Yesterday was a beautiful day. One of the good things about living here is that the Park is nearby. And lots of people came to enjoy the park, which is good. Mostly unaware of the 370, 371, 372, 373, 901, 537, 360, 501, 302 and 301 buses, they came by car and parked in Quarry Road, which makes things a little less convenient for us. There were times yesterday when a fire engine would have struggled to get through to the flats at the top of the street.
But the real offenders for antisocial parking are the students at Greenhead College. As the school year advances, more of them learn to drive, and they start ending up parked on our street. It only takes a few weeks to learn how to drive, but it takes a lifetime to learn how not to be a plonker. I’m sure I am not there yet.
I doubt whether all the miscreants are young men, but ISTR the insurance companies would tell you that men are generally worse drivers than women. There seems to be a particular kind of stupidity that afflicts people of my gender. Sometimes it’s destructive of others, sometimes not. There was a character in the film The Tall Guy who comes to nurse Emma Thompson for treatment after his dalliance with a vacuum cleaner. The story of this hoover abuser is not untypical of real men. Who hasn’t experienced penile dementia?
So what am I saying… if people have lost their wisdom it’s probably not hysteria (caused by the womb) – it’s far more likely to be the opposite.
Note on language – what I’m trying to talk about is that thing which is the opposite of wisdom – not the opposite of intelligence, or the opposite of mental good health. You can have learning difficulties and still be wise. You can have mental ill health and still be wise. I’ve heard it said that people with depression have a more realistic assessment of themselves and their situation than people without depression. If that is the case, then maybe if more people in politics were afflicted by the ‘black dog’, we might not now be pursuing a unicorn-based Brexit policy. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, though.
God save us
from being too puffed up
with self-importance.
God save us
from thinking that we are the bees knees.
God show us the truth
of our infirmities, our foolishness.
And speak to us gently and tell us
that we are forgiven,
and it’s alright now.