Monday Moaning: Abusing Aggression!

Monday Moaning: Abusing Aggression! 

It is something that I seen go horrible wrong, and looking at cases that seem to appear more and more in the media. The month is October and is also the awareness month for domestic violence. As the title suggested this moan is among other things about the abuse behind closed doors. Now I am by no means a mister know it all, but the dangers are real and we all should speak up if we even have the slightest idea of domestic abuse going on around you in your neighbourhood or closer to home in your family.

The moment the woman or even man with or without children is leaving becomes the time they need us the most. It is the most dangerous time as control is taken away from the abuser. What is going on in their mind becomes unpredictable and volatile but the abused need your help. Together we stand strong.

Easy to speak these words and just watch from the side-lines, but having been in the situation of a fight to protect I can say it is worth it. Having seen relatives beaten up and making excuses is saddening and sure enough had me go through ten counts of the anger management.

So to all who reads. Be aware, keep an eye out to the one walking by you in your street. Look after the kids and stand up for those who truly ned it.

Not said that everyone wants to be helped, but we need to send a signal out there we want to help. Yup I got slapped in the face when the lady I protected went straight back to him, but I always kept an eye out. Till he gone wrong again and she finally decided to leave for good.

There is something else though that I want to address in this moan and that is the escalation in abuse and aggression. It is not something that adults do behind closed doors, it is used more and more out in the open.

To start recalling all kinds of aggression sure has me need another Monday but in short the most common is the road rage. Aggression within a place we all make use off and we all had a moment of losing control. Whether it is just showing us the finger or yell curse words with the windows closed, we all had our moments of rage.

But it doesn’t stop with the drivers of cars, these days a stroll can have you get kicked, slapped by another traffic participant simple for a small bump. Though I would have to include the fact we do look more down on our screen then pay attention to the direction we are going. Still most often it is the one with the phone losing the most control as if he was not in the wrong and you could have gone around him.

Cyclist are no different and as one who likes to ride fast I to run into people who think I could do with less speed or make sure I at least break a little when people are walking at the same place. This is the athlete that evokes a lot of rage and aggression. But the usual suspect on a bike, the teenager or whoever that thinks they can type and ride bike at the same time, are just as bad. Anybody playing Pokemon Go! I been hit by people who though that the game was more important than the safety of themselves and others.

Abiding traffic rules is for pussies, or so it seems. It does have my anger well up inside me and ready to use aggression. Guilty as charged. Good thing might be I am not abusing it.

This is but a simple example and one that is also most common.

Escalation however are occurring. And with that I am referring to the robberies. A simple bus driver abused with a small axe or kitchen knife. The aggression triggered because there was only a buck or 10 to be stolen. Small diners having people stabbed just so that the robbers have some time to run off. The till was already emptied and still he had to stab the clerk with a broken wine bottle.

Not to mention of the robberies where shots are being fired. It makes one wonder where all this aggression is coming from, why we feel the need to abuse to gain something in return?

What is there to gain when we use aggression?
Is it not only asking for more aggression in return?

Today the story is about a group of four girls ages of 13 and above who tortured a fellow girl out of jealousy. And instead of feeling sorry about what they done, they felt sorry for not paying enough attention and letting her escape since she would have had to die. All this happened in Brazil, you can look it up if you want. One of the girls was even a 10 year old friend of hers.

Can you tie a friend up and hack into her with a machete?

Our fuses are getting shorter by the minute. Using aggression and abuse/assault anyone who stand in our way.

Closer to home I find these things happening as well at a very young age. My nephew being barely 10 for a day. Shouting and screaming just to be right whenever you try to teach something.

With eyes shut he does not see or does not yet understand the way things are set up these days. Having lots of things being normal to him or what he takes for granted while everything is run behind the scene or away from his understanding. Best example I could give here is the fact that we all need to log in to our games on our phone. Most the time we agreed to have it automated.

I might be old fashioned in ways of my thinking but abuse is occurring more than we know these days and only because we have trouble keeping back our aggression. With shorter fuses we walk around almost waiting for someone to light it up and have you explode.

