Avoiding cynicism

Are you torn between optimism and pessimism about the world ?...and particularly the people in it ?. You are not alone .GK Chesterton in writing about one of the world's most joyful and effective people creators in fiction said this about  Dickens;
" The world can be made beautiful again by beholding it as a battlefield"
the only antidote he and we note to false optimism and joyless approval of ALL  is "a sudden and pugnacious belief in positive evil" .
Dickens didn't put evil in his characters because he wanted to create character but because  evil in character is a real and present danger .   There are reasons to fear - know them better \

Copyright Emperors Academy  4th April 2016

Let your yay be yay and your nah be nah

RE Booing at sporting events

What a laugh . all this fuss about booing at sporting events . These last few weeks have seen the religious left ( eg Jane Caro on ABCTV ) pontificating about how one should behave in the auditorium .
"One mustn't boo" was the conclusion after many could not conclude their sessions with the Sanhedrin over what is sinful in the new age. Unfortunately the new age has been ignoring the question of sin long enough for it to come back and bite them big time

Fortunately for some of us,  sin is just normal and its best to limit your attention to your own , or you might just spend your whole life worrying about others instances .

Booing can be  quite OK - telling someone what you think about their behaviour is what good friends do. Honest face forward confrontation is not only not condemned in scripture - its advocated from the Creator in the garden and fig leaves upwards. Nah is a boo just as Yey is a hurray !
In a booing crowd,  you simply can't always tell whether a comment is racist or deeply hurtful to someone . Should we all stop booing so there is no confusion about whose sinning ? No - we would never enjoy the idea of game playing -most people are not hurt by words used in a game. Players shake hands at the end to assert that .  
We feel for Adam Goodes and anyone who "gets it all the time" because some of it is probably racist and deeply personal and  hurtful  . People hide behind words; so what can we do about it when we still believe in primacy of free speech . Same with people who feel ostracised because of their unusual choices,  looks or gifts - its hard .  Speak back , questioning and points of order are all good options to counter .  "Tough it out "is good advice for all of us when it happens to us. you are not the one!

The reality is its easy to go beyond just telling someone what you think of their behaviour ( to their face  - which is not a sin ) particularly when you are angy .
Anger is not a sin.  this is News to some in the new age which just shows how much splashing in  backwater some progressives get to  - " Be angry but don't sin " puts the two subjects in context .( Ephesians )
The sin is when words are cutting words and involve physical and verbal violence ( both considered as prosecutable and serious matters in our code.

So,  some booing is Ok and some is not . "No I disagree " they say in parliament each day ---nay . I even said "yay" in Parliament last week even though sign says "silence in the gallery" .  I said "yey" when Gavin Jennings said the churches  do a very job in welfare when another member asked "if they pay their  share of taxes" .

If we aren't allowed to play games or respond to what we see and hear ,we don't learn to test limits and grow up .
Maybe we can't all shake hands at the end of the game, ( great symbol)  but at least we can and mostly do go back to talking like grownups after the game.  see you there ---noise anger and all !

Giving us enough space - to enjoy ourselves in

The old territorial imperative is a real and necessary one .   So how do we manage it ?  WW2 shows how  easily it can get out of control .
The need for land was seen in the 20th century as an imperative for wealth - which it is NOT , Hopefully in the 21st then , it will be seen more as a potential poverty trap idea that is not only,  not good for the earth  or for people who try to use it as a way out of poverty.

The following is a response to a key dilmemma  to personal and corporate sustainability .  Do we need to avoid poverty by sharing more of our resources  OR  is the question - how do we encourage the use of space so we don't witness Collapse?

Jesus came to bring good news to the poor - not land and not riches . The societies that followed his lead have beecome soem of the most egalitartian and welath sharing communities ever . Does his key message  mean he didn't care about poverty ? Maybe he wasn't as preoccupied as we are with equality ; I think its fair to say he would have accepted that simple ambitions to establish  equality were often both unnatural , unnecessary and unachievable. We were created equal in some ways but different unique and diverse  to occupy different sized spaces ----that suit us as individuals.. He said there will always be the " poor with us "Commonwealths share but never fully focus on complete equality in income .
The reactionary 20th century West has been focused on  justifying the quest to create equality and its a false and unsustainable target .

