A looter in me

I just came back from London, after spending a calm weekend in between the disturbances caused by the riots and looting. A real shame, if you ask me. The complete disregard for authority and the way violence and crime sprouted like bad weeds on an unattended yard got me thinking about the false sense of security and self.

Teachers, women, teenagers, while collar working men... anyone can be a looter, and their subversive and pervasive calling can ignite as quickly as sparks on an anvil.

We can never truly know our neighbor... but can we know ourselves? Are we so sure of ourselves that we can swear we will never blow a fuse?

It's not the bubble bursting that scares me the most. It's rather the way complacency creeps up on us and lays over our back like a live fur coat waiting to jump ship.

We repeat stories to ourselves, stories about ourselves. Stories that make up the fiber of who we are, who we want others to think we are, who we want to become.

Am I really a hard-working, honest, loyal, passionate, brave and intelligent individual? Am I a team player??? The latter seems like the most popular lie in recruitment procedures!

Sure, we all have varying degrees of these qualities, we all have our shining moments. But once you start digging, once you start shredding the so-called fibers of our being, you might have to face some mirrors in unexpected places. And like it or not, those uncomfortable questions about what we do versus what we desire will undoubtedly surface like apples in a barrel.

Do we all really value respect over admiration, honesty over success, love over sex?

Bobbing to fish out the correct answer might be a lot harder than we think. For one thing, water in that barrel tends to be icy cold.

T'es d'où?

Un trèfle à quatre feuilles et c'est parti
Une nuit de mots, salade et lentilles
T'es d'où? T'es d'où? T'es doux partout!

Un chocolat chaud dans la pénombre
Galette des rois et paroles sans encombre
T'es d'où? T'es d'où? T'es si imprévu!

Kuzco, soja et bananes
Deux cent baisers sous les étoiles
T'es d'où? T'es d'où? T'es tout doux, doudou