FFS get a bloody grip!

We all moan from time to time about our lot in life, even I’ve been known to have the odd grumble now and then. But when it all boils down to it, how many of us really have that much to genuinely complain about? I would suggest very few of us, if we are really honest. Thankfully only a small minority of people in today’s UK society actually experience any real hardship and/or trauma in their life.

Working in a pub, I’m constantly hearing people moaning on about anything and everything that impacts upon their life but I have to say, in reality, most of it is insignificant in the bigger scale of personal, social and world issues.

It’s one of the main reasons why I often feel the need to grab hold of people, give them a forceful shake and scream at them “FFS get a bloody grip on life!” Their often vociferous tales of woe and the human wretchedness of self-pity are tiresome, it’s irksome when you hear how irate people can get about superfluous shite!

Last night I caught the tail end of a documentary show on TV, I don’t recall the title or which channel but it kind of evidenced the point I’m trying to make here; life isn’t actually as bad as we think it is (in real terms). Most of us have far better prospects than we ever had in the past. We are (arguably) better educated, we have better health, a greater life expectancy and we even have better financial security (until recently perhaps) than we previously enjoyed in our social history.

I can’t help thinking, if people had greater cognisance and understanding of social issues, of real trauma and all the other matters that have true impact on people’s quality of life, perhaps then, they wouldn’t venture into verbose complaint and condemnation so easily and freely?

Conversely, when I listen to individuals like Katie Piper, it kind of restores my faith in people, but generally not for long. My admiration of Katie, and people like her, is born out of a crushing desire to see far more people with her personal strengths and life ethics.

Katie didn’t wallow in her predicament, she wrote Beautiful, the moving true story of how one young woman had her mind, body and spirit cruelly snatched from her. The book outlines how she moved on from the trauma and then inspired millions with her fight to get back the things she had lost.

People like Katie are the ones who others in our society should adopt as shinning examples, instead of the mostly contrived and false icons that so many select as their role-models.

Read Beautiful and you will be angered, moved and inspired. Above all, you will be in awe of Katie Piper… (Sunday Express)

I can’t think that many people haven’t heard about Katie by now however; she is a former model and television presenter who had a promising career taken from her when sulphuric acid was thrown in her face by an ex-boyfriend. The attack, which blinded her in one eye and left her terribly disfigured, emotionally traumatized and has undoubtedly left her scared for life. But does she wallow in self-pity? Not a bit of it!

I’m happy with who I am and I’ve learnt it’s OK to live with disfigurement, and that scars don’t mean I am unattractive… (Katie Piper)

In 2009 Katie established a charity, the Katie Piper Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of the plight of victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries and illness: the charity also campaigns for the specialist treatment that Katie received to be more widely available to patients in Britain.

In May 2012 Katie’s self-help book entitled Things Get Better was also published to rave reviews and critical acclaim. If you think your life is so bad and really can’t see a way past your problems, perhaps you should read her books?

I truly hope that none of my readership has to witness, experience or endure Katie’s predicament, or indeed some of the life-changing occurrences that have impacted upon my life.

Try a little laissez-faire thinking, be a little more adaptable and adroit in all that you do. We might not all posses the necessary and instinctive ability to know how to deal with every given situation that arises however; having a greater level of confidence in your own savoir-faire helps.

Take it from me, there is (still) much to make you really appreciate the short time you have in this world so, next time your bemoaning all your personal social and/or financial predicament, or you feel yourself drifting into self-pity… Get a bloody grip!

Related articles

• Katie Piper: I asked Mum to kill me (guardian.co.uk)
• World of Katie Piper, charity campaigner (telegraph.co.uk)
• Katie Piper: Acid attack survivor reveals she asked her mum to kill her (dailymail.co.uk)
• “I’m no longer that blonde who had acid thrown in her face”: Model’s extraordinary story of survival and recovery (mirror.co.uk)

The Crabby Old Man…

This morning I was drawn to a poem that a friend had ’liked’ on Facebook, although poignant and fully indicative of how we tend to see and treat our elderly, I couldn’t help feeling I had seen something very similar before…

In fact I had, and although it was ‘sold’ as something ‘new’ originating (in this case) from Australia, a little reasearch on the internet proved it to be something of an ‘urban legend‘ over twenty years old and attributed to various sources, but it was still a relevent one.

The poem was actually written by a Texan called Dave Griffith from Fort Worth, originally titled Too Soon Old it was penned more than 20 years ago. It was a simple illustration of his own personal life from high school football, to his marriage and on to the ravages of his own disabilities. The poem was taken from the authors website, a false story was created about how the poem originated and it was circulated via e-mail and on the internet (see here).

But many urban legends, distributed by e-mail or the internet, are actually used to illustrate or highlight a particular issue, in this case the plight of our elderly and the care they receive, or sadly, often don’t.

I’ve always admired the way in which other nations protect and provide for their elderly, how a predominant family and social ethic breads respect for the elders in a community. I have to concede this ethos is more prominent in what many would term third world countries but, despite the apparent decline, it’s still appears to be a trait that can be found in many areas of Europe.

But it appears to me that the more rural the area, the greater the levels of family and community ethics that still exist. I suppose the lack of respect we have for our elderly is only indicative of the overall lack of respect we have for anyone these days, irrespective of age. We may proudly boast of high levels of respect in our diversity policy documents but how many really practice what they preach and/or write? Perhaps we all need to distance ourselves a little more from the ethics of the urban rat-race?

