dad’s funeral, but I suppose it may be healthier to have Esther there. That’s assuming she holds up better than she did on Sunday. without an actual date nothing can be executed here in the way of flights etc. There will invariably be bitching and moaning about things going on within the family. Ruminations abound as per normal. I have had a dialogue with Hamish, which suggests to me he is better than he was when it was Dad’s turn to bugger off from this mortal coil. That is a good thing. Other than that, communication lines have been devoid of activity.

There is much I could say, much I doubtless will say, but for now, purely from respect for Heidi-Rose, I shall keep my own council regarding my mother. She was many things to various people. To Heidi-Rose she was simply Gran. And for that, I am sorry for her loss.  

It occurs to me that, to have choices, to cognitively choose a direction, you must first know that the direction in question is available/exists. To do that, generally, we rely on information given to us, and also a projection of what is expected of us. The choice to have an affair with a lady if she comes up to you and starts to tell you about backpacking across western Europe, is  there for everyone to see, and that is a yes/no (on/off) choice. However, certain parameters exist within which we then proceed to make that choice. Societies morals, instantly tell you “No”, so that is an environmental pressure. Wonderfully pert breasts on the afore mentioned temptress might present an argument to counter such influences, playing on the biological urges rather than the social conformity / peer induced reluctance. But then there are consequences of actions. Risk of discovery weighed against bedroom debauchery etc etc. As you expand out the ripples from its epicenter the knock on effect is ever expanding, consequences growing from actions which were initially based upon a yes or no answer.

So, like an electrical circuit operator, or indeed binary,  we are reduced to basically a positive/negative flow of information/influence. Is this good? Is this bad? Grey areas are calculated by measuring the proportion of good within a decision, with the proportion of bad. For grey to exist at all, it has to be created by combining the two originating conditions. This works with everything. Right v Wrong, Light verses Dark etc etc…. everything is basically polarised. North and South pole… considered opposites and positions on the globe geographically are calculated by their distance from each other. 

However… all of these things are based upon someone else having predefined constants which we now take for granted. In things like navigation, and communicating location, this is really useful. It enables us to correlate information and successfully get us to where we physically wish to be. Wonderful! Being a chap who has exceeded 40 flights now (probably 50 even) I am thankful that such a system exists. The problem comes when these predefined constants switch from what goes on with transport, to what goes on in our minds.

From a very early age we are told what is good, and what is bad. We’re taught at school to recognise differences, and using sets in maths we associate “different” with “does not belong”. “Weak” and “Strong” are introduced as concepts, polar opposites, one being desirable, the other, despised, not least by the people who realise they fall into the negative category. The fact that Weak and Strong fall into definitions given to us by someone else, doesn’t matter. They go from being attributed to a person by someone else, (or a whole society), to attributes, something which is used to define a person. Labels. Sticky ones at that, in many cases. 

So what’s my point? Well… it’s simple really. What if you could break the whole ON OFF, good bad, hold that has been placed on you? What if you understand that you are basing your choices and reactions/interactions on parameters given to you by someone else? If you’re fine with conforming in this way then that’s fine. Doing what is expected of you is at the end of the day how this world functions. You are expected to go out and work for society in order to gain currency, which you will then give back to said society in exchange for food and shelter. The fact that, as conscious individuals, none of us actually asked to be caught up in this cycle is a topic for another day. It is as it is unfortunately. But what happens if you cease doing what is expected of you? What if you do not conform to the stereotype, do not take up the attributes delivered to you, and choose your own way? 