Back to the primary need for "the good news" above equality.  Hope is more important than anything - resilience driven hope; Individual's sense of hope  for an  individuals given sense of space . So who should provide that hope in a concrete and sound way to them and their poor communities ? - -thats the question !
I don't suggest that being poor is always right and that the stats presented about the drift in income over the last 50 years should not disturb us
 Whats important is HOW we act for others to make societies share more and have more genuine hope. The stats tell my generation that their caring ( and trickle down, non planning , do what you feel like culture) has been ineffective and that we MUST find a better way . This could mean we stop  experimenting with the latest method of quick fix and look at resilience building in communities - ways we did things BEFORE ( don't all gasp you automatic progress worshipers )
One of the reasons our generation has been so ineffective in bringing hope in poor communities is that it  focuses too much on simple accounting stats ( blinkered views of economy as all or nothing competition policy - for example) - overly simple concepts of equality about cash can easily prevent us from seeing the hope and beauty of diversity say in shared capital assets --in paradoxes you may only see in having "the poor with us " . Poor people can choose to live in poverty because they love being on the land.
Take all the money ,opportunity and incentive drained off productivity in Australia TODAY by those seeking to make us "more equal ". Ways that work for the good of the community can see scarcity as no big deal ( God will provide ) and provide genuine hope and healing for the poor . Rural people seldom get paid properly for their produce so they are condemned to " poverty" - is that wrong ? Should we not differ in our approach when working with the poor esp as I said above in the resilience limited machine  of earth use --- a special case where collapse ( jared diamond ) is possible on the edges and hope is impossible if you don't turn around and go back
 I ask that we follow not the latest trends in development theory but hold  fast ---we follow Christ in bringing healing before  we try to bring economic development -the objective  authorship of the resilience agent should be the job of someone like a doctor - a trained gift . . Rural Resilience evaluation is my profession and its a rule there to not to interfere ( trying to create more equality ) without seeing the whole picture .
I may disagree with some in not rejecting poverty outright but I agree with any who say  ALL OF US could/ should focus much more clearly in rescuing and talking repentance on the edges of potential economic collapse . I hate the way competition policy dominates economic theory but to undermine it takes a thorough big picture recognition of the limited role it has within the cocoon.

Many of the farmers I work with here in Australia live morefairgomate.blogspot.com destitute lives than those overseas because their communities don't really care to effectively support them. How many Filipino farmers commit suicide on the basis that no one understands them ?

My/Our generation,  as the presentation "the rules" shows so well has FAILED to do anything to stop the slide and therefore  we need to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. The question for those who want to support better and more secure development  is:  is it by reinventing the wheel or seeing what we did right to keep our societies more equal in the past ?( the story behind the story ) ; Any review should not be at the mercy of more quick fixers  but insist on FIRST THINGS FIRST -   truly understand the intransigence factors and diversity factors in poor rural communities . DISCOVER the complexity of those who understand what it is to be rich and poor in the one space .

Being a strong leader or person

There were many things to appreciate about the first woman Prime Minister of England,  Margaret Thatcher ; her humility , her desire to bring the basics back to economic management .  her passion to do what's right .Her desire to follow through; She was a giant in a world full of wimps

For many of us while personal strength is important , the strength of partnerships is more important . We are built to build households ecos To work together .
The traditional view is that when women have to lead in the house , the men are not leading enough . This is, not that we don't need strong women ; but the best partnership is when we have strong men and women together . Emotion is important but we need reason to build with it .
The danger then with passion alone then  is that unless you really do know what to change,  you may do more damage to our society and democracy than you realize   You may even, by bad targeting kill the wrong things,  and leave the disease to grow .
People can even exploit your passion to get you to do things they want but you to do. If you are wise , you will ask around and take time to think about it.Whether you area a man or a woman you can benefit from the objective friendship of another .
Both Thatcher and Kennett tried to reign in the bureau ,
but its bigger than ever ( esp if you look at the fund manager bureaucracy )

Myself  and Anthony Jay worked in the bureau - we tried to help the ignorant on both sides make better public good decisions,  but they and their angel like followers decided that business knows best - it clearly doesn't know as much as we would like,  and its not broad --so western democracies are up the creek without a paddle;They ignore the basics on the ground (picture of the tiles in Victorian House of Parliament)
The best advice I could give is no more than is written there .

Feeling hard done by ?

