Optics and Reality

Optics and Reality ©

By

Michael Casey

When I left Pinsent Masons Law Firm over 10 years ago, and they really are very nice people by the way, I shared a piece called Nobel and Me. I had sent a farewell email to the folks, and one of the Lawyers and I think we had up to 400 in the building, or was that total staff? Anyway, one of the lawyers said he liked the piece of writing and good luck with my future and the writing. These past 10 years have been my busy time for the writing, and then I became a hausfrau, and my Health got bad, arthritis, heart bypass, tinnitus etc.

I am very very fortunate though as I’ve had my Golden Years with my daughters. My mother called the time my dad was made redundant and the decade they had the Golden Years. Five years ago, I could have ended up dead, and you would have all been spared my 1,600,000 words in total. So I’ve had 10 years with my daughters, and I’ve watched them grow up, and I’ve moulded their characters, no dad has had the time to interact with his kids as much as I have. So, I’ve been very lucky, though the kids may not think the same. I’ve also had time to write, though nowadays it’s all I really can do, and some of you may wish I’d stayed at Pinsents, or just wish the Grim Reaper got me 5 years ago. I was lucky, a neighbour of a similar age, also with 2 daughters at the same school as my girls, he died in his bed.

So, that’s the short version, and you will have gathered if you read my stuff, I really do hate Pretension. What you see is what you get. Ask Derek Willins if you like, he said it a bar, and he was getting the beers in, he was my boss, though he may deny it, being shamed and associated with me might dent his street credibility. I watch things and I get ideas, it’s over 20 years ago since Derek said that by the way, it was in my Market Research into Alcohol days, yes really, it was a real job, ask ACNielsen if you don’t believe me. I’ve flourished into a Writer, though you may use another W word. So what has this got to do with Optics and Reality? I’m just giving you some background, just as I should remind you I’ve watched too much tv and radio news, 50 years’ worth. If I had pocket money growing up maybe I’d have watched less tv and listened less to BBC Radio 4, which is the Internal World Service if you are an American reader.

Which brings me to Optics and Reality, maybe you should read LinkedIN Profile and CV before you continue. So I’ll assume you have and I’ll march on, like a Christian Soldier, Mr Watts my old Physics teacher was in the Salvation Army, I just remembered that, I can even remember his face and the 2^nd year classroom we were in once. See my brain is just a sewer, or a smoker’s chest full of phlegm. Maybe it’s the phlegm that keeps the Covid 19 out, not the nicotine.

One thing has one image, one picture, the desired picture, but the sad reality is far far different. You see me one way, but as you read you discover more. Don’t just look at one piece of the 1000 piece jigsaw, or even 10000 piece jigsaw. The same goes for Optics and Reality.

He is fat, he must eat to much, so he is greedy

In reality he has a medical condition

He smells, he must not wash, he’s a dirty old man, literally

In reality, he has kidney failure, goes to the bathroom 20 times a day

He is inconsiderate, he has the radio on loud all day and even at night

In reality, the Tinnitus is never ending, and seems louder at night

He makes a lot of noise at night, going to bathroom every 2 hours

In reality, his kidneys are destroyed, so he has to go to bathroom so often

He screams at night, he must be taking drugs or drink

In reality the sine curve of pain, comes and goes and hurts, really hurts

He gets up late, he’s so lazy

In reality some nights, he cannot get to sleep till 6 am or later or is it sooner

And on it goes, ignorance displacing unknown facts

But what about in the real big outside world

I’m a Stable genius

But where are the grades, hidden in Davie Jones locker

I have a gift for these things

A relative knows, he pretends to know by association

I’m a great businessman

But went bankrupt, was it 5 or 6 times, help me I cannot count, can you

I am generous, I have a Charity, I love our Vets so much

But a Judge made you return $2,000,000 dollars, and said you could not run any Charity

I’m so clever I had my own University

Which closed

People love me, somebody paid 1000s for a picture of me

You bought it yourself

I’m as respected as Abe Lincoln

So, you sit in front of his statue for the cameras,

 if Abe wasn’t set in stone he’d walk away

Under my Absolute Rule everything is booming

30,000,000 Unemployed, stock market tanking

Covid 19 is a HOAX

Millions infected, tens of 1000s dead

I never lie, it’s all Fake news

Too many lies, 18,000 and mounting

I could go on but you get the picture, lies, damn lies and statistics. Trump may even declare war on China, or then change his mind the very next day, and let democratic Taiwan be invaded. Trump loves a show, that’s all he is good at, SHOW, but running a circus is not the same as running a country. Boasting about winning a Nobel Prize, is just too stupid for words. It also is where I began this piece. Nobel read his own obituary, and he was so filled with shame that he changed and started the Prize.

Will Trump be filled with shame? Will he ever admit he got it wrong, never because he’ll never wear a mask, because that would be the Optics of Failure, and that is the real reason Pence did not wear a mask when he did tour, and everybody was all masked up. Optics in Election year is all that matters. Photo opportunities and flowers, the sweet smell of success, when the stench of death and failure and 30,000,000 unemployed. Nobody standing up to him, a sober straight person is what is required in a crisis. Not a self-centred egotist, who boasts about his TV ratings when people are dying and hurting, who probably hasn’t paid any taxes in 10 years, hiding everything, except his tv ratings.

So if the United States is to survive as the Unites States, people have to speak up, and speak loudly, and get off the couch and Vote. Post in Voting is what is needed, and then the People’s Figures will be counted, or do you prefer to be sheep, and just watch a Clown bring down a Nation, because he looks so charming on tv, oh so Optical, 

BUT IT IS ALL AN ILLUSION.