Sunday 18 September 2011

Observation Is An Old Man's Memory

'Observation is an old man's memory,' said Jonathan Swift.

Well quite possibly, but it is one of the pleasures of life. Seeing things. Noticing something different. Knowing what is going on in life.  That's all part of the excitement of observing the things around you and it's a key part of one's life, particularly when you are a bus driver and spend so much time on the road.

Some would call it nosiness. I'd like to call it progressive knowledge collection and an ability to comprehend the environment where you live and work.

That sounds like a load of bat guano, but I do believe observing things can make things more fun. Take this 'For Sale' sign I saw in a local town. Quite innocuous usually, but when balloons are tied to it, it inspires some thought.

Is it about to be sold? Is it a marketing tool to try to attract potential buyers in this stagnant market? Is the house owned by a magician? Or is there a children's party taking place? It could be something else.


And look at this sign in the children's playground. the teenagers have taken the words literally and splattered it with mud. Open for fun. For sure - the youths have obviously thought.

Underneath the playground sign was a window. Inside were the offices of the local youth club. They had posted a sticker in the window which advertised 'Free Condoms' The window, as you will see has been painted in mud and looking like a Braques abstract painting.

Now either the condoms were no good, or there was an unlikely explosion of artistic talent. The real reason was probably boredom. An analyst would have many questions.

The powers of observation. Utterly useless really, but interesting. I feel I know the true psyche of the local area where I.  That can be good and bad.



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