A dog's life in Colombia

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

OK, I must make an important declaration first. I'm not a pet lover. This isn't to say I'm anti-pets. I've no problem with them as long as I've little-to-no involvement when it comes to their care and attention.

Scene of the crime: Not the culpable dog in the picture, though!

It's the same way I feel towards children, really. Sure, I can interact with both children and pets for a while, safe in the knowledge that they're not my responsibility.

Dirty, rotten mongrel

So it does bug me quite a bit when pet owners appear to force their love for their balls of fur on me. In the same way that I dislike public displays of affection between couples, I don't want to see apparently grown-up folk being all lovey-dovey with their "best friend" and practically insisting that I feel the same way towards the "adorable" mongrel.

Yes, I'm using terms associated with dogs because it's mostly those canine creatures that I'm referring to here.

Now I must say that, traditionally, I've never been much of a cat lover either. In fact, in the past, I'd always say I preferred dogs to cats. However, these days I appreciate the more independent and, largely, not-bothered, selfish nature of cats. Dogs, on the whole, tend to be so much more demanding, not to mention noisier.

Nonetheless, even if a particular dog owner thinks his/her mutt is the greatest on the planet — they all think this way, don't they? — as long as he/she is a responsible, respectful owner then I'm OK with that.

It's with those who are anything but responsible that I have, um, quite the bone to pick.

Similar to how they probably raise any children they might have, these self-proclaimed animal lovers allow their fleabag to roam the land unrestrained. Should said fleabag inflict damage on an innocent passerby, they either deny that it was their bundle of joy who did it or blame the victim for provoking the incident.

'Impunity reigns supreme here. When it comes to looking for support from the Colombian state, indifference is the default reaction.'

It was the latter stance that was taken with me after a dog bit my left calf muscle, drawing blood in the process. 'Why are you walking around here?' 'Eh, it's a public road, I have a right to be here as much as anyone. Why can't you control your dog or put a muzzle on it?'

'Only our dogs run free'

Cue the typical Colombian response when confronted by a foreigner. 'It's none of your business, it's how we do things here. If you don't like it, don't come around these parts.'

In mitigation, the man who responded thus had, it seemed, the same number of cells in his brain as the average person has on the nail of their little finger.

The children who were with the dog when it bit me were more understanding. Perhaps there is hope for the future, although this thoughtful side to them will most likely disappear. The dominant culture of taking no responsibility for one's actions is sure to shine through.

I would, of course, have been within my rights to report the incident to authorities, especially with the general lack of remorse shown. Experience has taught me, though, that this is an utter waste of time.

Impunity reigns supreme here. In the main, when it comes to looking for support from the Colombian state, indifference is the default reaction. Trust in officialdom to act as an impartial arbiter is practically non-existent.

In such an environment, little wonder a community spirit is generally lacking. It's self-interest first and foremost, sometimes followed by a strong loyalty to family. (For an academic discussion on Colombia's 'weak state, weak society' listen to this interview with the renowned British economist and political scientist, James Robinson.)

The net result is that nobody tends to feel safe. It's every man, woman and child for him/herself. Only the dogs seem to truly run free. And Álvaro Uribe Vélez, to a lesser extent albeit.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Along came a virus

@wwaycorrigan

The following is perhaps a sign that coronavirus has finally got the better of me, mentally that is (although some will say I've been having issues in my head that predate this pandemic). Covid-19 gets you one way or another, I guess.

Whatever the case, I've tentatively dipped into the world of poetry — if the three short verses penned below can be classed as a poem.

You can decide that. For an audio version of Along came a virus, click here.

Along came a virus

Ignored it could no longer be.
An alluring carefree independence,
Now filled my air with resplendence.
'Mind those ill winds, those pastures new,
That aren't quite so green in hue.'
It mattered nought, counsel I'd not sought.
'Twas all wrought
Before there came a virus.

Of my life, I'll take control.
No more the system's slave, on my terms I shall engage,
This is working for our age.
Suffering, it can't be defeated,
But best to toil alone than to be mistreated.
The time's right, no fool I'll delight.
I had the fight,
Till along came a virus.

Measures now must be obeyed.
Submit ourselves, it won't last long,
Yet as time goes on, hope seems all but gone.
'It's for the best, we'll come out stronger,
We just have to stay in it a bit longer.'
Empty words, follow the herd.
The future spurned
When along came that virus.

Sign of the times.

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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Hardening the hands and strengthening the mind with an honest day's work

 @wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

'A hen can sit still and earn a living, a man can't.' Thus ran one of the "jokey" signs that hung in our family kitchen back in the day.

Wrong Way Corrigan trasteos: From truck to tabletop, more or less.

It fitted, indeed fits, well with the traditional model where the man goes out to work — to do "real" work with his hands, that is. 

For the likes of my father, born in early 1940s rural Ireland, such thinking ran deep. Physical labour outside the home was where it was at (let's conveniently skip over the fact that many housework chores require plenty of elbow grease, too).  

Soft hands

However, as has long been the case but even more so these days, it's the man or woman sitting relatively still, staring into a screen, who invariably makes a better living than those engaged in employment that is more physical in nature.  

For the majority of my working life, I've very much been in the former camp: the soft-hands brigade (minus any significant payment).

Nonetheless, I don't shy away from donkey work when the opportunity presents itself. 

In fact, with the adage 'a change is as good as a rest' in mind, I largely relish the chance to get my hands dirty these days. (No doubt it's also a case of 'what's seldom is wonderful' — not-so-fond memories of long, tiring days shovelling concrete during summer holidays from university help to keep things in their proper perspective.)

So it was with an amount of enthusiasm that I agreed to lend my modest lifting force for two recent substantial house moves, or trasteos as they call them in Colombia. 

