Cheap talk and clever works

Over the last couple of weeks I can't say I've had  that good a time of it. Wherever I go people speak of troubles. It can be exhausting just listening to them and the solution is simple - don't. When in doubt, take time out.

One of my best advisors are my feline companions but, as anyone who has a cat as a companion will tell you they can get into all sorts of scrapes. It's just as well that they are rumoured to have nine lives. Last night for example there was a huge cat fight and mine of course waded in trying to take on all the others despite being the smallest of the lot. She seems attracted to troubles and taking them all on without back up. I provided back up and followed the noise to hiss louder than any of them. Did my companion take the hint and return home safely. Nope. She stayed out all night and I fretted about her safety but there was nothing more I could do.

This morning she behaves as if nothing has happened at all. Complacent and supercilious as ever. Nonchalent and dismissive of the fact that there was ever any bother at all. Happy in herself and not a mark on her. I have no idea how she does this but animals tend to know far better than we do when to reign themselves back from total disaster. Many creatures get back up before they go into battle and most are wise enough not to tackle things that are bigger and more dangerous than themselves.

Watching animals can be like holding a mirror up to ourselves and our own worst habits. As I've said many times now on social media, I hope the wildlife of the world does not pick up on ours. For me recalling what works in times of peace helps enormously, it doesn't make things easier when fretting merely a little more manageable. It helps us all to keep going.

My feline friend was and still is a radical. She is rash at times, careless and fickle to me. I cannot profess to understand her at all and yet something tells me I am not so different. Something tells me none of us are and that awareness too can help us to be less intolerant of others, more forgiving and gain a bit more control of ourselves. Such is one of the many things I have learned when I have needed good counselling from those trained in the art.

Luckily the advice I have from my medical team is permission to have fun, relax and explore nice things in order to fully recover from my ailment. Others have to adjust and manage theirs according to their medical teams. Sadly, relatives, friends, families, colleagues politicians and the media can often confuse those struggling with their health. Sometimes saying less helps the most until we find the right people to trust.

I trust our Emergency Services - the fire crews that can tell from their experience that a lot of smoke does not always mean a big fire but it can be just as dangerous. I trust our Police Force, the majority of whom do their best too to investigate as fairly as possible as a team whatever incidents require their intervention. I trust our medical teams too despite the whistle being blown on abuse cases for the majority of them are just doing their best. They are all trained to be prepared to be suspended while investigations take place but nothing can quite prepare anyone for that reality when it comes. Leaving things to professional teams to investigate things can be a very frightening experience but the statistics show that few people are wrongly convicted of anything and in the UK we have a very strong appeal process to help with many advocates.

So what do you do when under investigation? How about take a break. Use the time to calm down and reflect and do something fun. There's nothing to be done beforehand anyway so why fear what may not happen? I write this because I know of many who have to give testimony which is a frightening thing to have to do, but being clear about what you saw and heard it vital for justice to prevail and nasty icky dangerous people to get the appropriate treatment they need.

I can think of no two nations better equipped to combat terrorism than Britain and Ireland. Every day there is not a violent incident is another step closer to return to peaceful, worry free times. In our little group of islands we are used to having to reign back to stay safe and it really isn't so bad to do so when one can in the process have fun playing sports, going for walks and getting arty, crafty and creative.

I hope that helps. I conclude with another poem of mine from many moons ago... I was learning the ropes on psychology then. Be careful never to accuse others of what you, yourself (like me) are sometimes guilty of - unless asked to... to save lives. 

Paranoia

Someone’s told on all I did

I’m now exposed on what I hid.

Someone’s sent out word to all

Now, no visits no missives no calls.

Someone’s shopped me but what for?

Shrinks and bailiffs at my door?

Someone’s ill from what I’ve said

And it’s my fault that they’ll be dead.

Someone’s forgotten to do that or this

Because it was me that was remiss.

Someone’s cursing at my name

Somehow because I’m to blame.

Someone is choosing for a whim

To reveal my every single sin.

Someone’s watching my every deed

Everything I write, everything I read

Someone’s told them and that’s the key

I now suspect that someone’s me.

Written circa 2004

A few quiet words

We used to be a nation that would willingly give up our place in any queue for anyone we felt to be in greater need. Now we seldom do so when the need is visibly greater. What happened?

With news of our beloved NHS in crisis along with concerns on how one can safely report abuse or any crime; it is little wonder that we in the United Kingdom are confused and still panicking.

We should remember that our sufferings are as nothing to many other nations around the globe. There are nations that have longer histories of turmoil as both governments and people alike wrestle, like us, for a compromise solution that is workable and acceptable for the majority. In the West we remain baffled that Communist nations can and do largely coexist in some state of harmony because it is a necessity in order to function at all. Democracy, just like Communism, is but tyranny when it is forced on anyone. If we are to retain our respect from other nations we have to demonstrate patience, tolerance and above all fortitude.

"Discretion is the better part of valour"

Legalities

For our own judiciary systems to review laws and make changes for the better requires discreet reports through the proper channels and not via the media. EVERY media report risks prejudicing the jury prior and during a trial. However it is extremely difficult for genuine victims of abuse to have the confidence to come forward unless such things are reported. Why though can we not go back to reporting retrospectively once a jury has made it's decision? 

