DIY

I didn’t stand outside my front door this morning to commemorate Remembrance Day. For me, it’s a very private moment and I prefer to spend it alone, with my own thoughts. Unlike the inevitable social network virtue signallers who tell us all to stand outside and then don’t bother to stand outside themselves, I reckon I can feel content with my choices.

Virtue signalling is a significant component of social networks. You will have seen it yourself. For instance, last year I remember various threads condemning the national scandal of homelessness among ex service personnel. Inevitably, most contributions were from very angry something-must-be-done brigade. So, I went to the very minor inconvenience of finding out how people could help, complete with an actual names and contact address of someone who could help. Guess what? The person did not receive a single message. Clearly, something must be done by someone else.

I have a simple solution to this particular conundrum: do something yourself. Rather than whinge about something that is very wrong in our society, change it. Contact a homelessness organisation, set up a local group to enable to keep in contact with the wider world, put a note through people’s doors on your road to let them know you can get stuff for them if they can’t get out, rather than virtue signal Remembrance Day, make a donation to the Royal British Legion or even become a volunteer poppy seller. Surely, we don’t need to wait for someone else to ask us to do something?