The Curse of Affluence

Here in the west we have this habit of extending our lifestyles to exceed our incomes. Advertising makes you desire more stuff and then you go an buy it, convinced that you are not very well off, that you deserve more luxury. We always seem to believe that our neighbours and friends are somehow further ahead than us.

Good news is you are well off, and you’re going to be fine without that new toaster. Live simpler and give more, then you'll be doing more than getting by, you’ll be living!

Holding Back

Everything we do effects others, we're all connected. Sometimes our aspirations and dreams harm the people who we’re connected to. I think best we stand with people, moving together at an equal pace.

This is how I’m feeling

And it is marvellous.

Perspective

A drawing I did a while back. I can’t remember why, but I’m sure it’s as relevant now as ever.

A different kind of Christmas

I think you should all be empowered by this new video, which has become my favourite clip on the cost of materialism. I think it says very simply what we all know about the price of a consumerist society, and what we can simply do to have a better life and community now.

It was posted by Christine Sine on her blog with a lot of other cool tips and resources on how to do Christmas differently. I highly recommend checking it out. Merry Christmas.

Fish and more Fish

Fish are graceful creatures as they float through the waters of a river or the sea. In giant schools they seamlessly manoeuvre through their environment. Beautiful elegant, look at them go!

 

I've never actually tried to juggle fish, though I imagine it is very difficult indeed. My experiences of handling only a few at a time lead me to believe that if I were entrusted with any greater number my exploits would be comically haphazard. Forget about juggling, I can barely get by holding all of the things at once.

Holding them is almost impossible as they casually flop and fall out of my slime covered hands. But the real fun begins when every time try to pick one up an avalanche of fish stream from my arms to the floor. Let's just say that Juggling fish is very difficult, and very very fun. You're probably expecting me to get to a metaphor soon, and here it is: I find balancing lifestyle much like fish juggling. This season has been enjoyable, with many ventures, opportunities and successes. But everything seems to be flying everywhere (like fish) and I have a relatively low pressure life style. So I guess I'm learning the lesson of trust and immersion; throwing myself into things with faith in the guidance and provision of God. I'm enjoying spending time with my family, working at SU, being creative on my blog and working in the garden. Most of all I'm enjoying the opportunity to discover how I want to invest my time and resources, talking about my gifts and the future, and working in the call God has for all to be a part of something amazing. Hopefully I’ll be Juggling fish soon!

 

Hungry People

Right now I’m pretty hungry. But I guess that’s not really anything compared with the way millions of people living in poverty feel. People in my city, people in the world. Right now there’s serious famine starving Africa in a destructive way.

 

It’s difficult to imagine what we could do to change that, but the truth is we can. People have already jumped onboard to make a difference to the needy. These great and inspiring people work for organisations that see and (try to) fill the needs of the world. No one joins an NGO or not-for-profit for their own gains, these people are paying a great cost so others may live/eat/marry/grow. Spare a thought and a prayer for those people. Maybe you’re one of them, maybe you could be.

So what do we lack? Well that’s where everyone comes in: people are acting to help those in trouble, but their financial resources are not up to the task. You could change the world for real people, make a difference in the lives of our human brothers and sisters. You could be a hero, and all you have to do is click your mouse a few times. Or you could think about how your lifestyle affects those on the other side of the world, think about how you could live your life to give others a better chance. You could be one of those people, living a call to help others.

Change is possible, but it always costs us. Then again, not changing costs us to. You don’t have to take a vow of poverty, but you can think before you buy “Do I need this? Or could I be a hero instead?”

If you want to make a difference right now, do it! I recommend TEAR Australia as a personal favourite. But there’s obviously World Vision, UNICEF and Oxfam and countless others. I thought I’d do a little for sharing what I thought with you, may be you can share it with others. The world is full of problems that you have the ability to solve, be empowered!

