Facing Yourself

As people are forced back into themselves while they 'self-isolate' and 'social distance' I expect many will simply lose the plot. Most find this staying at home and enforced introspection 'unnaturally' uncomfortable. Humans do everything they possibly can to avoid being alone, being silent, going inwards. Not me. This is my natural state.

Western culture is so adept at enabling self-distraction. It not only supports it, it applauds it. Western economies rely on it. Capitalism is built on self-avoidance and entertainment. There's something quite wrong with you if you prefer to be alone and just be. 

But I do prefer to be alone, in nature, away from all the distractions so many others seek out and think they need. This period in time - before the devastation of the pandemic really hits in Australia - is pure bliss. I hate the world of noise and activity, I hate the culture I live in - it causes me untold stress and suffering. There's always been something wrong with me because I just don't fit. Except now. I fit now. What does that say about me? Or does it say something about the world we have grown to accept as normal. It's not normal - it's insanity. People rushing around the globe doing what? Producing what? Not food, not culture, not sustenance for the soul. Chasing stuff, and more stuff and 'experience' - which isn't the same as knowledge.

I reckon people are freaking out so much about this virus because deep down they know the madness had to stop. Lots of people were feeling it but they were just hanging on trying to cope, trying to get some financial security. Someone said to me the other day: I thought I had more time. Now the stock market and housing are crashing, superannuation, which I have never trusted or invested in, indeed the whole pack of cards is tumbling down. And I am in my element. I am pumped - because finally, FINALLY afer waiting all my life - I can see an end to this bloody madness. I'm just really distressed so many people are suffering, and will suffer - maybe even me.

Power Through

Power Through You Can Do It GIF from Powerthrough GIFs

The Ill Wind that Blows Good

It's an oldie but a goodie: 'It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good'. 

Apparently it's an old sailing metaphor frequently used to 'explain good luck arising from the source of others' misfortune'. It is thought to pre-date 1546.

"As you be muche the worse. and I cast awaie.

An yll wynde, that blowth no man to good, men saie.

Wel (quoth he) euery wind blowth not down the corn

I hope (I saie) good hap [luck] be not all out worn."

It was first recorded in John Heywood's 'A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue, 1546'.

Here we are almost 500 years later and it couldn't be more relevant - except the good may spread to many instead of just a few, and bring hope to a struggling planet and its non-human inhabitants as well.

Image: Source unknown. If it's yours let me know.

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/ill-wind.html

The Face of Rebellion

If you mention 'rebellion' people get scared. When I wear my striking green and black 'Extinction Rebellion' t-shirt in public many look at me strangely and/or in fear. I'm not sure what they think I might do, or what I believe in. Maybe they should just talk to me about it.

Rebellion is defined as: an act of armed resistance to an established government or leader. 

Naturally we are all afraid of change but change can also be good. If the established government or leader isn't doing the right thing rebellion is not only a necessity it's a public duty. This is the world we now live in - a world where many governments who used to do a reasonable job, aren't doing it any more. It's time for rebellion.

So if you see me wearing this t-shirt I'm just carrying out my civic duty.

Image 1: Source unknown. If it's yours let me know.

Image 2: https://teetshirts.net/product/official-extinction-rebellion-international-movement-shirt/

Shopping for the Apocalypse

I started a comment storm on my local Facebook bulletin page yesterday. Robin and I had been in Big Town 50km away to shop for the apocalypse. I had decided it was time to channel my 'prepper' consciousness and be more prepared for a period of isolation in the event we get the virus and have to stay home. This entailed buying veggie seeds and seedlings and shitloads of shit - because you can't grow anything without it. Cow, chicken and sheep manure, compost, organic rock phosphate and some dwarf fruit trees (which won't be any use in the short term but it's planting time here). We have already been slowly stocking up on rice, pasta, tinned and frozen foods (which we don't usually eat) and plain flour.