Usually we can handle ourselves but it is the smallest of matters that sets us off and we can only feel sorry.

I hope that with this writing I can help at least one person out there keeping things in check or reach out a hand to help someone in need.

October 20, 2016 is Purple day. Wear purple and spread the word that we are out there to help those who want a chance for a better abuse free life.

Best Wishes
Ranting Crow

Monday Moaning: Educated Protest!

Monday Moaning: Educated Protest! 

The words in the title have come together as news has been spreading here on the news. Last couple of weeks I took a critic look at how the news was brought and more over the items that were talked about. Slowly a certain thought occurred to me and how we handle some of the problems we come across.

Not to mention that some issues hardly ever reach our ears or eyes let alone anybody doing anything about them.

Today it is about some of these things and without a doubt you know of many more or take a different look at the some of the things that do go on around the corner of your very own street.

I stand for doing rather than just Occupy a square in order to address something what is wrong in this world. Not said it is totally a bad thing but sometimes the truth behind the words are being lost as people have no clue what it is about and just move along with the protest.

History has a wealth on stories where the protest came to a change within the communities and society. And though these changes came to be after a protest it was the unity of the move that stood out and was probably the thing that brought the real change, even if we are still not quit done.

Think of the right for women to vote, or even the rights for the black community.

No we are still not there but they are the stories that made a difference.

Occupying a square or the many squares all over the world even today still has people baffled on the reason behind it. This includes me. It true reason was buried on the many different voices that sounded from crowd that thought had the same mind and idea.

That aside it shows that not all protests are well thought of or make a dent into the lives we try to effect. Same as a couple of weeks ago and also the reason for this moan today, was a couple of people laying floating arms into a canal of a city to address the fact that many illegal immigrant children are drowning in our sea or ocean.

Not the idea may well be real the actual impact is minimal and to me seemed a waste of money.

Instead of laying down in the water, asking for money so you can educate people, one could also get up and teach these children to swim.

Fact is that some of these children come from a country that does not have a beach. So they do not know about the undercurrents or the power of  wave being strong enough to plough down a child or even an adult. This kind of education should be shared so we can prevent them from drowning and yet we lay in a canal asking for money. These 5 people could each teach 5 children and share information with their parents. And it takes a couple of free hours to do so.

It is beyond me why we still not do what we think is important. Making this my protest to the protestors who sometimes do not know what the hell they protesting about or just want money instead of truly making that difference.

Not the first time though that I address something similar. The same is with buying that extra can of veggies for a family who has trouble making a living. Thing is, that if we all do something little we can make a big impact around us.

Schools however do it differently and teach our children to think only one thing and in some things very linear. A rare teacher will ask children to think outside the box and see it from a different perspective. It might well be where things do start to make a difference and in our healthy mind it is where it even should make a difference.

This is where it all starts, is it not?

And when you mix the two together we get the title. Education and protest.

Bringing the two together in this moan is about the fact that we all scream equality in every protest we have but that the education system is far from being just that.

News today is about the fact that there are children who are not going to school for different reasons. Just that they are not going to school is taking away the equal changes of some of these kids.

To understand some of them we have to make a change. Stand up and make a single voice.

It does not matter if the child is sick and can’t go to school all that often, they have a right to a good education but are being left behind due to their illness. This is unfair and creates what we fight against with our voices. Most of these kinds of stories hardly ever reach us, so we assume that things are taking care of.

Youth with a diagnosed intellect, high IQ or with a kind of autistic behaviour. These children need a different kind of education and in some cases they do not receive it in a proper way and are also left behind, taking away their chances of becoming a solid part of society and in their own community. This causes solitude and make them estranged from human contact.

Not something we should be promoting. Should we not give them a fighting chance to become of equal value as any of us who are healthy.

Last but not least are the kids of parents who can’t pay the system to have their child attend a school. We see these kids stay at home. They either have to take care of their siblings or roam the streets without ever having a change for a better future. This is kind of making history repeat itself over and over.

Should we not go out there and teach these boys and girls to at least read and do simple calculations. (I know some know very well how to calculate but lets not go there)

But it is about making a difference and it starts at school on an educational level. At the kitchen table of those who have never been informed or simply do not know.

