I'm Just Sayin'...©

I have learned to hate/respect/question people.

I have much more respect for people in retail shops than ever. I know now how selfish people are, and I don't want to make the retail bods all the more miserable than they already are. Because, lets face it, it's a shit job. Now I make a point to make nice conversation to them, asking how their day is, what they are reading, how they feel etc. Nobody ever asks me those questions, because they don't give a flying flag through a rolling donut about the person taking their money. Which, really, is a funny thing... you would think that you would want to treat the person taking your money from you as being pretty important. I mean, you are departing with your cash in exchange for something- and we all know it - a product not quite worth the value or price tag you are paying. Cost price is significantly lower. So you slipping your debit card into the slot is in essence paying for my paycheck, and, if qualifying, a bonus for me. And yet you treat me like a child, or much more base...?

Human nature is funny.

I have decided to not read the morning or evening free papers that are handed out each day whilst on the train. All there is to read is bad news, sad news, and downright stupid news. I pop on my headphones and listen to the happiest music I can and read something interesting. Right now, it's a book called Enough. A facinating informal study of who we are as a society and our compusions to buy new things to keep up with the neighbors, find happiness in self-help books and succub to the marketing schemes involving status, identity with celebrities and those we consider to be in higher status than ourselves.
Interestingly enough, becuause I work in a higher-end retail shop, I can see the things that my marketing directors are aiming for and it has opened my eyes a bit. I wont dwell on this point, but suffice it to say, there is a real market for what the author terms "Enoughism."

Anyway, when I have my music on in my own private world, most of the time it's happy, fun and upbeat. Tapping my toes and bobbing my head gets some disapproving looks, but really, all in all, I don't care because I am probably the happiest person on the carriage. I see the papers rustling around while all the others are reading about the recession getting worse, the latest shooting of an innocent child, and looking at pictures of celebrities whose lives, at the end of the day are nothing but a handful of butt-dust to the common man, and think about how much happier these commuters would be if they would maybe, read a good book, listen to some music and relax a bit, or even (gasp!!)converse with the person next to them about something... anything!

I have a theory: London is known for having such great fashion in shoes. Sure... we need those things. We need something interesting to look at while we avert our eyes downward in order to avoid eye contact.

Just Sayin'!©