I'm sat here listening to Maddona on the tv, and it occured to me..
Where is man's prediliction for dangerous things?
Everone seems to be obsessed with living forever and if not forever, then a good chunk of it.
We banned smoking anywhere that is warm when we are out and about and people are already making remarks like "Why do they have to smoke out here? Where are we supposed to sit out here? Why can't they smoke somewhere else? Blah, blah, blah)..
Soon it will be the turn of the common pint. Mark my words, in a few years - not to far from now, your beer will need to have etched on the glass, near the logo: BEWARE!!! ALCOHOL CAUSES YOU TO LOSE YOUR INHIBITIONS, CAUSES HEART CONDITIONS, FAILURE OF THE LIVER AND DEATH!!!!!
It will only be a short hop before they ban drinking in pubs (believe me - it will happen one day) and they will all be converted to curry houses, or into some pseudo-fashionable flats in the town centre..
Not convinced? Think about our forebears. There was nothing wrong with having a pint whenever you wanted, and if you go back a couple of hundred years, people drank nothing but tea and beer because the alcohol and boiling killed bacterial and viral contaminants.. But someone wanted their beer stronger and this lead to it's downfall, along with the fact that most people now operate some kind of machinery or other, even if is as simple as a car.
Beer used to be much weaker and people drank it all day, with few ill effects, (I'm sure I read somewhere that ships used to add some rum to the water barrels to help prevent it spoiling). Then people wanted it stronger and stronger. Now we see yoofs walking round wiv ther special brew etc..
They are drunk and cause trouble and people assume that it is the fault of the alcohol and blame that. (this is not a new idea, look up prohibition or league of temperance on the net).
But it is not the alcohol's fault, just as it is not a gun's fault if it's use kills people (yes, they're banned too).
People will do anything to shift the blame from themselves, or others like (or unlike) themselves.
The man who invented dynamite got a nobel peace prize.
This invention opened so many doors for the human race, the building of dams, digging of tunnels etc...
But, it was misused and then it had to be regulated, banned from the masses, allowable only for the select few chosen to be responsible enough.. Are you not responsible enough to account for your actions? Are you enough of a man (or woman) to hold your hand up and say " yes, it was me, I F**ked up"...
Of course not. No-one is. We are told all day that we are not responsible for our actions. We are told what to do and think in regard to this.
Got a speeding ticket? It's not your fault, you have a psychological condition that means you are more likely to break speed limits.
Murdered someone? That's fine, it must be your parents fault.. for.. some..reason??...
Which brings me back to the point. Beer and other delights don't have much longer left. They will slink off into the night, no longer acceptable by the people of the time.
What will follow? fatty foods? any machine that produces an exhaust? coffee and tea?
Do you care?
I do. That's why I still smoke, drink and enjoy my life. I get one shot, the same as you. No matter how long it is. I plan to spend as much of it as possible, not depriving myself of things that give me pleasure.
Oh, and as a final note, remember that most of the great exploration of the world was done by people who spent the day drinking, smoking and taking laudenum.. Perhaps that why we have lost the desire to explore. Being too busy worrying if broccoli may contain carcogens to go out and enjoy the time we have left....
