To Help or Not to Help

I overheard an interesting conversation last week - a woman had told her husband to deny a request for help from another on the basis that as he didn't help anyone else, he shouldn't expect favors from others.

Now as the conversation went on there was a hint that the gentleman did help others, but not in the manner of frequency that the woman thought appropriate.

But setting that aside for now.

I thought we helped others because we could (skills, time, money or whatever) and because it made us better people for doing so. Maybe that isn't quite altruism, but surely most folks don't help each other with the expectation of getting something back, or considering that the person who they helped "owes" them in some way.

As much as I am cynical about the human race, please tell me I am wrong on this front. Isn't sharing ourselves in this way something that builds community, and friendships, and all of those other good concepts. And even if the other person is perceived as being selfish, would it be better to role model "better" behavior than reinforce the behavior that they are being judged for?

Yes there is a line in which if you cross it you are being used and I am certainly not advocating that we should give regardless, but that wasn't the circumstances here.

Tell me what you think and lend a hand if you can folks, lend a hand.

Image: "Tools" by spang141

Life Doesn't Go On Forever

I have been thinking a lot about the nature of life recently - or more specifically death. We, as a society, are becoming so obsessed with prolonging life I am wondering if we are forgetting how to die. No this isn't an original thought but it has been occupying my time and brainwaves.

An every increasing amount of research is being poured into curing all the ills that befall us. The healthcare costs of first world nations continue to increase somewhat out of control. The breach between the haves and have-nots continues to widen. And all for what? We are born to die.

I was listening to an ethics program last nigth that was debating whether one fo the newer cancer treatments (costing $100,000 a year) should be given to a person that might only get another three months to live, as opposed to one who's life could be extended by two or three years. I wonder of that money couldn't be better used feeding or educating hundreds for that same period.

Now this conversation is hard to have because people seem to automatically want to preserve their own lives, and the lives of their loved ones. And that is not wrong. There is also a whole lot of grey in the argument. Is someone (say the most brilliant surgeon in the world) more valuable than (say) an artist, or a farmer, or an unemployed drug addict? Is my child more worthy than the child of someone I don't know who lives in a country without the resources that Australia has? Is an extra few months so someone can witness the birth of a grandchild or an equivalent big happening worth more than those same months without the event?

I am just beginning on this one.

Image: "Holding Health" by LoverDgirlA1065

A Question of Ethics

I have attended my first meeting of the local writers group and find it incredible - not only is there a great range of people, there is also the opportunitiy to have my work critiqued.

And now I have a problem. The group meets at the local club. And the club has pokies.

I am from a state that doesn't have the ubiquitous poker machines - well they are in the casino but that is it. Over here they are in every pub and club. The money from these allegedly goes back into the community - and about5% of it actually does. The rest of it goes into promotional activities for the venue (for example cheap eats) or just into the general revenue. Most venues scream that they woldn't remain viable without these gambling mosters that flash and scream at the patrons, urging them to gamble more and more.

Now I accept that not all gamblers are problem gamblers, and there is a vast range of alternative places for one to gamble if the machines weren't there but I made a decision I wouldn't become a member of any venue that had pokies.

So now what to do. I have to join the club to attend the writers group. Do I join and compromise myself, or do I keep my principles and miss out on developing my craft in this way? I have discounted the option of discussing it with the group - when you question pokies over here, people look at you as if you had just sprouted a new head. And the two people I have mentioned it to in passing point out that I am only there to use the meeting space, and I am under no pressure or obigation to gamble so it is no big deal.

What to do, what to do ....

Image: "Gambling Gummy Bears" by radioPooh

Ethical Dilemma

There are so many ethical choices to make each day.

To buy cheap milk from Coles - easy decision - NO. It isn't ethical for the survival of the dairy industry. The same applies to their free range eggs.

To support GM food - easy decision - NO. Graham did add a factor for my consideration - that being that many of the GM advances are really just a fast-forward of the natural breeding that farmers and producers have been doing for years. That is true but I object to the ethics of the food I eat being owned by Monsanto and co. I also object to the farmers not being able to store seed - especially those in developing nations. I really object to cross-species breeding in both plants and animals.

To support a price on carbon - easy decision - YES. It is only fair that the real price of products and services is part up for consideration in my decision making process.

