It’s 8.15 on Tuesday night as I start to write this post, it could be some time before I finish it, I have no idea, but I wanted to make a start after a couple of comments I have heard in the last few days, one which I relate to and a subject I feel very strongly about, the other gave me more of a ‘disbelief’ reaction, but then I suppose the first did a little bit too, so here goes:
I can’t remember where I heard the first, but I took note of it to remind me, and it was – ‘As a scientist, I know how bad the future looks, as a Mother’…….. and it was here I stopped and wondered if my hearing was alright? I don’t know what was added, as that was enough to stop me.
I have said we all have the right to be a parent as I am one, an accident yes, the best accident ever – definitely, but originally a decision made based on a good lifestyle and not wanting to spoil what we had, both then, and in the future. Selfish maybe, however, everyone’s own choice, and that’s the one we made. Our decision was nothing to do with today’s society and the problems facing our planet, however, if I were trying to decide whether to start a family nowadays, the answer would definitely be no, and society and the planet would be my reasons, irrelevant of my lifestyle and my parental instincts!
If you have read my posts, you will know I don’t hold out a great deal of hope for us humans, and this is the reason why
So I have to say the ‘scientist’ comment did not make sense to me. We have to assume a clever and well-educated scientist knows how bad the future looks and still wants to bring children into this world, and I’m afraid I do not understand this at all.
There will be billions of people worldwide, who know nothing about the world and our planet, and many of these won’t care anyway; they will just naturally want to have families and will do so not caring. But when you know how bad things might get in the future, a future that your children will be a part of, certainly your grandchildren will be, and you still want to have children, I have to ask why? Is it your selfishness that makes you want to be a parent because it is the only reason I can think of and don’t get it? I couldn’t find the article on an internet search, and how I wish I had listened to it all, but either way, that is what she said.
So a change and writing about the fuel crisis mean I could sit here all night and probably still be going at breakfast tomorrow, because to me, it is the silliest situation we have seen in some time, and that includes the panic for toilet rolls last year!
It all started with the media covering a story that a few petrol stations had run out of fuel, and that was it, not a fuel shortage, a delivery issue. All hell broke loose, and within two days, we had queues of drivers draining petrol stations dry. The crisis is now bad because every driver in Britain has refuelled simultaneously, which we don’t normally do. It doesn’t matter that some MP’s have been on the TV telling us everything is fine. It doesn’t matter that fuel suppliers tell us that there is ample fuel at the refineries ready to be delivered. Nor does it matter that they tell us that there is sufficient fuel to go round if everyone just carries on as normal.
Some and quite a lot of the public would rather believe it is all doom and gloom, and we have to panic, but what good does it do us? I want to go to see my Father in Scotland at the weekend, he’s in hospital receiving radiotherapy, but I doubt I can go, as it would be irresponsible to go and get stranded. More so because my wife’s employers have changed a face to face managers meeting in Derby on Wednesday to a zoom meeting because of the crisis at the pumps.
We didn’t run out of toilet paper last year, did we, and remember these scenes, we panicked, and after a while, we just went about our ways, and life returned to normal, so what is the difference between toilet paper and petrol when it comes to shopping, as I don’t see any. If I started rumours the world was running out of beans tomorrow, would sales go through the roof? Maybe like this photo, it becomes a new sales promotion method. It’s just a pity the second one won’t work either.
But who has created the crisis? Well, the media have to take the blame. I think it’s called sensationalism. Synonyms are ‘exaggerated,’ ‘scandal,’ & ‘melodrama’ amongst others, so I guess you get the picture. The media wants dramatic news to get as many viewers as possible, and by doing so, they do not think about the consequences. These ones will no doubt be affecting their own employee’s, but when it comes to viewing figures, in my opinion, they don’t care.
