Skip to main content

Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve and from which he cannot escape


Obviously back to my trend of photographs that suggest the alienation of modern human beings, and the disenchantment that for many accompanies modernity. It has always struck me as vaguely amusing that although life - for Westerners at least - is immeasurably better today than ever before in human history (less people go hungry, gender inequality is relatively narrow, people live longer, possess more, are safer amongst many other indicators), so very many people do nothing but complain all the time.

Comments

Miles McClagan said…
I've done nothing today but complain, but I'm not well...and kids have collided into my ankles all day...

Sure, it's not plunging into a coal miners pit for tuppence, but ya know, I'm a man of my times!
The ones here you complain the most are the ones who have the most. The have nots get on with it. Agreed times are better, but the gap seems ever wider. Great upshot, really tight angle.
I think complaining is easier for most people, and I think for some, it helps them sort things out.
I guess when you aren't struggling to survive, you have more time to complain.

I wonder if that building makes cool echoes. Excellent shot!
Anonymous said…
Complaining helps... for a few minutes. Too much complaining is a burden, too.

But as long as you keep on taking these pics, you can complain all you want :-)
freefalling said…
You're not complaining about complaining, are you?
Kris McCracken said…
Miles, at least the world didn't end...

Babooshka, I did have to crick my neck right back to get it.

Boise Diva, there is such a thing as constructive complaining, provided you move past the whining part of it. Unfortunately, many don't and just sit on the sidelines having a moan!
Kris McCracken said…
Mary, I think that you've hit the nail on the head.

M. Isabel Guerra, I do like the odd moan myself, but I try not to mistake it for constructive dialogue. Unfortunately, many people I meet tend to confuse the two concepts.

FF, of course I am complaining about complaining! I figure that this is okay when half the meetings I attend are consumed by people talking about people talking about people talking about doing stuff. [That wasn't a typo.] No 'stuff' ever seems to get done. Which the same people then complain about. Thus I muse on why they are alive, I guess...
Dina said…
Thank God, I no longer have anything or anyone to kvetch about.
And certainly no complaints about your fantastic photo!
Suzi-k said…
Brilliant photo, and yes, there is WAY too much complaining going on amongst comfortable privileged people. A sort of chronic ennui that pervades the upper eschelons. Hehe, there, ennui is my "crepuscular" !

Popular posts from this blog

Mad as hell

So there I was, arm hooked up to the machine, watching my plasma swirl away into a bag while the morning news dribbled across the screen like a bad fever dream. And what were they showing? A "riot" in Melbourne, allegedly. The sort of riot where the real thugs wear body armour, carry pepper spray and look like they just walked off the set of RoboCop. The people they were beating? A ragtag crew of teenagers and old hippies—probably fresh out of a drum circle, still smelling of patchouli. But sure, let's call it a riot. Now, here's where it really gets good. I mentioned this spectacle to a few people later, thinking maybe they'd share my outrage or, at the very least, give a damn. But no. What did I get instead? A smirk, a chuckle, and—oh, the pièce de résistance—"You should really just let it go." Let it go? Yeah, let me uncork a nice, overpriced cup of coffee, sit back with my legs crossed, and soak in the latest reality TV trash. Why bother caring when ...

Hold me now, oh hold me now, until this hour has gone around. And I'm gone on the rising tide, to face Van Dieman's Land

Theme Thursday again, and this one is rather easy. I am Tasmanian, you see, and aside from being all around general geniuses - as I have amply described previously - we are also very familiar with the concept of WATER. Tasmania is the ONLY island state of an ISLAND continent. That means, we're surrounded by WATER. That should help explain why I take so many photographs of water . Tasmania was for a long time the place where the British (an island race terrified of water) sent their poor people most vile and horrid criminals. The sort of folk who would face the stark choice of a death sentence , or transportation to the other end of the world. Their catalogue of crimes is horrifying : stealing bread assault stealing gentlemen's handkerchiefs drunken assault being poor affray ladies being overly friendly with gentlemen for money hitting people having a drink and a laugh public drunkenness being Irish Fenian terrorist activities being Catholic religious subversion. ...

Something unpleasant is coming when men are anxious to tell the truth.

This is the moon. Have I mentioned how much I adore the zoom on my camera? It's Theme Thursday you see, and after last week's limp effort, I have been thinking about how I might redeem myself. Then I clicked on the topic and discover that it was BUTTON. We've been hearing a lot about the moon in the past couple of weeks. Apparently some fellas went up there and played golf and what-not forty-odd years ago. The desire to get to the moon, however, was not simply about enhancing opportunities for Meg and Mog titles and skirting local planning by-laws in the construction of new and innovative golf courses. No, all of your Sputniks , "One small steps" and freeze dried ice cream was about one thing , and one thing only : MAD Now, I don't mean mad in terms of "bloke breaks record for number of scorpions he can get up his bum", no I mean MAD as in Mutual assured destruction . When I was a young man you see, there was a lot of talk about the type of m...