List of Previous Titles

Saturday, February 28, 2015

How Precious is our Sight and all our other senses?


As a natural part of aging, which is not a pretty process, I found that my sight in my left eye was deteriorating due to a cataract. In 2011 I had the operation by a very competant surgeon and all was fine. However, gradually the eye needed more and more attention, including rubbing and lots of drops. Two Sundays ago I awoke lying on my front with my head  resting on my right side. In order to see what time it was I opened my left eye and realised, to my absolute horror that I was completely blind in that eye.

How long had this condition existed?

It had not occurred to me to simply close my right eye to test my left vision, so perhaps I have been operating for some time in that condition, although recently I have noticed a more advanced deterioration. For instance I am having major problems with my sense of depth perception.

I took myself off to the doctor the very next day and when he did an examination he discovered that the eye had become clouded over from a build-up of dust. In other words, I am blind in that eye due to common dirt! Good Heavens! I now have an appointment for a cleaning by laser.

Firstly, the human body is an amazing construct with built-in redundancies. We have two ears, eyes, nostrils and a mouth to take in and expell air, without which we cannot survive for more than a few minutes. We have our two arms and two hands, and legs and feet, and our internal organs. However, just to add an element of grave danger to our design we have only one heart.

We take so much for granted that when we come into contact with people with no sight or loss of other senses we have no way of fully understanding what they must be experiencing. We must walk in their shoes in order to know how deprived their lives are.

My hope is that after the cleaning process I will be returned to a like-new state. However, I wonder why I have been given this experience? I must open my mind for a revaluation of something that I can do to be of assistance, because surely, to have lost at least part of my sight, and then to be given it back must have some significant meaning.

One thing is certain: I am eternally grateful for my sight and other senses, and my good health in general!

Copyright (c) 2015   Eugene Carmichael  

Saturday, February 21, 2015

We're Racists and that's how we like it!



This refers to the news item from France this week wherein some English football supporters chanted this as they prevented a black man from boarding a train in Paris.

Well, finally a racist freely acknowledged that he was just that. Normally, people act or say things that stamps them as being racist, or men who hate women, or people who hate Jews, or gays and lesbians, and they are adamant that they are not prejudiced, even going so far as they say they have friends from the particular grouping.

Well, if you are a person with a perverted point of view at least recognise your sickness, because until you do there is nothing that can be done if you want to be a part of decent society.

Do we have a right to hate people? Nowhere is it written that we have such rights and privileges to hate, and to practise hate. Hatred is a sickness because it divides society. We live by laws and rules that promote the peace. Also, public opinion stands in favour of common sense, decency, and conducting our lives in peace and harmony. In other words whatever we feel in our hearts, in public we have to respect one another, and we have to treat members of the public equally, and we absolutely must allow others their own free movement. When it comes to the use of public transportation, no member of the public has any right whatsoever to impede the progress of another if that other person is behaving themselves in a proper, non-threatening manner.

Those men who were seen acting as they did must be guilty of action that broke the law and should be punished under the law, and hopefully severely so. Also, I have news for them: by proudly chanting:"We're racists and that's the way we like it," they were also saying we are some of the most stupid people on earth, and we're proud.

Now we all know!

We don't have to love each other, we only have to respect one another.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

   

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Too Beautiful Two: The Follow-up.



I enjoyed the response to my blog in which I asked the question: Is it possible to be to beautiful?  It caused a lively debate down at the local bar, and I had a response by e-mail which hit the nail on the head.

A debate consists of people both for and against the question, but we were all ordinary citizens, none of whom were blessed or cursed by being overly handsome or beautiful, in the general sense. But my e-mail fascinated me.

It was from someone who fits the profile of being super attractive, although she didn't put it quite like that. She is a woman who says she has been around for a while, been there and done all the things that she could have dreamed of, and now she was facing her greatest challenge. How to choose the right man to settle down with and have a family.

I have said before that in my opinion the woman who gets my vote as "Most Beautiful Woman in the World," is Halle Berry. She is naturally beautiful and fascinating as a woman, and when she puts on her best face she just blows me away. Have I ever fantasied about being her lover or husband? Absolutely not! She is a prime example of being totally too much of a woman. As if to underscore that, she is rich and acomplished to boot.

