Category Archives: Vivika’s Musings

Vivika's Musings

My Big Adventure

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When you reach a certain age it’s likely you will sit back, reflect on your journey so far and ask yourself, what the Hell was I thinking?

I ask myself this quite a lot. It’s not necessarily because I’m getting to ‘that age’ (whatever that means). It’s because it’s natural for us all to reflect. We’re sentimental creatures at heart. One might argue that those who say ‘live for the moment’ are doing so because they have reflected on the past and decided life’s too short.

Recent reflections got me thinking about how much of an adventure life truly is. For some of us it is a fun adventure full of colourful characters. For others it is a dark journey fraught with danger. Whichever your adventure is you should be proud of it. Here you are at this point of it and as the main character you are still standing.

I would say my adventure has been a mixture of both really. Even when those days became truly dark and it looked like the adventure would be over there was always that path to take that would lead on to the next chapter.

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Vivika's Musings

The Internet Reacts

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‘The internet reacts.’

It’s a phrase that’s getting thrown around a lot these days. Most of our lives are integrated heavily into the online world so it’s only reasonable that when something happens in the world the ‘internet’ would react. The thing is, am I the only one who finds this phrase completely ridiculous? It’s almost as annoying as ‘fur baby’ or doggo.

I wouldn’t mind so much if it were used when a large group of online users reacted to something worthwhile. If I were told the internet reacted to a natural disaster and now awareness, support and funding is incoming to help I would be the first to applaud. If someone said the internet reacted to some creep trying to groom little kids and now said creep is behind bars where they belong I would be all for that.

There are occasions when the the term ‘the internet reacts’ is used for these things. However, most often it is used in reference to psudeo celebrities making fools of themselves on Instagram or some other social media platform. I’ve seen it quite often used to refer to a new outfit worn by a member of the royal family. ‘She wears a daring shade of blue and the internet reacts’. It’s all bullshit. Not only does it highlight how little relevance the subject in question is to real life but to me it shows a deep condescension towards the public by assuming these are the petty things we should react to.

Don’t get me wrong. If you like the celeb culture then great! It’s full of gossip and glitz. If that’s your thing then you have at it. The point of this is the internet connects us in ways we’ve never had in our history. At the touch of a button I can be chat to someone on the other side of the world. It gives us the chance to truly react to the things that matter. Keep up to date with the good work around the world. There are so many who need support in various different ways and those are the ones who should garner a reaction.

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Vivika's Musings

Emotional support canine who needs support?

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My brother and his wife recently adopted a beautiful Collie pup they named Gio (yes I’m proud to say he derives his name from Gio Remar, the merciless warden nicknamed Cerberus from my Boss trilogy.) Like most border collies he his incredibly intelligent. He is also affectionate and a lot of fun to have around.

Introducing a pup into any household always comes with its challenges. There is a lot of training involved. Gio has been taking to this like a duck to water. As I said, he is incredibly smart. He offers a warmth to the home only dogs can provide. I’ve always been more of a cat person. I know this will get all you dog lovers out there to scoff but I generally find dogs obnoxious. Whilst I would do them no harm I wouldn’t go out of my way to have one myself. This is the reason I keep guinea pigs instead. Gio has softened my opinion on this. He’s not even a year old yet and his instincts are sharp, his behaviour is impeccable and whilst he tends not to enjoy you lying on the sofa without being able to sleep on top of you he’s a brilliant animal.

I could see why those who seek emotional support would look to dogs for this purpose. They are pack animals so that caring instinct is deeply embedded (in most breeds). What happens when the dog is the one needing emotional support?

The last time I paid a visit to my brother’s house we were chatting as he was setting out Gio’s afternoon feed. The dog had grown impatient, bounded towards his bowl and knocked it from my brothers hand. As I said there is a lot of training and patience in taking in a pup. That wasn’t the issue. The mess could be cleaned and Gio would learn to sit and wait to be called. He got upset though. Yes you read that right. The dog got upset. I don’t mean the tail between the legs, ears dropped because he was being chastised kind of upset. I mean he sulked. He sulked so badly he wouldn’t eat the lunch he had been ravenous for only moments before this. Both my brother and I were astounded. The mess was fixed and we tried coaxing him to eat. He continued sulking. We had to speak to softly to him and assure him it was okay. The dog needed emotional support because he knocked over his own bowl.

In cartoons the animals are deliberately given facial expressions. In real life dogs have their own ways of telling you how they feel. Gio is so expressive. Being such an intelligent creature he feels his emotions. I guess he was disappointed in himself. Despite us assuring him it was okay he gave himself a time out on the stairs until he felt better or he saw my sister in law (his mummy).