Over a year of pandemic-induced monotony also has to be factored in. Anything that breaks the routine right now is largely welcome.  

While it might be a stretch to say these were wholly invigorating experiences, they certainly gave me a boost.

'I've always struggled to understand those who drive or take public transport to go relatively short distances and then pay for gym membership to run on a treadmill that goes nowhere.'

This is not to say I've been living a largely sedentary existence of late. The Google Maps record of my monthly movements, which isn't the whole story, shows I cover a minimum of eight kilometres per day on foot, plus another few kilometres by bicycle from time to time (I prefer power walking to cycling, especially considering the chunky bike I inherited isn't really made for speed).

The reason the house-moving work made me feel particularly good was, I figure, due to the novelty of it together with the need to use physical force to meet a clear, specific end. I felt I was doing something useful — and appreciated by others — with an immediate goal in sight.

Running to stand still

Digging more deeply into this, it ties in with my tendency to think in the short term. It's why, I guess, I've never been a big fan of going for runs or hitting the gym 'just because'. 

I generally like to see an immediate return when engaging in an activity. 'What's the benefit, the point of this, in the here and now?' It also explains why I prefer to play a game of football or whatever rather than just practise for it.

Of course, a slight change of mindset is all that's needed for me to view the likes of regular running in the same light. Rather than seeing it as mere 'running for running's sake' I could take a different approach, where I tell myself I'm achieving something tangible at the moment of action.

In fairness, this is what I do with my walking. If I have an engagement that's inside a 10-kilometre radius of where I am, I'll usually go on foot, should time allow, of course.

It's why I've always struggled to understand those who drive or take public transport to go relatively short distances and then pay for gym membership to run on a treadmill that goes nowhere. Why not just walk or cycle to the places you have to go to when going about your daily business?

That aside, all this just underscores why the 8-6 monotonous office job is not for me. Even though I see the benefit of routine, I enjoy having variety in what I do, variety that includes an amount of regular movement.

Old school this might be, but earning a living sitting still for the most part just doesn't sit well with me.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

 

Swimming against the Big Tech tide

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]
I recently wrote about how Big Nanny State has facilitated a tendency amongst some in society to forego growing up and taking responsibility. 'Leave everything up to me, little ones. Simply submit, follow the rules, however arbitrary many may seem, and off with you to enjoy your highly regulated lives.'

The QR-code revolution: Wrong Way is not a fan.

Virtual reality

Cosily tucked up with Big Nanny State in her warm global bed is Big Tech, monitoring everything from our sleeping patterns and what we eat for breakfast to our favourite pastimes and guilty pleasures. While this might appear a rather clandestine undertaking, the reality is, it isn't.

The virtual world that practically all in higher-income countries plus the middle classes elsewhere have signed up to with countless usernames and passwords means we have voluntarily — or at least it was voluntarily initially — invited Big Tech and its associates into our lives. And while some folk seem fairly blasé about this, there does appear to be pushback fomenting in other quarters.

The question is, shy of a system overthrow or a complete retreat from society, how does one go about living in the 21st Century whilst endorsing minimalist technological use?

Unless you're already a "made" man, woman or whatever you wish to call yourself these days, not having the likes of WhatsApp and/or an email account together with being connected to the internet 24/7, leaves you at a distinct disadvantage. And even if you are comfortably settled on Easy Street, this doesn't mean you can effortlessly free yourself from Big Tech's dominance.

Many services, from the world of finance to dining and everything else in between, now expect the user to be equipped with a smartphone — a device that tends to sap any modicum of intelligence from said user.

'In the pandemic pandemonium where each fellow human being is seen as a Grim Reaper, QR-code menus take away one potential area of contagion.'

All of this is supposedly being done in the name of convenience. Fair enough, if you can do everything from the comfort of your own home or wherever, there's something to be said for that. However, when it's done to the detriment of being able to actually sit down and talk to somebody face to face should the need arise, while I'm all against it.

A mine of information

Just one manifestation of this — something that, thankfully, rarely affects me in my modest existence in Colombia — is the switch to QR-code menus and suchlike in restaurants. Some people think this is a wonderful development.

For one, in the pandemic pandemonium where each fellow human being is seen as a Grim Reaper, it takes away one potential area of contagion: the handling of reused menus. It also cuts down on paper by reducing the need for said menus, therefore, so it goes, it's good for the environment.

Both of those "plus points" are true, but one's smartphone doesn't exactly run on fresh air, does it? Plus, outside of its component parts — including those lithium batteries, mined in ethically questionable ways, to say the least — it has to be recharged regularly.

Speaking of mining, in places where you actually order electronically, how much personal information is hammered out of us in the process? Another aspect to Big Tech's perpetual profiling.

In the realm of finance, so far my bank in Colombia, Banco Caja Social, hasn't forced me to go fully mobile. Indeed, in some regards, this particular institution is too archaic and overly bureaucratic. Nonetheless, when it comes to money, you can't be too careful all the same.

In contrast, the only bank I currently do business with in Ireland, Bank of Ireland UK in Belfast, more or less forced me recently to download its app in order to continue having access to my account. Come on guys, there are only so many apps a bog-standard smartphone can hold!

The net result of this 'move to mobile' is that it leaves us at the mercy of a faceless Big Tech. Technology is the master. To borrow, in a way, from Winston Churchill, 'Never has so much power been in the hands of so few, controlling so many.'

Call me, if you will, a contrarian conservative fearful of what amounts to nothing more than innocent and innovative change.

However, in a world where we are ceding more and more of whatever independence we had to faceless forces, I will do what I can to resist, at least for a little while longer. It will, most likely, be a futile exercise.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".