Thursday, September 04, 2008
What is it like to be fifty?
I had my 50th birthday on Tuesday and many friends and family have asked me the question, what is it like to be fifty? My answer to them is, worldly wise.
I feel the same physically as I did in my 20's, the difference is in my head. Looking back over the past 50 years I am aware of how my thinking and understanding of this world has changed. I understand far more about our society than when I left school at 16. Through the years I have learned an ability to spot the bullshit that is put around about everything in our lives. Things are talked up all the time by others and many people are taken in by these claims. As you get older you can spot these false claims and see what life is all about.
I have become worldly wise about most things and when I hear news stories, I no longer think that the story is new but just a repeat of previous experience. Readers of this blog may have noticed that the number of news stories that I comment on has reduced in the past year. This is because I have become a little bored with news media. News no longer appears new but more of the same, with nothing to surprise me. The same applies to the media commentators.
I have become worldly wise regards business and employment. A few key players have power and influence. Forget the ideas of empowerment, feedback, participation, career paths - they are all corporate bullshit. Employees are wage slaves who exchange their hours for pay, you are only as good as your last shift, do not forget it. That nice manager can turn on a sixpence, fire you and replace you before you can get home. Do not be taken in by kind words, you are just a number.
We only have a veneer of democracy in our country. We do not have any say, only a token vote every few years. The job of government is done by a select group and by changing a few through the ballot box will never really change things very much. Life will go on being run by the same crowd with maybe a new slogan on yet another bullshit banner.
The idea of equality and opportunity is a myth. People are not born equal and there is little most people can do to really change their lives. Education is pushed by people employed in education so that they keep their jobs. Our population is over educated because of the myths put about by government. People do not need this extra education for their jobs, it is just the bullshit machine in action and employers being lazy in training and recruitment.
Religion is a con that has brainwashed loads of normal people by fear. They become frightened to think for themselves and conform to the doctrines of established religions.
Business runs while claiming competition and consumer choice. Yet consumers are conned into thinking they are getting a good deal when they are not. These skilled marketeers pervert our language in their sales and have behind closed doors meetings to fix the markets. Consumers are conned week in and week out.
So here I am, 50 years old and worldly wise. The body of a 25 year old man with the brain, experience and life skills of a 50 year old man. Grumpy, definitely not - just worldly wise.
I had my 50th birthday on Tuesday and many friends and family have asked me the question, what is it like to be fifty? My answer to them is, worldly wise.
I feel the same physically as I did in my 20's, the difference is in my head. Looking back over the past 50 years I am aware of how my thinking and understanding of this world has changed. I understand far more about our society than when I left school at 16. Through the years I have learned an ability to spot the bullshit that is put around about everything in our lives. Things are talked up all the time by others and many people are taken in by these claims. As you get older you can spot these false claims and see what life is all about.
I have become worldly wise about most things and when I hear news stories, I no longer think that the story is new but just a repeat of previous experience. Readers of this blog may have noticed that the number of news stories that I comment on has reduced in the past year. This is because I have become a little bored with news media. News no longer appears new but more of the same, with nothing to surprise me. The same applies to the media commentators.
I have become worldly wise regards business and employment. A few key players have power and influence. Forget the ideas of empowerment, feedback, participation, career paths - they are all corporate bullshit. Employees are wage slaves who exchange their hours for pay, you are only as good as your last shift, do not forget it. That nice manager can turn on a sixpence, fire you and replace you before you can get home. Do not be taken in by kind words, you are just a number.
We only have a veneer of democracy in our country. We do not have any say, only a token vote every few years. The job of government is done by a select group and by changing a few through the ballot box will never really change things very much. Life will go on being run by the same crowd with maybe a new slogan on yet another bullshit banner.
The idea of equality and opportunity is a myth. People are not born equal and there is little most people can do to really change their lives. Education is pushed by people employed in education so that they keep their jobs. Our population is over educated because of the myths put about by government. People do not need this extra education for their jobs, it is just the bullshit machine in action and employers being lazy in training and recruitment.
Religion is a con that has brainwashed loads of normal people by fear. They become frightened to think for themselves and conform to the doctrines of established religions.
Business runs while claiming competition and consumer choice. Yet consumers are conned into thinking they are getting a good deal when they are not. These skilled marketeers pervert our language in their sales and have behind closed doors meetings to fix the markets. Consumers are conned week in and week out.
So here I am, 50 years old and worldly wise. The body of a 25 year old man with the brain, experience and life skills of a 50 year old man. Grumpy, definitely not - just worldly wise.
