good and bad and good and bad
Sometimes I get frustrated living in a smaller place when things fizzle and die through limited interest, difficulty and so forth. Now I understand why the beanie lady got so upset about no-one ever attending her environmental group meetings... groups are hard work-you need something you physically do that binds you together. To that end, I'm off to miss jane's chakra workshop Saturday week; and to the local council sustainability workshop/lecture by Peter Newman (?) this Saturday with my friend Mark. Mark is very good, he's in process of installing solar panels AND solar hot water service... me, well I do the wrong thing all the time, despite the amount of time I spend telling people to be virtuous (virtuous in my avoidance of sweat shop destined for landfill clothes, second hand purchasing and gradual embrace of organically grown food and frugality with use of electricity and food purchasing; not so great with careful use of water or consumption of coffee and haven't cycled to work for absolutely ages.......).
Anyway tried to get out of this Saturday's workshop as I probably need to pack (that's a more complicated story: have been advised to wait it out and see the nasty landlord at tribunal to make her prove that her "renovations require vacant possession" is just a retalitory gesture)... but the guy organising the guest list said to come anyway "and good luck with moving". It was that last statement, cheesy as it was, that spoke of sincerity and why I should spend my Saturday hanging out with other kindred like minded souls...
Oh... as I type, my friend sent me a sobering email, that made me think that any attempt at optimism and creativity is futile and silly. I was discussing the statement "History never repeats itself"> I interpreted this as the reason why when the zeitgeist hits you, you should join in. Circus in town and you''re invited to the next town? Go. Group of performers putting on a show in a community festival? Join in. Friend invites you to stay and watch the local Anzac parade? Do it.
About that-I claimed to not be interested, never been interested and so forth. Thought Anzac unintentionally glorifies war and gets embraced by the same sorts of people that run around wearing flag tattooes on Australia day. My friend JP said it was about the tragedy, that 17 year old boys went and died, the sacrifice of youth. I discussed the Pat Barker trilogy, the political argument at it's core, that in war time the fathers (politicians) send their sons (young men) to fight their wars, that it dates from biblical times what they do. How could you have a child that you kill? Anyway, with that heavy discussion, plus my association with Hugh Macky's argument that it's good to participate in things that are bigger than you, that are public, that are a community, I decided to stay put. We delayed our plans for a coffee at the surf club, and watched all the school students that had turned up in uniform on a Saturday to march. And it was very enlightening....
Anyway friend pointed out that current zeitgeist is collapse... it's a sobering thought, yet I know this constant greed greed greed was corrupt and inflated and had to end and was unsustainable... but then I get sad about how much is left in fragments for repair... am often amazed by how much people need direction. Learning to take a "diagnosis" of people before I do training, though not until after I've launched in with something fun that warms them up.
For a good example of a great teacher, look up Richard Buckland on You Tube. He's a UNSW lecturer, makes me wish I'd done engineering (almost).
Anyway tried to get out of this Saturday's workshop as I probably need to pack (that's a more complicated story: have been advised to wait it out and see the nasty landlord at tribunal to make her prove that her "renovations require vacant possession" is just a retalitory gesture)... but the guy organising the guest list said to come anyway "and good luck with moving". It was that last statement, cheesy as it was, that spoke of sincerity and why I should spend my Saturday hanging out with other kindred like minded souls...
Oh... as I type, my friend sent me a sobering email, that made me think that any attempt at optimism and creativity is futile and silly. I was discussing the statement "History never repeats itself"> I interpreted this as the reason why when the zeitgeist hits you, you should join in. Circus in town and you''re invited to the next town? Go. Group of performers putting on a show in a community festival? Join in. Friend invites you to stay and watch the local Anzac parade? Do it.
About that-I claimed to not be interested, never been interested and so forth. Thought Anzac unintentionally glorifies war and gets embraced by the same sorts of people that run around wearing flag tattooes on Australia day. My friend JP said it was about the tragedy, that 17 year old boys went and died, the sacrifice of youth. I discussed the Pat Barker trilogy, the political argument at it's core, that in war time the fathers (politicians) send their sons (young men) to fight their wars, that it dates from biblical times what they do. How could you have a child that you kill? Anyway, with that heavy discussion, plus my association with Hugh Macky's argument that it's good to participate in things that are bigger than you, that are public, that are a community, I decided to stay put. We delayed our plans for a coffee at the surf club, and watched all the school students that had turned up in uniform on a Saturday to march. And it was very enlightening....
Anyway friend pointed out that current zeitgeist is collapse... it's a sobering thought, yet I know this constant greed greed greed was corrupt and inflated and had to end and was unsustainable... but then I get sad about how much is left in fragments for repair... am often amazed by how much people need direction. Learning to take a "diagnosis" of people before I do training, though not until after I've launched in with something fun that warms them up.
For a good example of a great teacher, look up Richard Buckland on You Tube. He's a UNSW lecturer, makes me wish I'd done engineering (almost).
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