To attend a wedding in Fiji - easy decision - NO. But what if it was my brother, or daughter or someone else of similar importance .... hard decision - UNSURE. I don't want to do anything to support the junta (including buying Fiji water - easy decision - NO) but if the couple had made their decision and weren't going to change it, I am not sure what I would do. I am not even sure there is even a "right" or "wrong" decision to make in this case - there are winning and losing arguments on both sides. Hmmm .... have to continue to ponder this one (and it is only a hypothetical for me).

Image: "the choice" by FaeriGirl

Thought For The Day :-)

There's an old saying about those who forget history. I don't remember it, but it's good.

Stephen Colbert

Image: "History Keeper" by droopflight

Where is the Real Food?

Cloned animals - cows specifically have been declared as safe to eat in the UK. Now I say up front that this has been going on in South America and parts of Asia (?) for ages so it is perhaps less of a novelty and more of an inevitability than anything else.

Nonetheless I am struggling with it. Not the notion of cloning per se - lets face it, much (read "most") of our grains and vegetables come from cloned seed (think GMO) - but for ethical reasons. And I admit I have only had 24 hours to think about this so while my opinion is fixed, my reasons are yet to be concreted.

I understand that the meat and milk from cloned animals can be proved to be ok for human consumption, or at least not detrimental. And I understand that the future of food security for nations, and the planet, is dodgy to say the least and cloning of food products is possibly our only solution to maintaining our present diets. I understand that farmers have bred animals for centuries for characteristics that are beneficial to their market and that cloning can be seen as a speeding up of this process. I understand that a cloned animal can have an equal quality of life as that of a "naturally bred" animal.

What I don't understand is why we NEED cloned animals.

Our diets have changed significantly in the last fifty years, not always for the best but lets leave that argument for another day. Our portion sizes have increased significantly. Our expectations of all food all year round, and always priced cheaply seems to have become the norm.

As a result we have needed to resort to increased processed food, GMOs, fake meat and the like. "And the like" now includes cloned animals.

When will we start focusing on seasonal produce, farmed ethically and sustainable, and priced fairly? When will start focusing on REAL food, with real nutrients, with little to no processing?

Image: "Cows in the morning" by mrak9

For further info do a Google search or check out the BBC

The Law of Attraction

Laws of fact are based on consistency - gravity, as an example, is always there, always the same. The second Law of Thermodynamics has no exceptions.

And then you have the ever-popular "The Law of Attraction" which is basically summarized as what you put out to the universe is what you get back - to differentiate it from karma in which case you get what you deserve, or from prayer in which case a god or other deity determines your blessings.

So each day otherwise rational human beings people are sending out positive vibes for money or a partner or a job or a new car, and when this does come to fruition, credits it all to The (alleged) Law of Attraction. If the reward is not forthcoming, then obviously the time is not right but it will be along when that changes, or, you are also sending out parallel messages that you are not worthy so you need to do some self work before your reward can be received.

Crap!

Now there are some things in this world we can control, and there are others we cannot. Not matter how many people "wish" for a sunny day for their wedding, the weather is controlled by factors well outside of their desires and will continue on its own path.

And there is no way that you can tell me that when I was raped (asleep in my zipped up tent) , I was sending out messages to the universe that I wanted it to happen. And the same thing applies to people that starve to death, old people who get beaten up during home invasions, children that are abused in any form, or the people in Hiroshimo who had their day interrupted some years ago by the dropping of a nuclear bomb or two. But if I give The Law of Attraction anything more than disdain then I would have to acknowledge that all of these people "asked for it", they weren't victims, this was exactly what they had ordered from the ever-providing universe.

It is insulting, it is degrading and it is so very, very wrong to even suggest a thing.

Oprah and The Secret and Eckert Tolle and everyone else who spouts this crap, or says they believe in it,  have a lot to answer of by spreading this bullshit.

Image: "Seeking refuge" by TheHarlequinsMask

What Is The Truth?

Sometimes it is really easy to determine what is the truth or not but for the most part I am not convinced it is not easy and if I look to the philosopher's for guidance, I think they agree with me.

Consider a traffic accident as a random example. The two drivers and various witnesses may agree that a bingle had occurred but it is somewhat inevitable that the details between the stories will vary. Is anyone lying, probably not - it would depend on what they saw, what they think they saw and what they remembered.

Consider todays debate on how much tax the mining industry pays - the ATO gives a flat figure, the Treasury gives another that takes into account what subsidies are paid. Both positions are equally valid as being the truth, neither organisation is lying, there is a difference in interpretation.

