meadow

Egypt


before was
when alones rested their sorrows
carried their own story for their families.


Instead of silent curses
banners are held high
it's not Faith but Belief.


We can hear the crumbling
of old systems entrenching
Yet twitter rules with news
and those alone are now strong together


Google's one voice
spreads for many
and a cloud of emotion
hangs over this country in pain


The passing of days
and the strengthening of heart
In the street.
Resolved are they
and free at last inside.


Not a warzone not a bridge.
But a graffiti meadow with songs.
The world hears them singing
and listens intently.


_________________________________________
for more info of the repressed: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/blogger_arrests_in_egypt_this_week_in_online_tyran.php
and http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/latest-updates-on-day-17-of-egypt-protests/?partner=rss&emc=rss

From the NYTimes:

" Speaking to CNN from Cairo as short time ago, Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency who has joined the Egyptian opposition, said President Hosni Mubarak's speech was "an act of deception on a grand scale."

He added:

People are stunned here. Everybody expected Mubarak and his regime -- they lost all credibility, all legitimacy -- to step aside. People were expecting that we would then move into a transitional period where you would have a government of national unity, to carry on for a year to prepare for fair and free elections. There is no way that the Egyptian people right now are ready to accept either Mubarak or his vice president....
Suleiman is considered to be an extension of Mubarak, they are twins. Neither of them is acceptable to the people- even Suleiman is less acceptable.

Mr. ElBaradei also said "to put it simply, the man is gambling with the destiny of his country just for the sake of his staying in power."

the hard yards

Often we may feel we are always doing the "hard yards". Working when others have stopped doing so, working the weekends, looking after children when we may not feel like it, visiting people when we'd rather collapse on the couch at home, listen to a client who's getting on our nerves, having to phone someone when we don't feel like it, take the trash out and do the dishes, and on and on.

So are those hard yards really worth it or are we really fooling ourselves thinking that making our own lives difficult will somehow help us towards becoming more joyous in our work and daily life? Since when has punishing ourselves with dedication to other causes then what we really want to do, aided us in feeling better about ourselves?

Yep. I don't know the magic number either. Having a farm-let did teach me this: whether you are happy or sad, tired like hell or happy: the animals always need tending to and always come first (if you have kids enter "kids" where I had put "animals" -same rule applies.) So yes by all means finish projects you know need doing, but allow "me time" to balance yourself out. You are as important as the people you promised you would do things for.

Instead of getting so worn out that you feel like being in a continual state of full blown PMS, consider the opposite:

fighting or battling against something will cost you more energy then if you accept that at the moment it is all simply as it is. (I have done this regarding my daily work and my that has made a huge amount of difference, I'm even quite restful about it. I can be Zen when others get in a tizzy.)

Then take your foot of the friggin' accelerator and park next to the road. Notice the wild flowers. See the hare dashing across the road in the distance. Sniff some hay-fever elements! In any event; stop pushing yourself like you have a work addiction. Seriously! Would it be the end of the world if a project would finish later? Would it matter that the house is still not painted before Christmas? Would it matter you will not have a flash dinner this Christmas day but instead settle for a "salad in 5 min option"? Does it really concern you that you are a bit late with some things you wanted to do this year? 

Once you step outside of that zone of "have to have to have to panic panic tired tired PMS feelings" you will notice something quite wondrous!

The sun comes up every morning. You actually see it this time. Everything simply pans out as it pans out. You will however have reclaimed your sanity. That my friends, is already a miracle this time of year. Now go find a friend or a lovely tree, and hug it. Voila! Instant happiness. Just... Chill... Out!! You have worked hard! Now have some fun too or simply allow some extra hours snoozing in bed.

Told you it could be done. You just have to allow yourself to try. And stop pushing.

"Battle less, love more" - Gabriel

expectations

Most of us carry images in our mind of how the world should be. When reality and those inner images don't overlap or struggle to come to a meet, we generally experience strong emotions as  a result. In the past I observed the bumps and bruises expectations can create when they are not met in my own family. It's not so much painful to me to see this when I am involved, but more so when I'm not as it makes me sad.

What I find funny is my occasional 'bumps' and 'hiccups'. Just when I think I'm on a road of being at peace with things and feeling energetic something might throw me off balance unexpectedly. Then I'm thinking ok what have I done NOW? Sometimes I can laugh about it, other times I call myself an idiot. Usually it's about something I failed to recognize, like say discovering an old habit that I have been ignoring or seeing that my attitude needs re-aligning in an area.

Making small steps and changing the images of our desired life in our minds to a fairly upbeat realistic scenario is more preferable. Self acceptance can be trying if we keep battling parts of who we are: demanding of ourselves to be this or that no matter what. The thing is too that it's not other people's job to live up to your expectations to ease your life, it's your job to live up to yours. And preferably: you will be nice to yourself in the process.

