Thoughts

I had put an article on the UNCRPD and thoughts on the same yesterday (the Hindu incidentally stole this theme, apropos the editorial today); bad coding of the word processing (if it can even be called that) on BlogSpot saw to it that I inadvertently destroyed the formatting completely. Having been on the blog for a short while, I now see two types of postings; well have seen only one but I mean space for two types: Short articles, like the opinion-editorial pieces which come within a page or five and then the plodding articles and regurgitated minutiae like what I have put up running into 8-15 pages, and then there is the third type which is the twitter-facebook-gtalk status updates (of which the less said the better- possible motto there eh.....!). A reason for twitter-facebook-gtalk popularity is because the vast majority of us have nothing much to say, and those who do either have a willing audience to impose on or the wherewithal and means to enthral an un-willing one. This leaves misanthropes like me, who have the need and information to say something, but cannot be bothered to interact with humanity long enough to say their piece.

In an earlier age you would have recognised me as the old curmudgeon who lives at the edges of the village, who talks to himself and is generally the fertile source for the village’s pity, incomprehension and a handy character to be murdered in the early chapters or a side hero in disguise. However please spare a moment for us seemingly ill-tempered old men, and think of the information and knowledge these characters hold. For after all what do you think misanthropes do, except observe that which they avoid. In a way we are the local philosophers or more appropriately the local AA equivalent for the maladroit humanitarian. Misunderstood as we are, we could not do much, for a call for to unite us would be futile, anarchists face the same conundrum. The internet is therefore an answer to our prayers. We can now speak to humanity without talking to humanity. So the next time you spy a grumbling old man, spare a thought for us, ignore our rasping demands to be left alone and ask us if we have a blog, you might be lucky enough to see the rare sight of a misanthrope smiling.  


- Mike