Sometimes life can be hard.....whether you hear about it from the media-news of atrocities committed in places near or far away or while out and about in Liverpool with the blare of police sirens as an almost constant accompaniment its hard to ignore. In my day to day existence I do find I chat with a lot of people and my blogs often detail this world. Well today’s blog reflects this societal aggro in a very real way as two characters I have blogged about previously have reported ‘run-ins’ of late. I heard that Steve had been having threats from some neighbours and Arthur had punched a motorist. If you read my reflections on these gentle sexagenarian's you may understand the confused position I find myself in when thinking about life, the universe and everything.
A bit more detail then, the other day, while out walking with Betty I rounded the corner of a street a few minutes from home and saw Arthur coming towards me with his dog Fifi- I immediately knew something was up. He told me how a disagreement he had just had with a motorist at a pedestrian crossing, causing him to be near run over, with himself being called an idiot to boot. Arthur explained how he saw red and ended up punching said motorist through his car window before making a swift exit. Last week, Steve described to me how a ticking off he gave to a local teenager resulted in his older brother coming down to find Steve, threatening to stab him. Steve too saw red and was screaming at the lad to bring it on, ‘com’n get your fuckin’ knife’ that kind of thing.
On both occasions Ii sensed a discomfort in the telling of the tale, these kind of behaviours were certainly out of character for both Steve and Arthur. I empathised with them as i too have limited experience of fisticuffs, am much more familiar with techniques to avert conflict. We also reflected on some of the times that things did get violent and how it left you feeling. Steve has been on Beta blockers since his heart attack and explained to me the weird new sensation of beginning to rage yet not having the physical sensations that go with it, raised heart beat, pressure in head and general feeling of being twice the size you really are.
Another area of discussion we had is about the civility of the society in which we live. All three of us are active on the city’s streets, as cyclists and dog-walkers we navigate the city’s streets daily and we are well placed to have informed opinions on this subject. We often see the day to day interactions of people who are busy rushing around with a forensic eye. For example, the car parked carelessly astride a pavement preventing access by a wheelchair user or buggy will be commented upon, the nights fly tipping excursion, these issues form the daily interactions and cause us to reflect on alternative, more civil behaviour that could have taken place. It is why when I hear accounts from my dog walking friends I give them a great deal of credence, its why I believe implicitly the versions told by Steve and Arthur, thoughtful and socially engaged people that they are.
In their actions I see that they are examples of behaviours to be supported; perhaps they do not see it as their finest hour, but do you know what, from where i am sitting, they were there at the right time and they acted in a right way and I applaud their behaviour.
A bit more detail then, the other day, while out walking with Betty I rounded the corner of a street a few minutes from home and saw Arthur coming towards me with his dog Fifi- I immediately knew something was up. He told me how a disagreement he had just had with a motorist at a pedestrian crossing, causing him to be near run over, with himself being called an idiot to boot. Arthur explained how he saw red and ended up punching said motorist through his car window before making a swift exit. Last week, Steve described to me how a ticking off he gave to a local teenager resulted in his older brother coming down to find Steve, threatening to stab him. Steve too saw red and was screaming at the lad to bring it on, ‘com’n get your fuckin’ knife’ that kind of thing.
On both occasions Ii sensed a discomfort in the telling of the tale, these kind of behaviours were certainly out of character for both Steve and Arthur. I empathised with them as i too have limited experience of fisticuffs, am much more familiar with techniques to avert conflict. We also reflected on some of the times that things did get violent and how it left you feeling. Steve has been on Beta blockers since his heart attack and explained to me the weird new sensation of beginning to rage yet not having the physical sensations that go with it, raised heart beat, pressure in head and general feeling of being twice the size you really are.
Another area of discussion we had is about the civility of the society in which we live. All three of us are active on the city’s streets, as cyclists and dog-walkers we navigate the city’s streets daily and we are well placed to have informed opinions on this subject. We often see the day to day interactions of people who are busy rushing around with a forensic eye. For example, the car parked carelessly astride a pavement preventing access by a wheelchair user or buggy will be commented upon, the nights fly tipping excursion, these issues form the daily interactions and cause us to reflect on alternative, more civil behaviour that could have taken place. It is why when I hear accounts from my dog walking friends I give them a great deal of credence, its why I believe implicitly the versions told by Steve and Arthur, thoughtful and socially engaged people that they are.
In their actions I see that they are examples of behaviours to be supported; perhaps they do not see it as their finest hour, but do you know what, from where i am sitting, they were there at the right time and they acted in a right way and I applaud their behaviour.