Consider any random argument between a couple or friends - say something as stupid as "you never listen" (not a debate, just to clarify) both parties have their own opinions on the issue of contention. Both have their own moods, memories of examples and whatever else to bring to the floor, and all of that will also affect their ability to hear the perspective of the protagonist.

Consider the rights of refugees to seek refuge. Black and white it may seem. Layer on comments "queue jumpers", "illegals" and what may have seemed black and white may still be so, but from a different perspective.

Consider something as simple as "the sun rose today" ... well it didn't rise at all did it, maybe the earth and the sun are both in their respective cycles and there was a meeting of the two.

So is there any real truth? Science tends to define truth as results that can be reliably replicated but is that enough for humans and all of their pudgy greyness of existence, comprehension and reaction.

Photo: "Naked Truth" by Charlie C M

Dreaming

I have been challenged recently about where I am heading in this life. It wasn't a personal challenge as such, just someone posted something and it has got me thinking.

I haven't really had any firm goals for my life - just looking for opportunities and assessing them on their merits. There are certainly some things that I would like to be different, that I regret if you will but nothing that will make a victim to the cause. I would certainly like to change some things about my present position but, for some aspects of life, you have to deal the hand you have.

I really like me and the person I am so I put a tick in that box. I get on really well with most people and have some of the best friends a woman could want so I put a tick in that box too. I live in heaven, I fill my days with activities that I enjoy and challenge me (more ticks).

But if I think about 5 years, 10 years, 20 years down the track, well things get fuzzy. How much can I determine my future, will I even be here, will any of us be? Should I focus on tomorrow (when the things I might want seem both unimportant and unachievable and won't determine who I am or my happiness anyway) or just suck the marrow out of today?

I have been contemplating this for a week and am no closer to an answer ....

Photo: "dream on" by indiae

Another Week

I have begun to truly love Monday's - they are the beginning of the week, hanging ripe with the anticipation of all that could be; the beginning of opportunities that will mark time that is yet to come, can't be repeated and many not even arrive; a time to jump into the abyss of possibility.

I look forward to being able to contemplate what I might have learnt at the end of this random division of time; what I might have experienced; how I might have changed.

I do all of this on a smaller level at the end of each day, but a week is a better gauge of patterns, of feelings of cycles. And I know Monday is completely arbitrary but then I also consider all forms of the recording of time by humble human beings to fall in the same category so it isn't an issue for me :-)

Photo: "Possibility" by BaRain

Seasonality

I have been listening to a lot of podcasts from the BBC relating to agriculture and food security and the like and it has got me thinking. What applies to the England doesn't necessarily apply here in in Australia but bear with me.

The concept of something being "out of season" appears to have been eliminated for it will always be in season somewhere on the planet, or seasons can be replicated using hothouses and polytunnels, or the effect of the seasons can be minimized through breeding programs (genetically engineered or otherwise). There may be a variation in price through the year but generally availability won't be affected. I know when I was working with the lovelies they had no concept that there was a season for the growing of any particular crop.

As a result of this our expectations around food have changed and our diets and lifestyles have followed suit. I mean why both bottling your own tomatoes when you can buy them fresh all year around? I also acknowledge that there are social and economic issues including both parents generally working outside the house and having less time for these pursuits, house blocks being much smaller that the traditional quarter acre so there is less space for vegetables and fruit trees, and the overall urbanization of the population. Is this a chicken and egg situation? Not sure ....

I also acknowledge my passion for food within 100-miles of home is another layer of consideration. And I know that I have contradictory views in that crops like rice should not be grown in Australia for the simple reason of a lack of water but I like to eat rice. I also know that Australia exports large quantities of agricultural products and that changes to that would have a big impact, both socially and economically, on  individuals and the country as a whole. Not to mention the importance of balance of trade between nations and the existing treaties in this area. I also know that the size of this country and the range of weather experienced means that we are more able to produce food and less reliant on international imports.

So where is this all leading? Well if we, as a country, want to have food security as we progress thorugh the 21st century we are going to have to consider some questions before any answers can be found. Do we want to be self-reliant when it comes to food security or are we happy to collaborate with others? Are we really willing to consider the environmental costs of our food requirements (farming on marginal land, land clearing, water availability, various forms of pollution generated)? Do we want quality food, or food for the lowest price? Are we willing to make changes to the way we eat or live? What foods are now "basic" and we need to ensure they are "secure" and which ones are not? Are we willing to continue to subsidize some aspects of the agricultural industry to sustain communities and the individual farmers? I am sure there are more.questions but these were my starting points.

