Nice Place, Shame About the Human Race

Chapter 1

Conduct and a Brief European History

History is herstory, too.

(Unknown)

Since the dawn of civilization, societies have progressed in periods of highs and lows, advancing both spiritually and intellectually in phases of stability and economic growth, and upon reaching the zenith of positive development, declining and degenerating into possible times of hardship and distress. If society experiences difficult times, spirit and intellect may even advance with greater progression than when living under more normal, healthier conditions—especially when searching for those final answers or seeking solutions to life’s varied challenges. This becomes especially apparent if one is subjected to trauma or some other terrible atrocity, where a yearning will arise to try and evict oneself from the tragic predicament.

Human determination to move forward seems to be at its most strongest when the human spirit appears unable to find answers to its problems or when finding all the chips are down, and there appears to be very little hope of extracting oneself from a certain, critical situation.

For humankind to develop and advance, the reliance upon human instinct has always been a key factor in discovering revolutionising new ways of steering around obstacles placed in our path, thus enabling the human race to progress and re-establish its ethical values. Along the evolutionary journey, the human race’s flexibility and adaptation to change are the reasons why man is, supposedly, now the superior entity upon planet Earth.

A couple of important questions to ask oneself concerning human behavior after suddenly having to live under desperate living conditions could be the following: have we been able to learn anything about the cause of our recent decline? Or, how did we allow our past daily situations and routines to become so out of control?

The human condition conveniently seems to have the knack of forgetting things very quickly. When everything seems to be getting back to normal and things are once again on the up and up, we appear to erase all negative recollections and feelings experienced from the not-so-distant past, forgetting how we had managed to put ourselves into those previous dilemmas in the first place. That is possibly a good thing, I hear you say; otherwise, things wouldn’t be on the up and up if we always dragged debris around from our past experiences. Our past would become extra ballast in our present lives, and logically, we do not wish to carry extra weights with which to chain us down if we want to progress and move forward into the future.

I am somewhat of the same opinion, in that one should not brood and dwell upon past, off-putting experiences for lengthy periods of time, but only to a certain degree.

It is important to not surround oneself with negative thinking, because negative attracts negative, and dragging up the past most of the time will most certainly help to slow down growth. While being understandably difficult to master, the emotional/mental areas of our past seem to be so easily disregarded and discarded, which often results in severely damaging vigorous, healthy growth opportunities for a happier future life. The deep emotional sides of our being are customarily the more painful, and especially in moments of tragic circumstance or degenerate periods in time, are certainly the more vulnerable and, therefore, more difficult to explore.

To protect ourselves from distressing memories and experiences, and to aid equip ourselves with a better survival ratio, the human body has evolved mechanisms which allow us to live our present lives to the best of our ability and at the same time, if willing, to enable us to analyse our past experiences in small portions without us receiving too much pain and torment in the process. If we had to deal with all of our past pain at the same time we would most likely drive ourselves over the edge. As time goes by, memories of bad experiences fade, usually making life that much more bearable.

In our modern world of today, the benevolent emotional sides of an individual is more often than not, placed second to the more superficial, material aspects of life.

Humanitarian and superfluous material issues are often disproportionately distributed among our priorities, which often leads to an imbalance in attitudes within society. If more attention could be focused towards our root emotional problems (instead of our running away from them most of the time), we would eventually be more apt at dissolving past negative emotional problems. When mentally, continually steering clear of past negative occurrences, we run the risk of time and time again falling back into our degenerate mode which feeds upon our past anguish, hurt and grief. If we choose to ignore past negative experiences we automatically embark on a treacherous course of suffering in the future, in which, if we were more adept at opening our eyes and hearts, such pain would usually, never have to be experienced again. When we choose to bury our unsorted deep emotional wounds, we could easily unleash our degenerate mode into overdrive at the slightest emotional instability and make somebody else’s life living hell, even if we are normally of a very balanced nature.

This degenerate mode is sometimes only evident on rare occasions because most of the time it lays dormant within us, being so slight that it remains difficult to detect. The most extreme form of our degenerate mode is when acting with decadence when the degenerate monster is, at last, let out of its cage. This monster broods deep down within, but at the first sign of our own mental imbalance, a fierce orgy of fire and aggression is let loose which strikes out with forceful velocity, sometimes even surprising ourselves as to how we were capable of using such strong language or of acting in such a violent, aggressive manner.

