Celebrate AUSTRALIA DAY-- love your neighbour even if you don't always like them .

Trust Michael Leunig to settle the dust and the hype on Australia day.

What a great challenge he has given us to think through what it might mean to really celebrate our home together . What a great challenge to look forward to meeting our neighbours - whoever they are . It can hard though as we hardly know them . We shouldn't feel bad that we don't like each other , but Michael's call is the great and effective one from our past . Love thy neighbor as you love yourself

Love is not only the bigger and harder thing, its the best thing. Take the classic left right division

I don't like -many conservatives because most are too often comfortable with the status quo .

-the left powerbrokers of the moment because they think they know what is right , who is wrong and NOW think they can corral us with laws they make up as they go along .   Too bad I can at least think about love , and where to get it when I need some more.

Celebrate Christmas - like never before but better again

 
We don't place a nicely decorated football in a prominent position in the room 4 weeks before the final, like we do with Christmas trees. 
I guess its  partly because we don't know , till the very day of celebration,  which persons will win .
The Jewish people didn't know who was coming when  they set a spare place for centuries  for the unknown and unseen visitor  . The door was left ajar and the setting left free in anticipation of a  guest at the table -  the Messiah  .
Whatever our faith, it seems to me we all share a prayer  for an end to the crisis (Covid , family's or political tensions)  ; an end to ALL  the hostilities just as out forefathers did on the battle fields on Christmas day.  
You may not be anticipating  much this Christmas  , but we can all anticipate good things and set a table place for someone to share our Christmas with us , present or just unseen. Have a blessed time anticipating things this Christmas time.]'

Know what you believe and test the rest

Had a great discussion the other day with someone who has been really struggling to be optimistic.
Its not something you can shake yourself out of eh? 
Yet we shared some great common ground . That  was good for all present because we don't know much really and we are all helped by being resisted with our often too quick and inadequate words and explanations.
    .
Its bit  like Job's three friends - who after speaking ever so smartly,  eventually get to a better place and just shut up
When someone amongst is really suffering we can do little but be there and be quiet. As the neighbor book of Solomon's( Ecclesiastes)  says ' there is no explanation and chasing one a satisfactory one is chasing after the wind " 
We didn't give up though 

We started back to find some IF there is some solid ground to stand on -Our instincts were our starting point  . BUT who wants to go there too much when clearly it is some of the testosterone and hormonal "lizard" brain stuff that we wisely learn to resist .   Progress ?  
If we use that base level" nature knows best " simplicity  as a exercise for doing what we feel like,  we will never grow up . Life's cruelty can also kill us if we don't fight such simple nonsense and see beyond it .   None of us present were doing that so that firmer ground was positive . 
It was encouraging to find something ,even if it was very basic,  to agree on' : 
 The good part is all three of us were quite grown up , Nice to see us as the old wrinkles who were good company for each other .  We didn;t have the child like with us  no temptation  to lecture any kindergarten attendees  or worry /watch them heading  into another pit. 
So back to basics . 
Adrenalin is good for us, though we often worry needlessly when its product , anger, arrives . This is not just the fight or flight imperative,  but responding well to the anger that comes with it
Reactionary Post  Christian thinkers  often forget that anger is not wrong  but dangerous ;God our friend gets angry at sin but reminds us to not focus on the sinner but the sin and therefore to talk freely to the sin and not so much the sinners ( who we hope stops doing the wrong thing because its not him /her we are attacking or condemning ) 
 

Its Like life at its best :  that place where we accept the  challenge and the drive  to respond well too it - not just let its tough stuff drive a drive a nail through our feet . .Noradrenalin reminds us that we can and should deal with threats by ending the day with an apology.and or confession /realization 

If we sit on anger as some shallow behaviourists insist we do,  our suppressed anger we will get us depressed. If we don't speak straight and to the point  , our righteously angry friends will get red necked/ depressed  for no result , while our society stagnates in a calm pond of superficial  nonsense with dark things underneath and bullying and clowning around above .
No progress and a  loss of sustainability and resilience. 


The three amigos and others ( not finished yet )   


Chesterton - The seeker who went deeper ; found solid ground beneath the surface
Ellul           -  The scientist who reminds us we  must do it well it not at all; The sociological scientist who reminds us that if put things in boxes , we will box our minds in  

Milton         - The rebel who saw hell and thrived on the insights 
Shakespeare - The man who taught us how to love all mankind fully 
Whitehead -  Another scientist who reminds us we  must do science well it not at all.  He is one who saw in the previous century the flood of foundless facts being assembled for the purpose of reinforcing ones own ignorance of them and their place.  
Bagehot      
Carlyle 

All say you must love something before you can know something about it ( Carlyle ) 

Why don't we all stop caring?

After all as Hitler said who needs all this namby pamby motherhood stuff:  the stuff of  Christianity . not only are there tears and suffering,  but we are supposed to endure suffering
Lets be Teutons for a change;  Lets be harder and smarter
After all its a dog eat dog world isn't it .

