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Make lemondade?

Over the weekend NZers went to the polls to elect a new government.

Yeah, that didn't work out too well did it?

Instead of a clear decisive result and direction we ended up with confusion and uncertainty.

No clear winner means that at best, any government formed from this mess will have only a very limited mandate thanks to the razor-thin majority it will represent.

So where to from here?

Well if you believe the BBC, Kiwis are now so depressed and despondent that they're leaving the country in droves and the political confusion caused by the election will only worsen the situation.

The headline 'Flat', 'tired', 'cynical': Unusually gloomy Kiwis deliver New Zealand's tightest election in years leads into a story which paints an awful picture of life in Godzone.

If you believe what you read you'd think that New Zealand was done-for, a pale shell of its former glory and filled with depressed people who'd given up on life.

I guess this is just more proof that mainstream media sites such as the BBC have really lost the plot and spread disinformation with more authority than social media ever could. While politicians increasingly seek to lock under-16's out of social media websites to protect them from this misinformation, they seem to think it's just fine that the BBC, despite its links to paedophiles and sex offenders, is just fine and dandy for our young ones to use as a source of reliable information.

While it's true that there are elements of fact in the BBC's story, the picture painted is far from the one I see when I'm out and about.

Yes, housing affordability is pretty bad but there are still plenty of new houses going up and we don't have anything like the homelessness that you see in many US or UK cities.

To say "Many Kiwis feel the economy is in ruins, there are no jobs, the cost of living has become sky high, the sense of community that used to be a source of national pride is breaking down" is a real stretch and, I would argue, is a massive over-exageration. Sure, unemployment is up but there *are* jobs and although the cost of living feels like it's at an all-time high there are still plenty of folk sporting new iPhones and brand-name sportswear. I don't think I've ever seen so many new EVs on the road either so one would assume that there is still money out there.

To balance that perspective, our mayor (FFS-Petley) lamented the fact that the Tokoroa MacDonalds had seen a significant reduction in turnover recently. He thought that was a bad thing but pointed out that people still had money to spend on the pokies. To be honest, I think it's a great thing that fewer people are eating the junk food that contributes so significantly to our high rates of obesity and diabetes.

Now as a nation we could simply bathe in a sea of self-pitty or we could work towards lifting the national spirit and boosting a sense of optimism. Doomsayers tend to create self-fulfilling prophesies so maybe it's time, especially as we head towards Christmas, to focus on the massive list of positives that New Zealand offers its people.

To be honest, when I'm out and about, walking a shaded track during the heat of a mid-summer's day, New Zealand is a great place. Even if I don't have a dollar in my pocket, I'm a happy man and I just revel in the fact that I can soak up every bit of the natural beauty in a safe and secure environment.

Maybe, instead of griping about the cost of living and how hard-done-by we all are, we should rejoice in the fact that this is still a first-world country and one of the safest you'll find anywhere in the world. The people are top-notch, racial tensions are pretty much non-existent outside of the grievance industry and many folk just need to learn that life is very much what you make it.

If life hands you lemons, make some lemonade!

And before a certain group complain "it's alright for you, you're doing okay" let me remind folk that I am far from rich. I don't drive a new car (my 1994 Toyota ute cost just $5,000 over a decade ago), I no longer drink alcohol, I haven't dined out in decades, I don't go away on holiday, I still work over 10 hours a day for an increasingly small income, I am reliant on the health system for any treatments I might require and I live in one of NZ's poorest districts.

Am I complaining or feeling sorry for myself?

No way. I strive to make every day better than the last and as often as not, I succeed.

I have fantastic friends and family, I have (just) enough money to pay my bills, I can afford enough food to feed my wife and myself and I take joy from the fact that I live in one of the most beautiful and friendly countries in the world.

Are there things I could legitimately complain about?

Absolutely.

Would focusing on the negative change anything or improve my life?

Unlikely -- although I must admit that I do hold the local council's feet to the flames quite regularly but that's because I like to help others in the community and they're often disadvantaged by the idiocy that our local government engages in.

Despite this, I do try to focus on providing ideas and opportunities that will benefit all -- even though at least one former member the South Waikato District Council has told me to my face that "Bruce, you have some great ideas but, because it's you, we're not listening".

Quite frankly, that simply generated more incentive for me to continue trying to foment change.

I see the forecast for this afternoon is rain. Ah... it's spring, the rain will be nice and warm!

Carpe Diem folks!

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