The media often report about the raw deals metered out in elderly health care and how, despite pensioners own past prudence, they are often financially disadvantaged when they actually reach old age. But even our political parties are still ”at war over funding of care for the elderly” (see here). All these issues continue to worsen, despite having been raised in the early days of the recession (and before).

Around 9m pensioners rely on some form of investment income to supplement their state pension, according to government calculations. The average income from these sources is just £51 a week – a modest sum that elderly people use to boost their basic state pension of just £90.70 a week…(telegraph.co.uk)

Many people understand the financial and social impacts of our aging society today however; ”only a quarter of fifty somethings are financially prepared for retirement” (source). But those who did actually plan for the eventualities of their old age are now realising their plans are now almost worthless. Is it any bloody wonder they are a little crabby?

Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? …What do you see?
What are you thinking……when you’re looking at me?
A crabby old man,…..not very wise,
Uncertain of habit ……..with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food…….and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice …..’I do wish you’d try!’
Who seems not to notice ….the things that you do.
And forever is losing ………….. A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not………..lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding … The long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking?…….Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse……you’re not looking at me.

I’ll tell you who I am ……… As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding,…….as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of Ten…….with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters ………who love one another

A young boy of Sixteen ..with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now……….a lover he’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty ……..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows……..that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now …….. I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide ….And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty ……….. My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other ……. With ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons ….have grown and are gone,
But my woman’s beside me…….to see I don’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more, ……… Babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children …….. My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me …… My wife is now dead.
I look at the future …………I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing……young of their own.
And I think of the years…… And the love that I’ve known.

I’m now an old man………and nature is cruel.
‘Tis jest to make old age …….look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles……….grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone……..where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass ….. A young guy still dwells,
And now and again ……..my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys…………..I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living………….life over again.

I think of the years ..all too few……gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact……..that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people ………open and see..
Not a crabby old man…..Look closer….see……..ME!!

We would all do well to remember this poem when we interact with the elderly; old age impacts upon us all eventually and they should receive our tolerance, respect and care, despite their often crabby nature!

Then again, perhaps we could all adopt George Carlin’s philosophy for old age, maybe that would help?

Bean Buckles: an equity card performance

Who saw the bumbling buffoon yesterday, gasping for air like a goldfish and resembling a rabbit caught in headlights? After the Buckles performance, and all the recent revelations about G4S failings, it’s not hard to understand why people are saying the ‘S’ in the company name stands for shambolic, or worse!

The seemingly never-ending London 2012 G4S debacle has dealt an ”Olympic-sized blow” to the company’s global reputation. They may have recovered from this kind of setback before but what about this one? Could this be the final nail in the coffin of the G4S bid to take over policing functions in the UK? The final nail that so many, including me, are trying to hammer home.

Finally, but mostly belatedly, more people are now asking the important questions like; are G4S capable of providing policing services, or running our prisons? Indeed, after all this G4Shambles guff, is there anyone left who truly believes outsourcing of public services, especially public security ones, to a commercial company actually works?

In Taxi for Mr Buckles it was reported how “MPs savaged G4S boss” over the Olympics chaos. I have to agree with the comment, after watching a fair part of the HASC proceedings; “He came across as someone who couldn’t organise a tea party at Twinings, or a pig-out in a pie shop”…(Read more)

It was horrible, painful, almost bestial. I have never seen anyone get such a monstering at a select committee. If Nick Buckles weren’t a multimillionaire who got rich by paying peanuts to people who can’t get any other work, you might begin to feel sorry for him…(Simon Hoggart)

Immediately before yesterday’s Home Affairs Select Committee, G4S shares had already fallen another 2% to six month low. With analysts estimating further fallout (see here) the security group is likely to suffer even more than just Buckle’s embarrassment at the HASC beasting! But, as the government always suggests when people call for regulation of banksters, perhaps the G4S share holders will actually be the ones to call a halt to policing privatisation? I doubt it, after all, the contracts will be worth millions nationally and cash is king.

You would think that G4S management would have expected a kicking yesterday, despite Buckles looking like a hurt kid who has been chastised for an ‘innocent’ juvenile mistake. But perhaps that was the plan, act all hurt and dejected about trying to do your best. Play on the sympathy vote, in short do a ‘Mr Bean‘ then, in all probability, you can still claim your considerable payout, despite the piss poor performance!

But just in case any one is shedding a tear for the plight of poor little Buckles… People at his level are paid massive salaries because they are supposed to have the skills, experience and ability to manage such tasks. If they can’t, get rid of them!

But, as Polly Toynbee recently pointed out in The Guardian, despite ”confidentiality clauses and fiendish complexity in contracts for public services” any company also faces a ”moral hazard on a grand scale” when bidding for public services. The problem here is that, in general, morality is in short supply in society these days, let alone in business where it can be almost non-existent.

One thing is for sure, the G4S shambles and Buckles’ subsequent equity card performance couldn’t have come at a better time. It all serves to galvanise the fact - policing should not be a process up for sale. Especially to a bidder likely to make an utter bollocks of it all, our society deserves and should demand better!

Related articles

• Nick Buckles tells MPs G4S will claim its multi-million management fee despite Olympics ‘shambles’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Mr Buckles lived up to his name…he buckled (dailymail.co.uk)
• A ‘humiliating shambles’, but G4S will take full Olympic fee (theweek.co.uk)
• I’m sorry over Olympic security debacle, says G4S boss Nick Buckles (independent.co.uk)
• Taxi for Mr Buckles: MPs savage G4S boss over Olympics chaos | Simon Hoggart (guardian.co.uk)
• ‘Humiliated’ G4S to claim millions (standard.co.uk)