The Ties That Bind

Before I start realise that a lot of what I am going to say is undeniably hypocritical but I don't care, it needs to be said.

Life rewards those who push boundaries, who take risks and are true to themselves. Most of the time anyway. More and more our lifestyles, our families and above all convention dictate the direction we take in life. I've begun to dislike Britain and especially London for the unrelenting grip it holds on our lives, those who refuse to conform are punished. Our civil liberties are slowly being eroded, but such is the British nation that its inhabitants sound little more than a whisper in defiance.

I think many would agree with me in saying that London is a difficult and stressful place to live, merciless and unrelenting. I see homeless on the street and wonder what their stories might be, of course I am not naive, drugs/alcohol etc are major causes but our government continues to be reactive when they should be tackling the issue proactively. Here is an interesting article on homelessness in London and just goes to show how government pressure on local councils produces less than accurate figures. Oh well, if the goverment says the figures are down then they must be down. It's the same story for hospitals too, failure to meet superbug figures means less funding for the council and in turn the trust. It is evident the motivation for the doctoring of these figures is great.

No doubt another factor that leads to people living on the streets is mental illness, but the government has another answer for this, it's favourite get out clause. Cannabis. Noone can deny by now that cannabis has the potential to exacerbate mental illness in the predisposed but it's in the paper every fucking day. Drugs are a huge problem in this country and i'm including alcohol in my definition, the question is what is driving people to this increased drug use. This is the question that the government needs to tackle and how can it be tackled while it remains both illegal and a taboo. The north Wales police commisioner was right to suggest the legalisation of drugs (heavily regulated of course). To be honest i'm surprised the goverment have thus far passed up the opportunity to implement a cannabis tax.

London tends to suffocate its inhabitants, unhappiness is rife and in order to escape people drink, smoke and inject themselves into oblivion. Of course, I speak of London because I am a Londoner but don't be fooled into thinking this is a unique case. Research has shown that towns recovering from the depression had significantly higher levels of alcohol consumption compared to more affluent areas.

So how does this relate to taking risks, pushing boundaries and being true to yourself. Well, I think too many of us think "this is it", when really life is what you make it. So get the fuck up off your couch, sober up and ask yourself what you want in your life and actually make a step towards making it happen, 1 step at a time.

Move the fuck out of London if you have to :)