What happens generally is this, you stick out, you stand out, you are looked at as odd. Not normal. (Normal being a concept given to us by other people.) Peer pressure will invariably try and force you back into the collective, and by fair means or foul you will generally end up back there. This works for people who stick out positively as well as negatively. I recall at one job order picking I was faster than most people due to being fit and able to run round the racking. I was quietly taken to the side and told not to go so fast as it was making others look slow! So, although it mean’t actually more work was being done, to conform and fit in, I had to go slower! Another rather more taboo version of this would probably be premature ejaculation. The purpose of sex is purely and simply to reproduce, and anything else is a bonus, and is also an addition given to it by humans. Logically to have the act done as swiftly as possible  would increase the chance of being in the physical locality of the female in order to, *coughs* “go again”, for want of better words. However… in reality that’s not quite how it goes. I am reliably informed that there should be some lingering between this instance of an In/Out On/off operation! Failure to conform to such standards results in a severely reduced chance of revisiting! And the reason for this? Well it’s because (western) human society has introduced “Pleasure”, into the equation. Much like the ability to navigate, I am quite ok with this development, and as a suggestion to anyone out there considering none conformity, I would not recommend knocking out pleasure from the above example. It’s biting your nose to spite your face!

The fact is, to be able to break free from YES/NO, on/off operators etc is far harder than it sounds. The nail that stands out the furthest is the first to be hammered. But consider this, next time you run into a situation where by you are offered a choice. Is that a choice you are making for yourself, or is it a choice that is being given to you by someone else. In America, you are not obligated, but are expected to vote, and you basically have Democrats or Republicans as your options. (There ARE others existing but, perception is a vote for them is a vote for the party currently ruling as it is NOT a vote for the only other part who can beat them.) These are not options you have cognitively chosen to be available to you, they were given to you by, ummm oh… themselves, democrats and republicans, as part of the “privilege” of living within that country. What is worrying is, in this example, they are basically two sides of the same coin. Heads I win, tails you lose. The outcome is the same irrespective. Check for this as a possibility when making choices. 

They say you forge your own path in the world.  The irony is… forge means fake, falsify, counterfeit. There is much talk of the man who takes the road less trodden, but the fact exists that that was still a path that was made and it’s destination confirmed long before that man got there. The idea that it is an unusual / fantastic choice is all of the above. False. Counterfeit. He was offered a 50/50 and chose accordingly. Had he ignored both roads, and levitated upwards, (think Star Trek 2 Wrath of Khan : stop thinking in 2 dimensions), THAT would’ve demanded respect! 

So, goals for this year. I don’t know really. My understanding of written dutch is now I think not that bad. I should try harder though. Or… i think I should, but then don’t bother, so i suppose that means it is not that important to me. Writing too, I should do more of. Many things were planned and started last year, and none of them finished. Was it simply procrastination or was my heart not in it? 

There is talk of a new laptop. Can I justify that without writing? Will buying it make me write out of some sort of vindication of outlay? I don’t know. Over the course of last year many relationship statuses have changed. I never speak with any of my brothers anymore, not even in some sort of passing dig at them/them at me for something. To top that off I’ve knocked speaking to Susan on the head as far too much of a drain. Anyone having read the last entry here knows that probably the closest person I have had to family in my world for 90% of my life has now been ostracized too. I wonder where this puts me in terms of being a social animal? Friendships in Holland simply cannot develop like in the UK due to the fiscal burden that is incurred in simply setting foot in a pub! This in turn means that my world becomes ever more centralised around Esther, which I suspect is not good for either of us. Too much of a good thing? I’m not that conceited lol, but I do know that over exposure to anything causes pernicious cancers to appear. 

I think the main thing I want is to be fit and strong again. It’s been too long since I actually felt fit, rather than managed to pull of the illusion! The weights bench has been a boon, and having put work in, efforts are being rewarded. The big 40 is not that far away. I remember dad doing 100 press ups at 50! If i could do that at 40 I would be happy. I think ridding myself of the puppyfat which still keeps my waist size at 34 will require running again, which is a shame, considering my running shoes STILL have not found their way back from Sweden, despite Susan again telling Esther  2 weeks ago that they would be sent.  No shock there then!

