A Yearly Roundup

I run the risk of sounding like a pseudo-intellectual, vaguely factual, or allegedly interesting glossy in writing this but, by fuck, it’s been a year.

The most memorable conversation I’ve had all year [I may exaggerate] was with a strange woman in a service station on January 1st. In was rather early on day which I knew I’d get no sleep and, knowing that this could be a problem, I stopped for a paper. As I reached for mine, she reached for hers with the comment, in reference to the drowned world images of the front pages, ‘what an awful thing to wake up to’. I replied with, ‘better to wake up to it here’, gesturing at the papers, ‘than to wake up to it’. She thought I might have a point and we went our separate ways.

Now, I could go through the year media event by media event but I think I’ll just mention those that made a real impression on me.

The biggest of biggies was the death of John Paul II. This is not because I’m some kind of rabid Catholic who was devastated by the loss or some such. It’s simply because, using Christian mythology despite my lack of belief, I thought he’d sold his soul to the devil and simply could not die. Please imagine my surprise. My other major JPII theory, which totally contradicts the first, is that the man had been technically dead for over a decade and his appearances were sci-fi-orgasm feats of cryogenics, electronics, and advanced engineering. This being the case, they could’ve kept him ‘alive’ for nigh on forever and claim it as irrefutable [scientists, jump back, jump back] evidence of the proof of the undeniable existence of god. Talk about a wasted opportunity. The Catholics could have totally kicked arse with a bit of forethought.

The death, disaster, destruction wrought by dear mother nature just made me meditate on the probable correctness of greenies, Australia’s shitty lack of the signing of and adhering to important international documenty things, the inherent racism of the west, the unforgivable witless bias of the Australian media [Quite frankly, if thousands of people die that’s newsworthy, if a few happen to be Australian tourists on pleasure bent then that’s sad but, in the greater scope of things, not a great tragedy. The thousands kick the tragedy arse of the few.], the degeneration of social values [assuming there once were some - nope, utopian dream], the degeneration of democracy, the importance of money over people [nice value system world leaders], the ease of death, the horror and anguish of the same, and other totally depressing stuff along that trajectory.

Socially, oh but what progress we’ve made. Everything I believe in, as a political being – of course, has been kicked to shit. Rather, it has been ‘democratically’ fucked with by a series of governments whose validity and whose sanity I question. Really, is this the world you want? Is this what the united fuckwitted voters of the West actually want? Would they know what they wanted if it kicked their teeth in and shat in their mouths? Even I question democracy. I question what it is that the people think they want. I wonder if they know or if they want anything. I wonder if they know their history and know the battles fought for them. I wonder if we’re anything but comatose. Still, at least I’m questioning. Now, which coloured pill is that?

Looks like the year, as a whole, as a whole lotta media events, really didn’t make such a great impression on me. I feel a trifle deflated and await the New Year with a slight sense of panic. People did, allegedly, miraculous things and performed marvellous feats. People died or were horrifically injured and lived – for some, neither happened. The world, thus far, has continued to spin as has that glorious caste politician. Many had their stupidity exposed without ever realising it and some of us continue to do so. The year ends with me being too hot and tired to really think about what it all means and I’m damned if I care. Fortunately, I’m in a lot of company and some of it is even good.

On a more personal note, it’s been something of a nothing year for me. Nothing that thrilling has happened, nothing seems to have changed, life goes on and I go with it. Alas, I’m nipple deep in stagnant water and I don’t quite know what to do.