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Friday 17 February 2012

People with soft hands


Our burden is the silly people with soft hands - impractical hands they wave about as if to weave dishonesty into the very air we breathe. They lack practical experience, judgement and even the ability to speak with conviction or passion, simply because of their limitations which in the end are down to the limited compass of their lives.

Yet they succeed in a personal sense, destined as they are to live in comfort among those of their own kind. Once they are found wanting or the political fun has faded, there will be lucrative offers to smooth the way to an easy, soft-handed life. Abetting these comforts will be the pleasant fantasy of achievement, even if all they ever did was use their feet to good effect, treading perhaps on more able people in their mad scramble to the top.

The delusions of the soft-handed loons are not easily tackled, simply because those that might do the tackling are too often disinclined to enter the fray, to be lied about and belittled whenever they disturb powerful interests. And really our problems stem from the way our soft-handed leaders are bought up wholesale by those same interests because that's where the power of money comes from, where illusions are fabricated, narratives are spun and deals done.

5 comments:

Sam Vega said...

Basically true, AKH, but there are times when having soft hands might be a lifesaver. Imagine if you were banged up in jail for, let's say, perverting the course of justice. And supposing you were confined to a tiny cell with a large aggressive homosexual. You would thank the Lord for nice soft hands then, wouldn't you...

rogerh said...

I have met some. First, a soft, breathy way of talking and a way of not becoming too committed or too definite. Then the Oh So Careful way of communicating, will this word or phrase ring better than that, how will this or that 'play'. Last but not least is appearance, shiny shoes, a nice tie and a very good suit and being seen in the right places and never ever in a hurry.

As for Sam's pickle, 'There is no distress but an hours reading does not allay'.

A K Haart said...

SV - I'm not sure I'd thank anyone for anything, but I get the picture (:

rogerh - I've met them too. So careful they don't want anything done in their name unless it has already succeeded.

James Higham said...

How about hard, bony hands - will they do? :)

A K Haart said...

JH - no, too practical (: