We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
Well, with all the horror going on in the world this week, the sad news is;
Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked the bucket, and the bucket ended up in another dimension.
When celebrities die, it makes the news. But on a typical day, almost 200,000 people die in all manner of circumstances, and most of them have not led much of a life of luxury. Still, the death hits slightly closer to home with a celebrity because of familiarity, whereas on most days, those who die are unknowns to us personally. Some days though, one or possibly more people we actually care about dies, and they are the days that really hit home. We don't want those days, but there is an inevitability about them, and they will arrive whether we want the to or not.
Best make the most of the days with the people we care about, before those days arrive.
I sat down with a friend for dinner tonight and it was full of a lot of laughs. I was saying I don't laugh much these days, but there were some very funny stories reminisced on and we go way back. But one of them was about her meeting with her ex from about two decades ago and that he has "put on a little weight" since they were together. My friend doesn't care about it, but it surprised her. Even back in the day I could tell he was the type, but of course I never said anything. But I have a question:
Would it make you happy for an ex to get fat, or have some misfortune?
I ask because I don't have many exes and the ones I do have I pretty much only want them to be happy. I hold no grudges about our time together and once we have both accepted the breakup situation, it is time to move on. I don't know if they would want the same for me, but I don't think they would be the kinds of people to wish me poorly, because I was with them because they were good people and I assume they still are.
But I suspect that sentiment isn't universal.
A few friends have messaged me about Finland being ranked "The happiest country in the world" for the ninth year in a row. However, I call bullshit on that. Even in the good times Finns aren't happy, and it definitely isn't good times - with 11% unemployment (worst in the EU), government austerity measures stripping investment into health and wellbeing in every area, and growing cost of living gaps reducing purchasing power. So I have another question:
How shit are other countries doing?
If a group of culturally pessimistic, dark-humoured and generally depressed Finns are considered the "happiest in the world", what does that say about all the other countries?
Of course, these bullshit and meaningless rankings don't apparently talk to anyone directly and just use indicators as assumptions, many of them being wrong. But hey, it gets Finland in the news for something other than... ummm... what else is Finland ever in the news for? Santa?
If Chuck Norris was still alive...
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Be part of the Hive discussion.
And you may be rewarded.
