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While I’m not really that different to most people out there, I suppose I have some fairly different ideals. It’s empowering (and once again, this sounds arrogant, but it’s not intended that way) to think that since I’ve actually given it some thought, I may well know a better way to live my life.

The problem is, it’s hard to have a plan that you should stick to, when it doesn’t really align with your current goals. I’m currently working a job that I don’t really enjoy, while my fiancee works a job that means she has no time to spend with me, surrounded by people that shoot my ideas down as soon as they hear them. Not a very constructive environment!

So I’ve come to the conclusion that to keep my sanity I just need to switch my brain off for a few months. Next year the changes begin. I’ll have time with my partner and we will travel the world and just see where it takes us. I still very much want to be financially independant, but that doesn’t mean rich. Next year will hopefully lead me towards the life that I truly want – Lots of bike riding, lots of time spent outdoors, healthy food, and most importantly lots of quality time with my fiancee.

It sounds like a lot of “me, me, me” doesn’t it? I’ve spoken with my partner a lot about this now – both of us have come to the conclusion that the best way to support eachother is to be happy in our lives. Both of us need to chase our dreams, we just need to make them work together.

For now though, I’ll keep drinking on the weekends, I’ll keep going to barbeques, and I’ll try to keep my mouth shut when I speak to another 21 year old who wants to buy an investment property.

On the way to work this morning I saw a traffic cop pulling someone over, no doubt for something trivial. It reminded me of a few years ago when my friends I were all into our cars  – modifying them and drive them regularly. Nowadays I have given up on that game, since driving a nice car in Australia just makes you a target for the Police to pick on.

Police are always under scrutiny, and at the end of the day it’s not the copper that makes the rules, but those higher up. Thinking of it all from a larger sense though – their resources are unjustly skewed towards policing law abiding citizens that break petty laws. The number of people I know that have been fined or defected for driving a car too low, doing 66km/h in a 60km/h zone, even jaywalking.

I realise that this is just one big controlling force of people. Obviously you can’t just go out there in the world and start killing people because it’s “what you believe in”, but what is the harm in people having a low car? There is no danger to the public by doing this, in face modified cars are typically much safer and well maintained than your average car on the road. Keep in mind this is only an example.

Cops “walking the beat” head out and bash some drunks and get a pat on the back for protecting the public. Aren’t the drunks that they just bashed part of “the public”?

Day to day policing is merely just keeping the general public in line. It’s just like growing up as a kid. There is the majority, and then those few “geeks” or “freaks” or whatever small minority. They are given a hard time because they are different to the majority. To me, traffic cops and general duties cops are doing the same – picking on those who don’t conform to society’s perceived views as to “what is right”.

It’s my personal view that we are living in an over policed society. Common sense is overlooked, and everyone is now a target. I know how fast I can drive a car down the road – I know what is safe. I know that stealing is wrong. Murdering someone is clearly wrong. The people breaking any of these laws to the extreme, are going to break them whether the law is in place or not. If anyone should be targeted, it’s them.

I have met many well respected cops in my time, and they all say the same thing – it’s a very frustrating job. Catch the true bad guys and they walk free after passing through the legal system. After a lifetime in the police force the job role has shifted from catching the bad guys to catching those who you can actually throw the book at – honest taxpayers that are committing petty “crimes”.

You can fail when fighting organised crime. You can’t fail when tackling speeding motorists. All you do is recruit more traffic cops and your nice statistics will come flowing in!

What a crazy world we live in…