What to do…

I spent some time on this week’s comic. It’s supposed to be encouraging really. See, it’s about the ingenuity and achievement of people, who do amazing things, but are stumped when it comes to solving problems. We can use our creativity and smarts to solve the worlds issues, we just have to fight the fear and want it. i think that’s where faith comes in, at least for me, and where hope for something better is so important.

Flow Chart

I have this stupid survival instinct that makes me try and be perfect all the time. It clearly doesn’t work.

Desperate times call for…

Strange how in life the harder path is so often the better path. And by ‘harder’ I mean more costly to us and by ‘better’ I mean more beneficial for everyone. When things get tough it’s so easy to sell out others, rather than take to brunt ourselves, I guess that’s a broken survival instinct (broken in that it is short sighted).

The world will no doubt be transformed by those who take the harder path, not by those who save themselves. I hope I don’t cry out “I have no other choice!”, I hope to put others first in all circumstance.

Creativity!

God is creative. Right at the beginning of the Bible, before they describe God as 'good' or 'powerful' or 'loving' or anything they say “God Created”. And what amazing stuff he created! Suns, plants, gravity, electrons, values, experience, consciousness, everything! He loved it so much he did it non-stop for a week. Then he got all excited and got Man to be involved in the creative process.
I reckon we're just like that, creating and building relationships with each other. Some of us create solid things like cars and sandwiches, some of us create abstract things like art or romance. Some of us create solutions to problems and build better futures.
I think that we get starved when we’re deprived of the opportunity to create, just as we’re starved when we’re deprived of relationship. Creating gives us expression and allows us to communicate who we are. Go and create something, you’ll thank me if you do! Comment what you created, that’d be awesome!

So, now what…?

I always wonder about the day after. What the ‘end of the world’ style cults will do when the world doesn’t end. As a teen I was amused when this happened, now I’m pretty sad. Lot’s of people invested fully in the idea that something was going to happen, and then it didn’t. I’m especially sad to read all the articles about pensioners investing all their savings into ad campaigns warning people, or parents who have neglected their children’s interests in the same pursuit. There’s nothing amusing about this. I don’t think these people should be punished for committing to what they believed in, I just hope there’s some understanding in their community for them.

So, what now? I think Richard Dahlstrom summed it up in “And if the world doesn’t end this Saturday… Getting our Priorities straight” this week. But to put my own two cents in...

I think that we clean it up. The world isn't going anywhere fast, and though we have a lot of work before us there is really no other option. Some look at the mess and are willing to give up because of the size of the damage, but I'm more hopeful than that. A comment I saw recently said:

“I just don’t see everyone learning to love each other happening without His direct intervention. I don’t see the mega-rich stopping their exploitative business practices. I don’t see the rights of indigenous people being recognised; instead the genocide is covered up. I don’t see the poor and the disposed being cared for. I don’t see swords being beaten into ploughshares. I don’t see slavery and oppression coming to an end. So in a sense I am looking forward to the end of the world”

I think we can all relate to that pain of living in this broken world. But I see something different. I know that there is so much war, but then I do see places where swords are being beaten into ploughs. There is oppression, but I do see a transformation where that oppression is replaced with justice. I do see hate and greed and exploitation and genocide and lies and fear, but for all that God is working and transforming lives in real ways that brings about His kingdom on earth. I think this world would have rotted a long time ago if it was in constant decay, but it hasn't, because it's being slowly built up as well. I have a big hope for the future. A future that starts now.

In the Shade

We’re told so often to shine and grow and lead and be the best.

Recently I’ve been very pleased to let go a bit. Not try to run all the activities and groups I’m involved with. I think I’ve always desired to be the leader of the group, and that’s a stressful position to constantly take. I’m getting the message that it’s healthy to let others do the work, let others take charge and make the hard calls, the decisions and mistakes. I hope it’ll be good to live in the shade, under the tremendous effort and inspiration of my peers and leaders. When I feel healthy, maybe I’ll come into the sun again.

The Hard way out.

Perhaps it’s hard to remember that hanging from shackles is painful too, when we see the dynamite come out. In the long run you’ll be better off if you grab the bull by the horns, and deal with the source of your real pain. I’m sorry it’s hard. You’re totally up for it. May God be with you.

