Category: People

Jul 25

‘I’m forever damaged’

I truly do feel for 29 year old Matt Manion of Foxton Beach.

A lapse of judgement left him paralysed from the waist down. His job as a mechanic most likely over, and his time spent running and jumping with his 5 year old son a distant memory.

Of course, it was not Matt’s fault.

“I shouldn’t have let him drive, but I trusted him because I’d known him so long,” Matt said.

So, Paul Thomas Guidera, also 29, who was driving that night of the accident is solely to blame. He is serving 2 years for his lapse of judgement, and paying $25,000 in fines, and will likely be living with it the rest of his life as well. Especially if all his friends are like Matt Manion.

It’s a tragedy for sure. But the question I ask is who forced Matt into the car that night? He admits he shouldn’t have let Paul drive.

Placing the blame solely on Guidera is an underlying issue with modern society. We see it every day, the dumbing down of individual choice and responsibility.

How is it someone who got into a car voluntarily, knowing his friend had been drinking, can place so much blame on one person.

Just as well there are no law suits available to him, perhaps moving to America would suit his sense of responsibility better.

I wish Matt Manion well in his road to recovery, but do wonder if the wound that will take the longest to heal will be his friendship with Paul Guidera.

The lapse of judgement was mutual, and to believe anything else will simply cause ongoing bitterness.

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Posted in People, Responsibility

Feb 18

The Three Tales of Abraham

I’m not a religious person. I have faith, but not in any spiritual or superior being. And that faith is based on my firm belief that we as individuals make our own destiny, our own choices.  Sometimes events or people have made choices that impact us, and despite what we do, we can not change the influence those people or events have over us.  We then have to work within the bounds of those influences, still taking action and making choices.  My belief structure is very loosely based on Taoism.

To put it in a spiritual context, does the rock fight the river eventually being forced into the sea, or does it change into a pebble and continue on with it’s existence, the water washing over it.

Now, back to the subject at hand. Despite not being religious, I do find religion fascinating.  In particular, I find Islam, Christianity and Judaism most fascinating. The similarities are astonishing, but probably more intriguing is that all three say the other two are wrong, more or less. Yet let’s take an example of how close they can be.

Abram, who changed to Abraham at some point is a fine example.

Bruce Feiler described Abraham as “the shared father of Jews, Christians and Muslims, the patriarch of the Hebrew Bible, the spiritual forefather of the New Testament and the architect of the Koran.”

How can this possibly be if only one religion is the true religion? Surely one must be right, and two must be wrong? Or have the powers that drive these religions simply lost their way?  Could it be the “God” in his various guises is playing some cruel joke at the expense of the many millions who have died over the centuries of religious wars stretching through our history.

Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, Isaac, is still a large part of two of the religions. Yet they hate each other. Why is it that these religions can not see that the most likely cause of their differences is the term “lost in translation”. Over the years, they have split and segregated into three separate religious engines yet their fundamental bases are just too similar to discount.  Most of the differences are subtle to say the least.

It is time for the non-religious of the world to stand up and say enough.  These three religions have caused so much death and destruction. It is time for them to come together and celebrate their similarities and share their differences.

If there is a God, it would probably please them greatly to see their children come together and embrace one another with love and understanding.

I truely hope common senses prevails in my life time, but the hatred between the three has been there a long time. It will likely take a common enemy for them to come together as one.  Perhaps that is the ultimate test of faith?

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Posted in Conflict, People, Religion

Jan 20

Observing the Observer

I’ll be the first to admit that I am an introvert.

I dislike crowds, noisy place and find it very difficult to be comfortable around new people I have only recently met.

But despite that, I like watching people, actually, it’s closer to an addiction.  In fact, my wife finds it damn annoying.  We can be sitting at a cafe or restaurant, and while I am listening to her, I will be watching and listening to three or four other tables, or the staff behind the counter, or even things happening on the street.

Today for instance I was at a kebab cafe waiting for a takeout order. I saw various people. Some young office workers chatting about the Big Day Out. A couple of obvious IT people, discussing quite heatedly the fact their project manager was a fuck wit.  An older woman, maybe in her 60s sitting in a corner with a notebook (a paper one, not a computer!) The most intriguing was a family, with a son and two daughters.  The eldest looked to be about 14, and was at that point teasing her sister while still trying to be “mature” while talking to her parents. It was amusing because she would break into childish giggles, then try to be all adult a moment later. She felt very grown up when her dad asked her to go order some more drinks.

Very seldom do I ever get caught “observing” people, although I sometimes get strange looks when I chuckle about a conversation I overhear when it’s obvious I am standing there on my own.

However, I caught the eyes of older lady and she beamed a smile that was nearly as cheeky and childlike as the young teenage girl I had just been observing. Her eye were piercing blue and full of life.  I smiled back, a little embarrassed at being caught out.

After getting my food,  I walked past the window where she was sitting. Looking in, I saw various sketches, including a couple of me.

Guess I am not the only observer around, and she obviously had far more practice at it than me because I never knew she was observing the observer.

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Posted in People

Jan 05

Karuun and the shirt…

His misery lay in a pool of vomit resembling porridge and diced carrot. His shirt was covered, wet with half digested alcohol. As he stirred, it was obvious he was coherent enough to know what had happen, but perhaps he was not quite so aware of the extent of the mess he was in.

As he walked through the kitchen towards the bathroom, people looked sideways. His glazed eyes focused on nothing in particular as he moved unsteadily towards his goal. Their faces were a mixture of disgust, concern and sympathy. Most had been as bad or worse at some stage in their young lives.

His intent was obvious as he weaved unsteadily towards the bathroom, but as most males know, the bathroom at a 20 something’s party is off-limits to males. The line of young women ensuring the fence out back is the best option for the guys. His addled mind had missed that detail.

As realization dawned on him, a young woman approached him. Although the crowd parted for his reeking presence, she was finding it much harder. He had almost reached the front door when she finally caught up.

“Jack? Are you alright?” Karen said with concern.

“Karuun? Oh, shit.”

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Posted in Culture, People, Responsibility