Comments:
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Agree with those thoughts stephen. I also noticed how the newcasters voices were grating on me with the exaggerated (because its false anyway) emotion. Outstanding examples would be stories concerning "fuel poverty" or problems with interest rates. As if it could ever impact on their wages!
# posted by 
: 5 September 2008 at 08:35
: 5 September 2008 at 08:35
"Education is pushed by people employed in education so that they keep their jobs. Our population is over educated because of the myths put about by government. People do not need this extra education for their jobs"
Oh dear Steve you cannot posibilly allow me to let this comment go unchallenged. Education is obviously important for jobs but not its only purpose. One could argue that education is important for it's own sake. You are obviously educated as shown by your reading/blogging interests, isn't that a good enough reason regardless of job requirements. Without maths how could you manage your personnel finances, geography helps you understand current world affairs and decide holiday destinations, science helps you understand how things work and DT (metalwork/technology in our day) no doubt hepled you maintain that fine Italian motorcycle you once owned.
Interestingly on a recent TV quiz show (Eggheads) a team of factory workers took on the resident team consisting of Mastermind winners etc and won, beating teams of Students, Teachers, Lawyers etc. Good for them and they took home £16,000.
John
PS Isn't public transport pushed by by people employed in public transport so that they keep their jobs?
Oh dear Steve you cannot posibilly allow me to let this comment go unchallenged. Education is obviously important for jobs but not its only purpose. One could argue that education is important for it's own sake. You are obviously educated as shown by your reading/blogging interests, isn't that a good enough reason regardless of job requirements. Without maths how could you manage your personnel finances, geography helps you understand current world affairs and decide holiday destinations, science helps you understand how things work and DT (metalwork/technology in our day) no doubt hepled you maintain that fine Italian motorcycle you once owned.
Interestingly on a recent TV quiz show (Eggheads) a team of factory workers took on the resident team consisting of Mastermind winners etc and won, beating teams of Students, Teachers, Lawyers etc. Good for them and they took home £16,000.
John
PS Isn't public transport pushed by by people employed in public transport so that they keep their jobs?
# posted by : 5 September 2008 at 13:26
: 5 September 2008 at 13:26
another number: thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I agree with you about news presenters being false - this annoys me also. These overpaid media people really pile it on and think they are so wonderful, popular and successful. Should we worship these people like they implore us to? No, they just got lucky, there is loads of equal talent out there and you and I know it.
John, the teaching biker: I feel that 11 years of schooling is enough for anyone. What is the point of putting the thick through longer education? What people do in their free time is their business, everyone can achieve life-long learning. This extra education should be hobby orientated and all full time education should be purely vocational for the people who can put those skills to full time employment rather than certificate collectors.
Yes, public transport is pushed by desk bound people who sadly do not use the service they are promoting because it is poor and Margaret Thatcher said that anyone travelling on public transport over the age of 30 is a failure.
John, the teaching biker: I feel that 11 years of schooling is enough for anyone. What is the point of putting the thick through longer education? What people do in their free time is their business, everyone can achieve life-long learning. This extra education should be hobby orientated and all full time education should be purely vocational for the people who can put those skills to full time employment rather than certificate collectors.
Yes, public transport is pushed by desk bound people who sadly do not use the service they are promoting because it is poor and Margaret Thatcher said that anyone travelling on public transport over the age of 30 is a failure.
Two completely useless observations to follow, sparked by your 'Maggie' comment:
I had Margaret Thatcher's house pointed out to me by a passenger recently - Avenue Road, just off Swiss Cottage: as you go over the first speed hump look to the left and you'll see her armed guard in his little wooden hut. You could leave your regards with him.
In the same trip I also pass her birthplace in Grantham - now a chiropractic centre.
I'm also approaching 30, does that mean I'll be a failure when I do, or does the person driving all the 30-something failures about not count?
I had Margaret Thatcher's house pointed out to me by a passenger recently - Avenue Road, just off Swiss Cottage: as you go over the first speed hump look to the left and you'll see her armed guard in his little wooden hut. You could leave your regards with him.
In the same trip I also pass her birthplace in Grantham - now a chiropractic centre.
I'm also approaching 30, does that mean I'll be a failure when I do, or does the person driving all the 30-something failures about not count?
# posted by : 6 September 2008 at 21:29
: 6 September 2008 at 21:29
Laughing out loud Graham! An Audi A3 owner who is employed full time in an industry that was destroyed when Maggie Thatcher privatised the National Bus Company is not a failure. You are a success being employed to provide transport for the Chavs, East European migrant workers and those South Africans you write about in your blog.
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