Try this . When you think YOU need a lift ,.....try, just try giving someone else a lift.
You know what - we are all in the same boat- wanting but not getting all the understanding we want( me too). If you are going to insist on help from others you could be waiting a long time.
http://anicecuppa.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/going-begging.html

Go for it - the world is yours

My mum is always on this subject - "the world is yours to fully explore and discover things in" .
Why then to do so many feel hemmed in?  Do we really need to be part of a  herd?  After all, we are social animals.  When is it wise to revise and go exploring? Clearly we all need to do it sometime to test whether our parents are as clever as they make out . We would be stupid if we didn't do this. The tools we use to test our impressions though are important ; we would be wise though if we watched and listened more than we touched ? And I am definitely not talking about " Home and Away ' or much that is on TV 

Tolkien said "Not everyone who is wandering is lost"  and wrote great works to remind us that exploring is OK and even necessary . But as his works suggest ,we all also seem to need a home ( Shire ground ) to come home too.  Exploring for the sake of exploring doesn't seem to work - many people get lost,  hurt and bitter .They may get what they want,  but be worse off than before ; Take Hamlet  .  Still other plays and stories from real life remind us that that only way forward is to go back first . Progress is through the trunk and not through each and every branch.
As Plato and Tolkien indicate,  its only really possible to see the world if you both visit the cave and come out of it . You were born for a challenge  and you will have more than just crocodiles and herds to deal with. 

Childlike rebellion is normal and natural for children , but when adults don't grow out of that -- it's a real worry ; wars against everything don't go anywhere and show a lack of maturity in development  -Some cynicsm too is necessary,  but to know the price of everything and the value of nothing can just be the price of bulldozing your way through life. This rebellion is quite understandable in children but pathetic when it its accepted by parents as a right and the  right order stuff in households   ( ABC production " The Slap" talks to this position and its effect ) ; when it becomes the raison detre of ecomia ( compare the communion of reasonable boundaries -in the picture above --there is water , hill , samekind , different kind, and material boundaries  and feet to explore with  ) 

Unless you have a better idea,  I like Tolkiens idea that the deepest cave is the one we can make for ourselves--holes we dig for ourselves . How deep do we have to dig to stop ignoring the direction in which the light is coming from - if we don't truly admit our weak and reactionary position , our inherent weaknesses, vulnerability and those tried and tested ways offered to us for personal safety and security.   Get on with your life and choose the direction by studying the landcape and your company( esp your own mind)  carefully.  

Don't ever lose your sense of humor

http://youtu.be/BMlIdZOc1bQ
Sometimes we can lose our sense of humor OVER the most serious of matters. Like " You,  me  and our understanding of our standing as individuals ".

Self worth & Self Belief . The problem that Rowan Atkinson has so well recognised  in the above clip is that our sense of hurt is often subjective; and therefore not a good game for law discussions.( getting above the law, by not relying on it ,  is always better too)
Having a thick skin is also good for our image of ourselves. If we can't accept a bit of criticisim we become dangers to ourselves, our families and our society ( Think of the phenomenon of "exaggerated sense of entitlement " ) Criticism doesn't mean they are right in what they say. As you deal with it you may like to enjoy the attention .
The Brits have after 25 years ( January 2013) taken the word "insult" off the offence books and many of us have said " hooray" .Noone likes to be or "feel insulted",  but,  lets face it ( key ideas here ?)- our best friends and our parents make us feel that way  .
People who care for us  can make us feel insulted , but are not trying to put us down as much "put us in our place".' Our parents and friends , if they love us , want us to be realists - "this is how good you really are;"  "you're not as good as you think you are "" try harder next time' you might be happy with your lazy effort but your next boss won't" "Don't let others be your constant critic - be your own best critic " .Some do it , not intentionally to hurt, ( it always hurts?) but to deal with our pride and STOP the train wreck --to stop  a fall and  depression tendency and cycle later .
We don't need to talk here about the enormous racket of insults that have nothing positive to say about your limits,  but have everything to do with the authors limits . Projection of feelings of inadequacy from one person to another make up the majority of insults,  I guess .Learn to forgive and learn to forgive yourself first. 
To add to the confusion --it is true that sometimes , the person who you feel is insulting you is simply not listening... and they don't want to know.  When your friends do it -it can because  do they love you enough to keep you on the road to fulfilled ( cf false ) expectations .

