I envy your ability to say exactly what you mean without pulling any punches and yet never come off as an asshole. That’s some kind of magic. Also, I found everything you wrote here deeply cathartic and hopeful. Vonnegut would be proud.
Giant Satanic tub of dysentery is a particularly brilliant descriptor and will be popping up in my head quite frequently in the coming years. Thank you for this.
This was an excellent piece and a great Sunday morning read!
"Those voices - the ones with no capacity for critical thinking - who said, “I f***ing love that dude, he really tells it like it is - I wanna be rich like him one day!” will gradually fade. All that will remain will be the more rational and sane voice of history above your grave, announcing, “Here lies the most heinous piece of shit imaginable.”
Brilliant lines, but yet I'm hoping he has no chance to contemplate his life and somehow it's over in a nanosecond.
I recently took up writing letters again. You know, the ones you create with pen and paper and slip into an envelope with a postage stamp. I've been writing to my sister's. I'd completely forgotten the strong emotions this simple act stirs in both the sender and receiver when you are writing from the heart. For some reason I can't draw up that same degree of connectivity with others through any electronic medium.
So so true! Many years ago I decided to find a pen pal, wasn’t sure how but of course there was a website for that. As of this month we’d been writing to each other for 8 years I think. Not as often as at first but still exchanging letters and always feel joy seeing a letter in mailbox.
Loved this! It's like you wrote what I didn't know I was thinking ... until you wrote it. That's a great gift.
I sometimes think about all the good that could be done with the billions hoarded by the soulless gits who set up so-called charity foundations to amass more wealth and power instead. That mentality is a kind of poverty that needs it's own special name since soulless git is already such a generously peopled category what with politicians and the like.
Your writing is exquisite. I can’t thank you enough for putting into words what so many of us are thinking. Our planet needs your wisdom now more than ever! Oh, and your photos are AMAZING!
Brilliant! I saw a great meme/screenshot doing the rounds the other day that said, “Do people on LinkedIn know that one day we are all going to die?” and I think this writing has that same energy.
Personally, in my daydreams when I ponder what it might be like to have more wealth than I could use in a lifetime, I can’t imagine using it for something other than helping. Restoring ecosystems or funding an arts programme - something like that. Not pouring it into power.
I am so glad I spend time just meandering here and there amongst the writers on Substack, looking, nay, searching, for the occasional long piece that holds my attention beginning to end.
I found such a piece here. My life is better; so are my subscription lists.
Enjoyed your thoughts on the weather. It's difficult to conceive of a climate so fearfully wild and cold; I don't mind walking in the rain provided it's not lashing and storming in an attempt to launch me off my feet.
Heat, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly extreme here at the south-eastern tip of Australia. Tomorrow's forecast top temperature of 42˚C guarantees I will not be leaving the house at any time.
One can always find ways to warm up in the cold; cooling down in the face of oven-blasting, skin-searing sun is just too much.
I live in Rome and there are Memento mori everywhere. Some are ancient Roman and some are Christian, but an eternal reminder that we all share the same fate. At least I know I grew things and rescued loads of senior animals and loved a lot. I didn't hoard a bunch of money and thing that could have helped other people. Technowanker is my new favorite word.
Hi Tom, my era was the 60s and 70s when I was growing up. My dad took me to a labour party meeting, in 1974 when I was 13, Ma said we should do a Tory one for balance, but no time! Harold Wilson got in with a tiny majority and he was my hero. Much later bad things go out about him, but I think his early retirement from the premiership was probably as he discovered his mental powers were starting to decline. Would that Biden and Trump had been so wise!! Musically my era is 60s to 80s. Had a Dire Straits kick in the 80s, much to the amusement of sarky colleague Sue. "So you are going for the complete works then?" Now its Queen, Fleetwood Mac (the Rumours lineup) and a recently acquire CD of Rod Stewart singing soul hits. yes Ok its all very cheesy! But I do like the Doors, though only know Riders on the Storm and Light my fire. And classical music, esp Bach and choral stuff, Ma was in a choral soc and got me to join when in the 6th form.
Yes. When Bush was going full steam into torture and war, people were saying, "Wow, Reagan wasn't so bad". Keira Starmer throws his love to Margaret Thatcher's ghost. People now praise Jimmy Carter even though he assassinated an arch-bishop begging Carter to stop supporting death squads. They are ALL buckets of...
I envy your ability to say exactly what you mean without pulling any punches and yet never come off as an asshole. That’s some kind of magic. Also, I found everything you wrote here deeply cathartic and hopeful. Vonnegut would be proud.
"Vonnegut would be proud" ranks among the highest praise I could muster. And I believe you're right - he would be.
I wholeheartedly agree!
Giant Satanic tub of dysentery is a particularly brilliant descriptor and will be popping up in my head quite frequently in the coming years. Thank you for this.
This was an excellent piece and a great Sunday morning read!
Thank you, Cindy!
"Those voices - the ones with no capacity for critical thinking - who said, “I f***ing love that dude, he really tells it like it is - I wanna be rich like him one day!” will gradually fade. All that will remain will be the more rational and sane voice of history above your grave, announcing, “Here lies the most heinous piece of shit imaginable.”
Brilliant lines, but yet I'm hoping he has no chance to contemplate his life and somehow it's over in a nanosecond.
I am happy to report that all billionaires are also scheduled to be turned to dust. As they are not the gods they pretend to be.
They will eventually melt in with the rest of us and their flecks of dust will not be of gold or diamond like, but of dirt and ash.
I recently took up writing letters again. You know, the ones you create with pen and paper and slip into an envelope with a postage stamp. I've been writing to my sister's. I'd completely forgotten the strong emotions this simple act stirs in both the sender and receiver when you are writing from the heart. For some reason I can't draw up that same degree of connectivity with others through any electronic medium.
🤷♂️
So so true! Many years ago I decided to find a pen pal, wasn’t sure how but of course there was a website for that. As of this month we’d been writing to each other for 8 years I think. Not as often as at first but still exchanging letters and always feel joy seeing a letter in mailbox.
Loved this! It's like you wrote what I didn't know I was thinking ... until you wrote it. That's a great gift.
I sometimes think about all the good that could be done with the billions hoarded by the soulless gits who set up so-called charity foundations to amass more wealth and power instead. That mentality is a kind of poverty that needs it's own special name since soulless git is already such a generously peopled category what with politicians and the like.
Your writing is exquisite. I can’t thank you enough for putting into words what so many of us are thinking. Our planet needs your wisdom now more than ever! Oh, and your photos are AMAZING!
Thanks Laura!
Brilliant! I saw a great meme/screenshot doing the rounds the other day that said, “Do people on LinkedIn know that one day we are all going to die?” and I think this writing has that same energy.
Personally, in my daydreams when I ponder what it might be like to have more wealth than I could use in a lifetime, I can’t imagine using it for something other than helping. Restoring ecosystems or funding an arts programme - something like that. Not pouring it into power.
I am so glad I spend time just meandering here and there amongst the writers on Substack, looking, nay, searching, for the occasional long piece that holds my attention beginning to end.
I found such a piece here. My life is better; so are my subscription lists.
Thanks James. How nice to hear!
Fantastic ramble. Thanks for letting me walk along.
Enjoyed your thoughts on the weather. It's difficult to conceive of a climate so fearfully wild and cold; I don't mind walking in the rain provided it's not lashing and storming in an attempt to launch me off my feet.
Heat, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly extreme here at the south-eastern tip of Australia. Tomorrow's forecast top temperature of 42˚C guarantees I will not be leaving the house at any time.
One can always find ways to warm up in the cold; cooling down in the face of oven-blasting, skin-searing sun is just too much.
PS. Love The Doors, always!
I live in Rome and there are Memento mori everywhere. Some are ancient Roman and some are Christian, but an eternal reminder that we all share the same fate. At least I know I grew things and rescued loads of senior animals and loved a lot. I didn't hoard a bunch of money and thing that could have helped other people. Technowanker is my new favorite word.
Hi Tom, my era was the 60s and 70s when I was growing up. My dad took me to a labour party meeting, in 1974 when I was 13, Ma said we should do a Tory one for balance, but no time! Harold Wilson got in with a tiny majority and he was my hero. Much later bad things go out about him, but I think his early retirement from the premiership was probably as he discovered his mental powers were starting to decline. Would that Biden and Trump had been so wise!! Musically my era is 60s to 80s. Had a Dire Straits kick in the 80s, much to the amusement of sarky colleague Sue. "So you are going for the complete works then?" Now its Queen, Fleetwood Mac (the Rumours lineup) and a recently acquire CD of Rod Stewart singing soul hits. yes Ok its all very cheesy! But I do like the Doors, though only know Riders on the Storm and Light my fire. And classical music, esp Bach and choral stuff, Ma was in a choral soc and got me to join when in the 6th form.
History will judge Musk and Trump.
How about The Yardbirds, Mary? Or maybe it was just before your era. I was crazy about those bongo drums!
Phenomenal band (as patchy as they could sometimes be). White Summer! Happenings Ten Years Time Ago! At their best, they were totally visionary.
Lifted a bitter mood for a few minutes. Thank you.
Nice to hear. Thanks Deb.
Thanks Tom, I needed this. Too cold to walk here and I’d break my neck on the ice. Maybe that’s a solution for the tech bros.
Yes. When Bush was going full steam into torture and war, people were saying, "Wow, Reagan wasn't so bad". Keira Starmer throws his love to Margaret Thatcher's ghost. People now praise Jimmy Carter even though he assassinated an arch-bishop begging Carter to stop supporting death squads. They are ALL buckets of...
Bingo. Why people get so defensive about ‘their guy’ is beyond me.