Overstated

I once worked for a power generation museum that educated school groups on how electricity was made and transported to our homes. One of the team working there was quite keen on educating students about the long term effects of burning fossil-fuels, and he used to regularly tell groups, “Every time you turn on a light switch, a little fish like Nemo DIES!” (Finding Nemo was a pretty big deal back then).

This was all good and well for a long time, until one day he said this to a group of students who were maybe a bit to young to cope with his poetic description of everyday pollution. A gasp went throughout the room, some tears were shed, they asked if they could turn off the lights in the museum and, needless to say,  they were more than a little traumatised.

Exaggerating is fun, and enhancing stories with near-facts is a raw and creative poetic licence for our often routine lives.  But in a world where so many causes compete for our attention (global warming, morality, human issues, marketing, relationships, Facebook) it seems that everything is blown out of proportion. My life is so larger than life, that it no longer all fits in: it’s bursting at the seems.

The world will end in 2012! If you eat your crusts your hair will turn curly! Your Ipad is ‘Magical’! Nine out of Ten Nutritionists recommend…! Certain unspeakable acts will make you go blind! If you litter a Kitten will get axed! All of these extreme messages, all of the time.

And do we believe it all? Or do we come to expect that things are less satisfactory than they present. After all, marketing must be based on convincing people that their experience of a product will be completely satisfying, life-alteringly so! And to convince you that those needs are actually met after you do purchase the product, they reduce your expectation of what a satisfying, life-altering experience is.

So here’s my thought, let’s start to talk about the world more accurately. Not the worst, not the best. Just is. And then let’s raise our expectations of what satisfactory is. We’ll strive for more and love even harder and ironically, I think we’ll be more satisfied. Thanks for reading, I love your comments!

Carpe Diem

I made this image in paint when I was a teenager, and I’ve decided to use it (in its incorrectly-spelled glory) here. The intent is “never let an opportunity go by”. What kind of opportunity? Well, I guess the opportunity to push a friend in a hole.
Chances are you’ll enjoy it, and they’ll enjoy it, and everyone will laugh about it later. Just choose your friends and the holes you choose to stand next to wisely.

Out of reach

One of my earliest memories is of trying to reach the door handle, and it being too high. I can remember frustration in that moment, of being unable to attain something so simple. Now days I often feel like I’m not quite there. Stretching for something only just out of my reach but entirely unattainable.
I guess I’m comforted by the fact that I can now reach door handles with ease. Also, there were always those around who could open doors for me. I’m not doing it on my own. I don’t really have the world on my shoulders. I’ll keep stretching till I reach the goal. Keep growing.

Animal Magnetism - Strengths based failure…

This week I was thinking about the direction of my career and thinking about my strengths. Jess, my wife, was helping me and writing down the list. Some of my strengths, animal magnetism for example, made the list easily. As I recalled them, however, Jess suggested that a few of my strengths were not actually very helpful to my career. Like always being right. I’m very good at that; people think I’m right all the time even when I’m not. And even when people think I’m wrong, I’m usually sure I’m right. Being defensive was another, it’s like an art form for me, which helps in the ‘always being right’ department.

So then I thought not all of my talents are good ones. I don’t really want my greatest skills to be the ones that tare down my relationships. I could be the all powerful defence man! but I’m sure I’d be a super villain if I was. And I have plenty of strengths that could contribute to society, using my power for good instead of evil. I guess I just have to put as much energy into them as I do into being hard to live with and contributing to myself. Peace to all of you!

Waiting and Doubt

Sometimes waiting is hard, but not knowing what you're waiting for is harder. What if I'm wrong? What if it's not there? What if it's not what I think it is? What then? What now? 

You're waiting for something, or working toward something. I sincerely hope it's as good as you think.

Hazel in Art

This is a picture our friend Kathleen drew of Hazel on a recent camping trip. I thought it was so lovely that I would show it off to the world. Thanks Kathleen!