WORLD LOOKS LESS BLEAK OVER A GLASS OF SHIRAZ
WHEN my daily newspaper is delivered I tend to skim the headlines, read the comics and then try to relieve the resultant depression with a stiff drink.
I know we oldies traditionally hark back to the “good old days” and claim that life was better long ago, but the world really does seems to be an unhappy, chaotic place right now.
Whenever I find myself drowning in the “Slough of Despond”, I grope about frantically for a floating piece of good news to cling to as I drag myself to shore.
A glass of fine shiraz sometimes helps, but for a real mental lifesaver I try to find the latest issue of Very Interesting magazine. It’s published in South Africa in association with BBC Science World and it’s one of the very few publications that focuses on the positive aspects of life.
Not many shops stock the magazine. I sometimes find it in my local Spar shop. Its pages are filled with exciting news about scientific research and developments that promise to improve our future.
The latest issue looks at incredible new building materials being derived from mushrooms, the progress being made to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and the interesting thought that plants may be conscious.
It also explores the possibility that other species, apart from humans, enjoy sex purely for pleasure.
I read about dark matter in the universe, nano medicine and the interesting life of the scaly-footed snail, not subjects that would normally interest me, and I come away amazed and humbled by the incredible universe we live in.
After exploring the billions of light years of outer space and the amazing smallness of nano-particles, it’s hard to be moved by the shenanigans of mere humans. What fools we mortals are, as Shakespeare was wont to observe.
We imagine our puny political leaders are important, and our pompous politicians are worth listening to, but we are all just tiny blips on the timeline of the world. In a single generation our heroes will be forgotten and their statues probably pulled down.
Does it matter? I believe our world is incredibly interesting, particularly when viewed across the rim of a glass of good wine. We should enjoy it and wonder at it. Isn’t this what religion is all about? We are privileged to live in this amazing universe of ours. Don’t let politicians ruin it for us.
Last Laugh
A rather portly woman was puffing away as she pedalled the exercise bike in her local gym.
“I really don’t enjoy this,” she gasped, “but my husband says he likes to be with a slender woman.”
“What’s wrong with that?” another woman asked.
“He likes to be with her while I’m here at the gym.”