It is very easy to become a Grumpy Old Man these days. Our world shrinks daily with the advent of each new technological innovation, 24-hour news brings us ever-more macro-analysis about the most insignificant events, and legislators seek to control us with a relentless regulation of our lives. Common sense has become marginalised and we all have times when we wish Scottie was there to beam us up.
As I moved from life-in-the-fast lane running a business to a more sedate pace working from home, I became aware that I was not alone in recognising this degradation in our human condition, and of the primary cause – faceless jobsworths who constantly waste our ever-reducing time on this Planet, and hence our money, whether by design or incompetence.
Those that paint us all into their misguided corners using the simple justification of “computer says no” are not necessarily government officials, they may be corporate executives, computer programmers or even sports administrators. Beneath them are the ‘doers’, the workers we actually interact with, who are so concerned for their livelihoods that they would rather follow mindless procedures than challenge the obviously-ludicrous, often to their own detriment as well as the rest of us.
As a published writer, my first thought was to use my skills to shine a light into the deep recesses of this ridiculous scenario, by holding a mirror up to these antics and try to help those who perpetuate them see how silly what they are doing really is. So if you have become enraged by having to answer security questions in order to simply pay someone your money; restrained yourself from hurling the remote at the TV when a BBC newsreader turns the most positive story into a negative with that cynical throwaway comment at the end; or merely fail to understand why Sepp Blatter does not believe in video-technology, then you may enjoy some of my humbly-attempted antidotes in these pages.
Nevertheless, too much of such matters can affect any positive outlook striving to overcome them, so to achieve some balance I have interspersed some thoughts on the more sublime aspects of life, particularly my favourite diversions – music and sport. Beyond those, and for those who perhaps prefer the more whimsical, I have included a few of my short stories as well.
Whatever you find of interest, I hope you enjoy your visit here, and please feel free to leave your comments.