At Council today to try to sort out something that's a bit of a financial nightmare for us. Anyway, the officer said to us, over her desk. 'Life is all about systems.' I must have looked a bit surprised because she added 'I don't mean to be offensive', then said something about computers. I wanted to say 'No, life is sometimes messy and chaotic and this presently is our life' (we have a very ill DC, hence our problems). (I wouldn't of course have mentioned systems theories (since 'system' was mentioned) - they, too, are a collection of messy, complex components because I don't think that's what she had in mind.)
I left feeling as though I were a cog, an automaton in the Council machine. The interview was so lacking in anything other than (rather loudly for a public place) bureaucratic language, punctuated with 'You can try but you won't get anywhere'. I know the officer had a job to do and that it can't always be easy or pleasant but it was all so cold and still, even now, that statement that life is all about systems sticks in my throat. If it's true, how very depressing. What do you think?