outrage – Observations and Misunderstandings

Another beautiful sunny day outside. How much I would have enjoyed spending Easter up north in Scotland somewhere. Whenever anyone has every asked me about the homeland I’ve always suggested April, May too but it usually rains more in May. It seems so trivial to be desiring nature and complaining about being deprived of it when people are dying. Don’t get me wrong I’m not about to suggest we should all start embracing nature and rural communities. I am originally from a rural community and I’m aware these people are not overly keen on city folk at the best of times let alone when they’re bringing virus’ with them. One of my childhood neighbours is currently bang in the middle of lambing season, well actually more towards the end probably, but just imagine one of them had caught it. Who knows what they would have done. That lamb chop has to come from somewhere. The other issues if a lack of local GPs and the only real hospital in the area is over half an hour away from my parents and while it’s a decent size it wouldn’t be capable of dealing with a local epidemic. I’m never one for pandering to official advice and while I have no real issue with people sitting in the park, I do with them moving around the country spreading this virus.

On the other hand I was looking at the local Facebook group for the village I’m in currently and someone had posted a photo of a camper van complaining about people coming to visit. It’s a tricky one here because this little village by the sea would be nothing without tourism which many people seem to have forgotten in their outrage. There were a few outraged comments before someone finally popped up and informed everyone it was a local guy who lived three doors down from him. It’s always a wonderful moment when outrage gets put back in it’s place. The post was deleted but subsequently replaced by a post replete with photos, complaining about dog poo in the park. So city folk, we clearly have enough to deal with already in these places. Perish the thought if Doris had stood in that, think of the outrage.

There was another post which drew my attention though and it was a meme for how the government was paying you to sit in your garden, drink beer and have a nice time, or something along those lines. So with all this talk complaining about people going into nature, it is important to raise awareness of all those without gardens, or fields, or front drives, or anywhere they can go outside without being accosted by some angry do gooder or some policeman with ticket book in hand. Can you imagine being stuck on the twelfth floor of a tower block, or in a one bedroom apartment, or in a flat share with flatmates you don’t like, or even in an abusive relationship. Nothing is ever black and white, lockdown is not the same for everyone and this virus is not the great leveller is has been described as. So share a thought for these people when you criticise others getting a little sunshine in the park or going for a walk. Just don’t walk too far into the countryside is all.

It can be incredibly difficult sometimes to have an opinion and stick to it. This might just make me unreliable and indecisive but it also seems to allow for flexibility of thought. It means that I am capable of being influenced by whatever mood I find myself in in that moment too which is probably not a great thing, inspired by emotions over intellect or something equally damning. Yesterday I was outraged at outrage and today I am outraged again but this time outraged at my previous outrage of outrage. That is a lot of outrage. Perhaps we do need some outrage without any tangible benefit or outcome that can be measured. Every group needs people of all levels to function as one holistic entity. There must then be a place for those who are outraged by news and share it but do little else. How do I read it after all if someone is not sharing it with me. Equally then you need people below them who are outraged and then have a little rant later to their mates about it. Either the mates will tell them to shut up because they don’t care, will argue with them or will take it in. And finally those who are outraged at injustice but then do nothing, not even talk to people about it, at least they’re one less right wing racist. Clearly there does seem to be some measure of value to the outrage.

It is a hard lonely existence sitting on the fence. The ability to see both sides of the argument without the absolutist dogmatic approach to beliefs is one which rarely wins you many staunch allies. It probably results in more friends but who needs those when you can have allies in the fight, or a fight, or whatever it is you think you’re doing. The world is not black and white, there are benefits and positives to everything if you choose to see them. They may be tiny and outweighed by the negatives but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. That is of course a rather positive attempt to spin a lack of decisiveness. Sometimes it is hard to truly think something when you keep on seeing the other side of the argument.

While the danger of just sitting behind a screen, getting angry and doing nothing is the potential harm to your mental state, equally at some point; you may just have a conversation with someone about that issue which previously outraged you, setting off a chain reaction that results in something actually measurable happening. At the same time logically that makes you another link within whatever chain was sparked into life at some earlier date. Does that mean it is all out of control anyway? What’s the point of worrying about the outrage if we’re just another piece of an uncontrollable chain reaction. Perhaps we just need to sit back enjoy the moment of outrage, see it for what it is and let it go before smiling in recognition when the time comes for it to be useful. What a joy life would be if we were really that present, objective and aware of our actions and thoughts. What an existence it would be if we weren’t able to be angry before forgetting we were angry and deciding the next day we actually think something else. Ah the pleasures of life on the fence.

Tag: outrage

The Countryside In Quarantine

Life On The Fence