This so called degenerate mode seems to evolve both in periods of high development, when we seem to receive everything we wish for materialistically, and in times of adversity and torment, when the delinquent element within is at its most vulnerable.

I have commenced my observations at the end of the Second World War because up until that point in history, the majority of European citizens living in Europe were used to existing in an acute state of poverty and harsh living conditions. It is only after the post-war (1945) transition that Western society managed to embark upon a slow course of significant lifestyle improvements, which eventually led to the lifestyles and attitudes experienced today.

Obviously, there have always been individuals belonging to the higher echelons of society, who have always been in a position to enjoy life’s many pleasant offerings, but it is only after the second half of the twentieth century that the normal working man has also had any real opportunity to gain wealth, prosperity, and a relatively high lifestyle which is equally on par with the higher ranks of modern society.

If we turn the clock back in time to that of a war-torn Europe of 1945, one will not need too much imagination to visualise the horror and terror society had suffered during the previous six years or more. Many countries had sustained enormous losses. Many had lost family and friends, home, and their workplace. Within a short period of six years (for most Europeans, these six years would have seemed to have been more like fifty years), European society had been crushed and shocked into distraught awe. All of what had carefully been built over so many years had been taken away, practically overnight. Many surviving persons, especially those coming from the big cities or returning home from the battlefields of Europe, would have most likely, been mentally reduced to a fragile emptiness. The human spirit had been severely crushed, and for many communities, expectations for the future would have no doubt, been at their lowest, with many holding little hope for the future. Countless numbers of people, especially of the vanquished nations, must have contemplated their outlook at the time as being rather bleak.

‘What would become of us and how would we now be able to make ends meet?’ they must have asked themselves.

Individuals from the conquering nations had a totally different new outlook to life. As a result of the victor nations putting a stop to this very dark chapter of European history, there was understandably more hope and optimism among the liberating nations.

In times of chaos and uncertainty, the only real security nations can achieve is that of rallying together and attempting to turn a new leaf to make a healthy, fresh start in life. By depending upon one another, one sends out a wave of solidarity among the community, and within so doing, this strengthens a society. It is exactly this kind of attitude which helped stabilise and bring forth a new consensus among individuals of Europe at the end of the Second World War. Most people would have had a sense of belonging and would have been aware of a certain obligation towards making an effort in rebuilding a war-torn Europe.

People felt that each and everyone was as important as their neighbour and, because of finding themselves all in the same boat, that all were equal. Each person felt as being one of the cogs in the machinery and, hence, was motivated into laying down a foundation stone and re-forming a new Europe.

Commencing in 1946, and continuing into the middle of the 1970s Europe experienced an immense baby boom. In countries such as the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom, the baby boom lasted for a good thirty years, while in other parts of Europe and areas of Scandinavia, the baby boom remained only until the middle of the 1960s. After the atrocities of war, the idea of living a normal life with family and friends would have naturally, appeared quite appealing.

Societies across all parts of post-war Europe had immediately began rebuilding and reshaping their nations and cultures. Vast amounts of energy were set free in creating our peacetime Europe of today. There was enough work for everyone, and many citizens, at last, now saw perspectives for a brighter future.

After the devastations of war, new housing had to be established in order to compensate for the millions who had lost their fixed abodes, which resulted in a surge of new towns being developed. Life in Europe, through hard work and solid labour, had the impression of becoming a better place in the near future. This hard work and reconstruction phase was backed up with a strict moral and ethics code in which children were also expected to adapt very quickly and contribute their fair share of effort towards the new reconstruction of Europe.

If one briefly analyses the situation at the beginning of post-Second World War Europe, it becomes feasible to comprehend why children born in this period, although being doted upon and loved by their parents, compared to today’s standards, had almost certainly lost a large part of their childhood. Lack of spare time and amenities ensuing from the graveness of the past events, together with strict values and principles, resulted in children (and adults!) having to make the best of things and forced to creatively make the best of what was available.

By the time society had moved into the 1960s, both a combination of European cultural advancement and high tensions in some areas of world events had helped dictate a new path for European society. Most of Europe had managed to sustain stability through industrialisation, but horrific world events brought closer to home through improvements in media technology, dictated a different, rather unsettling, world outlook.

