Life goes on

I've been really busy doing many voluntary hours as an eco-activist. My previous boss at the prison rang me the first day of term to tell me I was very welcome to come back any time. They haven't been able to find someone else to do my old job, even with so many artists needing well paid work (especially as the federal government was happy to let the arts industry drown during the pandemic). But I just can't go back. As I was trying to work out where my next income stream might come from things started moving in the right direction.

The environmental group I've been doing all the hours for (FaBWA) has finally officially acknowledged my huge contribution and decided to pay me for the next 3 months (until the money runs out) with some funds left over from another project. I'll end up doing 3 times the hours they are paying me for but I am stoked because there is a real recognition that I have kept things going whilst the remaining working committee took a very long break. The Facebook group is going well and one of the posts I did on the Tingles was seen by more than 20 000 people and had lots of 'shares'. It's hard to crack Facebook's logarithms so I was really happy about that one. 

I've spent many hours on FaBWA's website as well and I am pretty happy with it, especially this page below.

The outcome of the 'Save the Tingles' campaign is a bit of a fizzog in some ways. The government has agreed not to burn this season but that's not because of our objections, more likely because they ran out of time. This long-unburnt block hadn't dried out enough for them to go in and nuke 600 year old trees with fire incendiaries and thankfully the autumn cold fronts have started trickling through. So they aren't the good guys. We got good ABC TV and radio coverage. The government will be in no doubt we are serious about this if they decide to fire up in spring.

I've also picked up a job designing a logo for someone's farm machinery invention and, out of the blue, the Nedlands Tree Canopy Advocates (a city 'tree-hugging' group) asked me to send an invoice for designing their logo, which I did for free many months ago. (See logo below). Again it will be a token payment because it took me hours and I also designed a flyer for them, but I wanted to support what they are doing - protecting old trees and planting new ones in the city. They are really making headway and have been able to influence council policy. As the earth heats up city trees will be the difference between a living hell and a slightly more comfortable living hell. 

I've also taken on a new battle and it is possibly even more daunting than the government's destructive prescribed burning practices. There are mining exploration applications all over the south-west of WA. I was dreading this. With the push for 'green energy' the world is ravenous for rare earth metals and right on cue, mining exploration applications have gone nuts. The Denmark Environment Centre, of which I am now also a committee member, has taken on the battle and I am helping out with maps and flyers. 

When I'm not on the computer I try to get out on my e-bike, garden and go surfing - just to stay sane. I'm still waiting for my article to be published in C.G. Jung Institute's issue 64-4 of the 'Psychological Perspectives' journal and they have asked me for more. The publisher is Taylor and Francis who I think have a pretty distinguished record in the industry but once again I'm doing all this work for free, and there's only so much you can do for 'exposure'. Artists get asked all the time to do things for the exposure, but you can't live on that and it hardly ever translates into future PAID work.

Part of me thinks everything I am doing is pointless trying to 'save the planet' because I really do believe it is too late to turn climate collapse around. I still can't think of anything better to spend most of my time on. And I keep remembering that standing up for the natural world is a hill worth dying on. We are fighting for little guys like this adorable wombat baby.

Wombat photo courtesy of the Wombat Protection Society Australia.

Emperor Scomo

 It's raining and I couldn't be happier. It's been a long hot summer. Tomatoes have cooked on the vine and I've been watering by hand for 4 months with only occasional breaks when it rained. I've used half of our 92,000 litre tank water keeping the bush near our dwelling alive. I think the fauna have been grateful. We have many birds, insects, lizards, frogs and a few semi-resident kangaroos. I couldn't let them down.

I'm stuck inside for the day so I've done some art therapy. This is our illustrious prime minister (Photoshopped of course). I can't wait for the election in 6 weeks. If he wins again I don't know how I'll cope.

Morrison's totally inept government has been in Canberra for 9 years and they didn't deserve a second of it. They snuck back in because the opposition had a brilliant, big, necessary but scary reform agenda. Good ol' tax-averse Aussie self interest won the day again. The LNP's neo-liberalist ideology has run the country into the ground. It's been the most divisive government Australia has ever had. 