If a stranger makes you feel insulted, and it is isn't done in complete ignorance of your explanation ( ie they have been listening to you carefully) I suggest you ignore the feelings of being put down and try to find out whether their offer of a better way of thinking isn't infact worth more thought .You may only know if they, or you, are ignorant,  if you investigate their claims.
People who hang it on you for the sake of making themseleves feel better are everywhere : our jails would be full if we let such projection nonsense really worry us.
Be tough  and be thankful if criticism is a common face to face encounter like it often can be healthily  at home . Stuff thrown at you in the heat of a moment may be less helpful or worthy of consideration . Criticsm doesn't kill you , but it can make you stronger .

Self worth is not dependant on how we feel about oursleves. Christians believe our self worth is a gift  to each and every person on earth . No mere human can take it away.
Self belief is a seperate thing that is not sacred because it is a subjective thing .People often take the one and forget the other . Take what is often good but temporary and ignore what is more basic and more substantial; the secondary and shaky is substituted for the solid and secure .  Freedom from sin is a real  status thing ( cf self belief) that you can get , which means that it has some objectivity - you are only free from self criticsm or others criticicsm if you know forgiveness for yourself .
  Too little resistance to the demands,  ideas and excuses of others (incl Too much silence) leads children to find themselves in a unreal world of unreal expectations and unself recognised sin. In such tense and precarious situations even a small insult can set a bomb off - or be too easily be interpreted as criticism -
The insult  can too easily be seen to be interpreted as criticsm of self worth , when in realityyour self worth is a given ! Some people just never see that and some parents never see that in themselves , risking the transfer of poor attitude to their children .Hold onto the idea that you are worth more than " may sparrows " . more than even the most loving people you know think you are .
 The 8thcommandment  protects your right to protect and defend your right to self worth;  but not to defend anyone against specific sins - which must be dealt with individually and internally .We all need to be criticized because,  if we wanna  be honest , whether its our own or others , we are better with truth than without it .

Resist hypocrisy

Young people have been good at recognizing hypocrisy in the previous generation.

I hope they continue to speak up on this because my generation is no different from previous - we have areas where we just PRETEND to be doing the right thing.  And we hate to admit its true -

One area I know this to be true because my wonderful work area no longer functions as a key cutting edge area, is in alleviating stress amongst eco-communities. The thing you should keep in mind if you are an observer ( not closely involved ) is that

1.  -many who live with risk ignore the risk and therefore aren't able to lift themselves OUT of the situations.One reason why farmers round the world need informed friends like YOU 
2. -the age old enemy of patronizing incompetence is increasing --not decreasing because less caring onsite people are out there .Less willing to stop and listen travellers on the Jericho Road  
3. - we need scientists again to go on site and study biodiversity and ecosystem threats in conjunction with industry ( not acting outside of that relationship!) 
4. - instead of tackling the hard jobs ( our job) we have wannabes solving the problems at a political level ( Something that is just quick fix , has popular appeal and gives the impression that they/ we are "doing something about it". 

Do something good ----study resilience science .The need is huge, the opportunity growing, the work rewarding.  Bless you as you strive to be your best!

Here is my original post to a discussion about the money we spend on specific areas of space research.The same could be said about the way we spend our money in Iraq and Afganistan, buy tanks and armaments of war , instead of armaments for peace - resilience capacity builders  I also posted yesterday on this dilemma as it affects Australian farmers in particular here .

Disturbs me deeply that we talk up spending billions to test whether life would survive outside our planet,  when we clearly ignore the lack of resilience amongst the poor in our own.
Point is---we can do something about this ( my work area) but we chose not to .
You see, we can't as a generation say we  care for animals and the earth if we don't care to share the earths enormous resources with each other- similiar mindset required to BE seriuosly effective here. Just remember too that soem careless talk is using false premise about scarcity ( it occurs and provides limits) to justify indifference to the real and proper challenges here.

When our minds are a mess

Sure , big call . lets' just start with one place when we can all lose our minds - when we are angry ..Things said in anger and accusations about a person and their character (as opposed to their actions ) can be easily confused - the shorthand can be shocking and wrong . Thinking calm collected people ( rare breed not the qualification ) can make a distinction between the sin and the sinner  but angry people ( that can be us )can't ----which is why its a bit stupid to take all the careless talk about misogny in Parliament this week too seriously.She said He said;  He's a "mis......" She's  a "miss....." is not only childish - its totally mistaken identity.
There is a fine line between the pleasure and pain of words; Our theologically at sea left groups are showing it .
There is thankfully and theologically a clear line between hating the sin and hating the sinner;  keeping that distinction in mind will help you ; it will help you not only speak well when you are sober but also help you see reason and change your mind after you lose it. A half baked faith ( say in the rule of laws) , if it doesn't cover all the territory of life ,  is useless. Our antecedents had a fuller view of these issues more here 

