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Are we fiddling while Rome burns?

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  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    edited February 2022
    Pansy,I do solve others peoples problems,I am carer for my youngest son. Last week he had no water,he hates to bother people or ask. His brother and sister said they would have dropped him some off. He didn't ask.   When my grandson shielded 2020, my daughter couldn't get a delivery,I did a click and collect for her.As you know a year ago, (doesn't seem possible) I stopped shopping for an elderly friend, because of the bill run up. It's my nature to help whoever when ever possible.Its not just Putin,it's the university problems, cancelling people,you can't say anything to anyone these days,gender free toilets,and so on. I have a cousin, known him all his life. My late parents grandparents his late parents lived a few doors from each other, village in the 50s, never had any mental health issues ever,his wife had a breakdown a couple of years ago. Her physical symptoms were so serious,it was assumed she had cancer,It was stress. My cousin had a breakdown recently caused by bullying manager. He's been management level many years. 30 years ago manager for a big Tesco.  Definitely NOT  delicate little flower,has had to stop work.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    The last 2 years WFH  lark, have been a nightmare trying to speak to DWP GPs on behalf of my son. No water for a week, no problem,drink beer!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    A message from our local Ukraine aid planners:


    "Please please please don’t start collecting or trying to send material aid to Ukraine or neighbouring countries.  It is not needed. There are ALREADY mountains of wasted aid at the borders.

    This is a different type of refugee situation. So far they have been ‘overwhelmed’ with generosity from neighbouring countries. There are hundreds of NGOs already there and they are easily coping with everything. They also don’t need volunteers, except maybe doctors, but even that isn’t needed yet.

    If you want to help, send money to the local NGOs there, and work on political pressure.

    As always, some people jump into a ‘helping’ mode that isn’t helpful - it actually creates more problems. You will see various groups ‘collecting aid’ or calling out for blankets and similar. That doesn’t mean that aid is needed or wanted or will ever be properly used. Channel your wonderful desire to help, into  things that are actually helpful!"

     - - -
    I entirely agree. As with Grenfell and other kind appeals, the "help" often just hinders, because all the mountains of goods needs sorting, cleaning, storing, infrastructures for distribution, staff and other administration.  Much of the urge comes from panic and an understandable need to feel useful.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    @Nanny Beach listen to @pansyface.
    She's right.  :)
     
    You're just digging yourself an early grave. Graveyards are full of indispensable people.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Fairy,I can't stop being my son's carer. He didn't ring me demanding I arrive there and then. He asked when I was next "over". He has a filter jug in the fridge,makes a flask of boiling water, lets  it mellow, doesn't shower every day. He was unaware there was no water for several days. He finally found a neighbour in to ask.  He walked to all the supermarkets,which had sold out.Then he got into SE water online, they were giving out bottled water a 4 mile round trip walk. He rang them took over an hour to get through,there was a tanker in the park,he walked there to find it was empty within 15 minutes. My youngest daughter said she would have driven over,but she didn't know. During the first lockdown,my oldest worked in the town,took him food,and youngest daughter. We used to live there,a water main burst in our road,and we were told that 48 hour repair was how long they would consider "urgent". They "thought it was repaired" then it failed again. Youngest collected grandkids Friday,did detour on the way home. Gave him a dozen bottles of drinking and I sent containers from the water butts for flushing the toilet.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited February 2022
    I'm not talking about the people in your life who really need your help @Nanny Beach, and I doubt @pansyface is any different. 
    It's all the other things that you can leave to others that you need to assess - for your own sanity  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    It's always nice to know that if we avoid nuclear war there's still the existential threat of climate change to keep us awake at night :|https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/28/ipcc-issues-bleakest-warning-yet-impacts-climate-breakdown
    Germany announce an extra 100 billion Euros to be spent on defense when most countries are still under-spending on preventing climate change. At least this war is forcing Germany and others to bring forward their zero-carbon targets to free themselves or Russian fossil fuels.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I've got to stop looking at the news very five minutes  I look in the hope that things are getting better but it's worse every time. How can one man cause so much misery and destruction? 

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • HeliosHelios Posts: 232
    edited March 2022
    I don’t want to look but, like you, I can’t stop. There’s so much else I want to say but it would probably get deleted.
  • HeliosHelios Posts: 232
    Add to the above, stopping reading the news every spare minute. Hoping against hope that one man acting irrationally can by some miracle change.
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