So once the flames are lit, we need to add fuel, and so the media lit the flames, and the public has added the fuel (no pun intended.) We see people filling up with jerry cans, and before we jump on the criticising bandwagon, we don’t know their circumstances, we don’t know their job, or personal situation, but yes, it is very frustrating to see. So why do we do it? Well, we panic, or like this woman, we become sheep and follow the crowds. And the second comment I couldn’t believe was, ‘I’m only queueing because everyone else is.’ Sorry but no wonder we have problems. If everyone else was jumping off a bridge into a fast-flowing river, I wonder if she would have joined in there too?
There are people emptying water bottles at the pumps to fill them with petrol, and we have people queueing with the others (according to BBC Radio 2, if it’s to be believed) to put £1.69 worth of fuel in their car – why? It’s about a quarter of a gallon and not worth queueing for. We have the jerry can fillers, we have the queue jumpers, we have people physically fighting, and we have all sorts making this situation quite pathetic and worse than it needs to be.
So, the media have lit the flames, we have added the fuel to the flames, and I need to ask who will put the fires out. My first question here is, where is Boris Johnson while all this goes on? Has anyone seen him? When there is a national crisis like this, we need leaders to be standing up, not just MP’s, but PM’s, every night if necessary and telling the people what to do, and at the moment what not to do – as in don’t panic. Maybe Corporal Jones could help out here and possibly be of more help?
We also need the retailers to be doing more. Why not limit people to maybe £30, £40 or £50 worth of fuel? Perhaps it would help, but it would stop people from putting five and ten jerry cans down to fill up and annoy people. If they want to go to two or three separate garages to fill up their cans, then let them, but at least it would stop people getting annoyed and frustrated. Control entry to the stations as happened at my local on Sunday, and avoid the queue jumping and fights and arguments. Or another suggestion I heard today, only let people fill up if they have a quarter tank or less. If you have more than a quarter tank, you have enough for a couple of days (supposedly.)
But here is the difficult bit, we are all different. Just like my reason for starting this page, when it comes to anxiety and mental health issues, we are all different, both in how it affects us and how we deal with it, so is our need for fuel. We all need different amounts for various reasons. We all have different jobs. I heard a school teacher had booked a B&B near his school as their commute was 60 miles a day, and they wouldn’t take any chances on running out or not getting any fuel.
But in my opinion, the biggest problem we have is the ‘not having’ any, I think today’s euphemism is FOMO, and to me, that plays a big part in today’s society, like the driver putting £1.70 worth of fuel in their car – ‘MUST HAVE FULL TANK AT ALL TIMES’ situation. But truth be known, when it comes to anxiety, I would never have a fear of missing out on that one; I would have gladly! And with fuel, if I can’t get any this week, my car will be parked on the drive, and it will stay there until life returns to normal. I refuse to drive around at 2.00am and follow tankers looking for fuel.
So I’m here writing about possible solutions to a problem that should not be there in the first place, and I even wonder why I am doing this, but it is today’s news, it has been since last week and will be all this week too. But those in charge need to do more, and they need to be getting a message across to the nation and the people they lead. It certainly doesn’t help when one of our leading broadcasters runs a programme discussing all our shortages, starting with showing empty shelves and fuel station queues. People see this and panic; an image gets a very strong message across, they don’t have to listen to the story that goes with it.
Many people will often see the negative side of these stories and panic, so the trend starts. How about they lead with positive stories and aspects of these issues. I mean, was there a fuel shortage last Tuesday because I don’t think there was, and what has changed in a week – nothing? Except that is, the press has got hold of this, none more so than the BBC; even when FOMO takes over, we can still have a laugh.
As I finish this on Wednesday, I have done so quicker than expected. But today, as I drove through Birmingham, the city of roadworks, I was astonished to see drivers sitting at closed petrol pumps, waiting for a fuel delivery, and it was actually quite sad to see. More so because when I got closer to home, I drove straight into a petrol station, straight onto an empty pump and filled up, in the hope that the fuel situation will become normal in Scotland over the weekend and I can go and see my Father.
Thanks for reading, and stay safe.