Rallying for change

Seen two good rallies this weekend rallying for change . the point is though "what change". If rallies aren't just to be frustration indicators ( Egypt )the trumpets need to be clear.
The Whyalla protestors are right to advocate for consideration of alternative power sources but if the children do it ,like they did in Victoria all we we will have is more expensive power and water - more jobs for someone but PC quickfiz jobs - not careers?. Great maturity and wisdom is required because the greatest job we can give our kids is the job to sort it out: when solar ,which solar, when gas, where tidal  and when coal . To just join the protest about too much burning - its too easy.People and purpose will get burned.
Same with Brunswick rally in memory of girls like Jill Meagher? Will the security cameras stop women from ignoring how men misinterpret nearly everything at 1:30 in the morning ?Is it more than coincidence that we expect cameras rather than real men to be the inspiration ? Is technology our only savior here?
Great maturity and wisdom is required and the greatest job we can give our kids is the job to sort it out ;when and where to use technology and when and  where to target the law and education and respect for yourself and real risks on the street .To join the protest about too much burning - it's too easy .

If you are a young person reading this ,there is some great jobs out their for you, but  don't go looking in the crowds for answers - you have to apply for them yourself ; Its probably not one of the many quickfiz jobs listed in the media traffic of the day!

Play your own note and play it well

One of the best moments in the opening ceremony of The London Olympics was Mr Bean , playing one note well . ( don't you just love On holiday!)
We are not perfect , but we are are meant to find completion ( perfection ): to find a place: our place ; Our unique place   . We should dream and share the dream of running our our own race.
"Revolution  only needs good dreamers who remember their dreams" Tennessee Williams

Does the problem have something to do with how you see it and think about it? ?

Sent this great picture on Facebook.  Hope it helps you today

How do you feel about yourself ?

• Feel very Alone at times? Sure we ALL feel and KNOW that to be true .  Part of the wonder of being unique-- you know . You are like no one else and neither am I 
• Feel Insecure . Everyone has some form of insecurity, so don't feel alone because you are not alone there . We all have different things to " worry about " in that regard ,Besides a wekeness can be an opportnity  Stevie wonder can't see but doesn't  he inspire  beautifully 
• Feel ugly or unfit  ?  This is probably the hardest thing because we all are prone to feel this AND hang this feeling onto others( project it) . You have been created unique . You may be more handsome or less handsome than your parents,  and your kids will be the same .
  Should you worry about passing some genetic traits  onto your children ?
  Who says you are unfit anyway ? - only mere men . Many days we wanna ask God why he allowed us to be the way we are ; One day I think we will understand why and won't need to be told why , but its not Today . Today is , it seems to me , for adventures in faith .
• Feel overwhelmed . The depth of the challenge is often far greater than YOU alone can manage . Need some help ? Think Hebrew  - you have been given a big job  , so have I . Why does it never rain but it pours ? 
• Feeling not sure about what you should do ? Follow that dream . 

"The circumstances of your life have uniquely qualified you to make a contribution . And if you don't make that contribution , nobody else can make it " Rabbi Harold S Kushner

Also you might like to read  G K Chesterton's chapter on "Flag of the World"  in ORTHODOXY

You hava gooday now !

Think Global , Act Local

Jesus is far more radically effective in teaching, acting and directing  than you might realise by just going to church . Many of his followers, just like Him, find it hard to be part of an institution - a mere formula for action . The respected underground activist radical reformer thinker and academic Jaques Ellul was like that. His radicalness meant he was very careful to summarize Jesus's  answer to the big question of "who should I help? " in a punchy but clear way. Ellul coined the now famous phrase " Think global , act local" which goes to the heart of how holistic community development  has worked throughout history .You can't do better than follow in the steps of those who have walked the Jericho Road before you ! (Matthew 5 is full of promise to those on the road which does not eliminate poverty but lives within it and beyond it  ).
More recently though, some people, think they can do better  ("Think local , act global" ).  I disagree and I have worked all my life in resilience assessment and action . We outta press effectiveness before we succumb to mere efficiency arguments.  We are surrounded with the debt and debris of quick fix and its costing us dearly .
Politics can look powerful, but when its experimental and quickfiz, its on the road to deeper poverty .This experimental technique trap is the disease Ellul identified ( see below) . I'm especially suspicious when political and other activists use OUR money to experiment with intervention ,coercion and incentive when they have never tested the same with their own money . Aid programs are re-known for their predictably reactionary, but politically correct CEO's agendas ( Change Everything Often ? ) This  radical weakness of current aid programs is something Ellul predicted well in his book about the bigger problems our society are now facing in " The technological society".  I won't any labels but you will know both the old and the new ones.  It doesn't take much poor targeting of help to waste the opportunity of aid , as I think the program on Scott Nesson showed last night on Australian Story .  