Stand up and teach, speak up and create a society build on knowledge we can share so we each have the same changes.

Money is always needed if we do it big, but just a small person like you and me can have at least one of these kids under their wings.

That is a difference that will keep on sounding throughout the future and pays it forward in many more than just one way.

Best of wishes
Ranting Crow

PS. On a side note and one of the things going on in Poland. I think as well that a rape victim should have the choice whether to have an abortion or not. I know there are also reason to make it illegal and even criminal, but I think the psychiatric impact of the memory of such event is already to much to bare.

Monday Moaning: Petty Mountains!

Monday Moaning: Petty Mountains! 

We create mountains out of molehills. We nag about the little things and doing nothing about the things that should truly matter.

I am no different from any other person on this planet and while we all do try to say something or actually do something. These people than are just crying wolf and looked at as if they are the village idiot. Articles and news stations report on these mountains and though some may truly be newsworthy, how about all the mountains we do not see beyond the horizon of molehills.

Every day we worry about what to wear or what colour make-up to use. We stress over the 1 minute there is left to choose whether to use the car or a bike to go to work. Blood boils when there is no internet connection on your phone or a stopping light stays on red a second to long for comfort.

Our lives consist of worries about the petty little things we see as mountains. Showing our concern when a new article appears about how unhealthy we eat or an exploding phone. But when we hear about the racial discrimination or sexual discrimination we may speak out some concern but life on as if nothing happened. Though it is actually the thing that we need to change and create an open mind towards.

Within the food industry we see things happening that would or should concern us but we hear nothing of it. Processed food isn’t all that good for you, and I am talking here about the ready made meals and boxed foods. Additives full of sugar and we don’t seem to care. Commercials that falsely advertise about things like bad fat we take for what they are worth.

These mountains are staring us in the face and we look over them as if they are made by small critters called moles.

It is not just the food industry that we let do what they want, it is us just the same.

Each of us have a big mouth when something happens but we move on if it is not happening in our neighbourhood. Who cares that people are killing themselves half way around the world. Sure it is bad but not happening here. Though when it does we feel shocked and say we need to do something.

I wonder how many have opened up their hearts for the LGBT community after the shooting in that night club. Bet we just lived on thinking our very own thoughts with only a memory of what had happened.

We sue when we slip over a puddle of yoghurt, but where was your own responsibility for looking out for yourself.

Moment like these and it is not the first time I am talking about taking responsibility instead of thinking everything will be paved in front of you. Life isn’t smooth and surely will have its sharp edges YOU need to evade all by yourself or learn a skill to smooth them out.

Complains keep raining down about these small matters that make life so damn hard for us. Blaming others and pointing fingers at others that created a molehill and shout mountain if one needs to climb over it.

In reality we are just to lazy to make something work.

How many mountains out their should we be conquering. Diminishing hatred among ourselves and thinking about laying down the weapons we picked up for the wrong reasons. Each arguments is that we picked up the arms for protection though the very first weapon was picked up to attack.

The goody two shows sure sounds in these words but me to have made my mistakes in life. I to went on the attack after I saw that just walking away didn’t work. Still now being older and hopefully wiser I was not the one who should have been changing my ways. And yet somebody does have to make a start.

Should we make it worse?

Now this text has gone from food to guns two things that unlikely has nothing to do with each other but are two things we need to think about. Changing our ways have never been our strongest point when it involves work and I mean the hard working kind. With a determination and iron will to truly wanting to make a difference within your community.

And that brings me to something that we should have seen more of. Because they, in my eyes embody the idea or determination and strength we need to make a change.No matter how bad life has treated them they stand up on a podium showing each who watched that with a little bit of hard work we can go beyond ourselves and come out on top.

The Paralympics again had me in tears as I watched those who truly do have troubles in life give their all in sports and show me true strength. Their emotional release is in most cases bigger than that of a fully functional athlete. I am in awe when I see a Ping-Pong player without hands. I feel my heart race when a Spanish man jumped on a bike without a left arm and leg and races to the finish with an 54 kilometres an hour. That is about 34 miles an hour. These achievements are possible due to their will.

