the coffee classes....

.... the banality of life returns once more.....as I stood there beclothing myself in readiness for another day on the hamster wheel of work, I was listening to an article on Radio 4. Essentially, it was merely some nomark prattling on about how in England, we no longer mark class as, working~middle~upper class, but more how we spend our money. He used our choices of coffee shop to "redefine" our class.....and worse still he's written a book about it.... I know you shouldn't judge a book by the article covered on Radio 4, let alone by it's cover, but I can't even be arsed to find out the actual name of the book [they did say the name on Radio 4 but my ears had glazed over by this point]. But this book to me, has of all the hallmarks of......so what ?

So it got me thinking, if I am going to recommend to people not to waste their time reading a book, of who's title I cannot remember, I should therefore recommend a book worth reading of who's title I can remember........so what is it you might wonder.......well......... there are some fab books I can name.......but one resonated in my brain more than most today...... Listening to the banality of our choices of what coffee shop I should aspire too, there must surely be something more meaningful about life....surely there must...there is isn't there ?

Well last night I watched Brian Cox on BBC2 hoping he would explain to me the meaning of life, in his wonders of life new series...... now don't get me wrong, BC is a great orator with his wonder and marvel at everything he sees, but somehow I don't think he got the message across...the answer could still be 42..... but then later on BBC 1 there was the very disturbing narration of Henia Bryer, telling her story, said without anger or hate, how as a Polish Jew, she described her journeys through 4 death camps including Auschwitz and finally ending at Bergen-Belsen......

For my BoD, I was looking for my copy, as there was a particular section I wanted to quote....but I couldn't find my copy, but I do have another quote from the book which says more than enough....whether it be the story of Henia Bryer.....or this guy

[my eldest daughter, who knows nothing of my blog, sent me the link to this video* this morning..... was she reading my mind ?]

So the quote is this:

The first thing we need to find, said Mr Golan, is a reason to live.

..........

Without a reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose: to be able to endure the pain of life with dignity; to give us a reason to continue. The meaning must enter our hearts, not our heads. We must understand the meaning of our suffering.

So with that in mind do I give a rats arse what coffee shop class I am ......nah....not on your nelly.....

And my BoD ?...... it is ........ When God was a Rabbit

I am very lucky to have 2 daughters who introduce me to new things, whether it be books, videos, funny moments, sad moments.....and music....and so whilst my eldest reminds me of a story I told her from a few years back, my youngest introduces me to more great new music...so to accompany my BoD here is my SoD.....

*[When my eldest sent me an email with the link to the video she said this.....Just goes to show that sometimes it isn't just time and other times, it is (am thinking of the incident in Felixstowe where the driver died and the passenger survives)......

{ this was a  story I had told her about when she was perhaps about 12 years old or so......}

........a few years back, I was decorating at home on a Saturday afternoon listening to the radio {such is the memory, I can even say I was decorating the landing, standing on some step ladders} and listening to the local radio and the news report said that the road into Felixstowe was closed as a motorist had been killed. At the time it was just another sad news report, but little did I realise that when I got into work on the Monday morning, I would be investigating the death of the driver.....Martin O'Sullivan was his name......what happened was Mr O'Sullivan and his wife were heading to the shops and Mr O'Sullivan was driving their BMW car. As they negotiated a roundabout, a container truck along side them, overturned and fell on to the BMW. The car was crushed along the centre line and Mrs O'Sullivan got out of the passenger side virtually unscathed.....Mr O'Sullivan did not....how does that work ? ....why did  Henia Bryer survive....why did the Chinese motorcyclist survive, and why did Mr O'Sullivan not survive....well I know this much....it had bugger all to do with what coffee shop they frequented....oh the banality of life !]