What do you think? More importantly perhaps , what is your experience?
http://www.abc.net.au/austory/default.htm

Being really good at something and getting better at it

Just posting a few thoughts on  4 words I reckon WE all need to know to educate ourselves  and find a way forward on personal growth. Each WORD is in a different language The first one is critical and difficult because taking a step backward can be the hardest thing we ever do - the language of truth in repéré (fr) See next site.
The  next word after that is the Hebrew word "radah"

A great job for someone to aspire to

We so need another Rick Farley. Great idea to review his life and work-recent biography . We certainly need more people like him who believe there is a better way to look after BOTH our people and our land.
For such people to be effective( surely part of the high risk for him),new candidates need to know the enemy better than it is currently articulated by institutions(the danger then and now )
while wannabes continue to play their own shallow game of splash in our profession -its hard to see stability. Average aussies and students need to call for careers not jeers at the opposition .
A more robust personal ,professional and political agenda still remains one of the biggest ,best and most rewarding challenges for young Australians - be warned -there are no quickfixes but lots prepared to waste their time on them. Train well and let us know how its going! http://dogood.blogspot.com

Getting the best of anger

 In this generation Anger has almost become a sin (Sorry we are not allowed to talk about that - by some , but I am NOT one of those ) .
Previous generations dealt with anger with responses like " Be Angry , but Sin not " ( et al) .   Now that we are not allowed to talk about "sin"  either so perhaps the 2 taboos are related ?  I clearly think so but I am in a minority( Public mood is quickfix,  patchup the  presenting problems) .
Any thinking person in an objective mood recognises that to not talk openly and widely about your problems is not good for your mental health ( see some previous posts on this blog on the subject) .
There are lots of books about how to deal with anger  but it seems to me that a lot of the talk is highly reactionary ( doesn't really cut to the heart of why we are here ) 

To be objective about anger is almost impossible for any of us . 

It seems to me impossible for our individual dogmatics( cf reflections and testimonies which have been good) on the subject of anger and fear to be clearly helpful /cathartic to others .Not only are we not objective about our anger and whether/when it breaks "the sin barrier "but our parents are implicated in teaching us things that may or may not be helpful . Clearly if there was ever something a close friend can help you with, its on the issue of " how am i going here " . Therefore too, a strong case for going to a good experienced counsellor to get some perspective.

Dr Les Carter I can highly recommend ( Making the Best of your Anger) and if you want some group therapy our favourite is The Cosby Show.( its brilliant and funny to boot) Its a bit dated,and  clearly R rated for some post modern reactionaries  who would rather waste their capital resources on the latest book . 

What do you do with ferals?

One of the most depressing things ever, can be to be faced with human incompetence. The recently funny serious movie on Australia's cane toad problem is like that.
While a few of us have had a bit of fun poking fun at others ignorance and stupidity in bringing in feral animals and plants ,there has been some challenges there for us too.
Our neighbours up the road brought the rabbit to Australia. They are quite nice people, but, you'll be pleased , as I am, to know that "I'm not related " .
When faced with the reality that a decision has been made that is wrong, we can make a big effort to try and distance ourselves from it. We are tempted to say "we are not like them", when we probably really are . If not in that frame we may think we know how to solve "their problem" and rush off to fix it . We like to think we are not related to such people , but would an objective observer of our behaviour suggest otherwise?

While it can make it easier ( less painful) for us , to see the problem only in our brothers eye , there is some therapy available if and only IF we face the problem head on ourselves. After all, as modern genetic research shows us, you and I ( whether you like to admit it ) share the same potential for feralness ( sad but true )
Maybe you don't show it like I do , but its there and you'll be passing some of it on just as I will.


As one who spent lots of years studying and quietly replacing things that are out of place ( conservation and motherhood share some methods )-( like rabbits )I will post sometime a little note on how rabbits have adapted to living without burrows .