It’s good to have something to look forward to mind. Download should be something of an experience. Still not sure exactly what we will be doing around and about that time, Ireland is still a big possibility. So are rail/coach trips around the UK. Scotland maybe, or Brighton. The world is our clam! Having a point in the future where I know I get a break from Holland is a good thing. The fact that Black Sabbath are involved, makes it better. 

Right… bread needs to be bought, more reps on the weights… and maybe a couple of rounds of battlefield playforfree (AliWiseman) just to let off steam.

Welcome to 2012 people. Better than last year shouldn’t be a goal… it should be a reality! At the risk of sounding like a bald captain…. make it so!

Flight was sound, as ever, and I hit Crewe before 12pm! I have to say that the Crewe Arms Hotel sucks. Anyone catching this blog by accident from a search for Crewe, grab a room at the Waverley instead.  After having asked several times when he was working I dropped my stuff at the hotel and took an amble into town, after having dropped a couple of mails and texts to say “I’m here”, albeit not in the voice of the little girl from poltergeist. I got a text back saying “I’ll ring you later”, so I assumed he was working and farted about in town. Good to catch up with Dave n Shaz, and Mchorny (Ric for clarification…. not someone from Greys Anatomy!!), and time passed, so I thought, lets take a plod over to Broad Street, tipping a hat to the old man as I walked past the grave yard accordingly. Got there…. no answer.

So, having killed the afternoon, and now presuming maybe he’s on 9-5 rather than my guessed 6-2, I head back to the hotel expecting a call as my battery is trying to die! Still no call, so eventually at about 10 am I head up to say Ello to young sir Richard at the corner bar, where some surreal conversation ensued. 

Now… the plan of attack as to have been, speak to Tony on the Thurs, then I’d prebooked a hotel in wolves, (two single beds.. we were always close but not THAT close),  and pay for him to have a night away from Crewe either Fri or Sat evening, depending on when he was working. But, with no call, no text, no email and no reply to any of my enquiries for when he was working, I got up and headed off to Wolves, thinking that, if needs be, the plan could still work. He’s bound to get in contact, and in truth at 20 quid for the room it was cheep enough for me to sod it off… and head back up to Crewe if needs be for the night. Still nothing. 

And so I went out. Actually I had a great time in the Giffard in Wolves, as I always do. A waffle to Tim, his lady, a swift chat about games with Riki, a chuckle with John about some idiot pulling his beard, Yeti being yeti.. etc etc. It was all good.

But none of that was the reason for me being there. Landing back at the hotel I was pretty pissed in every sense of the word and vented a little on the ever handy Facebook. As you do! After what happened in Sweden, the last thing I wanted was to have spent a shed load of cash on doing something for someone and ending up feeling screwed at the end of it, yet, that’s exactly what happened. Tony has always been unreliable. Hell we used to arrange to meet up as kids and you’d pick a time half an hour earlier than you needed it to accommodate him being 30 mins late lol. But this was no real laughing matter. 

I suppose the fact is, in the space of the last 6 months, we’ve offered to buy Tone a passport, offered to fly him out here, and then subsequently I’ve gone over there for this. All of the above have gone tits up, when, with 10% of the effort put in by myself, all of the above could’ve worked happily. 

Add to what I spent to go over last week, to what I spent in Sweden in an attempt to look after my sister cos she said she wanted me there, and it amounts to nearly a grand outlay, with nothing good coming out of it, and still not having received my trainers back from Sweden! I put my trust and faith in people, I try and come through for them and instead I get treated like shit. In this case I am reminded of when my dad died. Tony said he’d come with me, and bottled it on the day, simply opting to not turn up so I had to bury my dad on my own. A few months earlier, when his mother had died, I borrowed money to get to Crewe so I could support him. I was the only one of his friends who bothered. 

And so leaving I have had a garbled voice message and two missed calls from him, missed cos I was on a plane so that dates them the monday after I arrived on Thursday. I replied to a text, but again, have heard nothing back. Such is life. 