While we trouble ourselves with petty thoughts how hard it is step over a doorstep they jump over close to 2 meters (6’9″ approx) with a single leg. As many of us hate or have tripped over the curbs in the city there are those struggling to get there wheelchair on their.

This is just to say we complain about so many itty-bitty things we don’t see the true struggles around us.

Now one has nothing to do with the other, but it is to show how dumb we are when it comes to problem solving or actually seeing the things that need changing. Most of it, is in our behaviour and way of thinking. Our acts whenever we go out to do things.

Our lack of respect for others and other thoughts just because we demand respect before giving. We think we deserve love before we can give it. What is so wrong to give first and maybe receive in return.

This is a thought I am leaving you all with. As it was the one of the last things I received the day I buried my grandma. And even today I am struggling to change my ways, but I am trying. It takes guts to change the way we see the world, not everything we see is as high as a mountain. Be sure to see the true mountain ridge and climb it with verve and see everything from a different perspective.

Best Wishes
Ranting Crow

Monday Moaning: Life’s Worth!

Monday Moaning: Life’s Worth!

This is something that an each of you would answer differently. Particularly since it has to do with the time and where you are at this very moment. Naturally answer will change when we do or our surroundings who influence our way of thinking and feeling. It is a heavy thought at the same time.

We pay nothing to live, it is free but we talk about it and hold it as if it is the most precious. There is only one life after all, it is given to you.

Answering its worth would always be an abstract and virtual view on the past and how it has been so far. The very philosopher in me has been standing still around death. It has been almost a week since I carried my grandma’s coffin to her final resting place.

Life’s worth isn’t possible to be captured in a single answer. But that last bit of the time where the body is still above ground is pretty damn expensive for starters. And sure you can make it as expensive as one feels fit. But who has the last call when one is so silent and cold.

Crows will change to the cheapest to have more money to hold ion the end and these kind of hyenas do exist. I met them shook their hands out of respect but my heart screamed for hell.

A life’s worth can’t be made up from numbers though we try to accumulate as much of it in the currency of preference during our life. Is that the price and again different for each and everyone? How can one judge whether it is worth it or would that always be whether it was worth it? We always look back if we want to grade it with never an eye towards what could be.

Which is pretty simple to understand as we can’t see what will happen. We can only speculate.

The thoughts are pretty dim or dark, but it just been that kind of week.

Would one say that our spending becomes its worth we will see that a life is costing much to maintain. This is just to eat and have something we can say is a respectable life. And here to we see different answers because we all feel that life’s standard is different.

In some parts of the world a life is worthless or just barely enough to breath in the back of a house hidden behind curtains. Wars make life’s less worthy in the eyes of an attacker, though the defender will think no different when they see life being devalued. A price of nickel and a dime.

Not to mention as said last week we consume the money like water. The spending has changed and so our value of life.

One of the last conversations I ever had with my grandparents was about money and the fact things stopped to last. And with my mom today going for a new phone I cringe like the Grinch seeing the prices.

All the money we spend would it make life’s worth any better in the end when we stare into the tunnel of light or a stairway to heaven? Will we burn in the flames of hell? And we spend more and more often than we once needed.

The conversation was about the fact that there was a time we build things to last as these days things being build to break down. Making life worth it.

I might be confused but I am staring at a plaque of my Nonna and the dime in my hand. How long will it last. Whether it is my life or the plaque either one of them will break down at some point as life for sure was not build to last no matter how much we spend to prolong it. But this dime and plaque will end in the same way. They will disappear.

Was it worth it all. This moan and the upcoming bike ride. It may not hold much worth in the long run but for the moment it is everything I wanted and needed.

So if one will excuse me, I will change clothes and get ready to roll and be free which is precious in a life where most things bought are worthless.

Best wishes
Ranting Crow

Monday Moaning: Money Consumption!

Monday Moaning: Money Consumption! 

The two words from the title are related to one and other though my thought today may differ from what goes around as the common view on how they are connected. Since we invented money or came up with the concept of making a piece of printed paper worth something, it has become the centre of our lives. For whatever reasons we come up with, we can’t seem to do without it anymore.

