Sometimes, you can go through weeks without reality making a dint on you. I mean, here I am, working, travelling, trying to help out where I can, and all the time...
Wandering, worrying....
Am I going to be able to afford my mortgage once my fixed-rate term expires in 3 years time? What about the kids' uni fees? And the house renovations we so desperately need?
How can I support Mrs Tobbot with her seemingly never-ending 'round of CIMA exams?
With all the Poles now leaving the country in droves, and the government in their wisdom deciding to cut education for those least able to pay for it, will I have a teaching job next year?
And will Vines of Guildford finally repair my bike once and for all?
Then it all comes together, all at once.
Natural disasters in Asia which beggar belief. Child abuse and incarceration for no apparent reason, by so-called "reasonable adults." Conniving and capricious politicians, who decide on one policy one month, only to do complete u-turns, s-bends and heaven knows what else the next, without exercising any sound judgement when it comes to deciding anything.
And then I read a blogger's poignant question, which asks a searing question, "How are we any different from animals?"
I can see the world for what it is, I can see the big picture, and I feel powerless to make any changes, without risking my own butt in the process. Something I am reluctant to do, because it may jolt me out of my comfort zone.
And that is the bare, naked truth: we cannot stand by idly and see the world taken over by those who seek to exploit its resources, its flora and fauna, and ultimately, its human life, for their own gain.
We have to be brave in seeking to change our lives, to challenge wrong-doing wherever it takes place, whether in the workplace, the politician's office...
And our homes and neighbourhoods.
Else the bell will toll...for me.
Tobbot, aka Tobstv
http://www.leithjb.net/blog
2008-05-17 @ 09:36