On the apocalypse shopping list was a bottle of Colloidal Silver - the only remedy I know of that can actually deal with a virus. I now have 3 bottles. I didn't want to buy them all from our small chemist in case someone else needed some but over a few weeks I have been stocking up. They aren't necessarily all for me, or us. I have them in case some of my friends ignore my advice. As I walked into the health shop I noticed 2 people who were obviously tourists and remembered there was a cruise ship in town. I took a wide berth - probably more than the suggested 1.5 meters. The proprietors confirmed there was a cruise ship in town and were about as impressed as I was.

When I got back to the car I ranted to my partner. WTF? What the hell are they doing letting these passengers mingle with us? Who makes the decision to let these ships dock? 

We went to get the rest of our shopping.

When I got home I posted on Facebook - mainly to let my local commuity know that there were cruise passengers around, but also to ask them how they felt and whether I was being unreasonable. 99% of the responses were in agreement and many were quite unnerved by the news. The comments went back and forth for hours and I discovered that the ship was supposed to be in Pitcairn Island the day it was in Big Town and had been refused permission to dock in Fremantle. One commenter told us that she had been in her shop when a customer from the ship coughed without covering her mouth, declaring: 'it's ok, I don't have the virus'. The shop owner was furious and closed the shop after disinfecting it (she is an asthmatic). Apparently all passengers had been tested before they were allowed to disembark and 20 had been refused. Another had become ill and was flown back to Canada. It was reported also that one woman was in self-isolation in Big Town but I couldn't verify it.

While we were discussing our options and deciding which politican or bureaucrat we should contact the news came through that our prime minister had announced strict measures to control the virus, including stopping overseas cruise ships from docking in the near future. I took the post down and replaced it with the updated information.

This morning I went to my local beach for a surf. Like every Sunday in the summer months the surf club were doing their thing and it was busy. Robin and I decided to go around the bay a bit and take the surf mats. There was a good sized swell but the waves were fat and fast - perfect for a mat. As I walked along the beach I made sure I was at least 1.5km away from everyone. Their proximity to each other indicated they weren't following the new regime. 

When I got home I posted this on the Facebook bulletin with this comment:

I'm sharing this to get through to those who think this isn't serious. I'm not being dramatic or suggesting we are all going to die, but please read this from a guy I know who is in Spain:

I know many people might be thinking the pandemic which seems to be everywhere in the media is likely hype. It’s not. I am in Spain at the moment.....and we are probably a week ahead of you right now with this virus, as we were a week behind Italy. Everything they are saying about how serious this is, is true. We are not allowed to leave the house except for urgent trips to buy food, which is in short supply. In Spain there are hundreds of thousands of very isolated, sick and scared people right now who aren’t allowed to move out of their house, and pages such as these are a lifeline. 

I also posted this:

Top photo - Robin Thomson

Bottom photo - Facebook screenshot

An Artist's Lot

This is funny because it is so accurate! And you can put it on repeat because it happens over and over again - no matter how good you get at your craft. It's just the life of the creative and it's something you have to get used to very early on in your career. 

I'd go even further and say that if an artist ever gets smug about what they are doing - they have lost their way.

Image: Unknown source (please let me know if it is yours and I'll credit)

Self-loathing on a Global Scale

Recently this post appeared on my Facebook feed. My heart sank when I saw the image and read the headline. I was grateful I couldn't click on it and read the whole story because I am becoming increasingly distressed by the relentless news of species extinction and environmental degradation. I think a new category of PTSD should be diagnosed.

Despite its ugliness and the many stoushes I have had there I still follow Facebook. Sometimes to stay in touch with my local community via the 'bulletin board' and sometimes to stay informed of where the global community is at. Since using up my allotted number of free articles I only get the NYT headlines. They give me a summary so I get the general gist but it's the comments I find most revealing because it gives me a snapshot of how the 'woman in the street' is feeling and thinking. I understand the politics of the NYT is a bit 'left' so I'm probably only getting one side of the story, though there are enough dissenting trolls to balance the discussion.