The difficulty is made more complex when investigators of the suspected crime (whatever it is - it need not be abuse) has to appeal to the public for witness statements. Again, while appeals can be done via the media, sadly it constantly also acts as a trigger for some who see it as an opportunity to harm innocent people by falsely accusing them of crimes they did not commit. Personally I always work on the premise that if the investigation team and the judiciary want more evidence, they will not slow in asking for it. There will no doubt be more debates on whether both or neither party are named prior to trial. Personally I would think it would be better to name neither unless more witness statements are needed. Then in most cases both parties should be named as a general rule.

There must always be caveats (exceptions) for the most extreme cases where victims are so traumatised that they would rather be dead than ever be forced to name and shame anyone. I have felt that way myself thanks to interference from many and not just the media throughout my life, but I have never stopped reporting serious life threatening crime or serious levels of bullying of any kind. Reporting of any crime or indeed any fault in health, police or the judicial system itself has to be started in a private way without reference to anyone else and always needs to continue that way regardless of barriers. Just because one person does not believe you it does not follow that no one will, so long as you are not lying. 

Medicinally

To date no one has ever perfected lying totally. All that has happened is that people have been too afraid to stand up to major liars, cheats and bullies. As but another species on the planet, when we hear our own instincts we know a liar instantly. With all this noise though our natural senses and sense of reason often gets sidetracked and all but forgotten as something to draw upon to guide us.

Throughout the Christmas period I regrettably had to call upon a medical crisis team on several occasions. I myself cannot be objective enough to determine with that much accuracy how critical my own condition is due to the news in the media which disturbs me constantly. If I avoid the media then I am swamped with the same when out shopping more often than not. 

As a former health care worker I at least was able to ease matters a little by being the first responder at a RTA (car crash) but the effect on my own health has been profound. I witnessed first hand the toll it was taking on the paramedic and police officer that attended. The elderly casualty had been in the medical profession too, ironically in mental health. They had not been drinking and was not in anyway under the influence of anything that would normally deem them unfit to drive. They were extremely lucky this time - only their car died. 

The brutal truth is that the more we listen and watch scenes that disturb us, the more we will become disturbed and put added pressure on all our lifesaving services and on the judiciary system too. We have a duty of care to everyone. It comes with adulthood and it starts with ensuring we take full responsibility for our own conduct at all times. Pretending we cannot do so 99% of the time is a lie. We can all do so to a much higher level when we have to. We have to now. All of us, including me. 

It takes practise but I know my fellow Brits well enough - I know we can and will succeed. We just have to constantly remind ourselves to be calm to be able to function better not least in making more of an effort in not doing anything at all to excess when it is avoidable. The exceptions are to rest and laugh often to retain mental well being. Regular exercise and the right diet for our own metabolisms will aid in the stamina we all need to see our way clear of these crazy and highly dangerous times. We might well need that extreme energy for something far worse that what we are witnessing now. Better to pace ourselves I think. Wiser to do so. 

The victors of both World Wars did so because they were able to be discreet when required. It would seem we have need to deploy that method once more. Other nations take note... if they wish to. 

Founder's Thoughts: The pros and cons of technology

Today has just about finished me off internet and technology wise, as from my own experience in the last couple of months alone what was once wonderful and helpful for all is now becoming almost too problematic to even consider bothering with. Why is that though. Surely all problems have a logical and ethical solution... don't they? Well yes they do but with something as powerful and as influential as the internet that would take some doing.

Think about it... to fix ever single glitch takes not just one highly intelligent team of professional boffins but thousands of them at least. And in the meantime what are all it's customers supposed to do while that is happening? Stop functioning altogether? Nope... we do the sensible thing and stop hounding, moaning and complaining and revert to old tried and tested methods of communication prior to the advent of the internet is what we do. We calm down because let's face it... aren't we ALL rather overloaded by the pace of life and progress anyway? Couldn't we all do with slowing up.

To take one example from today... Twitter is busy trying to improve it's facilities to cope with ever increasing demand and, no doubt in response to what we ourselves are screaming out for. Unlike other services, Twitter can not just close up shop for a week while it does that as it would cause chaos, so it does it's best to fix things 'live'. Being an American company, of course we in Britain get the worst of it because during our working day, most of American (a larger business and social population) sleeps.

In addition to close down for repairs facilities such as social media have to agree globally on a shut-down time schedule which automatically turns it into a global political nightmare if you think about it. Is that really likely to happen in the next 50 years given mankind's history on this planet... I mean... really. We all know it ought to be possible but... realistically, is it in our lifetime.

So my advice on all this is very simple. Take the opportunity to relax, meet people in the flesh and to review your own contingency plans should the internet ever fail completely. Could you cope? I have a hunch you could even if telecommunications failed too. The reason I think that is logical too... it's better than the alternative and we already have functioned wonderfully well prior to the advent of the internet and technological revolution/explosion. They are tools only. Use them if they help. Don't use them if they don't. Simple as that.

Sorry to all those expecting Part 2 of my Jobsite list (for the most disadvantaged), but actually I'd rather get more links in properly listed anyway, so I am grateful for the chance to rest up myself so that I will be in better shape to do just that.

If you can get onto to Twitter though and are in anyway disadvantaged... just see the many organisations, companies and initiatives that I currently follow to help you get started. That's after all the bit I haven't got round to listing anyway, and frankly I could spend all day everyday collecting more, but I know you can do these things (with or without a bit of help) all by yourselves anyway. Eventually I will publish what I've got... maybe even tomorrow just as it is. Be patient (because no one wants to be ill with stress), and take your time to get what you both need and want. Needs always outrank wants.

I think I spend the rest of the day doing more arty things now, or at least until I am ready to try again.

Hope that helps avert a panic!