That Insidious Apathy

I have remarked many a time on the apathy that defines the modern Irish polity. We can hardly get worked up about anything. We work hard, get taxed to death, but do not complain about it because we know our nation is in debt, not only national debt but debt irresponsible bankers burdened us with when our state bailed them out. National debt would have been worked off by now and the Internal Revenue service would have had no call to increase their vampiric stranglehold upon the common Irishman, hell not even them, it seems even our rich and successful aren't above it if the scandal of foreclosing on Target is anything to go buy. What's that? You have a company that can pay off its debts under a revised repayment scheme? Not anymore you don't!

The corruption of our officials and the almost supervillainous backroom scheming of the likes of our Health TD with regards to trying to revise a perfectly good constitution that not even subversive elements such as monarchists ever complain about, is enough to drive me back into one of my many introspective moments when I regard Ireland's history and place in the world.

And then I take a shot of Jamesons.

You know, when people refer to their 'Irishness' is what makes them depressed, they usually are referring to the strict social mores and religious conservatism that is depressing them and if we only removed that, our Irishness will be cured. I have a different Theory, the Irish are all natural poets. We see the truth of the situation as it is, but may have a skewed, idealistic or pessimistic view of how we got to where we are or where we are going. We see the world and we see Ireland for what it is right now, a third rate power that was lucky enough to be positioned in the first world. A nation with phenomenal potential for scientific, cultural, economic, religious and artistic expression and development. But it is a poisoned well, one where people see our potential but do not believe we are capable of it, worse, will never be capable of it. Its why we have so many West-Britons in the Irish Political and cultural establishment, its also why we have so many half hearted political support for, well, anything.

Take the gay marriage debate in Ireland for instance, you don't hear about it much. That's because either side, for one reason or another, can never seem to get worked up enough to actually fight for their own beliefs. Even so it is likely it may just be legalized by default. Its why the pro life movement in Ireland has to work extra hard, because even though the vast majority is actually warm to the idea of pro-life, almost no one is politically aware of attempts to legalize it and have Ireland fall into the dangerous social trap Britain fell into, and they didn't even fully legalize abortion!

We are a depressed nation, a dead thing floating down the river subject to its currents and motions and like a dead thing down the river, we will be washed ashore in the dark part of the forest like the rest of the detritus.

I really wish I did have something good to say or some insight in how to reverse this, into how to make people actually care about Ireland. or hell, about anything! I am a confessed cynic alot of the time but its a bad show if someone like me is actually more idealistic then the majority of my peers.