Iconoclastic

 

The Iconoclast

Dedicated to the idea that not every change in the last sixty years or so has been an improvement. In fact, many have been the exact opposite. An Iconoclast is a protester, someone who challenges all the favourite beliefs and absurdities of everyday life.

This is rabid collection of various rants, suggestions and reactions to some of the bizarre absurdities of society. The result of disappointments with the lot of you from a grumpy old sod who remains puzzled. I have lived a long life expecting that things would improve. After all, I survived the 1960's when we were all going to change the world for the better - or the different at least! 

But where do we end up as I approach my ending. Donald Trump, for instance and the continuing failure of Manchester United vapourise my hopes for the betterment of the human race and society.. Good grief, who would have thought.

If I haven't offended you enough here, get a more substantial dose with the collected rants of Iconoclast printed from Blurb -

https://www.blurb.com/b/12420504-iconoclast

And my other stuff here -

https://au.blurb.com/my/store

 It’s enough for me to say in my own defence that I’m old enough now to say almost anything. If it’s that offensive to some fool then they can always assume that I have senile dementia. But I do try not to be cruel. Unless you say something really ridiculous to me in which case, all bets are off and come out fighting.

But I do get a bit cross when I know that my perfectly valid objections to your idiotic concepts, social and political, are being written off as the senile mumblings of an ancient troglodyte. I dropped on to this insignificant planet over 75 years ago and by now, despite my best efforts, it’s still in a bloody mess. I expected better but here we are with the same daft ideas and even a load of new nonsenses. I’m very disappointed in all of you. For shame! I did my best but I was overwhelmed by a tsunami of stupidity.

So I’ll put my final objections to suspect and downright silly current ideas on line. Followed by some lengthier and more considered ideas and concepts that I think might be a good move, probably long after I’m far too dead to take advantage of them. You can all see the wisdom of it once I’ve gone. Perhaps then you’ll recognise my towering intellect, and modesty, once I’m gently spinning in my tomb.

Probably not.

On how to be good thinking

Although this is a collection of the things that annoy me – slightly or intensely – that is not entirely who or what I am. It would be a failure to be no more than the accumulation of angers and annoyances, as so many people are.

In fact, I have tried to practice Stoicism for many years now. The idea that we have no control over the things that happen to us, good or bad. That’s all external. What matters and what is honourable is how we deal with them. Well or badly.

I have come to the conclusion that there are only really two great virtues, neither of them mentioned much by the ancient Greeks who developed Virtue ethics. Those two are Goodwill and Forgiveness. And no, religion has nothing much to do with them, although the kind, non-fanatical ends of most faiths promote and practice them. They are more to do with the ancient concept of balance and of seeing both sides of any situation and argument.

The art of goodwill is to approach every other person, idea or situation in a friendly and engaging manner. Assume that those who disagree with you would prefer to act well or even believe that they are. And that they might even be right.  If they don’t wish to act well or listen, well save yourself and walk away.

Forgiveness is the most powerful mind set of all as it assumes that the other person was not being malicious – they were simply uninterested or negligent or lacking in care. They should not have been so, but stewing over it or seeking vengeance is harmful to you, not them. So let them know, perhaps, but free yourself by forgiving and walking away from it.  And hope that others will forgive you.

Goodwill and Forgiveness, the two principles that will free your life.

 

NO!

That’s not what I wanted, needed or deserved.

(And neither did anyone else really).

  

I OBJECT!

Please stop making a bloody mess of my world –

In foul and imaginative ways.

 

Just STOP IT

YOU BLOODY  IDIOT!

 Why on earth did you think that was a good idea?

Because it made you a profit?

 

Thanks be to god for ginger nut biscuits for,

while I do not believe in you, I certainly believe in them!