A Yacht and other distractions

Like me, you are probably feeling a bit scared. It feels like nothing is right. There’s a virus, riots, people throwing themselves off cliffs, real inequalities in society, police brutality, a seemingly incompetent government, landslides in Finland, earthquakes in Yellowstone park, chlorinated chicken and the weather has turned a bit cool.

It’s too much, isn’t it?

Every country has been affected by this virus. They have all handled it differently and so there will be different levels of social unrest in each. Something like this doesn’t impact on everyone equally and inequality breeds discontent. Most governments around the world will have to start managing that. Those that do it poorly will have to deal with riots.

One method is the distraction.

Those who study psychology will understand that distraction is a favoured technique when gaslighting someone. Gaslighting is a technique used to gain power whereby you make someone question reality. Don’t read about it, or you will get even more depressed but when all the lies fall on deaf ears and someone is no longer being fooled into thinking it’s all their fault the manipulator throws in something nice as a distraction. This is the point where a wife beater comes home with a bunch of flowers or huge box of chocolates and the wife puts more make up on her bruises and says. “See, he’s not all bad. He does love me really.”

I notice that we’ve reached that point.

A new yacht for the Queen. How nice.

To be honest, it’s not going to cut it, is it? That’s like the last bunch of supermarket flowers and then he gives it to your neighbour.

Staying present and mindful is the only way to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of gaslighting but it does make you a bit cynical and depressed.
I saw this tweet which cheered me up.

I think we can all agree that’s the kind of distraction we could go for.
Maybe a giant water slide from the top of Big Ben (Yes, I know it’s St Stephen’s Tower), or a huge game of Connect Four on the edge of the Houses of Parliament.

Laughter really does help