Robert@PNG

I went over to my mates place (Geoff) last night to watch the 1st round of State of Origin. We talked, ate pies and sausage rolls, Geoff had a beer and I sank some orchy. Two security guards sat outside Geoff's house and were able to view the game too. We both were going for QLD - not because either of us are strong rugby or QLD supporters but rather…  the house across the road was barracking for the blues !!  (I have a soft spot for QLD as they have lost a few years running - and I'm all for the underdog).

The footie was great - especially the 2nd half. QLD caught up to NSW and then in the last couple of minutes a long field goal saw NSW beat QLD 17-16. I need to share something with you - if I watch TV rugby it's only State of Origin. I have only ever gone to one live rugby match and that was the time I got invited by a supplier to sit in their corporate box (good old days) - stuffed myself full of food and beers - never really cared about the match itself. What I want to share is that….   I don't understand the rules of the game !!  Yes, I know tries and tackles and I know that the team that scores the most points wins. And yes… a try is 3 points (I think). Apart from that there isn't much else about the rules of the game I understand.  Not bad for an aussie hey !!!

Back to my story of why I choose not to own a TV….   after the footy came the news. World news. The truth is I have never owned a TV. As a kid I watched the idiot box like there was no tomorrow (just ask Mum). As an adult there were times when I house shared and there were always TV's. For the past 15 years or so when I have lived alone (which has been most of that time) - there has never been a TV in the house (or a microwave oven).

Last night when I found myself watching the news and all the violence and war mongering thats happening around the world, I see the suffering of the locals, their injured and their dead. I see folks folks crying when their homes have just been bombed or loved ones shot. I don't know why but world news nowadays just seems to be about stories of the wars and fighting that goes. What mankind does to mankind is beyond belief. The cruelty mankind inflicts on each other is beyond insane. And to think that the decisions to carry out these acts of violence and pillage are made by the very people that democracy votes in is and will always be a source of concern for me. To watch news stories about new killings or new conflicts followed by others on actual leaders that are responsible for these acts is double concerning.

So nowadays when I watch an hour of world news and everything that goes with it. It impacts me, it impacts me very deeply. It saddens me that out of all the ways that humans could live on this planet - as a race we chose violence and not peace. I don't question why it is the way it is because in a funny sort of way : Earth is a perfect place to “suffer”.  Custom built for “suffering”. In fact a perfect place for “suffering”. God could not have made a better place himself.

I always remember that the american indians had war chiefs and they had peace chiefs. In times of war the War Chief was boss man. In times of peace the Peace Chief was boss man. In todays world our planet seems to be riddled with War Chiefs. What saddens me is that we vote these fuckers in. What has happened to us. Brothers and sisters what the fuck has happened to us. Do we never learn. How much more killing and hatred needs to be expressed before enough is enough. Perhaps we aint seen nothing yet. Perhaps this is just the start of worse to come.  I hope that once the War Chiefs are finished pulling their dicks that there are enough of us humans left to for the Peace Chiefs to rule. I hope. I live in hope. I leant many years ago that for the world to change I must change first and then I learnt that there really isn't an “I”. But I still care when I see my fellow humans dying like they do.

So when I got up this morning the World News from last night was still with me. I cried. I felt the suffering of my fellow man and woman. I cried and a I cried and I cried.

This ladies and gentlemen is why I choose not to own a TV. Not because I want to turn a blind eye to the what is going on but because I never ever want to grow apathetic to what is going on around me. And TV ladies and gentlemen is a medium for spreading apathy amongst the crew of spaceship earth.

It aint called an idiot box for nothing !!!