I would like to list just a few major news items which had a heavy impact upon societies all over the world in the 1960s: the Korean War (1950-1953); the Vietnam War (1961-1975), resulting in massive worldwide demonstrations and the beginning of the peace movements of the 1960s (Flower power; Woodstock, 1969, etc.); the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962); President Kennedy assassination (1963); Martin Luther King assassination (1968); first moon landing by Neil Armstrong (1969).

All of these world events had a large influence upon the human race concerning future beliefs and impending attitudes. At the same time as these major events, many children born at the end of the Second World War had now become adults and were able to express their own views and opinions upon world happenings.

After many years of living a European life dictated by strict, disciplined rules and codes, many became disillusioned about the world in which they lived and, therefore, started to long for a more peaceful world in which to bring their own children into the world. Many individuals adopted the attitude that their children should have a chance of an easier life than that of themselves, and with this newly-formed philosophy, they good-naturedly embarked upon trying to make their children’s life an easier one.

Although world affairs in the seventies and eighties were dominated by issues such as the Oil Crisis (1973), Watergate Scandal (1974), Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), Europe still managed to maintain a prosperous position in further developing its industrial and technological status. In fact, Europe was now a leading player in global markets, which helped assure stability for a European future. Financial growth had soared to an all-time high, and the normal man on the street was now able to purchase his own house, car, or other long-desired wish. Wealth was spread among the family, and the long-awaited desire to make a comfortable life for one’s offspring had, for most, now been accomplished, or was at least in the process of becoming a reality.

By the time of the mid 1980s, the computer age or information age was in full swing. Technological advancement had progressed to such an extremity that it became apparent that normal labouring skills in factories were soon to become dormant. The comfortable lifestyles which had been established from the past thirty to forty years of hard labour were soon to become a testing ground among certain structures of society towards adopting a new flexibility. Because of modern society’s ever-increasing adaptation to more comfortable, secure, and taken-for-granted ways of life, the pressures of flexibility would become a problem which still survives to the present day. European society had (and still has) become snug, slightly spoilt, and to some extent, rather lazy in its approach, views, and opinions upon the understandings of how life is supposed to be. From sweating away in hard labour, working long hours, and having an eye for the little things of life in the 1950s, European society in the new millennium has turned full circle to a life of partial laziness, living in highly inflated circumstances, and of possessing tendencies for a decadent neglect for etiquette, morals, or another person’s worldly goods.

The test that life offers society of the present day has to be that of combining the euphoric collectiveness of the 1950s with modern-day standards of living and challenges of the twenty-first century.

A collective effort will undeniably help create a more balanced society for the future.

Chapter 2

Advanced Europe?

Modern man is just ancient man…

with way better electronics.

(Author unknown, ‘A Short History of Breakfast,’

from a Jack in the Box tray liner, 2006)

Because of our European upbringing we are inclined to assume that Europe is an advanced, civilised, and open-minded part of the world. We acknowledge that there are some parts of Europe being somewhat less advanced than other areas, but on the whole, we tend to presume that the European continent is a tinge superior, tolerant, and more open towards other races and creeds than in many other parts of the world. This statement may seem to be a rash judgement, indeed, portraying Western attitudes as somewhat arrogant, which many would most likely disagree with. But if we were to delve into the nitty-gritty of our European cultures, there could be some truth in my remark. On close scrutiny, one can observe that there are many situations in modern life which are in fact often performed exactly the opposite of how we wish to believe we portray ourselves.

Many modern people are of the opinion that they are tolerant of others, and yet, so many appear to possess underlying biased attitudes towards other members of society—be it towards the younger or older generations; individuals hanging about on the social state; managers of large corporations and their salaries; members of gay communities, individuals having immigrated to our shores from foreign places, etc.

Most individuals living in Europe have usually been indoctrinated with some form of Christian faith, and I suppose that a good number of those Christians would also comment that although they did not go to church regularly, they still believed in God and would classify themselves as being good Christians. Naturally, one does not have to go to church with which to worship God.

There are only ten very basic commandments written down in the Bible, and in my opinion, they are so logical that it really should not be necessary to have to write them down at all! One could declare that the Ten Commandments are the rights and instinctive behavioural rules with which an individual has the best opportunity to enjoy a normal healthy, balanced life upon planet Earth.

