Phil's New Year Message

Crawling from the Wreckage...

In my 61½ years, I've experienced a few really shit years. 1998, 2003 and 2016 stick out like sore thumbs, but they were no means isolated. When we were told as children that the 21st century would bring a time of unparalleled leisure, wealth and happiness that was code for 'as life continues things will get shittier than you could possibly imagine.' 

2023 has been one clusterfuck after another. I can barely point at one person I know who can't give you an example of what a shit year this has been. Deaths, illness, bad luck, injuries, intolerance and the clouds that hung over this year did not have silver linings, they just harboured some new and insidious way to fuck up lives.

I've never been able to understand the desire to believe in God - whatever god whatever religion believes in - if there was a god, there is no way on earth he is a benign benefactor; he or she is a cruel nasty and pernicious deity who is as random as a lottery winner and is most likely a crutch created to keep the masses under control and give people a reason for their existence. if god is love, it is also hate, lies, death and cruelty. If a god truly existed why would a child be given an incurable deadly illness and why would despots, cowards and murderers rise to positions of power, where they themselves can be godlike in their judgements?

As 2023 slides away, to be consigned to the worst areas of our memories and looked back on with scorn rather than fond memories, I have a few things I'd like you to consider in 2024. I'm not a conspiracy theorist and I don't subscribe to nutty ideas and beliefs, but the simple advice I have for anyone reading this might sound like I'm heading in that direction...

* Do not believe the press. If you hear something in any mainstream media outlet you should question it; you should show scepticism towards it, because the mainstream media has an agenda and that agenda ranges from making you want to blame someone for a government's failings to believing a narrative they're giving you rather than finding out whether every newspaper or TV news channel around the globe is saying the same thing. Ask yourself why certain language is always used; why the people they tell you are right are always right and more importantly whether they are actually right or it's just sophisticated propaganda designed to make you toe a line. The press is now so biased, with its own agenda, you should question it even if it tells you the sky is blue and rain is wet.

* Do not believe politicians. Especially if those politicians represent a major political party. Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Democrat, Republican - left, right or middle - there is an agenda there and usually that agenda panders to the richest and most powerful non-politicians. If you think this is bullshit, ask yourself why there is lobbying in every major 'democracy' in the world? Ask yourself why politicians and people related to them are somehow granted privileges that the average person does not receive and all because you voted for them. Politicians are elected, by you, to represent YOU and the country's interests. Politicians and governments should have a duty of care for all the people who live in a country, not just the ones they like. Further to this, you should also never trust a politician that denies basic rights to voters. In short, never trust a politician.

* I have an overwhelming desire to tell people to try and be nice to each other, but unfortunately it doesn't matter how hard you try, others won't. 2016 opened the floodgates for intolerance and hatred towards our fellow men, women and children. The internet probably has more trolls and inciteful entities now than ever before; it appears the internet is now a tool to widen divisions created in the last ten years and it is very effective. If I had to make a New Year resolution it would probably be to try and ignore the people who use the internet to sow hatred and division and not just through prejudice but by being provocative, by seeming to take a moral high ground where none exists. The world now views beliefs as more important than facts and this is prevalent on the internet because to challenge someone's beliefs is like telling someone they have rubbish taste in some form of culture. The problem with beliefs is they are not born of facts; a person can believe in something that is patently not true, but because it is a belief, they will view any effort to change that belief as the lie. The dilemma is whether to challenge someone or just allow their beliefs to seep into the consciousnesses of the wilfully ignorant. That is a decision only you can make.

* Choose your own paths. Do not be swayed by any of the above. Individualism appears to be dying out in favour of a general hive minded attitude, so stay real and honest and remember above all else to tell the people you love that you love them and try to accept there are some absolute cunts out there who you will never change, so inwardly pray that karma fucks them over so bad they never bother decent humans again.

May 2024 be a better year than we could hope for.