Laughing at your Knight Rider comment and I completely get what you say about compassion fatigue or whatever else you might call it. There is only so much space in my head.
Not long ago I spotted a book in Waterstones in Lancaster called something like 'Mysteries of Lancashire'. One of the 'mysteries' listed was the 'headless woman' statue in the Priory churchyard in Lancaster.
It's not a mystery at all. It was a perfectly normal statue (reclining figure) with a head (I have a photo of it). It got broken, presumably vandalised. They refixed it, it got broken again (almost certainly vandalism, then); they stopped trying. The head's probably inside the church somewhere. But now it's in print it's 'officially' a mystery.
This is exactly how Nazi Germany started! First you don’t care about a foot, then genocide.
I totally agree with this. Doing “good” in the world starts with treating your neighbour well. In my experience, the people who claim to want to save the world skip this first step and end up doing more harm than good.
Hahaha exactly! And I now realise I want someone to accuse this post of enabling fascism so I can say "I don't give a foot."
Honestly I think anyone who thinks they know how to "save the world" is utterly insane. Most of them don't even know how to breathe properly. Save the world, indeed.
I once got scammed into donating €20 to fake deaf kids outside Notre Dame in Paris. It should have been a red flag when they told me the minimum amount was €20 then my friend yelled from across the square and they all turned around 😂 Seriously though, compassion fatigue is real and caring only about the things in your orbit that you can control is something I’m trying with more determination this year.
Bloody hell! No charity for the not very good fake deaf children! Good luck with keeping your caring within your orbit - I think it's the only sane way forward 😊
Love this, and this paying attention to/caring for what/who is right in front of me is my approach as well.
My corollary to this is that there are LOADS of things I have no opinion on, often because I'm happy to admit I don't know enough about a thing to venture such a thing, unlike much of the internet, which seems full of brand new experts on the latest thing every week or month or so.
And my corollary to THAT is "I DO have an opinion on THING, and it's none of your fucking business."
But also with the "I don't actually care about lots of things, and that's also fine."
Yes! Me too. So many things I'm not willing to venture an opinion on because I just don't think I know enough.
Then there are things I have opinions on but I don't want to have to fight about them! I find many people are incapable of civil debate and many people don't enjoy discussion, so I've learned the hard way to rein in it sometimes.
You have reminded me that I am still paying a small direct debit to the Deaf Children's Society several years after a really, really charismatic and charming guy knocked on our door that time. He will have gone far in his career.
As is often the case when I read your meanderings , I find myself gently laughing all the way through. Thanks again for your humorous insightful writing ✍️
I don't think street charmers help at all. I just avoid them and don't even think about the tabards or charity they are representing just avoiding them really.
Yes I feel like it's important to step back for my own sanity! Some people have a big voice in the political arena but for most of us, we're just exhausting ourselves by shouting at the sky!
Laughing at your Knight Rider comment and I completely get what you say about compassion fatigue or whatever else you might call it. There is only so much space in my head.
Yep - we're only human! Some of us are struggling to even manage that :)
Not long ago I spotted a book in Waterstones in Lancaster called something like 'Mysteries of Lancashire'. One of the 'mysteries' listed was the 'headless woman' statue in the Priory churchyard in Lancaster.
It's not a mystery at all. It was a perfectly normal statue (reclining figure) with a head (I have a photo of it). It got broken, presumably vandalised. They refixed it, it got broken again (almost certainly vandalism, then); they stopped trying. The head's probably inside the church somewhere. But now it's in print it's 'officially' a mystery.
Haha people do love a mystery, even if it isn't one :)
This is exactly how Nazi Germany started! First you don’t care about a foot, then genocide.
I totally agree with this. Doing “good” in the world starts with treating your neighbour well. In my experience, the people who claim to want to save the world skip this first step and end up doing more harm than good.
Hahaha exactly! And I now realise I want someone to accuse this post of enabling fascism so I can say "I don't give a foot."
Honestly I think anyone who thinks they know how to "save the world" is utterly insane. Most of them don't even know how to breathe properly. Save the world, indeed.
Yes! And often people who are serving them. That’s the most telling attitude I think
I was coming here to say the same thing. The people who shout the loudest about being good people also seem to treat those in their orbit abominably.
That's for sure true in my experience.
Sounds like an overall sensible opinion to have!
That's me! Sensible to a fault ;)
God, I wish I could be incurious. I'm the absolute opposite, I immediately want to go and look at that foot.
It's honestly not that good. I bet you could make up a better story than the truth!
*Adopts writerly pose* I always make up better stories than the truth.
Naturally!
"An insincere smarm of young men" wins Phrase of the Year. ;D
Haha thanks! :)
I once got scammed into donating €20 to fake deaf kids outside Notre Dame in Paris. It should have been a red flag when they told me the minimum amount was €20 then my friend yelled from across the square and they all turned around 😂 Seriously though, compassion fatigue is real and caring only about the things in your orbit that you can control is something I’m trying with more determination this year.
Bloody hell! No charity for the not very good fake deaf children! Good luck with keeping your caring within your orbit - I think it's the only sane way forward 😊
Love this, and this paying attention to/caring for what/who is right in front of me is my approach as well.
My corollary to this is that there are LOADS of things I have no opinion on, often because I'm happy to admit I don't know enough about a thing to venture such a thing, unlike much of the internet, which seems full of brand new experts on the latest thing every week or month or so.
And my corollary to THAT is "I DO have an opinion on THING, and it's none of your fucking business."
But also with the "I don't actually care about lots of things, and that's also fine."
Yes! Me too. So many things I'm not willing to venture an opinion on because I just don't think I know enough.
Then there are things I have opinions on but I don't want to have to fight about them! I find many people are incapable of civil debate and many people don't enjoy discussion, so I've learned the hard way to rein in it sometimes.
You have reminded me that I am still paying a small direct debit to the Deaf Children's Society several years after a really, really charismatic and charming guy knocked on our door that time. He will have gone far in his career.
Great read as ever, Georgina!
Hahaha well I guess it's lucky that some people still care 😂
…. And the toenails need clipping.
Yes! I always think that. It's kind of grim.
As is often the case when I read your meanderings , I find myself gently laughing all the way through. Thanks again for your humorous insightful writing ✍️
Thanks Karen! What a lovely comment :)
I don't think street charmers help at all. I just avoid them and don't even think about the tabards or charity they are representing just avoiding them really.
I think many of them work on commission. So also not sure they're really helping!
Yes I feel like it's important to step back for my own sanity! Some people have a big voice in the political arena but for most of us, we're just exhausting ourselves by shouting at the sky!