If one had faith and also visited church, then why do many churchgoers apparently avoid digesting the information they received by living their lives according to what the vicar had just been trying to inform them about? After the church service, most seem to conveniently fall back into their old habits, which I find to be a little ironic. If one frequently attends church, surely one should be at least halfway to enlightenment and know better than other mortals who did not attend religious ceremonies.

The Christmas story is a good example for illustrating how so many Christian individuals seem to have so easily misunderstood what it is all about. Although many will find the Christmas story a nice yarn and receive good feelings associated with having attended church (at least at Christmas time), as soon as one falls back into daily routines, most seem to quickly forget either the message which had been told or had purely failed to understand the real meaning of the festivity in the first place. If we truly believed in our faith and practiced what we preached, would we not wish to spread happiness and ‘love our neighbour as ourselves’, as written in Matthew 22: 37-39?

Would we show prejudice towards others, even towards those who had ‘trespassed against us’?

If we are to be forgiven for our sins, then should we also not forgive others, as written in the Lord’s Prayer.

Unfortunately, only children hold unbiased, unprejudiced perception of the world. Children retain their natural instincts and do not lose them until they are able to create opinions and views of their own, which will always be taken from the environment and world in which they have lived and grown up in.

We wish to believe that we are an open-minded, unprejudiced part of the world, and yet, there remains vast discrepancies in salary earnings between men and women who undertake exactly the same workload as one another. This irregularity is quite apparent in Germany where according to the European Commission’s figures on rates of pay between men and women in 2007, Germany found itself near the bottom of the ratings table. Only Estonia, Cyprus, and Slovakia were lower down the table than Germany, which is somewhat surprising because Germany is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. In the example above, a woman earned, on average, 22 per cent less in wages than her male equivalent. So much for fairness!

When examining the topic of equal pay in Germany, it appears quite paradoxical that a German stereotype towards England and Englishness is the fact that German society is strongly under the impression that the English are very conservative in their ways. Whereas stereotyping is an exaggeration of the facts and should not be taken too seriously, it is still commonly assumed that the English are reserved and terribly old-school in their approach to life. Where there may be a certain amount of credibility in this postulation, when examining the topic of equality and equal pay, one cannot help noticing how conservative German society, or indeed virtually every other society of Europe, also happens to be at their core. For instance, in a large number of German families, particularly in the south of Germany, typical traditional role-playing is very much a part of everyday life. Traditional values and beliefs are rigidly maintained and enforced, such as that of the housewife being largely responsible for cleaning, cooking, shopping (food), and attending to the children. A husband’s role is noticeably that of going to work with which to bring home the money, of relaxing in the hobby room with his machines in the evening, attending to all matters regarding the baby of the family (the motor car!), and generally being the boss of all things of a financial nature. I must stress that I do exaggerate a little here, but for the large majority of German citizens, this approach to life is still widely accepted as being the normal way with which to go about things. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this form of living as long as the protagonists involved are all satisfied, but it is rather amusing to find that many German citizens believe the English to be conservative, and at the same time, they themselves abide by rules of conservatism, when only in another guise.

Here is another case which helps tear down the myth of how fair and considerate Western society really is.

We all wish to be treated fair and reasonable, and yet we choose to purchase goods from foreign countries, usually Asian, because of a financial advantage with our purchases. The suffering of children and other exploited people, working in appalling conditions and having to slave away for the object of our desires, appears to be far from our minds when we make our purchases. Ethics and issues of fairness do not seem to get in our way when we make such purchases—the main thing is that the price is right (for us).

I must agree, it is difficult to make purchases which are not produced under inhumane circumstances, especially in the electronic and textile areas of Third-World countries, but can it truthfully be considered as being a fair attitude to unthinkingly, carry on supporting the exploitation of other innocent people? Just because the person producing the item of our desires happens to live on the other side of the world and remains conveniently imperceptible to prying eyes does not mean that that person should not also have a right to be treated fairly as a proper human being. When we visit our places of employment, we wish to receive a fair wage for our labour, but when obsessions for ourselves and our immediate families seem to take the sole priority and dominate our lives, the issues of fairness apparently then cease to exist.

Some may argue that global companies operating in the Third World are in fact, helping the local populace by creating jobs. In some cases the ethics behind the justice of setting up business ventures in such poor areas of the world may be well-founded, but sadly, many companies seem to perceive these areas as being only huge profit-making possibilities. The well-being of the local populace has, usually, little importance when operating in international business.