The one positive I got from the whole thing, was that I got to spend an afternoon with David. Football in the shed, some food, and a good 3 hours of waffle. It was good to see him. Grown up, self sufficient, and far too much in mannerisms at times like a lad I used to know a few years back who looked a lot like me.  lol hmmm!

And so back to Holland I returned. Xmas was a snot soaked affair, colds all round. New Year approaches fast and I am pleased to see the back of this one. I’ve lost my sister, and the person I suppose I’ve always thought of as my best friend since I was 5. Next year needs to be better. Hammer the weights, actually put some effort into learning some Dutch maybe, and properly construct this book I’ve been talking about for years now. I suppose another tie has been broken to the Uk with all this, and I really hope he comes through this stronger, but my responsibility is to me and Esther, and I need to be chopping out of my world things which leave me in situations like last week. 

So, here’s to next year people. Slainte Mhath!

So what’s new? Well, I’m flying again, this time over to Crewe and then Wolves for a few days. It’s a pain to be such a distance from people but on the other hand it is good that the facility to just get on a plane is available. Quite how Esther puts up with me I don’t know! My last trip being Sweden, I have to hope that this one turns out more positive. I don’t mind the travel but the fall out and cost of Sweden can not be allowed to be repeated. However, some things require a friend to appear. Wolves will also be fun. The Giffard is always a good chuckle, and a return to the Shed could prove entertaining too. Booked a hotel with two single beds, so may manage to lure Mr Myers out of Crewe for a beer. If not… I’ll push the beds together and spread out! lol

Other than that… Download is booked. We’re going camping! Metallica and Black Sabbath and Prodigy, oh yes! Should be a giggle. 5 days in a field. Danny will be there too… so that just adds to chuckle that will ensue. No vegas for us next year.. but looking on including Ireland as a starting point before Download, and maybe heading north (or south) afterwards. All ways round it’ll be cheeper than Vegas lol… and with the expenses of the year just gone, who knows… Vegas at xmas 2012? lol 

Right.. woman on bus home.. so I should tidy!

Helped young sir Mike shift some stuff as he goes off galavanting again and realised it was the first time since I’ve been over here that I actually spent 8 hours in someone’s company without it being in a pub! ha a good laugh actually, though the stress of seeing wing mirrors twisted and contorted did make me a little jumpy for a while lmao!

It’s funny really. I came to realise over the last few weeks that one of the reasons that my friends over here are probably still nothing like the people I knew in the Uk in terms of closeness because as lives go, we have very little in common. I used to work all the hours god sent, and have no one to report back to about where I am, what money I’ve spent etc etc etc. None of the people I know here who I spend any time with are married. The concept of having to consider how their actions might impact their wife, doesn’t exist, and in truth that was exactly how I was in the Uk. I worked and bonked all the hours I had the chance to, often managing to at least tenuously establish a link between the two, (albeit the lady involved was a variable), and spent accordingly!  Now I don’t work, rarely spend without first thinking “is this ok”, and restrict the rodgering to milady!

It’s different! I’d write more… but the washing’s done! lol

1: A black man who was armed is shot in a taxi by police. Reports claim there was a shoot out. One officer has a lucky escape from being killed by the armed suspect, saved by a radio, into which a bullet lodged.

2: A peaceful protest occurred as members of the dead man’s family say all the information isn’t available to them as to the circumstances of his death.

3: Disillusioned youths attach themselves to this protest and stones are thrown at the police. Via twitter a story circulates that police knock a 16 year old girl down and assault her, and a video is posted on youtube purporting to be of the incident.

4: Reports come in saying the bullet, allegedly fired by the dead suspect, is actually a police issue bullet. More riots the next night.

5: The gun the man  had, again according to reports but not confirmed, is actually a replica, incapable of firing and is concealed in a sock (IE not drawn).

6: More riots, spreading to different cities. Tuesday morning arrives with the story that, the bullet lodged in the radio, is most likely a police issue, and that it had probably passed clean through the dead guy as the police came at him from both sides. Gun is now reported as a blank firing one converted to fire live rounds…. no mention as to if  it was loaded though. 

