EOIN BANAHAN
"Learning to live and living to learn"
The Queen of the castle, also known as “the wife”, has warned me that I should be extra careful about what I say in my blog because people may take offence. Now, let me be very clear, I (almost) always listen to my Queen because she gives good council and, in any case, on the one occasion when I did not do so, the result cost me a small fortune in floral arrangements. Granted, the bruising to the wallet was offset by the fact that Javier, (pronounced Have-ee-air), the florist, was able to book 2 weeks in Ibiza for a well-deserved sun snack, so every cloud has a silver lining, at least for some.
But her majesty, or “madge”, if you prefer, raises a good point. If, in your correspondence, you are drawn to the satirical; if you like exaggeration, caricature, and other such literary mechanisms through which you can express your bewilderment at the behavior of your fellow “persons”, (Oops, I almost said man there), it is quite difficult to do so without somebody finding offence. Perhaps, finding offence has become a way in which we can differentiate ourselves and promote our individuality, rather like getting a Tattoo, or dying your hair orange. I am a passionate believer in the creative power of individuality. In fact, for many years now I have dedicated my life to promoting it, since I can see how it leads to incredible innovation. One of the greatest enjoyments I have in my life is to marvel at what people can do that I could never do. For example, I listen to music and I’m blown away by the talent of the people who were involved in writing and performing it. I read a book and I recoil in wonderment at the mind who conceived it because I could never do anything like that. Such expressions of individuality are the life-blood that sustains us in our evolutionary journey. But whilst I do not wish to offend anyone, nor inhibit anyone’s expression of individuality, I admit that sometimes, I struggle to understand other people’s attitudes and behavior. For example, the recent kerfuffle in the world of football has me completely bewildered. I mean, of all the issues, challenges, and injustices that lie before us in the world, this is what stirs people’s passions? I have nothing against those who enjoy a good game of footie, nor do I wish to offend anyone for whom such activity is an important source of fulfilment but, really, for a moment there, I thought we were on the brink of war. Never mind that we humans have managed to manoeuvre a drone on the planet Mars from a sedentary position in an office complex on Earth, nor the fact that our Prime Minister has just burnt through £2.6 million of our money, cash we don’t have, on some vanity project involving top of the range audio and video equipment, both instances deserving of an emotional outburst from the people albeit for different reasons, but try to change the way a bunch of overpaid prima-donnas kick a ball about the park for 90 minutes and the nation becomes apoplectic. We, and I mean, we human beings, are ridiculous at times. There really isn’t more I can say but to stress that I mean no disrespect to those who play football, nor those who watch it. After all, Lily, (the dog who must be adored), loves chasing a ball around the park, and I enjoy watching her. I mean no disrespect to Arsenal in particular, the team for which her majesty seems to have a fondness. Moreover, I wish no insult on Boris Johnson, nor the Johnson Jive, (also known as the “U-turn”, or “volte face”), which is becoming such an established norm, I, for one, won't be surprised if we see it on Strictly Come Dancing in the near future. I’m merely drawing attention to the behavior which I find puzzling.
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AuthorI am an organizational development specialist and managing director of RoundRose Associates Ltd Archives
August 2021
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