House prices are through the roof, household debt is alarming and unsustainable, homelessness is at epidemic levels. Way too many people can't afford decent healthcare, visits to the dentist, good food or rent. The LNP have ripped money out of every social service they could, propped up their rich mates and given billions in tax payer's money to fossil fuel industries. During COVID they overpaid big business billions and watched the arts industry drown. It's not in their interests to support creativity and critical thinking. After nearly a decade of this right-wing government Australia is a nastier, dumber, poorer place. 

And I haven't even mentioned their inaction on climate-change. A leading scientist recently said that if you were going to choose the worst continent to live on in this era of global climate collapse, it would be Australia. But our prime minister won't have to worry about that. After all - the Bible predicted the apocalypse and as a good Christian, he will be whisked away to heaven. Good luck with that. 

Some parting observations from Elizabeth Warren on the Daily Show. She nails it.

https://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow

Don't mention the war

Although I'm still trying to sabotage the government's plan to destroy what's left of our forests I'm otherwise rudderless - waiting for a sign to indicate where to go next in my professional life. My health has improved a lot since I left my job but I get the feeling there is no other job to go to. Trying to protect the environment is all there is left because if we don't do that, there's no point having any plans.

A couple of weeks ago a significant wildfire lit by a rather stupid person burnt for 3 days very close to my home town. We weren't in immediate danger but we were on standby. Some people suffered a lot of damage to their properties - one of which was the longest running commune in Australia. The firies managed to save homes there but the land was decimated. The community is still reeling. I feel there may have been a loss of innocence in this once hippy town which in reality was a fire waiting to happen. The fact that it hasn't is a miracle and may have lulled some into thinking it was never going to burn. Several people who live right in town were still in denial. I was told: 'oh we were ok, we are in town so were safe'. They weren't. If fire fighters hadn't got the fire under control it could have gone right through the main street.

The community think the firies are heroes and I join them in thanking the brigades for their huge efforts. But for the last 12 months I have been inside the 'fire' issue and from where I stand, things aren't as black and white as most people want to believe. Below is a photo of the recent wildfire in our town. And below that is a government sanctioned 'controlled' 'fuel'/'hazard' reduction burn paid for by taxpayers. Spot the difference. 

You're right - there is none. 

We absolutely need fire fighters - there's no argument about that. I have a huge respect for people who put their lives in danger to do this work. But within fire fighting circles - from the volunteer firies to government agencies - there is a particular adversarial attitude to nature. Nature is the enemy and it is out to get us if we don't maintain control. This attitude is deep within Australian culture and it runs right through everything - from our first encounter and subsequent treatment of Aboriginal people to the ongoing trashing of our wilderness areas. 

The invaders have got away lightly in the last 200 years but it's crunch time. If the result of trying to protect us from a wildfire is the same as a wildfire, the government's 'legal' burning simply adds tens of thousands of hectares of burnt bush to the real problem - which, of course, is climate collapse. If deliberate burning ever did protect us it sure doesn't now. And it's not just the tree-huggers saying that. Several very experienced fire chiefs, from the east coast to the west, have commented publicly that climate change is the cause of these 'unprecedented' events. We are now in unchartered waters and it's obvious we urgently need to rethink our strategy. 

In the fire campaign I'll be promoting fast detection, rapid suppression and recovery. It's what governments will have to do all over the world. In Australia right now we have catastrophic floods on the east coast and wildfires in the west. Real money needs to be spent on mitigation and recovery now, instead of on half-baked programs that provide jobs and make the public believe the government is protecting them. There are going to be plenty of employment opportunities dealing with an ongoing series of catastrophic events. Foresty and fire agencies might as well get on board now. 

I saw the shire president down the beach yesterday and she asked me how I was. I said: 'Like everyone else I guess. A bit overwhelmed with everything that's going on - from the local to the world stage'. She agreed that there were 'layers' of it. Neither of us mentioned the war. I am on the committees of 2 environmental NGOs* and COVID mandates have all but torn them apart. There are schisms in our small community that I don't think will ever be healed.

And then there's the war** - but maybe we shouldn't mention that.

*NGO - non-government organisation. NGOs can apply for funding for paid positions and programs but rely mostly on volunteers. 