All in all, none of this holds any positives. On the one hand you have the rioters, which, for myself, I would imagine 50% of these people initially somehow believed they had a genuine grudge, (especially as it was another none white guy killed by police, and the recent court case alleging that a black person is 9 times more likely to be stopped by police than a white person), and 50% opportunists, hijacking the point being made and detracting from it so much that now, the “cause” has been lost within the violence. This has then been seized upon as an OK for people across England to repeat the rioting, purely for the hell of it. And  then, on the other hand, you have the police and the media, one of which appears to have gone out and shot and killed a man who was neither actually armed, nor waving about a perceived weapon (if it was in his sock when it was found, it seems unlikely he put it there after having brandished it), and the other, claiming that this man had shot at a police.

We all know about the sensationalist rubbish the papers come out with as headlines. The Norway killer was “Al Qaeda” according to the Sun initially, Osama hid behind his wife, etc etc. All bollocks! Surely it’s about time that something was done to make sure that, what is published, and therefore absorbed into the national psyche, is at least vetted for something in the way of truth. But, the issue with the police is something which needs to be addressed too. This makes scary reading, “Deaths in police custody since 1998: 333; officers convicted: none “. Remeber Jean Charles de Menezes?  His body was described as “unrecognisable” due to the amount of shots he received to the head. How many officers convicted of anything? Oh, that would be none! Accountability is something that needs to be applied to the police as well as people who go round smashing windows / looting.

I cannot excuse what’s gone on, but I suppose I can understand the frustration of the initial people involved. What has happened from then I would speculate is a warped sense of camaraderie. “You have been wronged by the police and the system”, can be easily migrated down through the people to the unemployed/low paid who also feel they too are being maltreated in a world where austerity is biting, money is short, and the people perceived to be “on your side”, be it police, or politicians (the two words have the same etymological root), are actually being seen to be taking, rather than giving, to the community. And, as the dominoes start to fall, so does the rational way of addressing these issues because, it appears, they afford no actual solutions. A desperate person has nothing to lose, and when you can see no way out from a situation, desperation is a natural byproduct. The area of London where all this started has a 50+ people to 1 job listed ratio. These people, easily dismissed as “dole scum” by many, simply have no way to advance themselves out of situations they probably had no say in when they found themselves there. And so, when opportunity arises, they take it. That doesn’t make it right, but it goes some way to explain the actions of a group of  the public which, had circumstances dealt us a different deck, we too would be part of.

And so you get to the reactions of the public to all this. There is outrage, there is despair, and there is condemnation. Condemn.. nation, damn you etymology! Sorry, I digress. You have people shouting, “Send them all to Afghanistan / Iraq / wherever our boys are fighting”, not bothering to think about the fact that, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya, all “our boys” are basically doing is trashing and looting these sovereign countries for oil with their  illegal presence. The only difference is… it’s paid for by the government. I can’t help but think that, all the money poured into the missiles that kill kids in Afghanistan etc, would be better spent helping create jobs at home, clearing national debt, and changing the environment that makes this kind of backlash all too likely to happen again tomorrow, both in London, and in cities around the UK.

It’s 66 years ago today since about 140,000 people directly/indirectly were wiped out from just one bomb in Japan. Surely there is no better example of how we need to, as a people, sort ourselves out. What we do to ourselves, what we do to each other, defines who and what we are. Accountability starts at the top, and the rewards of that should be felt at the bottom… and it needs to start soon before it’s too late. Rioting isn’t the answer to the UK, and the world’s problems, but, I’m just not certain active discrimination and dissolving agencies, (such as the police and the government, of responsibility for the knock on effect of their actions), is either.

