Shouts From Down Under

What will you give in exchange for your ...... text message?

There are writers. There are children. Mums. Dads. Grandparents. Friends. Relatives. Acquaintances.

There are strangers we've never met. Orphans. Adopted children. Criminals. Snooker players. There are sheep shearers. Computer programmers. There are hungry people. Soldiers. People all over the world in different settings, different stations, status, stimulation and stamina.

But with everyone, no matter who, we all share some basic stuff that cannot be changed, and cannot be avoided. No one escapes. Some things like this are obvious, yes.

Death. Taxes. Mistakes. Stupidity. A long list of things that everyone does or has happen to them, things that are universally recognised as being common to humans.

Yes, lots of dads and their sons.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3255777/Sydney-father-furious-son-s-grav...

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/10/01/16/22/queensland-father-and-son-film...

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/10/01/14/37/john-giannasca-avoids-jail-tim...

People do lots of different things in life, and writers are involved in all of these activities. We buy and sell, marry and eat pizza. Sell our car for a lot less than we paid for it. Buy new shoes. Clean a public area of graffiti.

We sell things. Such as this property in Tasmania. We call some places strange names. Like Falmouth.

http://www.domain.com.au/for-sale/25c-morrison-street-falmouth-tas-7215-20123029...

We all attempt the impossible at times. There's no shame in admitting humans love challenge. I'm convinced that most wars begin because folks just plain got bored. (hate the word got)

We all attempt the impossible, even though we see others come to embarrassing grief.



But there is one thing that really is impossible, and yet we are still tempted to try to do it. Here is something that humans the world over do have in common.

None of us can text on our phones and drive. Don't kid yourself. There are bad writers. There are bad people at a lot of things.

But this genre, that of sms messaging on our phones, while momentarily ignoring the road we are driving upon, along with half the population and their loving families crammed into the approaching people mover van, or the truckie with his driving light laden bull bar bolted on the front of the Kenworth T908. Imagine. Nobody wins at this form of writing.

And plenty of people lose. What do these authors lose? Well, next time, listen carefully when you witness someone weeping. I mean really crying. You know the one. That crying when they don't, cannot, care who's watching. That weeping when they sob those wracking deep torso shakers, when you know the person is unbearably injured on the inside. They are physically hurting from mental pain, and their heart is breaking. Oh yes, you've probably heard this type of weeping. It happens at funerals. You hear it at hospitals. Sometimes you may hear it at airports, when terrible news breaks about a plane that never arrived.

It is a dreadful sound, and I'd gladly give a million dollars to take the sound away. Especially when it comes out of your own mouth and eyes.

Don't write your last short story, while driving.





Sparky