16 June 2006

The Lamentation

How curious is this world of ours.
How curious is your life.
Twists, turns and other myriad surprises,
Love, hate, and outward disguises.
Regrets are many, and the world is uncertain,
All is hidden behind tomorrow's curtain.
Whilst we seek answers for that we should not know,
Seeking, always for what lies beyond our reach.
Regrets abound, choices made in error,
The veil between sanity and tears thin as paper.
For who would fardels bear to grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the promise of something after death,
That undiscovered country from whose born no traveller returns,
Puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we know than fly to others we know not of.
The world is a frightening place, and all we who dwell within it are subjects to its cruel laws
Whilst you may think that you have evaded the fatal arrows,
They find you, sure as the surest lance.
Fear not that which may be, and weep not for what is.
Do not curse your evil luck, but be thankful for the trials that shape you.
When the trials of the world bay at your heels,
When the evil that men do waylays you,
When all hope seems forelorn, and all the evident future is bleak,
Be wise, and fear not. For what have fear and anger ever done to ease your woes?
The Lamentation

How curious is this world of ours.
How curious is your life.
Twists, turns and otheand myriad surprises,
Love, hate, and outward disguises.
Regrets are many, and the world is uncertain,
All is hidden behind tomorrow's curtain.
Whilst we seek answers for that we should not know,
Seeking, always for what lies beyond our reach.
Regrets abound, choices made in error,
The veil between sanity and tears thin as paper.
For who would fardels bear to grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the promise of something after death,
That undiscovered country from whose born no traveller returns,
Puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we know than fly to others we know not of.
The world is a frightening place, and all we who dwell within it are subjects to its cruel laws
Whilst you may think that you have evaded the fatal arrows,
They find you, sure as the surest lance.
Fear not that which may be, and weep not for what is.
Do not curse your evil luck, but be thankful for the trials that shape you.
When the trials of the world bay at your heels,
When the evil that men do waylays you,
When all hope seems forelorn, and all the evident future is bleak,
Be wise, and fear not. For what have fear and anger ever done to ease your woes?

12 June 2006

Beggars


I hate beggars. I do. Absolutely, totally, and utterly.
I realise that this is a truly callous statement, but to be perfectly honest, I really don't care. I realise that there are social reasons why some people may be forced to beg because they cannot support themselves any other way, but I believe that these cases make up only one case in a thousand.

I know I'll get a lot of flak for this, but again, I'm pretty solid in this belief.

What I'm attacking today is professional beggary (if that is the term). People who go around in neckbraces for six months, moving from traffic light to traffic light, trying to get money off people. I hate women carrying children with their handbags in tow trying to weasel money out of motorists.

I don't for one second believe that they can afford handbags, decent clothes and nice shoes if they were really in need. I think that if they were truly hungry they would get off their arses and go do some work, no matter how menial it is.

I refuse to participate in encouraging the emotional blackmail that these people utilise, and I firmly believe that if they are capable of standing at a traffic light in the hot sun for a whole day, then they're bloody capable of doing some manual labour cleaning houses or washing dishes.

So, in summation: Get a job!

Following on from that, I'd also like to criticise the whole valet phenomenon. Valets are a form of theft, so far as I think. For one, I am perfectly capable of parking my own car myself. If I do happen to be in a hurry, I'll give my car to the valet. I do not, however, appreciate the fact that if someone does not tip them, they have the audacity to knock on your window and demand you pay them a dinar for their services.

Excuse me?

One dinar for parking my car and then getting it for me again? If you've had to run uphill to find my car or had to go through some trouble getting it, fair enough. But I'll be damned if you saunter down ten metres down the road to get the key, saunter back, and then ask for money while I'm standing next to my vehicle.

I guess what I'm truly up in arms against is how people try to get money for nothing. A particular incident riled me the other day when I was parked at the Zara centre. This guy was giving me "help", telling me to park my car this way and that (which I didn't need, ask for, or look like I needed). By the time I got back to my car, three hours later (which, by the way, was FILTHY), he asked me for money.

"What for?" Quoth I
"Because, you know, I've been standing here since seven in the morning" Quoth he.

Did I miss the logic anywhere? See, another thing that riled me up was the fact that he'd washed all the cars in the lot, except mine (because it's a 78 model), and then asked me for money. Why should I feel bound and bequeath to give you money for washing other people's cars? You can offer a service, and yet you chose to ignore my vehicle because you somehow assumed I wouldn't pay you or something? Well, far be it from me to disappoint you.

So, all ranting aside, I hate people who try to get money off me for nothing. I venerate those who are nice to me, and I adore those who help me or do me service. But I work and earn the money I make, and I'll be damned if some git is trying to blackmail me into giving him something.

Man, that felt good.

Back to being a bastard, now.