What we’re seeing on the streets are symptoms of a sickness within the society, that has remained dormant for a while, festering quietly perhaps, but remaining harmless to the whole. Until now. I can’t help but think that, to fully cure/be rid of this, this time, not only the symptom needs to be treated, but the diet society feeds upon needs to be changed so that society its self adjusts. Redistribution of wealth. More jobs. Less foreign wars. More understanding.  However, while the general public, (being mostly white and working), are happy to believe this is a “dole scum” issue, and that these people should be sent off to fight our good and just wars in other countries, I suspect nothing really will change. There will be a clamp down, a calm down, and placation of the situation, and it will go back to as it was, for a while. But as unemployment rises, personal debts increase, education becomes increasingly un-affordable, this situation will occur again. Unless society changes.

That is the headline from the Daily Telegraph today from an article which goes on to read the riot act about people moving to the UK (although England seems to be the main subject!) The article can be found here. This, for want of better words annoyed me. Enough for me to post on Facebook a link to the site and a wee rant which said :

The idea of any country stating language as an entry requirement is frankly nuts. If you don’t speak someones language and they don’t speak yours, how can you have a disagreement? You can merely formulate an opinion of what you think they are like based on your own personal discrimination (for negatives AND positives). 

It appears to me that places which think like this, are attempting to use languages as barriers, because as countries borders have become more passable, they need something else to be able to separate themselves and give them their own identity. 

So who is the more self absorbed… the one who doesn’t learn the new language because in their world / social scope it is not needed, or the one who feels so threatened by someone else’s presence, even though they know nothing of them, that they have to impose parameters / restrictions in order for them to frequent the same geographical location as themselves?

Get a grip. Language doesn’t dictate ones culture/personality. Personality does! It’s a separate entity. Language is merely a tool in expressing it to others. But much like an artist who only draws for his friends, that neither reflects on Art as a whole, nor the beauty of the work produced, reguardless of its limited audience! 

That said, I think I want to add more.  There is so much wrong with the article and the portrayal of people as a whole. Take this : “Language is central because we can only search for the common good through face-to-face discussion and public debate via the mass media. The simple fact is that if you can’t speak the language, you can’t take part. You can’t belong.” I think this is outrageous! “The common good”?? Excuse me?? That implies a predisposition to judge another negatively from the outset, and then you have to quest for some form of point within them so that you can say “Oh yes, this bit I understand, so therefore there is good in him/her”, because with understanding comes familiarity, or rather, with understanding, comes the loss of fear of the unknown.

I live in a country where I don’t speak the language. I walk past hundreds of people in town whom I have no understanding of, and if I were to speak with a hippopotomonstosesquipedalian part of my vernacular, the same ignorance would be afforded to my good self, and I feel neither judged nor that I am judging them. The simple fact is, until you speak to someone, they speak only the language of Schrodinger’s Cat, their language might be yours (alive… (I know I know… that’s a tad to positively orientated to be impartial!)), or dead, (a different language). This affects neither how I view them, nor how I react with them in my proximity, because, although we occupy the same geographical location at the time of passing, we have no concern as to who or what we both are like, nor anything to do with our lives after this passing encounter. I do not ponder if there is good in him/her. Oddly enough my preconception of people is that everyone has good in them, and that as a species, the desire to do things considered by our conscience to be “ok”, will mostly over-ride “not ok”. I have no requirement to walk up to someone, and demand they communicate with me. I am not negatively decimated by the passer by’s complete apathy to my even existing.

The truth is, in all honesty, I embrace the idea that people can walk by others, and formulate no opinion whatsoever! That should be the world in which we live in. It should be how we take everything, with an open mind which is only coaxed into directions when pertinent information is given relevant to  the judgement call required of a situation. “He doesn’t speak English”, should have absolutely no effect on the judgement call of, “Is he a good member of his social circle”.

