Confusing Start To The Year

As another year bites the dust, the innocence of the past has dissolved from my psyche leaving me cynical about future prospects.

When I was young, I trusted, told few lies, never stole, and respected others. I was pretty much unware of the evils of life thanks to parents who protected and sheltered me – and they were right to do so.

My first heroes were the cowboys of the old West – Sheriff Buck Jones, Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Buffalo Bill and Kit Carson.

All that stuff was pretty much a lie; from their abilities with revolvers (even glorifying death) to the treatment the indigenous American peoples that were collectively referred to as ‘Indians’ or commonly ‘Redskins’.

It didn’t take long for me to understand the truth, and I figured that by opening your eyes and ears, you get to understand more – but sometimes appearances can be deceiving and confusing.

Apparently there is an epidemic of obesity purveying the world and one of the links has been directed at poverty. That is an odd thing because the impoverished in what are termed as ‘third world countries’ don’t show signs of putting on weight.

In first world countries diet is the factor contributing to obesity and poor health with food processing and easy snacks being major culprits.

They say the fizzies like Coca Cola are particularly bad but I depended on it in Africa where water was unprocurable or unsafe. I would work all day without food, so by drinking Coke I did not dehydrate, was stimulated by the caffeine and the high dose of sugar kept my energy levels up. Nowadays, I don’t touch the stuff!

Who is not confused by the Syrian situation? As far as I can make out it is a battle for territory, confused by sects of Islam ideology.

Assad and his military caused factions to rebel – the Rebels. Assad released a bunch militants [jihadists] from prison, who promptly joined the rebels.

The Gulf States supported the Rebels via Turkey – Turkey have an ongoing dislike for the Kurds who were with the Rebels, but they separated so Turkey still attacks the Kurds – probably encouraged by the Gulf States. The Kurds fight on for their own identity.

Iran supports Assad in the fight against the Rebels.

Hezbollah joined with Assad to fight the Rebels. Hezbollah [from Lebanon] do not recognise Israel and have tired of the Syrian civil war.

Another more militant group separated from the Rebels, joining the Zarqawi/Baghdadi crew of Iraq calling themselves ISIS who also wish to have their own territory and dislike the Kurds and everyone else! The Gulf States continue to support them – probably through the same Turkish route.

The USA, shocked at Assad’s use of chemical weapons against civilians, decided to support the Rebels and escalated their involvement by attacking ISIS.

Russia decides to join the conflict by supporting Assad, bombing the Rebels, but not ISIS.  

All very confusing resulting in reprisals as well as refugees fleeing war-torn areas causing the conundrum of their settlement – permanent or otherwise.

I’m confused too why there is a need to kill and bomb.

There was a conference of the luminaries held to address the subject of climate change.

Within the natural cycles of this planet, the climate has never remained static. It is arrogant of mankind to assume the natural cycle can be modified. Carbon dioxide is touted as the troublemaker but to a forester like me, carbon is the food of trees (plants actually) so with an abundance of food, plants naturally respond by growing larger – they do not appear to be. Carbon monoxide is different.

The conference targets on emissions, and sure controlling emissions is a good thing whether or not they contribute to climate change. Not addressed, or at least picked up by the media, is world depletion of indigenous forest resources. Areas such as the Congo, the Amazon, Borneo and Indonesia.

Forests recycle water, produce oxygen and provide sequestration of carbon.

It is positive to encourage the conservation and reestablishment of indigenous flora. It creates employment. Ban the resource-gobbling motor car and other emitters and you are compromising employment opportunities.

Splattered across our screen at regular intervals are mass shootings in the US. They have this amendment that the gun lobby cling to like a life support which gives [everyone] the right to bear arms. Maybe the idea is to bear arms with no ammunition, I have no idea what the amendments say about the pulling of triggers and what the barrels are pointed at.

The refrain that is wheeled out is that firearms (there is a difference, guns have no rifling, rifles and most pistols do – to improve accuracy) do not kill people but people do. That’s confusing – point your finger like a rifle and with the other hand’s forefinger, pull an imaginary trigger, you won’t kill anyone. Firearms make killing a lot of people so much easier – that should be the point.

The other thing is that the so-called second amendment came into force December 1791 but rifled firearms only became commonplace later in the nineteenth century. So muskets and pistols at the time of the amendment were inaccurate and cumbersome to reload.

It’s confusing because it is easy to amend the amendment for only unrifled weapons to be born and exclude shotguns because they can be automatic.

Trouble is that the manufacturers of firearms would have to make workers redundant as well as closing most of the gun shops!

The safety of food has become confusing too, with the latest culprit being processed meat because it causes cancer. As well, nowadays there are super foods they reckon prevent cancer. And as of today is red wine good or bad? Diets come and go – BBQ/burnt food contains dioxins, otherwise as known carcinogens - a fact pretty much ignored!

But constantly on the news there are food items that are good, bad or poisonous and many become vegan or vegetarian.

Confusing to read too was an article about an additive to pastry – made from ground up poultry feathers, oh yum!

But you never hear of the carcinogens in fragrances. Just Google the word and see for yourself. Natural fragrances are expensive or impossible to produce in the volumes the consumer requires so chemist manufacture chemical copies – some smell nothing like they claim! But consumers fall for it.

It is confusing that chemical companies produce live-saving medicines on the one hand while producing dangerous food additives and fragrance additions nearly everything we use. Of course asthma inhalers and drugs to combat headaches are big bucks so chemical companies are clipping the ticket at both ends!

Toilet paper, plastic rubbish bags, air fresheners plus all the stuff poured or rubbed into our hair and bodies - the list goes on and on!

So here at the beginning of the New Year, I’m as confused as ever!