I have never understood . . . . .

Scrabbling around in my currently moribund brain for a blogging topic I came across my friend  Tabor's post of today, which loosely refers to Thursday 13, a collection of themed items to fill a blank spot on a blog. I may not make it to the full 13, but there are some questions that have been puzzling me for ever:

I have never understood, why

    the ordinary Tom, Dick and Harriet never connect our need for feverish consumption of goods, our mad   use of oil, gas, food, water, and many other of earth's finite resources, with the destruction of our planet? We complain about fuel prices, we eat imported food, we buy flowers grown on another continent, we travel at the drop of a hat, for leisure, pleasure, business and no particular reason at all,  we live in air-conditioned houses, we use water like it's going out of fashion, we buy, and soon discard, all sorts of consumer goods without a second thought.

Yet we all profess to be seriously concerned about the life expectancy of planet earth and the human race with it.

o-o-o-o

    some people see all the evil in their neighbour's yard but never in their own? What causes these blind spots? Self-righteousness? Why has no one invented spectacles for clear thinking? There'll soon be 3-D TVs, why are there no vision-surround viewfinders for the human conscience?

o-o-o-o

    Benno wags his tail when I go to the bread bin?

o-o-o-o

    the British drink while standing up? It's so much less safe to fall down in a drunken heap from a great height than simply to collapse, head first, into the ashtray on the table.

o-o-o-o

    love and lust disappear after the first three years of togetherness? Love may last, but why does this mad first flush, this glorious, breathless, unsuitably demonstrative state of being, this embarrassing, hand-holding, weak-kneed, (stop it, Friko!) stomach-churning, physical need for the object of one's lust turn into a mild, "ok then", "what, again ?",  "I'd rather have a cup of tea", sort of togetherness?

o-o-o-o

    Americans think that I must know their cousin Elliot in Edinburgh because I live in the UK?

o-o-o-o

    some  religions  consider randomly selected foods to be taboo and inherently sinful, and alcoholic drink to be the devil's brew. Pork, beef, shellfish, game, rabbit and many more are forbidden in at least one religion somewhere in the world. Even coffee and tea and other stimulants do not escape prohibition somewhere. Where's the logic in that?

o-o-o-o

    some people risk their lives and the lives of others in the selfish pursuit of dangerous adventures, like the solo circumnavigation of  the globe in a cockle shell, or climbing hazardous mountains in inclement weather and totally unsuitable clothing. Whoever feels drawn to such heroics should understand that any rescue attempts when things go wrong, as they frequently do, will not be undertaken when others have to risk their life to carry them out. At the very least, the rescued should bear the full costs of the rescue mission which too often depends on voluntary contributions.

o-o-o-o

    so many plants self-seed profusely but never come true from seed. If it grows out of your seed, it looks like you, right? Wrong.

o-o-o-o

    there is at least one colourful sock which sneaks into a white wash and turns everything a lurid orange.

Why has no one invented a simple tool to detect an alien presence in the laundry basket before the washing machine is loaded.

o-o-o-o

    there are people for whom home is the last place they want to be. I know them, they spend as little time as possible there. Are they afraid they might meet themselves there?

o-o-o-o

    politicians, no matter how idealistic and honest they start out - there are some - succumb to the general malaise of subterfuge, evasion, wishful thinking and ignoring the electorate's wishes the moment they become part of the political machine. Very soon expediency becomes the watchword.

o-o-o-o

and finally,

    there are so many people who simply don't see the beauty of the world surrounding us, the kindness and generosity of the average person, the friendliness of our neighbour, the willingness to help, the smiles and the open arms reaching out to us.  Why gratitude for the small gifts we receive daily is usually so far from our thoughts, why complaints and moans come far more easily than simple thankyous; why we don't realise that the pace of modern life, the frantic pursuit of happiness, by which we too often mean worldly goods,  is not conducive to bringing us peace of mind and appreciation of simple pleasures.