And there is where things start to get interesting again. Social circles. Because we as humans forget that our roots used to see differing social circles as a threat, to our available land, our women/menfolk for breeding, etc etc. And any encroachment… would be met by violence! Possessiveness. “This is mine! Stay out!”. Territorial animal instincts take over and the fear of losing something to someone else because they are different, manifests. Paranoia sets in too. “They’re all talking in a different language…. what if they’re talking about me? Maybe they are? That one looked at me! He’s smiling to his friends now. Bastard!!”

And so, to me it boils down to this. You have a choice. You can see the differences between who you are, and who other people are, as one of two things.

1. A barrier / border to separate and segregate yourself from the others, and to keep you walled up within you and yours, safe in your own womb, (although wombs are not always safe.. just ask Jack’s brother/sister.. oh wait… you can’t),  and stay insular in your ideas as to what is right for you = right for everyone within an environment which you frequent, or 
2. A trait to be celebrated as  measure of the diversity which exists throughout our species, and even if we do not understand the person stood next to us, that is not a negative, it is merely an indication of where they grew up/where they were born. Which incidentally, they had no say in whatsoever.

Culture is something which evolved from environmental issues within an area / populous at a given time. As time changes so do cultures and populations. We have reached a point in our evolution as a species where borders and segregation are becoming things no longer required. Our cultures can adapt to this with nothing to lose and everything to gain because, if the society/social environment is THAT important to you as a person, isn’t about time all aspects of that society are acknowledged?

Are we really that insecure in ourselves that we think we might lose our own identity, just because there are people around us who don’t understand how we speak? If so, then maybe our grip on who we are is a touch too fragile and perhaps we might need to look to a different culture for help in that. Maybe one which, perhaps, would allow us to go live in an environment where although WE are the alien, we feel neither threatened or excluded from that which is happening around us, and still ok to eat Haggis / Bacon / whatever, and such quirks are acknowledged as interesting idiosyncrasies, rather than “different = bad”

I am reminded of the first few lines of an Ani Difranco song… which i will post to finish..

when I was four years old
they tried to test my I.Q.
they showed me a picture
of 3 oranges and a pear
they said,
which one is different?
it does not belong
they taught me different is wrong 

Some lass called Amy Winehouse seems to have died, who I know nothing of but i all over the news and then of course there are the events in Norway, the killings, where initially it was a case of “Blame it on the Muslims”, which of course then fell apart, but the initial perception was ingrained again by then. As it turned out, the guy in question is a Christian. And an ardent one at that! Specifying that this was to be the start of a Christian uprising against the Islamisation of Europe and the western world, the basis of his ideology was/is centered around the Christian Crusades. He’s a freemason too, and is pictured in his regalia in some reports, but, this and his staunch Christian stand are being mostly ignored. Had this guy been a Muslim, every story in the news would be starting with “Muslim Extremist”, or “Islamic Fundamentalist”, and yet mysteriously “Christian Extremist” / “Christian Fundamentalist” rarely appear, instead the media are going with he’s a neo nazi, which, as far as I can see, even if he is, has nothing to do with what has happened. This is Faith v Faith much like a few hundred years ago but, you can’t possibly portray this guy in the same way as the media does Muslim extremists, because, a vast majority of people consider themselves Christians, but also a vast majority have been convinced by the media that because of the Muslim extremists, all Muslims = Bad, and if suddenly they are confronted with someone of their own faith committing atrocities, that must by the same reasoning mean, all Christians = Bad = I/we/us! As that would be considered wrong, it would then inevitably mean questioning the preconceptions of Muslims, and that doesn’t suit an agenda based media. 

Anders Behring Breivik has a lot to answer for, but so does the media, and indeed Christianity.
Me, well, my thoughts on an all powerful god are reasonably well documented. It’s just another control mechanism, playing on superstitions from thousands of years ago, which have been contrived to manipulate people into doing what they’re told. All sides of the same coin. And so as I was about to update my Facebook dohicky, a saying came to me and i googled it to make sure it is original.

“With faith you don’t need proof, but with proof you don’t need faith.”

I like it! It has a ring to it!