Nemanja Vidic talking proper sense.

so one of my many heroes is this guy from Serbia who plays in central defense for Manchester United. He is an absolute machine out there. You know, one of those guys who can take a kick to the face & keep on going. Balls have hit the back of the net off this guy's head like a missile to it's current destination of destruction.

Anyway, he's a good, strong, fast, technical & very smart player who recently made some comments that I believe are worth sharing. My story starts with the media skewing what he really meant to say, but, well that's the media for ya. Nemanja Vidic was quoted in Russian football magazine Football Weekly criticizing Manchester's weather and the English lifestyle. Of course he did admit having a difficult time getting settled when he first moved to England, but who wouldn't?

In his first six months in England, Vidic did struggle with a new language & culture which contrasted with that of his native Serbia. The magazine went on to say that Vidic wanted out of Manchester, thus requesting a transfer & wanted to move on to a more weather friendly La Liga (Spain's top flight football league). Of course Vidic would be viewed by Mancunians as an ungrateful, greedy, footballer just looking for another big paycheck. Don't worry, some decent people still exist in the world.

The magazine supposedly quoted Vidic as saying, "In Manchester, the main attraction is a timetable at the railway station where trains leave for less rainy cities!"

Quite funny if you really think about it, & probably true. But offended Mancunians probably wouldn't share his viewpoints. These are a really proud people, & keep in mind Vidic has made millions of pounds playing football in Manchester. His weekly wages are mostly funded by the exorbitant ticket prices United supporters are forced to pay to watch gods kick a little white ball around a slab of grass against lesser foes.

The real joy in this whole muddled, silly story were Vidic's comments made to ManUtd.com in an attempt to clear up the mess. I wholeheartedly believe in what he is saying, & it's a good comment on Western culture in general.

"In England, (& America in my opinion) people don't have time to feel the joy of life. Throughout the week they work so hard. They only talk to people at lunch. Then in the evening they watch TV so they can get up early for work the next day."

I guess I just felt a connection to his words, I believe in exactly what he is saying. I myself just last night went to bed at around 9:30 so I could wake up at 5:30am for work. What kind of boring, mundane life is that? Well I guess I have no choice, & of course work is a necessity. But how much is too much? Couldn't I manage what I do in a 40 hour week in 25 hours? Surely.

I've touched on this before, but it's true. We work too much in this money-driven country, which leads to over-stressed, anxious, & depressed people. Can we one day slow down & experience other cultures & enjoy life's little joys? Maybe, maybe not. I guess some would say, "that doesn't make good business sense". No it doesn't, but I don't want it to.

For those yearning for the end of the story, Vidic went on to express his happiness living in Manchester & playing for United. All is well that ends well I suppose, but in the mean time, he helped me to realize just a little bit more about what's important to me.