This random musing on the dog had me thinking about our connection to animals and the natural world in general. It’s something we will never lose no matter how advanced we become and quite rightfully so. When getting to know Gio better it makes me realise how important our place on earth is. It’s something we shouldn’t take for granted.

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Vivika's Musings

Satire – Funny or Too Far?

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Giving my age away a lot in this but I was a young high schooler when Southpark hit the screens. It was all everyone could talk about and the cries of, ‘you killed Kenny,’ sounded down the halls to be point it was annoying. People were discussing it a lot and at that impressionable age it makes you curious as to what all the fuss is about. I checked out the episodes and at the time the toilet humour didn’t impress me. I didn’t find it in the least bit funny and with many other things I began to believe it was me that had something wrong with me. I spent a great deal of my youth feeling like an alien outsider so this was nothing new. I still feel like an alien outsider some days but that’s a story for a different time.

Many years later I watched Southpark again. Suddenly it all clicked. What I perceived as toilet humour was a satirical jest at the idea people would buy literal shit if it was sold to them the way most things are (looking at you Mr Hanky). I began to realise that it wasn’t just edgy comedy, it was a tongue in cheek look at how this world of ours can be ridiculous at times. With that in mind I now can’t get enough of satire. The world can be ridiculous. There are some terrible things happening around us that deserve ridicule. Which brings me to my point.

Some argue that satire can take the joke too far. I use Southpark as an example because the have been in the media lately for their portrayal of what would be Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. Admittedly I haven’t watched the episode myself. I have only seen clips of the taunting. However, I have read a lot of the outrage (and snickering) it caused which led me to wonder, is satire funny or is it too far? By its nature it often pushes boundaries. Looking back at the pandemic special there were moments where I emitted a very audible, ‘oh dear God!’ In my view we, collectively, had just been through one of the most difficult times in living memory. Maybe the pangolin was a bit much but surely we could laugh together as we began to pick up the pieces. As far as H and M go, should that have been left alone? Personally, I don’t think so. The point of satire is taking a look at the world through a different lens. They wanted their side of their story to be told. Unfortunately they don’t get to filter the response.

This isn’t a review on Southpark. As stated I’m just using that as an example. For me satire is a great way of looking at contemporary topics. There are plenty of things for us to be serious about and with that I prefer to lighten the mood. I find it much easier to cope that way. I’d love to hear some thoughts on those who feel it’s too far. Where does your humour lie?

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Vivika's Musings

Now what?

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Looking back on 2022 there seems to be a collective agreement that it was a real bastard of a year. Pardon my language but sometimes there aren’t any polite words to adequately describe it.

There were a lot of changes. In the UK there was a change in monarch for the first time in decades. Many people here, myself included, can’t remember any other king or queen. Whether you’re a royalist or not it is a part of history. War broke in Ukraine, COVID continued to ravage the land and Downing Street became a bit like musical chairs. All the while people were expected to maintain that stiff upper lip as prices for everything soared and people couldn’t heat their homes properly. I’m not going to delve any more into that. I’m sure that there’s nothing I can say that any sensible person hasn’t already considered. My point is, there were challenges. Then it got me thinking that every year has it’s challenges. Some are easier, some are harder but all in all it is what life is.

I would much prefer to think about 2022 from the angle of having faced those challenges. Some of them we are still to bring an end to. However, it shows how resilient we are. Whilst those larger issues plagued us we battled our own demons and we pulled through. We nursed, we adapted and we pushed on. 2023 is now here like a beacon of light. I don’t doubt there will be challenges this year too but we have this. In our hands lies the ability to make this the greatest year yet despite the hardships.

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Vivika's Musings

Familiars

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For as long as we’ve existed we’ve sought out animal companions whether it was to assist in hunting or to offer a unique friendship and connection. In this modern day I hear a lot of people discuss support animals. Just by having a furry buddy beside us can relieve anxiety. Despite the obvious gap in communication most of us feel an intense bond with our animal counterparts.

For most of my own life I have had a variety of pets. I had a cat named ‘Simba’ when i was a girl that I adored. I had a dog named Ricky who had a memorable personailty and for most of my adult life I’ve kept guinea pigs. The pair I have at the moment, Buddy and Coops, are adorable and never fail to make me smile.

Lately my brother and sister in law adopted a collie pup named Gio for their family. The amount of joy the dog has brought to their house in that short space of time highlights how important the presence of pets can be.

What does your pet bring to your life?

Vivika's Musings

The Deadly Sins

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We all have our vices. Some are worse than others but as human beings we are far from perfect. I read an interesting article the other day which questioned why atheists don’t indulge in their darkest desires since they don’t believe in a God to offer them moral teaching. It was concerning to think that the presence of some kind of almighty was all that was keeping people from hurting one another. When you think about it, the presence of deitys has been the reason we’ve been hurting one another throughout our existence. Still to this day, arguments over who’s God is better leads to the deaths of hundreds. It got me thinking, is the fear of an almighty a good enough way to keep people following a code of morals?