A woman like that could, without intending to, drive a man insane with jealousy. He would know that every man she encounters wants her for his own. Everything she did by way of daily routine would, or could be shadowed with suspicion by her man. 

That might be the problem from her man's standpoint, but from her view the question becomes whether she should marry a super handsome guy who does not suffer from a lack of self-confidence, which could also lead to unwelcome problems; or should she choose an ordinay man who would likely be overwhelmed by who and what she is, and is more likely to stay at home and count his blessings.

These are also questions for us lucky ordinary looking folks, but let's face it there really is a difference.

From my standpoint I am not overly impressed when I see a really beautiful woman or a handsome guy. I have never wished that I was in the shoes of such a person, nor will I ever do so. Except my hero, Sidney Poiter, but that's because he's Sidney. And Sidney is Super Sidney! Enough said!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

Saturday, February 7, 2015

BREAKING NEWS !!!!!!!!!!!!



It seems that I will have to continue last week's post, "Is it possible to be too beautiful?" Your response is really interesting. However, this week I want to focus on another topic: What is truly Breakin News worthy?

I am a habitual viewer of CNN. They say I can rely on having news up to date, whether I think I need it or not. On Friday February 6th they broke into scheduled programming, even interuppting a guest who was in the midst of answering a question, to tell us that acording to ISIL, who Jordan are engaged in bombing over the savage killing of a Jordanian pilot by ISIL, that due to that bombing an American female hostage who ISIL had been holding had been killed.

The interruption to programming went on for quite a long time as more and more people became involved in discussing the report by ISIL, and in the process everybody was agreed that they were sceptical of the entire report, although it was known that they held a woman prisoner.

So, my question is, was that really worthy of breaking into regular programming under way. From this viewer's standpoint, absolutely not! It is assumed that there will be collateral damage from the bombing campaign, including a number of innocents, perhaps this hostage, who ISIL would probably have killed themselves. That is what they seem to do. 

It's true that I am not in charge of deciding what is urgent to broadcast, or not, and I accept that this could be a never ending argument. However, for viewer's like me, if my viewing is disturbed without adequate cause I get really pissed off, especially as it happens so often.

Here's what I do when I become really annoyed: I simply switch to another channel, or worse, I simply turn the damn thing of and go and do something else.

So, be careful CNN of turning your viewers off. You work too hard to get us in the first place.

By the way, congratulations on placing Robyn Curnow in an anchor's chair. She was born to it!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Is it possible to be too beautiful? The view from male eye.


During my young wild days when I was constantly attracted by all women, I walked into a cocktail lounge and saw a vison of pure beauty in a young woman who was sitting alone at a table. There were three men sitting at the bar and some other people sitting at tables. I immediately presumed that she was waiting for someone, but it soon became clear to me that she was simply passing the time of day.

For whatever their reasons none of the other men ventured anywhere near her. I plucked up the courage to make that long and dreadful journey to her table, where I fully expected to de rebuffed. I excused myself and apologised if I was being a bother, but I said I had a question that I thought she was the perfect person to ask.

My question was as follows: I wondered if she agreed with me that it is possible to be entirely too beautiful. That is to say, that I thought that while such immense beauty can be a true blessing in some ways, it can also be a curse.

Her reply was, "Would you care to have a seat, and a drink as you must be thirsty after such a hard journey to get here."

That was the start of a very long chat that lasted past the cocktail hour, and continued over dinner.

I learnt from her that policemen routinely gave her a break, while just wondering if she might have some free time to have a drink with them. She said that she usually gets anything she wants, which actually made her sad because no-one stood up to her. Wheneever she had to compete for something she usually got the role, even when there were others better qualified. She had been pampered all her life, and while it was nice to be treated as though she were royalty it did make her feel uncomfortable and sad. She was there in Bermuda, deliberately travelling alone, and had I said anything other than what I did she would have sent me packing. However, I had asked the question which was the key to the very thing she needed to talk about, and I had proved to be a good listener.

I spent some quality time with her during her visit and we became very good friends. Because her worst problem was that everyone wanted something from her, especially men, not once did I attempt to start anything romantic with her. I think had I done so I would have spoiled what became a long-term valuable friendship.

I keep telling myself that the value of our friendship was far greater than a night of steamy sex. I think I have finally, actually come to believe that.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael