gil
8th October 2005, 06:22 PM
Hi everyone,
I have been reading the forum with interest recently (not posting so much as work has been consuming most of my energy, followed closely by the family). It seems to me that there have been some widely differing perspectives offered in a wide range of tones and styles, which reflects life and society pretty much as I have experienced them (rich tapestry etc).
I am struck by a couple of "inconsistencies" that, in my opinion, these threads have highlighted. I would stress that this is more of an overview gleaned from different ENZ forums and I understand that they were not necessarily intended to be deliberately contradictory.
.
Firstly, there is a hankering for better times as in "The UK is not the place of our childhood" alongside "It's just the lack of choice that you have to get used to". The days of more simple living were just that: simpler times meant simpler pleasures and simpler choices, far less consumer choice than we have today. They seem to me to go hand in hand, so if you are willing to move to a “simpler” life, you need to recognise that simplicity may well attach to all aspects of life.
Secondly, there is something deep at the heart of today's UK that says choice is automatically good and a right. In my view, the overwhelming choices we have in most spheres of life have affected us to the point where we no longer recognise the balance between privilege and responsibility. Many people seem to think they have the right to choose everything in life (quite a privilege!) but do not feel they need to exercise responsibility for those choices, so when something doesn't work, the response is not always "I made this choice and I will deal with the consequences", but " This didn't work because....... * "
* insert any external culprit you like
Thirdly, I get the sense that some of us feel it is perfectly acceptable for a British person to hold and express views about other nationalities but that it is not acceptable for other nationalities to hold and express views about the British. Well, you can’t have your cake and eat it. Cause and effect and all that: if you dish it out, you’ve got to be prepared to take it as well.
Finally, reading through the threads “Perception to Reality” and “Forum Food for Thought” brought to mind an old, apocryphal story I once heard:
A young man is traveling from his home town to a new town where he is looking to make a fresh, new start. He sees the town he is heading for in the distance, and starts to wonder what it will be like. On the very edge of the town, he spies an elderly man seated under a tree. Stopping by the old man, the young man asks him “What are the people like in this town?” The old man responds with the question “Tell me, what were folk like where you have come from?” “Oh,” says the young man, “they were a miserable lot, not very nice at all.” “Then turn back,” replies the old man “for you will find them much the same here.”
A day later, another young man sets off on the same path. He arrives at the tree where the old man is seated, and asks the same question as the first young man, “What are the people like in this town?” The old man responds with the same question as before “Tell me, what were folk like where you have come from?” “Oh,” says the young man, “they were lovely, kind, friendly and helpful.” “Then go on,” replies the old man “for you will find them much the same here.”
I hope we all carry on sharing our diverse views and experiences together on this forum, it’s so useful and helpful. If I could just paraphrase a title of a book I have on different personality types though: There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m just not you!
Gil
I have been reading the forum with interest recently (not posting so much as work has been consuming most of my energy, followed closely by the family). It seems to me that there have been some widely differing perspectives offered in a wide range of tones and styles, which reflects life and society pretty much as I have experienced them (rich tapestry etc).
I am struck by a couple of "inconsistencies" that, in my opinion, these threads have highlighted. I would stress that this is more of an overview gleaned from different ENZ forums and I understand that they were not necessarily intended to be deliberately contradictory.
.
Firstly, there is a hankering for better times as in "The UK is not the place of our childhood" alongside "It's just the lack of choice that you have to get used to". The days of more simple living were just that: simpler times meant simpler pleasures and simpler choices, far less consumer choice than we have today. They seem to me to go hand in hand, so if you are willing to move to a “simpler” life, you need to recognise that simplicity may well attach to all aspects of life.
Secondly, there is something deep at the heart of today's UK that says choice is automatically good and a right. In my view, the overwhelming choices we have in most spheres of life have affected us to the point where we no longer recognise the balance between privilege and responsibility. Many people seem to think they have the right to choose everything in life (quite a privilege!) but do not feel they need to exercise responsibility for those choices, so when something doesn't work, the response is not always "I made this choice and I will deal with the consequences", but " This didn't work because....... * "
* insert any external culprit you like
Thirdly, I get the sense that some of us feel it is perfectly acceptable for a British person to hold and express views about other nationalities but that it is not acceptable for other nationalities to hold and express views about the British. Well, you can’t have your cake and eat it. Cause and effect and all that: if you dish it out, you’ve got to be prepared to take it as well.
Finally, reading through the threads “Perception to Reality” and “Forum Food for Thought” brought to mind an old, apocryphal story I once heard:
A young man is traveling from his home town to a new town where he is looking to make a fresh, new start. He sees the town he is heading for in the distance, and starts to wonder what it will be like. On the very edge of the town, he spies an elderly man seated under a tree. Stopping by the old man, the young man asks him “What are the people like in this town?” The old man responds with the question “Tell me, what were folk like where you have come from?” “Oh,” says the young man, “they were a miserable lot, not very nice at all.” “Then turn back,” replies the old man “for you will find them much the same here.”
A day later, another young man sets off on the same path. He arrives at the tree where the old man is seated, and asks the same question as the first young man, “What are the people like in this town?” The old man responds with the same question as before “Tell me, what were folk like where you have come from?” “Oh,” says the young man, “they were lovely, kind, friendly and helpful.” “Then go on,” replies the old man “for you will find them much the same here.”
I hope we all carry on sharing our diverse views and experiences together on this forum, it’s so useful and helpful. If I could just paraphrase a title of a book I have on different personality types though: There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m just not you!
Gil