Life Is But a Dream, a Bad One.

Today has been a nightmare of a day for several reasons, not least the appearance of a clearly erroneous £99 debit item on my credit card statement. (And as irritating as it is, the £99 in itself isn’t the major nightmare. The major nightmare is the process of trying to get something done about it and the consequential problem which follow in its wake.) But no more on the boring details; the point I want to make is this:

1. It seems to me that the business of life is being increasingly dominated and determined by the banks and the corporate giants, and such organisations take a very narrow view of the world. They’re interested in their own affairs, not the affairs of the world and its people in general.

2. The business of life is also being increasingly run by reliance on technology, and in particular the internet.

3. Put these two together, along with all the ancillary issues which come with them, and it’s hardly surprising that the process of living life is becoming ever more complex. With increasing complexity comes an increase in personal stress levels, as well as greater potential for malfunctions, errors and fraud.

So how long is this going to continue, and is there anything we can do about it on an individual level?

In terms of the second question, I suppose we can all take responsibility for adding our own personal weight to holding back the flow, but it comes at a price. (Example from today: ‘What’s your banking security number?’ I’ve never been given a banking security number. ‘Oh. In that case, do you have an online account with us?’ No. I see no reason to have one. I only have a credit card with you, the internet isn’t exactly 100% reliable, and I don’t join clubs – especially those incorporated primarily for the benefit of banks and big businesses – unless I absolutely have to. ‘I see, then I will have to ask you a number of questions, and if you answer any of them incorrectly we will be unable to help you further.’ And all this from a woman in an Indian call centre who is perfectly adroit and personable, but whose accent is so difficult to follow that I’m only getting about one word in every five and have to guess the rest. It’s one of the means by which banks make bigger profits.)

As for the first question, I imagine the trend will continue to roll on unabated until the juggernaut runs out of control and crashes. If and when that happens – and I imagine it will one day unless climate change screws everything up first – I truly hope that I’ve gone to a heaven of my own creation. As I said in an earlier post, today’s young people are welcome to the turbulence, much as I sympathise with them.