OPINION: Five weeks of hell await – stop and smell the roses.

A huge thank you to Truth Reporter for submitting this article.

Well folks, we’ve been given an election. I suppose we’re meant to be grateful. Already the talking heads have begun spewing their lines, the political commentariat are busy analysing those lines and writing more of their own.

I do not plan to launch into a detailed break down of plans for tactical voting, safe seats, swing seats… all that you will receive in spades. All I can do is emphasise one point, when you vote you’re making a statement of who you believe in, who represents your views and your wishes.  Give that vote to the person or party who best represents you – at least then you can walk away from the ballot box knowing you’ve participated in the democratic process, if your candidate wins so much the better, if they do not then you still took part and you accepted the result with good grace. 

Resist the doomsayers and the fearmongers who tell you that if this person or that person becomes Prime Minister then we’re all doomed, these people are trying to rule our lives with fear every day. I feel very sorry for people who get swept up in all this, their lives become so full of the struggle to push their viewpoint and influence the result that they miss all the great things outside of this process which will always be there whoever comes out victorious on Friday the 13th… 

I have developed a plan to get through this period, I’ve turned off my twitter account – I’m mostly banned these days as I don’t mince my words on that platform. I am watching no mainstream news at all. I have found recently that UNN is adequate for my needs as I prefer to hear the news from people I have respect for and trust in. 

My other strategy is to follow the example of some other pretty special people. Having given up broadcast TV and paying for a TV licence years ago I have found people on YouTube who teach, share and disseminate knowledge without bias and with a true sense of public spirit, genuinely sharing their passion for their subjects.  Not everyone will be interested in the channels I watch but just to show how good they are I am going to describe my favourites.

1. AvE – Is a Canadian man who doesn’t share his real name or face but what he does do is take the mystery out of all things mechanical. He’s said to be a mining engineer although few know for sure. His channel is funny, informative, non-PC and fascinating.  https://www.youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil
2. Big Clive – takes cheapo electronic devices to bits and explains in detail how they work, if you’ve ever thrown away a device because it’s broken, he can probably show you how to fix it.   https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom
3. Maximus Ironthumper –  Lives off grid on his 5 acre patch in the West Country, he mends, he makes do, he grows his own vegetables and generally gets by on a shoestring while building a fairground organ on the back of a cold war era Russian truck. If it sounds mad then you’re probably right but it’s fun to watch – and very informative. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5iNSo8ml7fq31t3K6m5Vgw
4. Louis Rossman – Mends Macbooks. Sounds very dull, until you listen to his banter and his dislike of greedy corporate America. This man has built a successful business by being honest in a market where everyone wants to con you.  https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup

The one common theme that you’ll see if watching these people is that they are busy getting on with what they do. You won’t hear them agonise about politics, they’re busy making, mending and getting on with it. None of them place much faith in the ‘system’ and has seen that you can do better by just being good at something productive where people value YOU for what YOU can do rather than being a person who ‘supports’ a particular view. None of these YouTubers cares about what other people think of them they set out their stalls and people either buy or walk away. That’s how the real world works.

The point of today’s piece is that being ‘informed’ is great but there is a lot to be said for being skilled and resourceful in your own right. The politicians will promise you all sorts of things in return for your vote, but we can increasingly see why – because you’re giving them a ‘job’ which requires no physical hardship and has huge rewards, no wonder they’ll do anything to stay on those green benches.

My advice is to kick back and let the politicians’ squabble – take up a hobby, get good at something, acquire skills – stop and smell the roses. There will be ALWAYS be politics to squabble over – don’t burn yourselves out.

UNN Opinions

Opinions from the Unity News Network (UNN) editorial team & various contributors. | UNN always clearly distinguishes between news and opinion pieces and as an open minded outlet we publish views from a variety of people and organisation that do not necessarily reflect the views of UNN or its writers. Articles published under UNN Opinions are always opinion pieces and if published on behalf of a contributor will contain that authors name at the start of the piece.