The Desire for More

I mentioned that I was still reading the book, 'What Makes Us Tick' in my last post -
Who Are You 2?
and today I came across a typo that made me laugh, in a sub-chapter titled, 'The Desire for More', where there is one more "more" than is necessary.

It's a bit like the old, "Paris in the the spring" sign. 

I think I need a few more drinks after reading that chapter;-)

Great book ... and in a few more ticks I should be finished reading it, as well.
After a trip to the fridge, that is:-)

UPDATE: 31st May, 2016

Ticking time bomb tattoo 

by Sophie C’est la Vie

When I was looking for images of a ticking bomb on Google to use in my post above, I saw the tattoo by Sophie Cést la Vie called 'Ticking Time Bomb' surrounded by blue birds of happiness, which I nearly choose for my picture to use because it appealed to me on some subconscious level, but I went with my other picture of a ticking bomb further above.
I put this post up on my blog thinking it was finished and then went to bed and continued read Hugh Mackay's book, 'What Makes Us Tick'.
And a couple of pages later I came across this passage in the book about, "the big picture" and the current tattoo craze -
"Rather than engaging with such huge problems as the plight of refugees and asylum-seekers, or the health and welfare of indigenous populations, or trade imbalances and tariffs - to say nothing of terrorism or climate change - we turn the focus inwards. 
We distract ourselves from the world's bad news by concentrating on the size and shape of our bodies, the whiteness and straightness of our teeth, the removal of wrinkles that previous generations regarded as "war wounds" to be worn with pride.
We embrace Botox, cosmetic surgery, tattoos and body-piercing in a big way, as if to say, 
"The big picture is beyond me, but I can create my own little picture right here on my own body". 
We throw ourselves into home renovations, cooking and gardening - on TV as well as in reality.
"Here is a way to take control of my own little world..."
Don't get me wrong here, I have tattoos as well, as you would have seen from reading posts like -
The JUNGle Book?
where I show my panther tattoo that I've had for 30 years, or more, but I don't understand the current craze of having so many tattoos all over the body that people are flat out making out what they all mean.
Anyway, Hugh goes on to write in another sub-chapter in the same chapter I quote above titled,'Dialing Up Our Desire for Control: The Mad Pursuit of Perfection', that "In response to a growing sense of chaos and uncertainty, many of us are drawn to the idea that it doesn't have to be like this; that there is a "better way" and that if only we could lift our game - in our relationships, our parenting, our work, our level of fitness, our "lifestyle"- we could be floating on a cloud of excellence, high above the hoi polloi, sharing the rarefied upper air with the fabled bluebird of happiness.
What we're forgetting is that if we let the inherently imperfect state of the world induce stress in us, then the pursuit of perfection will only increase it."

Getting back to the "The big picture is beyond me, but I can create my own little picture right here on my own body" pop cultural craze at the moment everywhere in western society. 
I saw the latest Micro-figure footy player collectables gracing the shelves of my local supermarket when I went to get some milk and bread and decided to buy one to see what they were all about. 

It's completely potluck as to who you get out of the 23 players available and the only player I was really after was from the team I support, Jack Bird of the Sharks. 
So, the odds were 23 to 1 of me getting the player I most wanted and the same for getting the Brisbane Bronco player that I least wanted ... and I would have to have binned;-)

Dane Gagai

... and his tattoo

But I got Newcastle player Dane Gagai, tattoo and all.
I thought it was weird how even the tattoos these players have on their arms (and I guess legs?) are on show to the kids who collect these figures, as going back to when I was growing up that would have been frowned upon. 
But another weird thing about getting this player of all 23 that I could have gotten was that my team the Sharks had played Newcastle the week before beating them 62-0, with Dane Gagai scoring a try at the last minute for Newcastle, but having it disallowed because he didn't ground the ball properly. 
What puzzled me at the time though was that Dane broke down in tears after the try was disallowed, and it wouldn't be until a few days later that I found out he was crying because his grandmother had passed away that same morning of the game.

NRL video: Dane Gagai breaks down following Newcastle Knights’ 62-point loss to Cronulla Sharks
Kind of puts things in perspective when it comes to the "game of life".  

My ex-cousin-in-law after a Bronco/Newcastle match

I keep this micro-figure on my computer table now as a reminder that the "big picture" is more important than the "little picture", when it comes to life ... and death. 
Well, how many Paul Gallen figures can I have around my house anyway?-)

My TV stand and Paul Gallen figures

I kept thinking of my ex-cousin-in-law, who is a mad keen Newcastle fan, and felt sorry for him and the supporters of Newcastle on the day, because they are a struggling club like the Sharks and it's hard to see loyal fans like that watch their team cop a battering like that at their home ground.
But us Shark fans know how you feel after years of frustration on the sidelines watching our own team cop hidings like this.
It's what makes supporters like us all "true supporters" and loyalty is what it is all about when times are tough.
That's what makes us tick for the better in the end.