a palindrome. like "a man, a plan, a canal, panama" or "madam i'm adam". my title today is a palindrome.
anyway.... why can't we say "no". i am a "yes" person and proudly so, i don't like to write off ideas or discourage a thought, i love helping others and making them happy. but i find that i have trouble saying "no" to alot of things. somehow i don't think that i am the only person.
the amount of time sapping tasks we've all signed up for, mind numbingly boring extra work we've put in with a forced smile on our face, the unbelievingly awkward social occasions we've sat and stood through. all because we have not mastered this one syllable adverb.
we just don't like offending people. we don't like to turn down extra work because in our backward puritanical society we think we will be looked at as lazy. if we fail to show up at our neighbours sisters dogs 12th birthday we feel like we've let the "team" down.
but does it matter if we offend, if people whisper "that lazy so and so" behind our backs, does it matter what people think of us. "no" definitely not.
but how do you react when someone says "no" to you. is it with a silent shrug of the shoulders and a pout. is it all abit like your the victim in some worldwide conspiracy against your happiness. if it is, chances are that's why you have trouble saying "no". maybe you need to stop being offended, and whispering behind others backs.
remember there is a difference between saying "no" and being a negative annoying person. there is a difference between saying "no" and being one of those guys that thinks of every excuse in the book to not attend a party: "oh, um, i've got knitting club that night, i'm working on a cardigan".
just a parting thought, if you do say "no" to something, it offers an opportunity to someone who desperately wants to do the thing that you don't want to do.
acoustic living
my thoughts. my words. living in the natural. thinking with sense. i once saw a guitarist capture an audience for two plus hours with only an acoustic. not hiding behind amp tones, effects, electronics. i applied that to my guitar playing and my life. loving simplicity, living instinctively... acoustic living.
On: Self Governance
i'm thinking of never voting ever again. you see i'm not apathetic, i have voted in every national and local election that has been since i was legally of age. i just find myself not really minding or caring who is in leadership of my country or local area. it doesn't affect me at all. i had to have a good think about why i feel this way this is my best answer.
i am my own leader. my government is myself and my family. i am a one man country with no borders. i have my own wisdom to guide and lead myself and family into making the right directions. i have trust in my own abilities and strengths.
i find that voting gives people an excuse to moan and complain. voting if anything causes apathy and blame shifting. "passing the buck" some might say. we lose our instinctiveness and the ability to think for ourselves and live outside the square.
government and their departments are beige and boring, in my experience slow and useless. bring back friendly societies and their willing hands.
anyway i must get back to work. ird tax forms to fill out.
i am my own leader. my government is myself and my family. i am a one man country with no borders. i have my own wisdom to guide and lead myself and family into making the right directions. i have trust in my own abilities and strengths.
i find that voting gives people an excuse to moan and complain. voting if anything causes apathy and blame shifting. "passing the buck" some might say. we lose our instinctiveness and the ability to think for ourselves and live outside the square.
government and their departments are beige and boring, in my experience slow and useless. bring back friendly societies and their willing hands.
anyway i must get back to work. ird tax forms to fill out.
On: Parenting
this manifesto by tom hodgkinson sums it up for me.
We reject the idea that parenting requires hard work
We pledge to leave our children alone
We reject the rampant consumerism that invades children from the moment they are born
We read them poetry and fantastic stories without morals
We drink alcohol without guilt
We reject the inner Puritan
We don’t waste money on family days out and holidays
An idle parent is a thrifty parent
An idle parent is a creative parent
We lie in bed for as long as possible
We try not to interfere
We play in the fields and forests
We push them into the garden and shut the door so we can clean the house
We both work as little as possible, particularly when the kids are small
Time is more important than money
Happy mess is better than miserable tidiness
Down with school
We fill the house with music and merriment
We reject health and safety guidelines
We embrace responsibility
There are many paths
More play, less work
THE MANIFESTO OF THE IDLE PARENT
We reject the idea that parenting requires hard work
We pledge to leave our children alone
We reject the rampant consumerism that invades children from the moment they are born
We read them poetry and fantastic stories without morals
We drink alcohol without guilt
We reject the inner Puritan
We don’t waste money on family days out and holidays
An idle parent is a thrifty parent
An idle parent is a creative parent
We lie in bed for as long as possible
We try not to interfere
We play in the fields and forests
We push them into the garden and shut the door so we can clean the house
We both work as little as possible, particularly when the kids are small
Time is more important than money
Happy mess is better than miserable tidiness
Down with school
We fill the house with music and merriment
We reject health and safety guidelines
We embrace responsibility
There are many paths
More play, less work
On: Kids
kids are like plants.
they need fresh air, sunshine, plenty of nourishing food. they need winds to strengthen and make them self reliant. they need sunlight to make them happy. words of encouragement and affirmation to help them grow.
kids are like plants.
smiles and laughter are free. costly clothes and toys aren't and then rip and break.
stories with morals, restrict and control minds. stories of swashbuckling adventures and buried treasure cause imagination and creativity to flourish.
tv, computer games and internet cause instant gratification. making models, painting or baking cause eager minds to grow and nimble fingers to strengthen.
words of discouragement dampen spirits that can take years to restore. words of life, encourage and take seconds to say.
one of the best books i've read about kids is "the training of the human plant" by luther burbank.
kids are our future and are our number one asset. kids are like plants, they make me happy when they are happy.
they need fresh air, sunshine, plenty of nourishing food. they need winds to strengthen and make them self reliant. they need sunlight to make them happy. words of encouragement and affirmation to help them grow.
kids are like plants.
smiles and laughter are free. costly clothes and toys aren't and then rip and break.
stories with morals, restrict and control minds. stories of swashbuckling adventures and buried treasure cause imagination and creativity to flourish.
tv, computer games and internet cause instant gratification. making models, painting or baking cause eager minds to grow and nimble fingers to strengthen.
words of discouragement dampen spirits that can take years to restore. words of life, encourage and take seconds to say.
one of the best books i've read about kids is "the training of the human plant" by luther burbank.
kids are our future and are our number one asset. kids are like plants, they make me happy when they are happy.
