I filled out a form today that asked me to put down an emergency contact for, well, emergencies.

I always struggle with those as I don’t have anyone I would want to put down.

• I don’t talk to my family, plus they live in a different country and don’t speak English.
• Why should I put housemates down, especially considering how many times I’ve moved in the past.
• Friends are fleeting, as the past years have shown.
• Work? No, thanks.

Above all, I don’t like that I have to provide this information. If I am ill, I will contact those I’d like to contact. If I am incapacitated my address can be tracked down and my housemates/landlord would be informed. I have three of my housemates on Facebook and one on Twitter so other people could be notified through that. Or through my phone.

Designating one person and thus giving them the massive responsibility of being my emergency contact is a crazy idea and there’s no one I’d want to give that, too.

What is the point of having that anyway?