Watching the strikes with interest (online) today. I just thought I would repeat something my husband said last night. He has an eviable ability to see all sides of things and be extremely level headed and articulate in discussion. I wish I could say the same about myself!
In conversation, his mum was saying she didn’t see why the nurses deserved great pensions when other – private sector – workers didn’t get the same. She’s not against nurses per se, but from a personal point of view, with a husband who receives bugger-all pension, she struggles with it.
Dan turned it around and asked whether she couldn’t see it from the other point of view; it’s not bad that the nurses get more than some people, but it’s great that nurses get that, and it would be better if everyone else did too. I guess he’s pointing out that the annoyance is misdirected, and that it’s not strikers that are at fault but the massive imbalance of wealth. Maybe that sounds obvious to everyone else – but it made me think.
Same with artists? Frustration shouldn’t be directed at other artists but to somewhere more constructive, like getting stuck in and finding ways to improve things. Wise owl. I shall keep taking notes from him…