On: Fitness
"they pay all this money to go like this...." whilst a grade one starjump was demonstrated to me by my old eccentric singing teacher. how did we get to this conversation while a singing lesson was supposed to be taking place? well we were talking about the loud aerobics class going on in the gym upstairs.
you see we do pay alot of money and spend alot of time doing exercise that isn't natural for us too do. we shouldn't be jogging for miles and miles. did we do that when we were hunting food? no, just a lot of walking and a few quick sprints would have taken care of that. we shouldn't be doing isolated, and dare i say it boring, weights eg bicep curls. did we do that when we were having to build our own shelters? no, just lifting heavy objects around, with a few pull ups, squats and cleans to gather the supplies.
i know, i know we aren't hunting our own food and building our own shelters, but genetically we haven't changed from those days.
i love going to crossfit which incorporates alot of different strength exercises and is fun because it isn't the same thing each time i go, with a different workout each time.
other ideas: you could also walk instead of drive. throw in a few sprints along the beach. do a couple of pullups on that branch in the back yard.
the lecture on the absurdity of the aerobics class was ended with a simple "why don't they dig a vege patch and do some garden work". i couldn't agree more.
you see we do pay alot of money and spend alot of time doing exercise that isn't natural for us too do. we shouldn't be jogging for miles and miles. did we do that when we were hunting food? no, just a lot of walking and a few quick sprints would have taken care of that. we shouldn't be doing isolated, and dare i say it boring, weights eg bicep curls. did we do that when we were having to build our own shelters? no, just lifting heavy objects around, with a few pull ups, squats and cleans to gather the supplies.
i know, i know we aren't hunting our own food and building our own shelters, but genetically we haven't changed from those days.
i love going to crossfit which incorporates alot of different strength exercises and is fun because it isn't the same thing each time i go, with a different workout each time.
other ideas: you could also walk instead of drive. throw in a few sprints along the beach. do a couple of pullups on that branch in the back yard.
the lecture on the absurdity of the aerobics class was ended with a simple "why don't they dig a vege patch and do some garden work". i couldn't agree more.
On: World Peace
massive issue, massive answer? not really. live with love and respect for everyone else and their belongings. and don't get offended so easily.
On: Food
is god stupid? mother nature got it all wrong? i don't think so.
whatever your view on creation, you probably must wonder why we feel the need to tamper with our environment. as if humans know best. do you see any other animal screwing with their surroundings. anyway this thought can be applied across the board into any area of life, but for now i'm starting with the food we eat.
why don't we eat what we were designed to eat? made to eat? had to eat? what our genes, which haven't changed for ten thousand plus years, requires us to eat.
natural whole-foods; nuts, meat, vegetables, fruit, seeds, eggs. locally grown. organic. drink lots of water. cut down on grains especially gluten grains. limit dairy. if we ate like this 80% of the time (no one can do it 100%, if you can then you're up there with superman in my eyes) than we would see a huge decrease in obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression and so on and so on. see there has to be a link between the dominance of processed and packaged un-fresh foods and the rapidly rising rates of all the disease mentioned.
three simple rules maybe:
1) don't eat anything if you look at the list of ingredients on the back of the package and find that you can't pronounce half of what is written.
2) don't eat or drink anything if you couldn't of 10,000 years ago.
3) don't eat or drink anything that comes in a bucket.
an excellent book for more of this type of thinking is the primal blueprint by mark sisson.
but i'll leave it with this. if we were created, and the earth was created, surely what is of the earth is what we should be eating. what is natural is what we should be digesting.
whatever your view on creation, you probably must wonder why we feel the need to tamper with our environment. as if humans know best. do you see any other animal screwing with their surroundings. anyway this thought can be applied across the board into any area of life, but for now i'm starting with the food we eat.
why don't we eat what we were designed to eat? made to eat? had to eat? what our genes, which haven't changed for ten thousand plus years, requires us to eat.
natural whole-foods; nuts, meat, vegetables, fruit, seeds, eggs. locally grown. organic. drink lots of water. cut down on grains especially gluten grains. limit dairy. if we ate like this 80% of the time (no one can do it 100%, if you can then you're up there with superman in my eyes) than we would see a huge decrease in obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression and so on and so on. see there has to be a link between the dominance of processed and packaged un-fresh foods and the rapidly rising rates of all the disease mentioned.
three simple rules maybe:
1) don't eat anything if you look at the list of ingredients on the back of the package and find that you can't pronounce half of what is written.
2) don't eat or drink anything if you couldn't of 10,000 years ago.
3) don't eat or drink anything that comes in a bucket.
an excellent book for more of this type of thinking is the primal blueprint by mark sisson.
but i'll leave it with this. if we were created, and the earth was created, surely what is of the earth is what we should be eating. what is natural is what we should be digesting.
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