Its effect is one that ripples and dies a quiet death when it reaches a certain top. Would the image of a lake or puddle be accurate if we are not the ones swimming in money.

Sitting down and just taking on a view based on some events that have happened here it may not be as strange as it sounds.

Am I to explain what has been going on, it may well be to much to lay out here, but in short my Grandma has passed on last week. So it comes with a lot of stress and sadness while handling some of the money issues that are occurring. Like the moment we have to let town hall know she passed away. Yup being dead means you need to pay a fee to get scrapped from the list of residents of your town. Talking about stealing from the dead.

It is this kind of money spending that I see as consuming money. It changes hands for no real apparent reason or visual or tangible evidence. The heart can get pretty angry over such cold situations. The burial is pretty expensive too, these days. Just having a insurance for 6.000 Euro’s won’t cut much bread.

One simple casket, an hour or so inside a chapel to hear people speak their hearts, and say a final goodbye. Coffee and or a drink after with a slice of cake. One car to move her from her home towards her final resting place.

All in all it becomes a reality when you see the figures being put down on paper. No bad word about the undertaker. He takes his time and is very adequate when explaining everything around the choices the children are making.

But in the end it is still a lot of money for being dead.

These are changes we have made. Not wanting to pay for a parent who had died so they would not get buried or were buried in an unmarked grave if not getting a towns funeral. The most simple paid by the residents of the town and its taxes. We came up with insurance. Letting money exchange hands with no real knowledge you will or can get what you want.

Enough about this as it is the last wish of a person and should be listened to.

Back to the reason and my view on the consumption.

We have started to consume money instead of consume materials or what not was bought with money. The fact this feeling is only growing stronger is because of all money becoming virtual. Spending money like water every two years for a new phone, tablet, laptop and what not. Lucky to have a TV working for more than 5 years.

The items in the list have all become a common good and the most normal thing to own. It isn’t even seen as a consumers product anymore, but more as a part of life. This kind of money consumption is making the companies pretty fat.

Each of them are sitting around the pond with a rod in their hands, making ripples by pulling us fish in to try and take a bite.

Was there not a saying that said; Money makes the world go round.

It is outdated as money is the thing that is going around while each of us is standing still. We consume money like it is food instead of eating actual food.

Okay that may have sounded strange but the fact is that we do not know what we are eating and buying with our money. We have started to see it as a survival tool. Without it we would die, just like water.

Prices keep on rising as we earn more. But how precise is that assumption? Just asking for a raise is no guarantee we can afford a new TV.

To give another reason on why I say we consume money is what is going on here in this country.

Last year or it may have been a couple of years schools and other organizations opted for a new way of teaching, through tablets. I for one do not agree with this but it is for that reason people call me old and obsolete.

I plead for good education for each and every child and that includes the less fortunate.

Schools demand parents to pay up to 400 Euro’s for an Ipad so these children can be educated. The common good and assumed part of life is the so called tablet in this case. And no, another tablet would not be compatible with the new schools education.

Pasts have been ruled by books also paid but with help from governments. Now it is the parent who needs to have money if one wants the best education for their child. Taking away an equal chance for everyone.

This is the kind of society we are becoming or creating, thinking that money is like water and can be consumed on will. Saying that one has to consume in order to progress and be able to produce.

Was there not a time we needed to produce before we could consume. And to think these things break down or ned renewal after two years.

Being alone while writing this story it is still to have someone read this and have them think about their own situation. One does not have to agree but at least come up with their own idea how the title of today’s moan works.

Living in a consumers market and being a consumer I look at the changes from the bottom up. It is blurred and veiled by layers upon layers of rules and what not legal terms to hide the hooks we gladly bite in.

We are the fish in the pond and we swim in money, but it has become our habitat. Every brick, piece of paper is made from money to make money and with the digital age it becomes even more obscured on how we consume or use money.

Truth is; we need it, and always to much of it.

Best Wishes
Ranting Crow

I am off spending some more money on god knows what for the sake of having a chance to become the worm on a hook.