About Tony
Tony writes:
“I’m a retired IT project manager, Australian, but native of UK for over thirty years, living in East Midlands with wife and daughter. Now trying to write poetry & SF stories, draw & paint and take/improve/alter/mutate my own photographs.”
Tony’s website: www.tonylinde.com
• One thing that’s always worth getting out of bed for
As a depressive, the overwhelming temptation is to stay in bed. And being retired makes this possible so I need to set reasons to get up. During this past April, I took on the challenge (for National Poetry Month via couple of websites) of writing a poem a day. This did seem to work, in that I found myself wanting to write the next poem and, since my notebook wasn’t by the bed, I had to get up. I’m now working on self-challenging myself in a way that will get me to write, revise and submit poems. So far, it seems to be mostly working.
• One thing about myself that often obstructs me
Following on from the previous question, I seem to be good at getting out of self-challenges. I often attempt more than I am capable of doing or expect to do things more quickly than is practicable. This leads to dissatisfaction and giving up. I suppose that my core obstruction is an ever-present compulsion to demonstrate to myself and others how useless I am: undoubtedly a hangover of my father’s view of me when young.
But I know that I can overcome this obstruction. I met most of my goals when working (admittedly with the help of people like Kona) and, best of all, I completed an MA in Philosophy with the OU a few years back. I’m sure that support from my wife and daughter were instrumental in the latter, as they will be in whatever I achieve in the writing and art fields.
• One thing I’ve learned the hard way
I’m not sure there is an easy way to learn anything, is there? I suppose I’ve learned how easy it is to have all your expectations overturned, to have loved ones snatched away or consumed by ill health and I suppose those lessons came to me earlier than might have been expected. Maybe some of this has led to my depressive state but, if I have realised one big thing, it is that we humans are animals, organic creatures subject to all the vicissitudes of the universe outside and the bubbling, struggling bits of tissue inside us. If there are any gods then their visitation of sentience on us is proof of a wickedly evil sense of humour.
The other thing I’ve learned is that none of this is going to change for the better so you might as well laugh when you can at whatever you can.
• One thing that gets under my skin
Above all else, injustice. There is much of it in the world but I reserve a special detestation for that which is doled out by the supposedly rich, comfortable, educated and liberal Western world.
• One thing I’d love to change
It would be nice to flick a switch and turn off people’s gullibility about religion. I don’t think this would solve all the world’s problems nor am I naive enough to think that it wouldn’t raise some more but I do think that religion causes significantly more problems that it ameliorates. Not only does the divisiveness of the variant religions foster (and fester) hatred and intolerance but I feel that the mindset of believing in the ridiculous makes it easier for people to believe myths about nationhood, race and all the other nonsense that hate-mongers like to spread.
• One thing I hope for
Apart from fixing all the foregoing issues? The same as any parent, I guess, that my daughter has a happy and successful life and that she outlives me! For myself, I hope I can produce some creative work that others value.
Also that I’ve not depressed too many people with these six things.
If I have, go check out some Fawlty Towers, Abbott and Costello or other comedy performances and give yourself space to have a good laugh at the world.