Where will 2013 lead us?
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
The Great Divide
Accidently on purpose I caught an interesting three-part
documentary about London’s legendary Claridge’s Hotel, recently screened on
British TV. It was fascinating to watch the secret and not –so-secret billionaires
of the world spending obscene amounts of money dining on green leaves from
flower pots, complete with live ants, enjoying their breakfast in bed for over six
thousand pounds a night.
It was a great insight into the daily lives of the staff, how
they keep things running, and the sacrifices they make to ensure the VIP guests
are happy. What was rather less enthralling was part three, a small glimpse
into the preparations for the Olympic Games. We got to see dozens of heads of
state, governors, and ambassadors, along with Hollywood stars, and royalty from
a myriad of countries, all descending on the hotel for the event.
It was disturbing to watch the presidents of some of South America,
and Africa’s poorest and largely deprived countries, arriving with their entourages
for a 2-week stay in the most luxurious suites available. Presidents’ and
politicians of countries whose own citizens are starving and battling civil war,
and who knows what else, holidaying to excess.
If you’re interested, The Daily Mail online had a small
article with clips from the program. I would love to stay in a hotel like this,
I won’t lie, but there are limits. This amount of pure indulgence and ridiculous
spending is not only obscene, but perfectly illustrates the great divide between those
with prestige and power, and the rest of us.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Rachel's tears
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children,
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more."
Jeremiah 31:15-17
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
You Lose!
Unlike residents up and down the east coast of America, who’ve lost everything, not through choice but due to a hurricane named Sandy, I voluntarily destroyed a part of my life… I made a choice to ‘let go’, to throw away most of my ‘possessions’.
There are always so many choices to make, but sometimes we bemoan the fact and say we have no choice. We can choose to leave, or weather the storm. The truth of the matter is that every moment in a person’s existence is a matter of choice, some things are automatic, other’s we make a conscious effort to control. Then, we say one thing but invariably go ahead and do another.
My personal epiphany occurred, through a process of ‘letting go’, a very tough jaw-breaking realisation came flooding in. What does it mean to lose everything? How important are clothes, cars, pretty pictures, fancy cutlery, twitter accounts, digital radios or even money itself? Aren’t the fundamentals really food, water, warm clothes in the winter, and perhaps some kind of roof over our heads? What value does an iPad have against a hot cup of soup when you’re starving?
Through a set of unfortunate circumstances, I find myself treading the pavements of my old home town, but seeing it much changed for the worse. Homeless people and beggars where ever I turn, money lending shops and pawn brokers in between closed down retailers, next door to ‘One Pound’ discount sellers, groups of kids staring in windows, teenage mothers wandering the streets, clearly unable to afford the price of a cup of tea. Poverty and despair on every corner.
Buddhism teaches that the secret to a happy life is detachment. Lose your attachment to all things and you will find peace. I see the wisdom in this ancient ‘wisdom’, but the irony is remarkable to. Just as Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear. Life is the most precious thing of all, not a diamond ring, or a holiday in the Bahamas.
When we lose something precious to us it’s right to feel scared and angry and upset, but ultimately we all lose our connection to the material world in death. So, until that moment arrives, we should be celebrating for all it’s worth. How can we when there is so much despair around us?
How can we redress the balance between those who have and those who have not? What will it take to bring some happiness, peace, and dignity, back to humanity? A homeless man that I see on the street every day asks for spare change from passers-by, they give him nothing and he replies with ‘God bless you!’ – It sounds like an insult. I am beginning to understand why people are so obsessed with TV soaps, reality programmes, pop-music icons, and celebrity dance contests. This is one game that seems impossible to bag.
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| My precious! |
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Moon Walking Space Cowboys Monkey Around
Clint Eastwood does the Moonwalk!
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| Spaced Out |
As a side note, monkeys are great to party with too, well at least this guy thought so.....
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/19357586/drunk-man-found-naked-with-monkeys
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| Time-travelling Space Monkeys Ape Around |
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| "Hi Clint!", "What's Up Chuck?" |
There was a monkey on the loose in Tampa, Florida recently...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/magazine/tampa-monkey.html?pagewanted=all
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| Laying down the law - The Eagle has Landed |
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| No more monkeying around |
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| Do we look like a pair of Monkey's or what? |
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