It’s the end of the world as we know it

I thought the world was ending when a plane had crashed into the World Trade Centre. I was on the step-machine in my Singapore condo’s gym, an ashen-faced security guard tottered over and broke the news. I ran upstairs to wake Husband, terrified it meant World War 3. I feared for humanity again yesterday when I read that a bloke’s arm was partially severed by a chainsaw in a neighbourhood dispute. A chainsaw! And what does one of the people involved – a woman! – have to say for herself? “Sucked in to the bloke whose arm got chopped”. Charming. It didn’t happen in Cleveland or Detroit or Soweto, it went down in suburban Minto. You might think, “That would never happen in my street”. But appalling human behaviour knows no postcode. My friend accidentally left her car unlocked in her driveaway recently and some eedjit smeared his shit all over the interior. What goes through some people’s heads? Ooooh, an unlocked car, I think I’ll take a crap and rub it all over the steering wheel. Hilarious! I just don’t get it. Husband has many endearing nicknames for me. One of them is “policeman of the world”, because I’m always getting narky about people doing the wrong thing. I’ve often wanted to be an invisible policeman of the world. A little voice that would whisper in someone’s ear as they’re performing some stupid crime against their fellow human beings and tell them what pathetic cowards they are. Although sometimes I think being a pathetic coward is why they’re doing it in the first place, so it might just egg them on. Like generations before me, I wonder, “what sort of world have I brought my children into?” But I try to keep my fear in check and just pray that they’ll be alright. I was blown away earlier this week by Edenland’s blog, The Masks (http://www.edenriley.com/2012/05/masks.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+edenriley%2FGzPS+%28edenland%29). It was filled with such hope and joy. She said wonderful things like, “We’re going to downsize and spend more time together and rediscover what it truly means to be alive …” And she reminded me that despite all the horrible things that happen in the world, we are so lucky. People who commit stupid crimes against others aren’t feeling the joy of being alive. They can’t be. And it’s not just them, it’s scary how many Aussies are popping pills to cope. I wonder if that’s what will destroy western civilisation in the end. Not a suicide bomber or a chainsaw or a war, but anxiety and depression. So I’m rooting for you Eden Riley – rediscover what it truly means to be alive and tell us about it. You have an amazing gift for words, use it well.