The reality is that I can find no outcomes to the proposition of food security until the answers come in. I know my answers - and acknowledge the contradictions that included in them. I think we as a nation need to have the conversation .... after there has been considerable education on the current realities of agriculture, and we re-connect with our food and its sources (yes the milk issue is still there lol). And we probably need to have the conversation sooner rather than later because the inevitable change that will occur will take time.

Donuts Donuts Donuts

We don't have a Krispy Kreme around here but there is a store in the airport in Sydney so it is something of a tradition to grab a box on your way home.

I stopped to get fuel on the way home from my roadtrip yesterday and was delighted to find that there was a Krispy Kreme in the complex. One box of glazed donuts and I was back on the road.

Now I do confess that I ate two on the drive home but .... well I don't even know why I have to justify it lol.

So yesterday evening I had great joy in walking (and I use that term very loosely) around the neighbors dropping off my little treats. And explaining every time that no, I hadn't been to Sydney but had been in the land of bananas and sunshine. I think I had a greater joy in sharing them than eating them (and that is saying something lol).

I have often wondered why someone doesn't open a business up our way. And then I wonder if some of the magic of the donuts would be lost if they were available any time we wanted one. There would be no conversations about how Sydney was, no sharing with neighbors and friends, none of those little bits that add to the experience. On the other hand there could be donuts every day :-D

I Believe I Can Fly

Philosophy of the day :-)

Choose Life

I have come to realize that all my trouble with living has come from fear and smallness within me.

Angela Wozniak

And now ... well look out world, here I come! - from me :-)

Photo: "speaking of joy" by marielliott

All Men Are Created Equal?

Over the last few years in Australia, Melbourne specifically, there has been a bit of a gangland war going on. One of the main protagonists has charged and found guilty and received a long prison sentence in a maximum security prison.

This week he was killed. An fellow inmate has been charged. There is much controversy over how it happened being that he was meant to be supervised at all times and there are allegations that this wasn't the case for the crucial 25 minutes it took for him to be discovered, stories that the cctv footage of the said period has apparently gone missing and hints of the corruption of police and prison officers are being plastered over the front page of the papers. Three individual inquiries have been launched into the whole affair - plus there will be the trial of the man arrested for the crime.

There have also been calls for a royal inquiry-type commission to look into the issues raised by the attack. The Government has refused this - because it sees it as a waste of taxpayers money into a known serial killer. Now if they rejected the idea for reasons that the other inquiries would achieve the answers or a similar reason, well I wouldn't have a problem.

I do have a problem with the lack of a Commission for the official reason give. Yes the guy was a nasty piece of work and I can't imagine too many people grieving for his passing. But are we not all equal before the law? And is his murder of any less importance than those he committed? And is not the potential of corruption of members of the judicial system not of wider concern to the community as a whole?

It all makes me think ... and I am not really liking the results of these thoughts.

Carbon Footprint Update

Now that I am no longer a "worker" in the traditional sense of the word I have just updated my carbon footprint details.

I am now emitting approximatley half a tonne of carbon each year ... well a little bit over: 0.53 tonnes. Now I could be cocky and say it is waaaaaaay under the average for Australia but it would still take 2 planets to support everyone if they lived like me.

I do buy at least 5 trees each year and only need to buy one to offset my emissions, so I am 8 trees in credit that way but next weekend I will need to buy an additional 5 trees to specifically offset my American trip from earlier in the year. Yes I could use my exisiting credits but I want to offset the trip separately.

So, I am happy with the results but there is still room for improvement. I was contemplating saving my shower water for use on the garden but that isn't really practical with my back being as it is so my goal is to increase my percentage of food bought with consideration to Food Miles and to further cut down my meat consumption.

Just an update .....

PS: I used both the 1degree calculator and the WWF one to come up with my totals.

Community Gardening

I was listening to the story of a community garden in Melbourne. Unlike many gardens, the volunteers don't get their own plot per se, it all communal. Apparently you can contribute as much time as you wish - from just turning up for the monthly busy-bees to attending daily .... or anywhere in between. And from that you take produce which you think represents your inputs. Examples were given of people who drop by after work to grab some herbs to go with dinner right through to the garden providing the entire fruit and vegetable needs for a household.

The interviewer asked what could be an obvious question about how they deal with people who take too much, or more than their share - especially as there are no records kept of the hours that a volunteer contributes.

The representative of the garden laughed and explained they had never had that problem. In fact people so underestimate their inputs there is the need to send out emails reminding people (say) the tomatoes are ripe - please come and get more!