It is only when we ourselves are on the negative, receiving end of things and the world appears to turn against us, that we seem to open our eyes and then condemn the world in which we live. This reaction is possibly only to be expected and can, therefore, be seen as being a normal human trait, but it does somewhat outweigh Western perceptions upon the topic of fairness.

The word profit-making should not be taken as being a dirty word because businesses can create jobs with their profits which aid to secure the livelihoods of the local population if they remain competitive. It only becomes dirty when ordinary citizens are misused and exploited to create profit.

The Western consumer spends very little time and effort deliberating over where their chosen products actually originate. Our own personal gain is obviously more important than the welfare of some unknown person on the other side of the world who has given us our new pleasures for a pittance. I find it always gives more pleasure to give something, than to receive something. This does not mean that I do not appreciate what someone has given me because I am aware of all the time and effort having been spent with which to make me happy; but the feeling of making someone else happy is, in my opinion, worth twice as much as receiving. In fact, for those who wish to be egoistic and selfish in a positive and healthy manner—the more one gives, the more one receives! I have found this philosophy to be very true in my life.

One does not always have to contribute financially; one can give absolutely anything, from a small token of admiration by visiting an aged relative, allotting more time to someone who is terribly ill, helping out in the local community, working in a charity shop or through voluntary work. It is always possible to give something back to the world in which we live, however small that token may be. And a natural by-product of our actions would undeniably be that of experiencing a real sense and purpose to life.

It is not possible to change the world with just a few revamps of consumer habits, but a deeper awareness of our own activities could aid others in the long run to at least stand a chance of a better, fairer future.

Our world in 2008 turned chaotically upside down—chiefly due to the worldwide financial crisis, with some prophecies at the time predicting a worldwide recession equal to that of the economic slump of the 1930s.

Could it be a possibility that our planet now retaliates so intensely because of the ever-increasing inflictions it must have to bare, for example, through the increased velocity of nature’s weapons of global climate change or escalating natural disasters? Is the object of man’s desires—our fixations and obsessions for worshipping money, if taken away, perhaps a chance for a better society for the future?

Our planet is forced to witness great increases in famine, wars, terrorist activities, energy problems, and environmental issues (which includes the necessity for all to have clean, fresh water). Problems such as these have always been on the human races daily agenda, but it is only in the present day and age that we are able to clearly observe how intensively our world is rapidly evolving into a world of confusion, unhappiness and mayhem.

Through technological advancement, such as the Internet, mobile phones, television and radio sources, our once so inconceivably large planet, has indeed, become so very small. Breaking news items and events happening on the other side of the world have now become so much closer to home. When witnessing modern-day events around the world, it becomes even more apparent how crucial it must be that we all work together in order to achieve a harmonious status quo upon our planet.

It is my belief that the human race will never find solutions for a fairer, happier planet unless we all start seriously, to make a much-needed combined effort in all areas deemed necessary.

Perhaps the human race in its present stage is not yet ready for living in a peaceful, congruent world. Mankind must possibly first fall flat on its face, with which to positively progress.

Inhabitants of planet Earth of the twenty-first century, be it statesmen, individuals seated in powerful positions or members of the general public, are usually very good at talking about various problematical issues but seem to very rarely grasp the necessity for taking the initiative and putting their words into positive action based upon their revelations. The human race is not entirely stupid—everybody is aware that our planet is suffering and that uncomfortable measures are required with which to tackle the many problems we face. But just as long as we continue to believe that somebody other than ourselves should have to confront those problems, we continue to hide behind our convenient ignorance.

The majority of Europeans do, in fact, live quite safe and comparatively wealthy lifestyles when comparing to other areas of the globe. We don’t freeze to death in winter. We have food, clean water in abundance, mobility, safe working environments, few noticeable war zones, and can still rely on a crumbling welfare state. These are just a few advantages of living in a European Union (EU)! It is possibly only human nature that we so easily forget how good and well-off most of us really are.

The human being is a creature of habit, which suggests that it finds difficulty in adapting to new situations. Because of our comfortable past of the last forty years or so, this characteristic seems to be quite dominant in our present day and age where most seem to want to avoid reality and their responsibilities and carry on as usual, by blaming somebody else for the misdemeanours of our world. Previous damaging experiences from our own past could also impede our judgement, thus making it easier for us to fall into certain patterns of neglecting reality.