I scrolled down to read the comments for this article and was a bit taken aback by the level of self-hatred of the human species. This trend towards self-hatred and self-annihilation has been around for a long time but it seems to be growing. Here are some of the comments:

Why do humans have to destroy everything that’s beautiful!? 

I hate my own species so much.              

Humans are the worst. Killing magestic creatures for a momentary thrill.

I dont understand the humans, we wanna destroy everthing pure, in the planet, I'm really sorry for us, cause....we must pay for this....

Greed and money will destroy everything sacred or beautiful.

That's why the world needs Corona and all the viruses it can get!

We really don’t deserve this planet.

The problem with poaching -- and trophy hunting -- is that it leaves the wrong animal dead.

So Corona do your job. And do it good

“This is why we can’t have nice things in the Garden of Eden!”

Humans are the most dangerous animal in the world

Covid is like Mother Earth's superhero. 

Wow! 

Taking a planetary and somewhat philosophical view (as I tend to do) it now seems obvious to more and more people that life really is a cycle of creation and destruction. Over the past few thousand years humans have had a meteoric expansion to dominate and affect every sphere of existence on this planet. Now we are in the destructive phase.

I have been feeling this way about humans all my life - so much so that I have felt a sense of alienation from my own species. This hatred of a species, our species, is now on a scale that would have been hard to imagine 50 years ago when we were still 'on the rise'. Should I feel comforted that many others are now thinking along the same lines? I don't know. Regardless of my prophetic predictions this development is really disturbing to watch.

Sunday Drive

I’ve been in a bit of a black funk lately. For 2 weeks the cyclone induced heat has been unbearably humid. The annus horribilus of shit surf in 2019 has rolled into 2020. It’s been too hot to garden or go cycling so I have done a lot of sitting around trying to stay cool. I feel as though I have undone my good work in trying to lose some weight (this is an ongoing issue). Sensing my frustration Robin decided to take me and our little aged poodle for a Sunday drive.

We headed inland towards Mt Barker - no cars on the road, driving through bush and open farmland – peace. We ended up at the Narrikup Country Store. It was typical of the random general stores you find in tiny, loosely defined ‘communities’ that satellite between larger country towns. It’s obviously a regular stop for aged bikers. There were 4 locals having burgers - the older women glared at me a lot. We had a cherry & caramel slice each. Mine was pure sugar. There wasn't one non-sugar bomb drink in the fridge so I declined everything. Robin played a piece on the old piano - he would have played more but it was out of tune and putting him off his stride.

The owner was a bit 'typical' too - an Aussie ‘bloke’ who knew about Facebook and suggested we ‘like’ his page so we would know when the music nights were on. Oh and don't forget about the footy tipping (couldn't bear to tell him I hate sport). We are going to go there for pizza or fish & chips one day and yes, they do a Hawaiin with pineapple (which I won't be ordering). I love quirky little places like that. They remind me of the Australia I grew up in. It’s getting harder to find.

We came back via the local airport because apparently Mynee likes looking at the planes. She had a little walk and rode on my knee all the way. Just a bit inland from the coast where we are it is very dry. It would be nice if summer were officially over but I hear, thanks to climate change, we now have 5 months of summer. As if Australia needed to get any hotter!

Can Appropriation be Good?

This meme isn't mine but I wish it was. I have meme envy. It happens a fair bit actually.

The artist is musician and graphic designer 'Cyclonerain'. I don't know much about her/him/her-him but their politics are clearly a bit left of centre. I certainly wouldn't be posting a right-winger's art, no matter how good it was. Well...... maybe......with caveats.

I love this person's style of illustration. Very post-post-post-modern and entirely in keeping with the mood of the times. Appropriation is rife in 2020 but - at the end of days, when every other system is collapsing - this seems about right. Art always reflects and /or pre-empts cultural trends.

Image: Cyclonerain