In this busy world where greed seems to be so prevalent it is refreshing to know that there is at least one patch in this world where copious regulations to prevent and deal with it are not needed.

Photo: "Very small vegetables ....." by GoddessofChocolate

The Veil of Ignorance

I was listening to my pod this week when I came across a discussion of philosopher John Rawl's "Veil of Ignorance".

"Imagine that you have set for yourself the task of developing a totally new social contract for today's society. How could you do so fairly? Although you could never actually eliminate all of your personal biases and prejudices, you would need to take steps at least to minimize them. Rawls suggests that you imagine yourself in an original position behind a veil of ignorance . Behind this veil, you know nothing of yourself and your natural abilities, or your position in society. You know nothing of your sex, race, nationality, or individual tastes. Behind such a veil of ignorance all individuals are simply specified as rational, free, and morally equal beings. You do know that in the "real world", however, there will be a wide variety in the natural distribution of natural assets and abilities, and that there will be differences of sex, race, and culture that will distinguish groups of people from each other."

I must have gone back to deep sleep because I can't really remember what came after that so I didn't hear any of the opinions of those in the show. So I have set myself the task of taking up the challenge but I am not sure I am getting very far.

I considered that my first "rule" would be that all people would be equal. Then I stopped and had to think about that - does that mean they contribute equally, or are paid equally, or are equal before the law, or have equal access to health and education services. Although it sounds really easy, I am not sure that any of that is entirely practical (or maybe I am carrying forth my prejudices of the world I live in).

What about the very disabled, are the same expectations on "contribution" to be put on them as the able bodies. And how do we define "contribution"? It all gets hard after that.

In theory we are all equal before the law but then there is the maxim "he who has the best lawyer wins". And, currently in Australia, prior to processing, people claiming refugee status (yes the "illegals") are not equal. Nor is David Hicks. And we all know the paedophiles get rougher treatment once in jail than others (mainly by the prison population). And there is the thoughts of solitary confinement... or guilty by means of mental incompetency. Again, it is all getting quite hard.

Equal access to government services is another one - by default many services are located in major population areas and are progressively reduced the smaller your community.

Hmm, I thought it would be easy to come up with a few guidelines for an alternate world but this is as far as I have got.

Any thoughts?

Photo: "You Are the Veil" by imakatia

Yes We Can

CHICAGO - President-elect Barrack Obama and his wife took their daughters to work at a food bank on the day before Thanksgiving, saying they wanted to show the girls the meaning of the holiday, especially when so many people are struggling.

Ten-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha joined their parents to shake hands and give holiday wishes to hundreds of people who had been lined up for hours at the food bank on Chicago 's south side.

Sasha wore a pink stocking hat over her pigtails and Malia had on a purple striped hat as the family handed out wrapped chickens to the needy in the chilly outdoor courtyard. Those seeking food on Wednesday at St. Columbanus also received boxes with potatoes, oranges, fresh bread, peanut butter, canned goods, oatmeal, spaghetti and coffee.

The president-elect, dressed casually in a leather jacket, black scarf and khaki pants, was in a jovial mood, calling out "happy thanksgiving" and telling everyone "you can call me Barack."

He told reporters that he wants the girls "to learn the importance of how fortunate they are, and to make sure they're giving back."
The soon-to-be first lady said the Obamas wanted to give their children "an understanding of what giving and Thanksgiving is all about."

The Obama family's activities in the courtyard quickly drew the attention of schoolchildren whose windows overlooked the courtyard. They put up a sign against the glass that read: "We love our Prez".

Obama then turned to his wife and suggested they go visit the kids. Secret Service agents, looking surprised, disappeared inside the building to accommodate his request.

Minutes later, hundreds of children were brought down to the school auditorium, and Obama loped onstage as they screamed and cheered.

"I just wanted to come by and wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving," he said. He then asked the children what they would be eating for Thanksgiving dinner.

So lets recap.
He took his kids to work in the cold…? Instead of getting someone to line up and dish the gifts? Instead of telling them 'You are kids of a VIP. Therefore there are things that you can’t do. To show the kids that people are suffering? Yes, that people are suffering? They have to live understanding the importance of giving back to the community.

Let us learn from this great family… and for those who have children, this is a wonderful example of raising our kids.

From Miss Weasley

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, 'My son, the battle is between two ' wolves ' inside us all.

One is Evil. - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: 'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'

Photo: "Wolves" by fremlin

Sent to me by the fabulous Janet