Forgetting past negative experiences may be of an advantage for one’s mental health, especially when avoiding very painful experiences, but it can also have its drawbacks, particularly if we decide to evade past negative situations and at the same time, embark on new ventures without having given much thought to our past disappointments. When ignoring and avoiding former torments, we are destined to make the same mistakes as previously by having to undergo the same encounters and experiences time and time again.

Sometimes, it appears that modern society has completely forgotten how it used to have to struggle and cope with life’s past difficulties. Previous generations always made the best out of what was available, and without moaning! In the twenty-first century, the goals and desires of modern individuals seem, for many, to be set way too high. Importance is habitually placed upon continually aiming for new and higher targets, which probably has something to do with what society expects from us. For many, an infinite uphill journey is embarked upon, where the goal to satisfaction never seems to really materialise. Some may succeed in their endeavours, but many do not, which can easily induce the latter to fall into a long-term state of disillusionment and apathy and may dangerously turn into jealousy and aggression.

A critical and problematical area of Western twenty-first-century mentalities is that of believing, and consequently needing, to attain some sort of high social status. The outcome for the long-term struggle towards gaining fame and higher lifestyles will often be that of becoming a victim to the new modern illness called burnout.

Many modern individuals do not live life in the present but always in the future, choosing to live their lives towards tomorrow, next week, or even next year. The future will never arrive, because logically, it is only possible to live life in the present.

When we go about our ways, operating within our modern daily structures, it would be reckless to suggest that organisation and future planning were to be seen as being pointless, but if we are to have a better chance of living a more satisfied life, just as much emphasis should also be placed upon living life in the present. It is obvious that to develop and move forward, we must design and plan our future path. If we are unable to organise and plan ahead, even if only for events in the near future, we are most likely going to encounter a reign of chaos which will result in even more stress and disharmony towards our fellow citizens and ourselves. By living a life geared primarily towards the future, we take a journey of partially having to live a life of stress, high tension and dissatisfaction, and of creating an unquenchable thirst for always having to search for that extra kick in life in which to make life more bearable and interesting again. One of the reasons for believing that we hardly have any spare time with which to enjoy life’s many offerings is most probably because we very rarely live our lives in the present.

To compensate for our dissatisfactions, we drown our sorrows in alcohol (or drugs) and partake in extreme spare time activities or some other daring modern sporting event which requires the ultimate challenge. We also regularly misuse our bodies by either denying ourselves ample rest and quality nutrition, or by attending events which are supposedly to help make us believe that we are having a good time. In the short-term, some individuals will indisputably, gain satisfaction from their antics, but there are many who appear to be none the wiser at the end of their frolics and may even be quite happy when the whole affair of so-called entertainment has been put behind them.

If having a good time is to be judged upon how many drinks we have downed or on announcing at what time we eventually arrived back home in the small hours of the morning, then life for such individuals appears to be bleakly one-dimensional, and most certainly, life will not have been enjoyed to its full capacity. The need to want to impress work colleagues with one’s weekend escapades simply suggests that the individual concerned, unfortunately, possesses low self-confidence levels.

There are others who take a slightly different approach when trying to impress their social surroundings, for example, in displaying tendencies to want to explain in great detail their adventures of their last holiday in the Caribbean, show their new jewellery or expensive brand name suit off to the public (from the factory outlet!), or of spouting how very clever they are because through foresight or tactful bargaining, they had managed to spend five nights for the price of three at the Hilton Hotel or other noble establishment.

Their reasoning for wanting to explain their endeavours in such microscopic detail may be quite valid, but by presenting oneself in public in such a manner by overdoing it, one easily makes oneself look ridiculous. If one is fortunate enough to be able to savour the flavour of life in such an exquisite manner and one also possesses the attributes of etiquette and style, then one would not have to brag or boast about any travel ventures, or other things, especially when not even having paid the going rate!

One last area which is often used to make an important impact upon one’s social surroundings is the intentional proud announcement that one is a member of a certain establishment. For example, a member of Mensa or a political party, an important attendee of a mind-boggling convention or lecture, or of being on the committee of an institute or reputable, well-established club (golf club, boat club, horse-riding club, tennis club, etc.). Are such proclamations to imply that one has now made it in life because of having elevated oneself into the realms of the supposed elite?

