Which place wins your heart?

[seahermit]

Hastings is indeed full of people doing, saying and thinking odd things.

But the seagulls are sharp enough. Probably much saner than the humans!

[Richard]

seahermit, you seem to feel that Hastings is a colony for the mentally defective, where seagulls are much saner than humans.
You seem to look down your nose at people.
No doubt you will opine otherwise.

[seahermit]

I try not to look down on anybody really, despite the quips ..

But the seagulls ARE smart and handsome-looking, quick-witted especially if there's a hint of food around, and often ahead of some of the Hastings residents.

[Richard]

What wins my heart is any place where HMO's house decent ordinary people and landlords don''t allow nut-cases to take up residence.
I know deranged people have to live somewhere but they can make life hell for others in close proximity.

[Richard]

Seagulls have only one thought uppermost - self-preservation.
They will kill their own chicks, at any sign of weakness, and kill other seagulls trying to get too close to their personal space.

[seahermit]

Richard, do you realise that your description of seagulls neatly fits some of the Hastings residents?! Aggressive, competitive for what they want (alcohol, drugs, whatever ..), leaning towards violence.

Well, most people in Hastings are of course nicer and friendlier than that, but some are definitely not that way and that is one of the unfortunate downsides to the town.

[Richard]

I agree somewhat seahermit,

Unfortunately greed, opportunistic and selfish behaviour, at the expense of others, operates at all levels.
Everyone is in it for themselves alone now.

I much prefer the 60's with a happier culture and less of the nastiness.
Although America was dropping bombs on the N. Vietnamese by 1965.

[seahermit]

That's an interesting era to mention - very schizophrenic decade. There were great things about the sixties - it started with such youthful optimism, hopes for change and a wonderful flowering of music/poetry/philosophy.

How sadly it all deteriorated - drugs, the Beatles warring with each other, Russian tanks in Prague and student riots in Paris. And Vietnam of course.

I don't believe that human nature changes .. or changed then. The times for a while seemed to bring out the nicer, happier, more "loving" side of people, but the end of the decade came up harshly against the ongoing realities.

[Richard]

Basically being young is more fun than being old.

[seahermit]

No, not at all true .. for some maybe, but it depends vastly on circumstances.

In a town like Hastings, you see a number of young people just hanging about the streets after dark, scruffy, bored, obviously not working, broke and looking fed-up. Sometimes they come into the Wetherspoon pub on a Friday night and clearly can hardly afford a drink.

I feel sorry for them. It is unlikely that later on they are going to retain wildly fond memories of their youth. If the opportunities are lacking, if support and encouragement from families is not there, how can they find out what they are good at and what their direction is - or discover how to enjoy their lives?

Nobody's life is perfect and older people have their own set of issues, but older people have often learned how to make the best of things and how to find fulfillment - beyond chasing girls and making money!