Ecological Idealism is scary for the way it says its interested in the the eco ( the household and its welfare) and yet allows/encourages  individuals to just do what they like{ to fight for their right (eg dog eat dog ) .
If you listen to many post modernists they seem to be enjoying a new found freedom : they sound like people free to not care, If nature works without our care why the prayer?
 Does good eco order happen without us , or even while we do our own thing ?

Dostoevsky wasn't the first to note that with the death of God comes the end of moral courage .
Without faith in a God who wants good for all and created good for all, the world can be has been so much worse.

The new post modern ( nature does the work) logic on caring 
Yet the new logic is being put . Let me do what I want and if people or trees or rivers or other silent things need care,  I will be most caring - I will insist the government care for them . Not sure I would really pay up for that )
This talk of looking after the the weaker smaller and unspoken for element is fine,  but using the idea of the law and fights for rights shows how little these advocates  know about what really works to protect . They make caring too simple when it goes to the heart of the interdependence of God's creation and how it works. 
The new progressives are reacting not thinking ahead
They can easily become just  band aid and emergency services brigades attarcting the sort of staff who don't care about anything but money : discouraging by their careless talk of caring ( and love of procedure ) any staff who take time to really care , Time bookkeeping is breaking hearts . 
A lack of real care and high cost comes with institutionalizing it all - creates empires of dependency which is in long term unsustainable  Most importantly,  this simple talk ignores how ecological caring is a site seeding fine tuning operation that actually includes kicking birds out of nests to look after themselves: Quite sustainable , Does not require rules but requires on ground on site  Time well spent but not exactly on site  ontime specific  -- as a mere accountant would want.

The only reason the self proclaimed caring parties  ( like our present Greens)  can talk is because they ignore most of the caring parties who operate on ground and at their own cost and locally .
The only reason The caring parties  ( like our present Greens)  can talk is because they ignore the fact that their way of paying for the cost of caring is through taxes they might beexpected to be  reluctant to pay. ( esp if we went more their way )
These overly sentimental rebel simplifyers heretics of a more full blown caring civilization of the past are leading into a socity that just can't last.  They only imagine they are inventing and involving when leaving things out of the recipe leads to inedible bread. 
These progressive  westerners are at risk of expecting too much of governmnets. They would sedn us all broke.
The simple solution makers  ignore the high cost benefit of  most of the existing ( but now dwindling?) caring parties who operate on ground and at their own cost and locally.
Ignoring the mad progressives love of simple ways to solve others problems( without really solving them)  lets consider the complex OLD way we used to care ? Locally voluntarily with up close and wise  and at our own free choice

Up close and wise  where we are free to completely understand the local need and defend it .sustainable and effective and respecting the listening process 
Not the task funded by an accountant or a law which says who goes first for what reason 
.Unsustainable and ineffective and not respecting the listening process 

A better way to care for nature who has no voice
As a practical and effective ecologist and resilience planner I  wish for nothing more than that students of science were given State support to study eco communities as I was .
Good local effective care work relies on knwoing the local really well . The state would authorie itseflf to judge but really the state houls authorize the local inetrmedairy whose local to judge
This move to centralize power and policy at teh top is ultimately unproductive.

The role of protector     
Issues still to be dealt with

--- simple logic leads to crass stupidity Unborn life is work focused not valued. Whats living should be increasingly respected. It could the rational determinists recipe for less people less problems and he focus on me and teh present, How nice how simple

---the law is a ass and likely to screw the smaller element.
 ---The ass of the law is that it treats rights of individuals , not the community and its competeing elements . The elements of life are not like us - independent but mutually working together for big picture outcomes
---article points out law is not going to work Its as ass and a simple ass   
---Is modern morality  is about feelings - and my felleing the feelings of the moment . unborn babies can be assumed by some ,  to not feel
Practically we have a way and we cant think of a better way , Some insist that we follow their faith that new will cause better to evolve to even better .
I think it comes down to this , without a picture of an almighty creator or judge to intervene or a earthly protector ( so much reliant on taxes and less reliable  ) we can talk .....and people  just talk about whats better.
You can tell by the way we talk that we are made in the image of god - but why bother trying to be like God . Too hard 
Lord Protector - the unbelievers option 
The option for the unbelievers with a heart seems to be  a earthly protector but his job is relaint on corceion and taxation
what a joy for the free rebel in us , we do what we like The state will keep us inline
Will we be like children ?
NEEDS EDITING
Guilt 0the unnaed issue, we use up resoeuces , If we admit our sin we can make a start if we blame othesrs our guilt carries on

OUR CHOICE ? An internal dualism or an external dualism  
who is right then Luther ( Man has 2 natures inside ) and teh world which followed him and tested the idea or the new world order( Good is external and usually in governmnet )  which is already been sorely tested
what will it work in the future  : has worked ?
As an ecologsist and a christain ia accept the constraints of both nature and the Creator , That we dont really know how perfectly to hold our need for bread and land for where our roots are to grow .
I know with Mario Puzo that life is hard and we need to be well and coorectly focused on the nature of the problem  Salavotore Guiliano and many idealists B4 him thought  that land is what men wanted and needed 
Jesus knew that it was bread men needed
By following out own local caring demands locally i am sure there is bread to share , We are free form misplaced guilt to really care where we can .
The Christain remians the serant of all but in service has complete freedom   Quote Luthers the freedom of a Christian

If you were Bill Gates, what would you do to change the world?

I love some of their projects ( like getting proper plumbing to people) but as a practical  ecologist , environmental risk assessor and student of human history,  I know there is much more needed than mere money and technology . Only integrated and inspirational can change the world for good .

To my mind , we have to,  like the job we have with ourselves and our families ( See Happy Valley on Stan) deal with the brokenness in  punchy personal and then other ways . Pick up the pieces and see how we can reform the good bits (as the Policewoman does in the above series )and not be overcome by cynicism - the bad and risky bits (that must be faced )


Take the grand paradox of democracy . As Churchill reminds us NO SYSTEM ( technology . plan or instrument ) is perfect . Don't throw out the baby,  with the bathwater as many  do  That technological fix mentality IS more than  half the problem with the West  tas Jacques Ellul ,  Orwell and Huxley said. The popular progressive ( I question that tired old and immature idea as do many , like GK Chesterton)
I know , as we should all know, that that the Western tradition is not one of revolution (or this common simple faith projection of automatic progress) but one of reform.

I call all  people everywhere to making sure their democracy works and is not just a name or mathematical projection only  ( the voice of  ONE child can liberate your country just  one dictator or dictatorial party can kill it .)


 The popular vote can be all wrong !!! We must not just go through the emotions and expect wonder and miracles to come from " the majority "of the majority idea of the moment ,- thats a tecnological fix idea ( Take Hitlers and all modern tyrannies for example where public opinion was a driver )


In Australia , like it seems many other democracies  at the moment,  is a mess. A stalemate mess  run by minor voices of  a  party kind .  Well intentioned ( the greatest source of evil) on the surface , but no idea of practicalities on the inside . Emotion and sentiment over substance .

I am hoping young people  YES YOU    ( who have already demonstrated their care for animals and fair play ) will fix it and make it work again as our forefathers ( say in 1900's) intended . The idea is " About same reps in country and city .
NO COUNTRY  should be ruled by urban fringe elements  and dependant parts of its economy    http://thiselection.blogspot.com

The West is , at its best,  a reformation tradition;'one that is careful to sift the denial, guilt .obfuscation, denigration , projection , pride greed and self righteous building on so called "good intention" and mere sentiment ( the key driver of much stupidity? ) ;
I
n the new millennium in particular , the ignorance and arrogance of those who would presume to put their smart arse s on the line for a mere plan of their own making is truly frightening.  Good governance is not  just good business - that is one thing the left are right about,  when they too get it right . ,Those who focus  on how we can do cultural change with media messages and more laws are clearly risking greater tyranny .just as those who trust only in capitalism are ignoring their /our families and what makes them work .

God is able to do more than you ask, think or know about

Those of you who don't EVEN believe God does anything, might like to hang in there for  a bit  .

After all , many of the most harrowing stories in the Bible come from people who get heaps simplying for believing and trusting ----let alone doing it  really tough, ( Job Jeremiah ,Jesus )

To explore that more deeply now is not my purpose here

- My purpose here is to remind us all of a few facts about  how we have been redeemed from evil in the recent past ( like the evils of WW 2 , the Russian and Chinese revolutions etc )
--and BY non theologically or politically incorrect people .

Lets be honest --if God relied on the believers to restore  order in the world , he would never get very far .Romans 13 reminds us of the  same and the way in which he sometimes works .

Whatever mistakes are being made by those in the media who now name the corruption of the State and some of its institutions -
( like  the current batch of news presenters and  commentators  on  Sky channel)
I thank God those people are being used to awaken people to the corruption and evil that has been occurring for decades in the name of  the best intention.

All it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing .

If you want to be influential in the next election  Bookmark and Contribute to
http://thiselection.blogspot.com     (Australia only)

Poverty stress and war reduction

YES Its possible to change the world ---if you have a vision of how it can be done .Take the worlds outside our own just to gain a more objective view of the good and bad parts of our civilisation.

My generation observed many millions of very poor people in India but failed to really UNDERSTAND that there were also many of the richest people there as well.
Most importantly, we failed to recognize that there was something in the way they thought- *their worldview" which limited them to no change/ resistance to change .

We need to be firm , but more importantly to know what we are trying to do - esp when trying to influence outsiders . Like members of our own family we can't always influence them to change - so AID is our only choice . Carefully considered aid and training scholarships ( where students come here and go back) are needed.

We first need to understand all the areas where we were once great in our thinking . All the areas wher dumb sht still reigns Where we are still weak in will and understanding Trump clearly,  as a benefactor of the worst kind of economic ripoff culture, is no model

Copyright Emperors Academy Oct 2016

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 !