I found the following (written by a member of a US Christian band, Superchick) to be thought provoking. Worth a read:
"When I was a kid at camp, you had to go with a buddy if you wanted to swim in the lake – and you had to stay with him the entire time you were in the water. If you lost you buddy, you had to tell the lifeguard and he would blow the whistle and everyone would have to stop swimming until your buddy was found. Lakes aren’t pools; you can’t see under the surface. With a hundred kids in the lake, this was a good way to make sure that no one slipped under, unnoticed. The lesson was clear: swimming in the lake could be dangerous, but together, we could watch out for one another. No one would go in alone.
I wish we had a buddy system for life.
We can’t change what happened at Virginia Tech. We can’t change what happened at Columbine. But maybe we can change the lives of the people around us. We shouldn’t need tragedies to remind us that people are sad, broken and aching. The world is our family. If you notice someone alone or hurting or lost, reach out to them. Give of yourself. Heal the wounds inflicted by others. Replace hurt with kindness before hate grows in the empty space where love should be.
Pray that your eyes are opened to those who need your love in their life. We have the power to make huge changes in society with our tiny lives. Make your life about something more than you. All around you, people need you.
Let no one slip under the water, unnoticed.
Peace and brotherlove,
Max
Superchick"
Friday, April 20, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Train Tales
Ok, so a couple of tales about things that have happened to me on trains or at stations recently. All in the last 2 days in fact, to be more specific.
Why is it that so many interesting things happen on trains? One of my current favourite (observational) comedians, Mark Watson, seems to draw a good deal of his material from train journeys that he's been on. I guess it's essentially because if you go on a busy train there's such a broad cross-section of people there that from time to time interesting stuff is bound to happen. And that's despite our English tendencies to be very reserved and negatively polite with strangers.
• So yesterday 2 things happened. Firstly, when I got on my train a family got separated. The kids got on the train, but the doors slammed shut before the mum and her pushchair could join them. Of the 3 kids one of them then proceeded to throw a panic tantrum, jumping up and down and crying and screaming (yes, the little girl) whilst the eldest child calmly reassured her and told her not to panic and that everything would be ok. Sure enough at the next station they got off and London Underground staff took care of the situation.
This reminded me of times that I got split up from my parents when I was little. Alas, being the eldest child, I didn't have an older sibling to reassure me. I seem to remember thinking my world was going to end when I was about 5 and got separated from my parents in Boots or somewhere ... only to find that they were just around the corner anyway. I'm sure if I returned to the same store today I'd find that it's tiny and only has about 3 aisles, but when you're so little the world seems so big and imposing!
• My second story from yesterday involves me in more than an observational capacity. Having not done a sudoku for ages I for some reason quite fancied attempting one yesterday when I got my free newspaper. I struggled a bit near the start, but as time went by and I got a few numbers I got more and more engrossed. Until IT happened.
I looked up from my sudoku just as the tube doors were making that "beep beep beep" noise meaning they were about to shut. To my horror my eyes latched on to the station name through the window. It was my stop. I did a double take. It was definitely my stop. How did we get here so quick?! I flinched as if to make a last-gasp dash for the door but hastily changed my mind. "No," I thought, "you'll only succeed in making yourself look like a moron". My reputation was at stake you see. Not that these people knew me, but nonetheless I was unwilling to swallow my pride and make a dash for the doors when it was so unlikely to be successful.
So instead I tried to stay calm, act as if nothing had happened and hope that the person sitting opposite me hadn't realised 1) how much I'd panicked in that split second and 2) that he was sitting opposite some kind of nutcase who valued getting home as far less significant than completing a simplistic puzzle in a free newspaper. (If I was to guess I think she knew, but being British strangers on a train, of course we didn't talk about it - but it annoys me even now that I think she realised!)
So I went on to the next station before getting a train back to the previous station. The only good thing about this was that it allowed me to complete both the 'easy' and the 'medium' sudokus due to my extended journey. The difficult one awaits me on a day when I'm feeling more daring! Ooh, living dangerously here ... the 'difficult' sudoku .... whatever next?! (and in case it's not obvious that last sentence is meant to be drenched in sarcasm!)
• Now on to today, and I hope I don't disappoint you by telling you that this story is from on a platform rather than on a train! As I was waiting for my train a lady near me was speaking extremely loudly into her mobile phone. And despite her moderately strong accent (though I don't recall the region it was from) it was crystal clear what she was talking about. She was talking to a lady (by the sounds of things, quite conceivably her daughter) and suggesting quite strongly that she gave a second thought to her upcoming marriage. What was said (and bear in mind this is just one end of the conversation) went a little like this:
"You need to think about whether you want to spend the rest of your life with a man who's a control freak ... cos he won't change, he'll carry on controlling for you ... it's not too late to pull out you know ... I mean everything's booked, but I'll pay for it if you cancel ... I just don't want you making a massive mistake."
In particularly the "he'll carry on controlling you" bit went on for quite a while. The lady on the other end of the line clearly didn't agree with this. So it was repeated several times, each way phrased slightly differently, with an increase in volume on each occasion.
So why did I find this worth re-telling? Merely because I found it quite shocking that this lady was talking about this in such a manner in such a public place. Perhaps it would be appropriate for her to raise her concerns about the impending marriage as marriage is a serious commitment and not one that should be taken lightly. I admire her integrity - she's obviously not afraid to make her views known. But to talk about this so vociferously in public?
