Division

Day 385: There is no getting away from the awful developments coming out of Ukraine and as a bystander watching from the safety in a different Country it is painful to see people in danger, distress and in some cases deceased. Of course, what’s happening in the Ukraine is not new in terms of the evil we see every day on this planet. Since the start of time humanity have fought and caused destruction and 2022 is no different.

I certainly have no intentions of turning my blog into a political space but the fall out from the actions of politicians affects us all and from what I can see happening in my own Country causes serious and unhealthy divide across society.

You can guarantee if you voice your support for Ukraine and their president Volodymyr Zelensky there will be somebody to challenge you – if not for Ukraine’s stance on this or that, it’ll be because you haven’t acknowledged what is happening in Syria, Myanmar, Libya, Mali, South Sudan, etc.

It seems that everything is there to be challenged and challenged for the sake of challenging somebody. I wrote on my Happy Daddy Twitter feed last week that I drink 0% beer as part of my recovery – I wasn’t asking for a debate but I sure as hell got one from people who don’t consider that the correct way to abstain.

I made a joke about a football club (not directed at anybody in particular) on social media and was told by somebody triggered by it ‘to go have a drink’ because they knew I was in recovery. Was I in the wrong for cracking a joke? Am I then fair game for abuse? Luckily I have fairly thick skin these days so took it with a pinch of salt instead of reacting.

The problem is quite often the darkness of social media as it can bring out the nasty side of people who can abuse and attack in relative anonymity. I’ve been threatened, abused, mocked and was once even sent a death threat (from a supposed serving British Soldier) in all the years I’ve used social media platforms or websites yet I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve been threatened face to face (if I take being on the piss out of the equation because that in itself is a volatile environment after 9pm).

I do avoid the news more and more often these days because of the anxiety triggering content it presents daily – If it doesn’t upset you it will very likely annoy you or stress you out. I’m not sure I need to be told how many people have died due to war, how many homes have been destroyed by floods, how much energy and petrol prices have gone up, what % of people are now using food banks and what the latest Anti-Vax rhetoric is.

Burying my head? Maybe. It’s not that I don’t care about the World but I’m also fortunate enough to live in relative safety with my family and surely I’m best served giving my daughters a positive upbringing rather than exposing them to the horror and negativity of the World? The pandemic nearly broke me and I’ve had to be selfish to get myself to where I am now – flourishing in recovery by putting me first and ensuring negative energy is limited in my life. I wish I could do more for the people of Ukraine, Syria, Colombia, etc. I wish I could afford to send this to here and that to there.

I’m just one person with a desire to live my best life as honestly and peacefully as possible. I don’t want to hurt or upset people and don’t want to live around people who inflict pain and suffering. As I said earlier, I’m lucky that my path through life started in relative comfort and has remained that way throughout. You can’t pick where you are born in the World or what environment you are brought up in. I know people have had it worse than me and I acknowledge that, but I won’t apologise for my life either.

It’s like alcohol addiction. It’s a non-discriminatory disease. I’m a working class Englishman with a pretty ‘stable’ life on the surface. I was sectioned last year. Alcohol dependant. Some of the richest, most successful people in history have succumbed to alcohol as have people who have been born, lived and died in the poorest parts of the World.

We are all living our own life and following our own path. We can’t do anything about where we have come from and what has gone but we can look forward and attempt to change the course of our existence. I will educate myself and my daughters about what humanity really should be about. They will know about multiculturalism, equality, kindness, giving, living and reflecting. They will ultimately make their own journey through life though.

I’ve been feeling a bit deep today so wanted to offload my thoughts here. I’m not sure how this will read to you but as the writer I wanted to be honest about how I feel and surely that’s what it’s all about?!