* Nihilist Lakeland Poets.
It has become apparent that the world is filling up with nihilistic lakeland poets or Wordsworth Nothing for short. I'm told there was a time when such phrases as 'my word is my bond', etc, were used and meant. This has been replaced by a new phrase 'that was then.'. This is usually said with a sad weary shake of the head to indicate how experience has made the speaker a wiser man. Today peoples commitment has a short timescale. This has gone hand in hand with the 'someones fault but not mine' culture where we no longer have to suffer the results of our decisions. For example I saw a credit card holder who had spent way beyond his means on his credit cards blaming the credit card company, they lent him the money so he automatically assumed he could afford it.
This 'that was then' culture has spread everywhere. I guess that writes-off French Existentialism as a philosophy for today. The idea of making a free commiment in order to live an authentic life is well, f**ked. Lucky if you can get a commitment to meet at an agreed destination.
It seems obvious to me we need people to wear badges showing there 'That was then' limit, e.g. 2yrs 11 months. Then we can all get a handle on how nihilistic our poets are. The days when a bankrupt worked to pay off his debt as a matter of honour are well gone. Now going bankrupt is a life choice (whatever that means).
Still its good to know whose going to let you down its everybody, that simplifies things a bit. It reminds me of a rock song my uncle was fond of by Thin Lizzy called 'Don't believe a word'. Read the lyrics is that prophecy or what?