This post is the first of 26. It will set the ball rolling on a series of weekly posts that are connected by nothing more than the fact that I’m finally bothering to write something for myself and that each will be inspired by a letter of the alphabet.
Looking back over my last few blogs, it is clear that I lack discipline. It is one of my many faults and one, along with a potty mouth and a tendency to look like I’ve dressed in the dark, that I am determined to correct.
The idea is that for the next 26 weeks I will cover the A,B,Cs…right the way through to Z. Of course I am not deluded enough to believe that this blog is read by anyone other than my friends and family (forced to be positive about what I hope passes for coherent thoughts strung together somewhat haphazardly), but it is a test for me.
A test to see if I can shake my tendency towards apathy. Because, I currently look on with envy at driven, passionate and zealous people. Those folks who get off their backsides and make the effort to march, protest or even just send a letter of complaint.
I wish I had the energy to ring up Nolan to complain about the new pavements being put down across our towns when we haven’t the money to change a few lightbulbs, or to vent over the Talkback airwaves about the latest faux pas from our elected representatives.
But I don’t. And while I walk around with enough rage to displace our need for shale, wind and water combined, I keep it contained.
I bottle it up and sit on the sofa, quietly fuming at how backward our politicians are and how public services are going down the toilet.
I get angry that we seem to move one step forward and 16 back, but I, and I assume many of the population, do nothing.
Apathy reigns supreme as daily life continues, with the occasional pause, when a few shocking headlines make me question in what direction Northern Ireland is going.
I don’t throw the toys out off the pram but rather lay weary and worn down, with only the energy to silently seethe.
I see posts on twitter about how 17.2% of the population (aged between 16 and 64) have no qualifications (compared with the UK average of 9.5% (3.8 million)), while others boast about how our ‘world-class’ education system is sure to attract foreign investment and stem the tide of young people leaving.
Why don’t we question why more isn’t done when around 1 in 4 young people aged 18-24 are out of a job. Or that the we celebrate jobs that are ‘promoted’ and not actually created?
Apathy.
And no – I don’t have answers. Better minds than mine are, I hope, working to improve Northern Ireland, and I won’t have to make B about baking and gay cakes and C won’t look at why curried yoghurt tops the news when cuts are threatening health care.
So this blog won’t be a weekly rant. Unless something makes my blood boil. It will hopefully be 25 reasons to be positive.
Maybe it will be C for cursing and take a closer look at the many colourful ways we use the Anglo-Saxon expletive when describing everything other than its actual meaning of copulating..or perhaps D will discuss how to get your dog to defecate on demand.
Really it is nothing more than a personal challenge, one that probably won’t make a blind bit of difference to anyone but me – but at least it will give me the chance to make like Taylor Swift and shake it (apathy) off.
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