** "The Germans" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers in which, whilst suffering the effects of concussion, Basil Fawlty repeatedly offends his German guests. Despite warning his staff "Don't mention the war", he keeps ignoring his own advice. His insults culminate in a goose-stepping impersonation of Adolf Hitler.

https://gfycat.com/alertinfinitebordercollie-fawlty-towers

Divine Music

I caught the tail end of this movie last night on SBS. I have seen it before. It is a 2014 British period drama directed by Alan Rickman. It tells the story of a female landscape designer in the time of King Louise XIV of France. It is a beautiful piece of theatre and the music is divine.

I find this particular track very moving - even transformative. When the violins and cello get going they are relentless. My emotions are barely able to come up for breath. 

For more info about the story, check here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_Chaos

Another Great Song

 

I know nothing about this song. I found it on Facebook in my feed and really liked it. Maybe someone could enlighten me, or maybe I will do some research myself!

Happy New Year

 

Beautiful instrumental guitar called 'Wishful Thinking' by Dan Lebowitz. Reflects my current mood. 

Happy New Year folks. 

And some wise words from Anthony Hopkins that strengthen my resolve to let go of friendships that were once so important. 

Let go of people who aren't ready to love you.
This is the hardest thing you will ever have to do in your life and it will also be the most important thing.
Stop having difficult conversations with people who don’t want to change.
Stop showing up for people who have no interest in your presence.
I know your instinct is to do everything you can to gain the appreciation of those around you, but it's an impulse that steals your time, energy, mental and physical health.
When you start fighting for a life with joy, interest and commitment, not everyone will be ready to follow you to that place.
That doesn't mean you have to change who you are, it means you have to let go of people who aren't ready to be with you.
If you are excluded, insulted, forgotten or ignored by the people you give your time to, you are not doing yourself a favor by continuing to offer them your energy and your life.
Truth is, you're not for everyone and not everyone is for you.
This is what makes it so special when you find people that you have friendship or love matched.
You will know how precious it is because you've experienced what it isn't.
There are billions of people on this planet and a lot of them you will find at your level of interest and commitment.
Maybe if you stop showing up, they won't look for you.
Maybe if you stop trying, the relationship ends.
Maybe if you stop texting, your phone will stay dark for weeks.
That doesn't mean you ruined the relationship, it means the only thing that was holding it was the energy that only you gave to keep it.
That's not love, that's attachment.
It's giving a chance to those who don't deserve it!
You deserve so much more.
The most valuable thing you have in your life is your time and energy as both are limited.
The people and things you give your time and energy to, will define your existence.
When you realize this you start to understand why you’re so anxious when you spend time with people, activities or spaces that don’t suit you and shouldn’t be near you.
You’ll start to realize that the most important thing you can do for yourself and everyone around you, is to protect your energy more fiercely than anything else.
Make your life a safe haven, in which only people "compatible" with you are allowed.
You are not responsible for saving anyone.
It's not your responsibility to convince them to improve.
It's not your job to exist for people and give them your life!
You deserve real friendships, true commitments, and complete love with healthy, prosperous people.
Deciding to distance yourself from harmful people, will give you the love, esteem, happiness and protection you deserve.

Consequences

I’ve been thinking about how COVID is changing the way we live as a society. At first it was all about lockdowns and masks, freaking out about what was happening in China (if you were unlucky enough to see the banned video, which I did) and thoughts of staying alive. Then it was about people losing their jobs, struggling businesses, COVID payments and the mass exodus of city dwellers to the regions. After that we moved into vaccinations, and lately (and tentatively) into vaccine mandates, the promise of ‘freedom’, opening up, soaring cases, more lockdowns, business owners about ready to give up and more government handouts.

One of the most indirect but drastic consequences of the pandemic has been the effect on international travel, and flowing on from that the inevitable hit to the economies of many countries because apparently we are a species obsessed with keeping ourselves distracted from our miserable lives on the treadmill of neo-liberalism by going on overseas holidays. I’ve often thought that COVID is the evolutionary antidote to excess. COVID is the fun police – if you think you are going to party, tear around the world burning up fossil fuels and generally have a great time – forget it. Sorry to be a wowser* but this has actually been good for the planet. It’s even been good for humans – many of whom reluctantly admit that staying home, spending real time with family and yes, even being comfortable with your own company, is beneficial. Of course it’s been a nightmare for many who live alone – they’ve been terribly isolated – and those who can’t connect up with family and friends because of border restrictions.