Try and appreciate others even if they don't conform to your expressed or unexpressed wishes. Wouldn't it be a lot nicer if we set each other free? It would surely take the pressure off. And we would be far more fun to be around each other.

So really: trying to accommodate other people's expectations is very hard work, but your own can be such a struggle too. And it doesn't need to be. It takes a lot of willpower to stay true to ourselves and to let others do things their way. Trust that other people are experts at running their own lives, making their own choices, even if you don't see the wisdom of it. You may not be holding all the cards. Let them go.

And have a laugh. I know I am for being such a muppet! (That post was almost too serious for my own good. Time to move on. Have a fab weekend!)

the renegade bee

The other morning I got to the goats shed as I usually do, only to find a disconcerting display. The girl goaties had taken it upon themselves to have a debate on who had power over whom. Two girls were bleeding off their forehead, others were chasing one and sniffing it in various places showing battle streaks of red across their noses. I rescued Hermione (Mientje) from two attackers and popped her near the hay feeder while telling the 2 prowlers off. They just looked at me with a bewildered expression. How dare I interfere!

Which me brings me back again to rituals in groups. Goats have a very distinct way of organising their peers. It can be quite brutal to watch, they are not subtle about it. There is a lot of headbutting involved to determine who is the strongest or they go straight for the pouncing approach which is cornering, chomping ears and making the weirdest noises I have ever come accross. The first time I witnessed it I was totally dumbfounded as goats are by nature very social, happy and gentle creatures. So what was all this about?


I reckon humans have similar ways of keeping fellow humans in check. They do not chomp ears and necessarily draw blood, but they sure have methods to ensure the pack does what the alpha leader wants. It's called hierarchy. The question is whether you want to play the game.

There is the possibility of growing past a group's habits and politics. You would become an outsider among the rank of compliers. Your direction would be your own. Naturally this doesn't gel with the existing layout. Least of all it feels pleasant to you as "fitting in" is a tiring exercise. As long as you act like the workerbee the hive will not notice. Once you start acting differently and stop talking like they do, you are on your own. Hierarchy certainly has its purpose, for example in the army or in a cooperative. From a leader's point of view though a renegade workerbee is labelled to be unpredictable and dangerous. If it can be replaced and if you are said bee, watch your back. If you can't be missed and bring too many assets to the table: you have a brownie stockpile and may have more space to rock the boat.

What is the merit of letting fellow goats chomp your ears? If you feel you have to adapt in order to be accepted by your peers and have an easier life then having your ears clipped can be something you take in your stride willingly. However you can decide to seek other renegade bees and join a collective of happy individuals. In my case I'm in the position of having access to both. My ears are in one piece and I intend for them to stay that way. I think it's far more preferable to have a conversation opposed to blood on my head. 


How comfortable is your position?

Business and friendship

Why do we network? To increase business, relations and get to know people ‘like us’.

Steve Pavlina: “First and foremost, I look for shared values. I seek out people who are happy, growth-oriented, open-minded, self-actualizing, and willing to try new things. People who are unhappy, inflexible, immature, or highly judgmental don’t make good friends or contacts for me.”

I’ve tried different networking routes and decided: hey I’m not going to join ‘a club’, a group or whichever else for quite a while. I’m momentarily “grouped” out. Naturally it makes sense when you sport, have a hobby etc to then meet people who are ‘like you’.

Thing is I have a problem: I enjoy meeting people, who are also “not quite like me”. Why? We learn only from someone who is not like us and from situations that force us to push our boundaries and think. The famous ‘point of difference’ comes to mind.

Meeting people ‘you know’ or who are ‘like you’ can be comfortable, cozy and great fun, but may also be limiting. Friends for example are beneficial if they have the guts to be in your face and say hey do you know what you are doing? Have you thought about this? Why do you do that? They keep us on our toes bless them. Networking is not about friendship, but it is about mutual respect and wanting to know what the other person is about and to exchange and learn.

On Linkedin.com there was a discussion about whether friends can limit your business growth. This I found interesting because yes, generally speaking: don’t involve friends in business and if you do partner up with someone you get on with well: get a lawyer in and the paperwork sorted to the max. Otherwise ‘no way gose’. Things can get too complicated however tempting.

Charles Caro:
“One of the Ferengi (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) "Rules Of Acquisition" goes as follows: #123 - A friend is only a friend until you sell him something. Then he is a customer. Another one of the "Rules Of Acquisition" states the following: #21 - Never place friendship before profit.
In the Star Trek series many people thought of the Ferengi as "over-the-top" capitalists, but there is a lot of truth to many of their "Rules Of Acquisition". When people are faced with conflicting loyalties they frequently wind up doing harm not only to those they are trying to help but themselves as well.”

Consider for yourself whether indeed your networking is the arena for work, benefit, exchange of knowledge and mutual growth. Are you being professional or friendly? Where do you put your boundaries?