I half tried not to listen (cos I felt like I was eavesdropping) and half tried to listen (as I was so intrigued!). In the end listening won the day, although I made sure I deliberately looked the other way as I just know that if I looked anywhere near her I'd have ended up staring at her! Anyway, I found that most interesting - the very situation for which the phrase "washing your dirty laundry in public" was invented.
Why is it that so many interesting things happen on trains? One of my current favourite (observational) comedians, Mark Watson, seems to draw a good deal of his material from train journeys that he's been on. I guess it's essentially because if you go on a busy train there's such a broad cross-section of people there that from time to time interesting stuff is bound to happen. And that's despite our English tendencies to be very reserved and negatively polite with strangers.
• So yesterday 2 things happened. Firstly, when I got on my train a family got separated. The kids got on the train, but the doors slammed shut before the mum and her pushchair could join them. Of the 3 kids one of them then proceeded to throw a panic tantrum, jumping up and down and crying and screaming (yes, the little girl) whilst the eldest child calmly reassured her and told her not to panic and that everything would be ok. Sure enough at the next station they got off and London Underground staff took care of the situation.
This reminded me of times that I got split up from my parents when I was little. Alas, being the eldest child, I didn't have an older sibling to reassure me. I seem to remember thinking my world was going to end when I was about 5 and got separated from my parents in Boots or somewhere ... only to find that they were just around the corner anyway. I'm sure if I returned to the same store today I'd find that it's tiny and only has about 3 aisles, but when you're so little the world seems so big and imposing!
• My second story from yesterday involves me in more than an observational capacity. Having not done a sudoku for ages I for some reason quite fancied attempting one yesterday when I got my free newspaper. I struggled a bit near the start, but as time went by and I got a few numbers I got more and more engrossed. Until IT happened.
I looked up from my sudoku just as the tube doors were making that "beep beep beep" noise meaning they were about to shut. To my horror my eyes latched on to the station name through the window. It was my stop. I did a double take. It was definitely my stop. How did we get here so quick?! I flinched as if to make a last-gasp dash for the door but hastily changed my mind. "No," I thought, "you'll only succeed in making yourself look like a moron". My reputation was at stake you see. Not that these people knew me, but nonetheless I was unwilling to swallow my pride and make a dash for the doors when it was so unlikely to be successful.
So instead I tried to stay calm, act as if nothing had happened and hope that the person sitting opposite me hadn't realised 1) how much I'd panicked in that split second and 2) that he was sitting opposite some kind of nutcase who valued getting home as far less significant than completing a simplistic puzzle in a free newspaper. (If I was to guess I think she knew, but being British strangers on a train, of course we didn't talk about it - but it annoys me even now that I think she realised!)
So I went on to the next station before getting a train back to the previous station. The only good thing about this was that it allowed me to complete both the 'easy' and the 'medium' sudokus due to my extended journey. The difficult one awaits me on a day when I'm feeling more daring! Ooh, living dangerously here ... the 'difficult' sudoku .... whatever next?! (and in case it's not obvious that last sentence is meant to be drenched in sarcasm!)
• Now on to today, and I hope I don't disappoint you by telling you that this story is from on a platform rather than on a train! As I was waiting for my train a lady near me was speaking extremely loudly into her mobile phone. And despite her moderately strong accent (though I don't recall the region it was from) it was crystal clear what she was talking about. She was talking to a lady (by the sounds of things, quite conceivably her daughter) and suggesting quite strongly that she gave a second thought to her upcoming marriage. What was said (and bear in mind this is just one end of the conversation) went a little like this:
"You need to think about whether you want to spend the rest of your life with a man who's a control freak ... cos he won't change, he'll carry on controlling for you ... it's not too late to pull out you know ... I mean everything's booked, but I'll pay for it if you cancel ... I just don't want you making a massive mistake."
In particularly the "he'll carry on controlling you" bit went on for quite a while. The lady on the other end of the line clearly didn't agree with this. So it was repeated several times, each way phrased slightly differently, with an increase in volume on each occasion.
So why did I find this worth re-telling? Merely because I found it quite shocking that this lady was talking about this in such a manner in such a public place. Perhaps it would be appropriate for her to raise her concerns about the impending marriage as marriage is a serious commitment and not one that should be taken lightly. I admire her integrity - she's obviously not afraid to make her views known. But to talk about this so vociferously in public?
I half tried not to listen (cos I felt like I was eavesdropping) and half tried to listen (as I was so intrigued!). In the end listening won the day, although I made sure I deliberately looked the other way as I just know that if I looked anywhere near her I'd have ended up staring at her! Anyway, I found that most interesting - the very situation for which the phrase "washing your dirty laundry in public" was invented.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Map of Countries I've Visited
I've just come across the site that let's you make one of these and thought it was pretty cool. Would be interested to see other peoples ...
Oh, and before anyone asks, I have NOT been to Hawaii. Ever. :( It seems it's classed as part of the United States by the website though.
(Below it's cut off the right of the map and I can't be bothered to fix it right now - if you want to see my full map then look on my facebook blog)
visited 15 countries (6%)
create your own visited countries map
[Currently listening to: Relient K - The Best Thing (see music player on rhs)]
Oh, and before anyone asks, I have NOT been to Hawaii. Ever. :( It seems it's classed as part of the United States by the website though.
(Below it's cut off the right of the map and I can't be bothered to fix it right now - if you want to see my full map then look on my facebook blog)
visited 15 countries (6%)
create your own visited countries map
[Currently listening to: Relient K - The Best Thing (see music player on rhs)]
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