Friday, March 05, 2010

Floating moments and slices of time

I was just driving into my street last night when my daughter called and asked if I could pick her up from work, which is across the road from the carpark I had been in just a few minutes earlier. So I continued back and a few minutes later turned right into the side street, continuing on for another 30 metres and stopping outside the coffee shop.

I turn the ignition off, open the door and stand up outside the car whilst looking forward and across the road towards the coffee shop. Right at that moment I hear the unmistakable screech and impact of a car hitting something. Immediately I look over my right shoulder and see a car airborne and then smash into a power pole at the intersection I had just turned down.

Hot on the tail of this car was a police car, which stopped before the driver got out and arrested two men from the crashed vehicle.

So its a bit like, ahhh yeah, I was there driving through the crash spot about 30 seconds before it happened. When I collected Pais she pointed out that if I hadn't come back to get her she would proably have been walking around that corner at about the time of the crash.

Really, its the sort of thing that I've seen before, but it was interesting to think of the timing and how close it all was. Also interesting to think of the participants and the strange lives they have created for themselves.

How do you help people who choose criminal behaviour?

The coffee shop owner was telling me that the law doesn't work and that there should be more social input. I'm not sure about that. The law is effective enough in helping to keep the majority of people safe. As far as the criminaly inclined go, well they get some punishment but the only way for them to change their life is if they choose to do it.

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