Part of my problem is I never grew up. I never stopped being a child. I shirk responsibility because it’s boring ie. no fun. I’m not freewheeling to the point of being dangerously irresponsible but I don’t want to do things that I don’t want to do.
And sure … sometimes you just have to suck it up and battle through an unpleasant situation or task. I guess I’m a strange mix - ordered laziness. I can’t stand clutter and dirty environments and I loathe disrepair, low quality and poor design. I’m the homeless guy wrapped in an Arc’teryx Gortex jacket. I never turn on lights when moving through houses at night to preserve my night vision. I clean up the kitchen after every meal, I have one neutral body wash. I’m efficient I suppose you might say. I get a mild thrill when things work well and in concert with other things.
I love clean lines and empty surfaces but also dig art of all kinds. I enjoy classical music and feel a strong affinity with the wilderness in its perfect disorder. I figure this is our life - ours to enjoy and can’t understand people that work 40+ hrs a week at a job they hate, how they can tolerate that. I feel like they are lying to themselves. I say all this because I have always been under the impression that life was supposed to be enjoyable and not just for a little part of it - for the most part. I am a libertine in that sense. I like good food and drink. I’m partial to whisky but only stuff over $150 a bottle. I like to cook rich French and Italian dishes like Coq au Vin and Veal Saltimbocca.
So you can imagine my shock at finding out how shitty the world actually is!
And it’s only getting worse. Lately I’ve been having a real hard time processing the gap between the potentiality and the actuality. And I can’t figure out if this is being done on purpose or if this is just the result of late capitalism. It’s strange, to me anyway, the apparent gap between the worlds we occupy. I find this a bit hard to articulate and don’t want this little article to come off sounding like a whinge but why is it that in my pocket I have all the world’s knowledge and yet I cannot afford to rent a tiny apartment? Why we have aircraft that can take us to the other side of the world but we struggle with the grocery bill? Why we have all manner of labour saving devices but are working longer hours than ever. Why no one makes much art? Why architecture is so goddamn ugly and building standards so low?
It is all so unrelenting as well. Most people are miserable and hopelessly in debt - wage slaves they be. If you turn on “the news” it’s just wall-to-wall doom. The cost of living crisis, the housing crisis, the water is bad, the air is bad, the food is bad and oh by the way the price of everything is going up again. And who is doing anything about it? No one.
Then I see HMAS Stirling - a naval base is now going to be hosting nuclear submarines from the US so they can be launched against China when we have that war they all seem so keen to have. The up-shot is it is going to create 400 new jobs! Yay. So you get work and have a war - super! I don’t recall being consulted on this? I don’t consent. I don’t want to go to war with our largest trading partner - that seems like sheer insanity! Could you be more stupid? Apparently you can. The latest brilliant idea is giving Ukraine the ability to fire long range missiles into Russia. I guess Putin was right all along - they really are keen to attack Russia. Talk about an own goal.
Here in Australia the government wants to introduce legislation to curb free speech - making the spread of “disinformation” - a non-concept, there is no such thing. There is only information but basically anything that is not correct as determined by the government can be legally punished through fines and imprisonment. As if that isn’t bad enough guess who is exempt from the law … yeah the government and the mainstream media. They’re allowed to spread lies with impunity but if Joe Average says the wrong thing on Facebook - watch out!
What will be their next brilliant idea? Maybe we should try to blow up the sun? Put crocodiles everywhere perhaps then raise taxes - let’s see if that makes the average Australian any happier? It really does feel like that pithy saying: “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”
Anyhoo … I’m starting to bore myself. But I know I’m not alone in these observations and everywhere around the world has their unique set of local issues. It could be far worse. So far Australia hasn’t been transformed into a third world ghetto like many parts of the USA and at least we don’t seem to have it as bad as the Brits with their ludicrous migration policies and costs of living.
One cannot help but think this is being done purposefully because the policies of governments are just so incredibly bad. As far as I’m concerned the social contract has been broken. The State was supposed to provide us with a good standard of living with opportunities for happiness and wealth … well they haven’t held up their end of the bargain and as such I will not be holding up mine.
Peace out
DB/
Please enjoy my music.
https://ibb.co/qxMnpdS
This is over 10 years old. Taken after Clarkson train station was completed and the new infill subdivision of residential lots began development.
Dollyboy, I listened a couple of times to your song “One Dies Alone”-I really like it! I noticed someone says it has an 80’s feel-I agree with that-it reminds me of “The Cure”. Nice.
I listened to more of your music on “Soundcloud”-I really do like your music, these days I don’t like much music on the radio, but I also don’t get good reception where we are! But if I like a song, it usually hits me on first listen-which most of your songs do to me. Sometimes songs creep up on me, but a first hit on me is great!
You really are talented!