Most of us thought we’d be out of here by now but after 2 years COVID is still with us and I’ve noticed some other, perhaps unforeseen, consequences of this pandemic. In the race to either get vaccinated or avoid it like the ‘plague’, we are dividing into a society of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. The ramifications are proving to be quite serious. Apart from long term friendships collapsing under the weight of conspiracy theories – there is definitely some other weird shit going on.

The influx of city slickers running from COVID lockdowns and mask mandates to the regions is worsening the rental crisis that already existed as they

1. Sell their city homes, evict tenants in their second property which until now has been rented out and move in themselves, or

2. Buy properties that were rentals and move in. Rentals in my town are at crisis point.

Locals can’t find anywhere to live which means there is an insufficient workforce to support tourism. There are no houses for sale either. We often see notices posted to the local Facebook bulletin board asking resident home owners if they want to sell. For years others have been asking for places to rent. Many cafes and restaurants are now operating under reduced hours because they can’t get staff. This is in a tourist town where you can’t normally eat out on a Monday and Tuesday night – even in peak season! Last Tuesday we ended up at the pub** having fish and chips. 

One restaurant is paying $48 an hour for staff – and I think that is just for floor staff who usually get around $25. Good baristas are being head hunted - I assume they are being offered more money to work for switched on businesses. Some people haven’t been as lucky. Many people who don’t want to get vaccinated are losing their jobs and Foodbank*** in Albany has been extra busy because of all of the above - even more so because many volunteers don’t want to be vaccinated.

Several businesses I know of have been or are being sold because their owners either don’t want to get vaxxed, or don’t want to deal with angry customers when they try to enforce COVID rules. I can’t say I blame them for the latter. A couple of people I know of with highly successful businesses in the city have chucked it all in to move to the regions and go on the dole****. One of the local wineries, which is famous for its very popular Sunday afternoon music events, has lost its right to hold them. I think the issue was the new COVID regime for businesses, or perhaps a business owner who is ideologically opposed to the vaccine.

Lurking just under the surface of all of this is the scary statistic that Australians have one of the highest debt to income ratios in the world and it’s predominantly because of housing. I watch programs about people buying or renting in Europe or the USA and I can’t believe how cheap real estate is. Housing in Australia is way over-priced. I think this example is proof of how dire the situation is – this is not uncommon either. A property up the road from us on the hill we lived on for 10+ years recently sold for around $900,000. Soon after the new owners were advertising to buy second hand school uniforms (you can’t get away with anything in a small town). People in this country are borrowing way too much money because the housing market is insane and they are freaked out that they won’t ever get a foothold in the market. Our right-wing neo-liberal government is directly responsible for this very broken system. Popular TV shows where people compete in a game of home ‘make-overs’, with titles like ‘Fixer to Fabulous’ and ‘Flip or Flop’ are further fuelling the problem. Years after I first posted about housing it is still a house of cards waiting to collapse and I can’t help but feel the higher the card house gets the bigger the collapse will be.

Back to COVID. Recently I’ve realised that anti-vaxxers will probably get away with not being vaxxed - in Australia at least – because soon we won't have to worry about COVID. Although Omicron is more contagious, it is less severe and will morph into a common 'flu' as expected. Until the next one comes along of course, and then we start all over again. It's always been about timing and not overwhelming the health system. I’d like to remind anti-vaxxers that 6 000 000 people around the world have died from this virus, and a lot who survived have ongoing debilitating health issues. Whether you were one of them depended on a lot of random things - one of which was your good luck in living on a bloody big island. 

Australia's useless Prime Minister.

Australia has a couple of dominant cultural myths and one of the most powerful, and dangerous, is that we are the ‘lucky country’. I think it makes a lot of us a bit smug. It will be interesting to see what 2022 brings. Our government is reassuring us that our economy is back on track, but it’s very obvious it isn’t for many. There’s supposed to be an election around May and we really need a new government, but I have little confidence we’ll get one as Aussies try to cling on to the Australian Dream just a bit longer, even though it is time to wake up. The lucky country has to run out of luck eventually. 

And when it does, there will be some dramatic consequences.

* wowser – an Australian colloquialism for someone who disapproves of people enjoying themselves, particularly if it involves alcohol.
** pub – Aussie slang for a Public Hotel
*** Foodbank – a charity that provides food for free for people who are struggling
**** dole – unemployment benefits which are well below the poverty line

Top image: Mad Fish (author)