There is clearly, absolutely nothing to fault if one happens to be a member of any of the above mentioned groups, and while appreciating that most individuals with a sense of protocol and civility wish to maintain more of an anonymous profile as regards their private activities, to knowingly show off one’s achievements will most certainly not make one a better person.

Superficial behaviour is an indicator that one is unaware of one’s true self and that of possessing low self-confidence levels. While not being a natural trait of the human entity, if continually living a life of superficial nature, a threat to bodily functions and the human condition may occur because of the prolonged state of mounting stress concentrations within the body.

In the past, individuals with foresight and wisdom pulled their knowledge together to create laws which, at the time, were felt appropriate for society. In actual fact, many of those laws and beliefs are still present in our modern world. We have many rules and regulations embedded within our societies, and even though some of those rules and past beliefs are today occasionally out of date or nebulous in character, they still appear to be of great importance and, unthinkingly, remain in place and are abided by.

Rules and laws are all part and parcel of a proper functioning society, but the general public very rarely seems to query and ponder the reasoning for those laws, or to ask themselves if present-day laws and beliefs are still applicable in our modern-day world. Rules are a necessary requirement for a functioning community, but too much emphasis towards regulation can also help eradicate positive, instinctive, constructive conduct, thus aiding to obliterate human common sense. Societies blindly rely upon what has been written down through past generations and what is dictated by present-day governmental figures as being termed as correct. Society quietly accepts the knowledge of others and conveniently remains silent in its ignorance, seldom questioning modern-day decrees and beliefs.

There is possibly many great truths in the laws and beliefs in which we have all automatically learnt to accept and obey, and it cannot be an option for a society to live an anarchic lifestyle, but the blindness of society regarding matters which are so easily accepted and taken-for-granted aids to disturb the fine balance of the human intellect. A regulation is put into place when a certain party acknowledges the need to protect either itself or another member/members of society. I assume that most would agree with this simple definition; but, is it really necessary to put up a sign with an inscription such as ‘It is forbidden to cross the railway line when a train is approaching’, or to write instructions on frozen pizza boxes instructing the user to remove the plastic packaging before inserting into the oven?

The above small examples are cases for having switched-off our brains and illustrate the obvious demise of logical thinking. Common sense should be reason enough to not want to harm oneself without the use of having to add idiotic large inscriptions which state the obvious.

For want of protection, we appear to have surrounded ourselves with laws. Common sense has largely vanished for our obsession with laws and regulations. We obviously require many, many laws.

Regulations within a society are as previously stated, a compulsory obligation for the safety and well-being of all individuals living within that society. Problems will arise when laws are passed for some members of society but the exact same laws are not abided by from others—usually from those enforcing the new legislation or who sit in high places!

Sometimes our interest with rules and regulations is not apparent to ourselves—the attraction only shining through on the odd, rare occasion, but our unaware fascinations can easily be observed if read between the lines of a conversation and by being attentive to what a person has spoken or gestured.

For example, a nosy neighbour notices a young woman arriving back home in the early hours of the morning and decides to mention this fact to their partner. A typical comment could be ‘. . . it’s disgraceful at what time that young girl comes home! It was never like that in our day!’ Such a reaction could suggest that the young woman was breaking the nosy neighbour’s own rule codex in which they had been indoctrinated.

Another case of ‘unaware rule mania’ could be a situation where after rushing home from work to get to the birthday party on time and accidentally arriving home much later than promised, one’s partner, having lost patience, grumbles, ‘You know we shouldn’t arrive late! What are they all going to think?!’

A baby throwing a spoon down onto the floor is yelled at by grandpa, ‘You know you shouldn’t do that!’ because of the strain of him bending down to pick it up again.

The reactions above may seem understandable, but the responses are not necessarily based on reality, only upon man-made rules. Stress, dissatisfaction, hurt, and aggression often evolve out of differing perceptions as to whose rules to play by, which consequently lead to negative emotions, as in the examples above, easily rising to the surface.

Are the breakage of rules in the three examples above really so bad?

Does it really matter at what time the girl arrives home at night?

Is the birthday party totally spoilt if we arrive a little later than expected?

Had baby intentionally thrown the spoon down with which to annoy grandpa, and would baby logically understand grandpa’s actions anyway?

If we allowed for fewer rules,