Perhaps like in that great game of cricket, we should stop focusing on external differences, one upmanship, "his problem- not my problem" and all that stuff. Whether we start with a 20-20 ,50-50 or a test, let's see who is better at playing the game long term ! You never know till you take the test!
Maybe we shouldn't be limited by our view of our gene pool, but learn to get along . You Have a good day now brother!

The growth of offensive behaviour

Don't know about you but the increasing noise from young stars who don't control their squeals on a lob is symbolic of a problem that is not just theirs.
Sharapova says she is surprised to hear that people find her noisy efforts are offensive. Did no one tell her or was she not willing to hear. I feel sure someone has told her they are but like most of us with some of our bad habits ----we don't listen .
It's sad for any of our young people to find in their  prime that they have faults that people find offensive .Harder still  if they only ever find them once married ( always a few things though so u can survive such offences with love )
Better though they hear about them clearly from their parents, their teachers and us who call them friends . True friends would do it - Do these Stars lack true friends ?  
Whatever happened to self control? Sharapova says noone told her her habit was annoying - she knows now, but why didn't she listen earlier and act to change her ways ? ( blame? ,excuses? , louder squeals,? silence ? )
If you are in any doubt , tell children again and again of their bad habits. ( help the parents) After all, you don't want them to display them publicly like these tennis stars do .
Surely this phenomenon shows clearly the cost of shoddy thinking - the heretical view of morality where " tolerance " means putting up with bad behaviour and not saying things ( lest U offend) .
 Sin doesn't condemn the sinner ,but silence can .U heard it first from that book
I just posted a piece on why we love our mums' - they bother to be heard over the loud squeals. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=319252338119190

Getting AID and SUSTAINABILITY right

Nothing needs more attention by the next generation of ALL  students than the shallow wishy washy politics of aid and support for the rural poor .  Economic development isn't just about prices - its also about the value of things . Some of this misplaced concreteness is just simply ignorance of extremely complex economic and ecological issues and a quick fix attitude to things like war and drug supply.   Sure we've moved on ( hate that phrase really) from the simple days when handouts to disasters was the only form of aid by governments.
Plenty of positives TOO  in complex effective support for sustainability methods too over many generations with the  missions and their multiple focus which helped to educate the young people so they and their parents can physically and mentally help themselves.
But a huge problem is still with us at home - in our attitude to support competent environmental advice .We don't currently support it . It may seem to you that real support is happening but I can tell you key practical  professional resilience work by our oldest conservation agencies has been decimated. Some of this decimation has been in ignorance , but a lot of it is due to ham fisted arrogance and interference in professional matters by politicians .The Fabians and lefties themselves have forgotten their old mentor G B Shaw  who in writing a book on the subject recognised the huge danger from the evil that can origin itself from good intentions only.
Educated agricultural scientists too STILL get dragged in UNsustainable directions.   Our cultures attitude to agriculture as an industry is far too production  orientated  and DPI agencies across the nation are now decades behind in supporting sound sustainability research in many areas. We even export unsustainability because our approach to technology reflects secondary imperatives rather than primary industry ones.     I know this because my profession of applied resilience research has been decimated even in Australia  by patronising and misdirected concerteness in the area of sustainability .Quick fix by the Green parties too has not been  helpful .
Be green , but ONLY LISTEN to professional independents who study before opening their mouths on the subject.  Otherwise ignorance and speculation may be your master.
Unless the 1% of us who work with the 1% (of our countries rural) , 98% of Australians are prone to getting rural support half wrong . The greens movements too will just have a legacy of straw moves unless they support mainstream science and parliament on matters of conservation . ( the job is simply too hard for pollies but they do try  ) If you have any questions please put them here  ( NSW farmers just got their crops downgraded from profitable to broke threatening them in Dec 2011) You can learn more about a resilience career  here .


Footnote AUSTRALIA 2012
Canberra was never fully in touch ( even in 1980) with the professional edge of rural resilience support but ,  in 2011 it is completely lost,  because the profession is lost . No quick fix NOW by the Feds would be welcome as even the regional support mechanisms  for rural areas in our own Country are on the nose around the country ( we have people who run our hospitals and councils and care centres who leave the area at weekends )  Common patraonising responses to disasters also doesn't help us either because we live with drought and floods .
What we can't live with is more quickfix political nonsense to solve OUR problems, more quickfix about free trade and ignorant   directions on ecological imperatives from half educated city ites. Is anyone really listening ? Hope you are-- that would be great . Let us know U are and all the best with your career.