Fear is no way to hold anyone in line. There are many people who know it’s wrong to hurt others or treat people a certain way without believing in God. There are many strict believers who are perpetrators of the worst crimes. Take the Magdalene sisters for instance. By definition they were righteous, Holy nuns but the way they treated the girls in their care was in no way moral. I’m not an atheist. I consider myself a spiritual person just not necessarily a religious one. I don’t always make moral decisions because I’m a flawed being the same as everyone else but our morality is something that is deeply rooted in us. We treat each others well because our natural being knows that is how society should work.

Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Anger, Envy, Sloth are considered the deadly sins. I guess this is because to indulge in these particular attributes makes you a bad person by any moral standards, relgious or otherwise. Show gratitude for what you have and you’ll never be greedy. Explore your urges in a respectful way and you’ll never be cried lustful. Treat your body well with the fuel you give it, never become gluttonous. Know your worth but not at the expense of others. Remember we are all on our own journey and our paths differ so you can’t compare your own to that of someone else. Sloth? Well, that just makes good sense.

All in all, folks, it shouldn’t take fear of the repercussions of a God to form your morality. We should treat each other well because we are all human, we all have our sins but we also have this beautiful capacity to help one another.

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Vivika's Musings

My hero

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We all need some inspiration. We all need someone to look up to. What do we seek in our heroes? I guess we look for someone who embodies the best elements we wish to see in ourselves. We look for a hero who can show us what it means to be braver, kinder, stronger or better in some way than we generally consider ourselves to be. You may find this in superheroes. It would be easy to when the media is so saturated with them. We may see it in public figures who have some qualities we look to emulate or are doing work that we find admirable. Heroes of all kinds inspire us to do our best and reach for a goal.

You might think heroes are something for children to look up to. I would argue that it’s not just young people who need the inspiration. Adults would do well to find someone to look up to. It could be someone younger too. Take Malala Yousafzai for instance. She is a truly inspirational girl who fought for the rights of others like her to have an education, something I took for granted to a certain extent. Her fearlessness in pursuit, despite her youth, is to be admired. She is a hero in a lot of respects.

For some a hero is someone who lived a long time ago but their impact is still felt such as Sophie Scholl, another young activist. Along with her brother, Hans, she resisted the Nazi indoctrination that was surrounding her. She boldly took part in distributing anti nazi leaflets. The reason her actions still resonate is because of the danger she knew she was putting herself in but still she continued. Eventually she paid the ultimate price for it but she believed there were more important matters.

We live in an age where it is so easy to be bombarded with the evil that is present in the world. There are so many bad people out there it would seem. I dare say there could be stories told about the people I have mentioned that wouldn’t place them in the best of lights. They are only human after all but if you find something in them or anyone for that matter that inspires you then embrace it. On the days you are finding it difficult to find a hero then take that as a cue that it’s you who is to step up. You can be the hero if you need to be. We all can. We can find inspiration and we can inspire.

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Vivika's Musings

Why do you have to be that way?

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I’m going to be blunt here because as you will find from the content of this particular post that’s just how I am. Ever since I was a little girl I have always been made out to be some kind of freak because I tend not to go about things the ’normal’ way. The other kids were, I guess, expected. When you are growing up you don’t know much about the world and you are learning so I can see why I was seen as being somewhat unusual by my peers. That wasn’t just it though. Adults were much of the same opinion.

What made me so freakish? What did I dare to do that was so unconventional? Nothing really. It was a curiosity I had about the world around me that others wanted to curb. They said they were concerned about me. After all, curiosity brought about the demise of the proverbial cat. I wanted to visit museums rather than playing with the other children. I wanted to read books rather than take part in party games. For that I seemed off and weird.

As I grew up I continued on that trajectory, caring not one bit about what others thought. As an adult I was considered strange because I had no interest in having children or getting married. To me marriage is an outdated concept that has no real place in modern society. Sure, there are plenty of people who love being married, are excited to be married or can find happiness in that kind of partnership but it’s just not for me. As a thirty something woman with my own independent life I don’t see any way a marriage could improve my current existence. I’m especially close to my little 11yo niece and my 3yo nephew so they are all the children I need.

I guess the point of this rant is to urge you all to live your life the way you want to. Do the things that make you happy despite what society might think is appropriate. I’ve grown up people thinking I’m a freak. Embrace that freakishness because odd things, atypical hobbies or out of the ordinary life decisions don’t make you any less valid than the most conventional of people. What would the world be without that varied tapestry?

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