As I mentioned earlier, the Mesoamerican calendar ticked from 12.19.19.17.19 to 13.0.0.0.0. And as people have noticed, this did not mean the end of the world. Not too much of a surprise there, as the Mayans never did predict any end of the world. Indeed, the calendar didn't even end!
This was all made up by people who wanted to make some quick bucks, and so it is a little upsetting to see news stations now claiming that the Mayans were wrong. In one interview, a woman thought that the Mayans had purposely pulled our collective legs on this one. No, it wasn't the Mayans, it were 21st century businessmen who pulled so many legs.
Others ask if this means we have entered a new golden era. So here's my attempt at multiple approaches to figure out what the 14th baktun has in store for us.
The 14th Baktun
I say "14th Baktun" because the numbering begins at 0. So 0 is the first baktun, 1 is the second, and so on. So what does this mean? To start off with, nothing. It's a way of counting days, and there is nothing magical about it.
Skywalker to Wizard
From what I gather, different cultures had their own localized variation of the Mesoamerican calendar. Since the specific culture everyone keeps refering to is Mayan, I'll stick to that.
So, given that there are 20 baktuns in a piktun, and there are 20 gods, we could make a wild assumption that we went from the 13th to the 14th god, i.e. from the Skywalker to the Wizard.
The 392 year reign of the Skywalker, started September 18th 1618. The Skywalker is an explorer and adventurer. One could easily argue that a lot of exploration has been going on in these last 392 years, and certainly there has been a lot of adventure. (That said, the vikings belonged to the age of the fun inviting monkey, and the late middle ages were run by the human, inviting wise choices and free will.)
The Wizard, on the other hand, invites magic and the feeling of empowerment.
Tzolkin
Another way of looking at a baktun, is the energy predicted by the religious Tzolkin calendar on the first kin of the baktun. For this new baktun, the energies are as such:
The destiny of this baktun is the blue hand, healing and accomplishing. It cooperates with the yellow human, choosing wisely and with free will. The guiding force is the storm of transformation and allowing self-generation. The major challenge is red earth, being grounded and open to synchronicity. There may be the occult surprise of the white wizard, creating magic and the feeling of empowerment. All this goes to the Crystal Tone, cooperating and facilitating team work. Be aware, however, that this baktun is born during the wavespell of the yellow warrior, planning strategically and questioning.
"May the energy of the Blue Hand help me to heal in all levels and accomplish what I am looking for. I am guided by the power of Transformation. Yellow Castle. Fourth Castle of Giving. Time to use the Lessons Learned."
Sounds good to me. Because it doesn't say too much about what happens on the macro scale of things on Planet Earth. It says more about the energies available to us. After all, the macro perspective is merely a reflection of what happens within us all.
Conclusion
If the last years before the so called end of the Mayan calendar (it didn't end) has shown us anything, it is an enormous increase in the number of people who want a change for the better in this world and are willing to do something about it. This is very positive.
There is no reason to put off betterment.
Remember, therefore, that you do have free will. You are free to focus on what the world has become, and you are free to become the world you want. Must you find peace in your heart and choose wisely.
2012-12-23
2012-12-21
The world ends Januar 19th 2038!
Congratulations! The fact that you are reading this means that the world did not end this night, as the Mayan calendar ticked from 12.19.19.17.19 to 13.0.0.0.0. This could be because most computers do not use the Mayan calendar to keep track of time, and they do not use the number 13 to denote negative numbers.
So let me talk about something much more serious. On January 19th 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC, the 32 bit signed integer clock, the most accurate time measuring mechanism ever devised, will turn NEGATIVE! Indeed, we will be thrust back to December 13th 1901! A time when Texas was booming with oil, and right before the death of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
With so many bits in a computer, what prompted computer engineers to use only a 32 bit SIGNED integer to keep time? Possibly, because they figured there would never be a need to go beyond 2038. What did they know that we don't know? How does this link in to the Unix World End Prophecy? And how do you prepare youself for 2038?
So many questions, so little time to exploit the 2038 phenomenon before everyone figures out I'm pulling their leg. Look out for my future seminar: The 32 bit signed integer clock and how to elevate yourself to an unsigned integer of positivity to survive the end of the world!
So let me talk about something much more serious. On January 19th 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC, the 32 bit signed integer clock, the most accurate time measuring mechanism ever devised, will turn NEGATIVE! Indeed, we will be thrust back to December 13th 1901! A time when Texas was booming with oil, and right before the death of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
With so many bits in a computer, what prompted computer engineers to use only a 32 bit SIGNED integer to keep time? Possibly, because they figured there would never be a need to go beyond 2038. What did they know that we don't know? How does this link in to the Unix World End Prophecy? And how do you prepare youself for 2038?
So many questions, so little time to exploit the 2038 phenomenon before everyone figures out I'm pulling their leg. Look out for my future seminar: The 32 bit signed integer clock and how to elevate yourself to an unsigned integer of positivity to survive the end of the world!
2012-12-16
2012-12-06
New year or end of the world?
As we're closing in on December 21st 2012, the stories I see about the end of the world are getting annoying. Even the jokes look really bad, because quite frankly, even the jokes are based on lies. So for those who wonder if the world will end on December 21st.. no, it won't. And here's what mass media and doomsday tellers and others who want to capitalize on "the end of the world" won't tell you:
The conceptual end of the calendar is not religious per se
The calendar in question is not the religous Tzolkin calendar, but the civil calendar. While the religious calendar has names of gods and energies, the civil calendar is a series of numbers. The combination of the civil calendar and the religious calendar made a cycle of 52 solar years. Obviously, the world has lasted more than 52 years, just ordinarily, that's about the time span you'd usually need to address.
In terms of having to date beyond 52 years, the long count was introduced, where there are 20 days in a winal, 18 winals (360 days) in a tun, 20 tuns (7200 days) in a k'tun, 20 k'tuns (144000 days, ca 394 years) in a b'ak'tun. So it is this calendar that comes to an end, right? No.
The calendar doesn't end on December 21st
I know, everyone are saying that the calendar ends. So let's look at the facts. The long count is written in the format b'ak'tun.k'tun.tun.winal.kin (kin is a day). So December 20th is 12.19.19.17.19. So, move on to the next day, 19 is the last kin, so take that back to 0 and increase the winal. 17 is the last winal, so set to 0 and increase the tun. 19 is the last tun, so increase the k'tun. 19 is the last k'tun, so increase the b'ak'tun. 12+1=13. Hence, December 21st will be written 13.0.0.0.0.
Which means that the date is about as significant as going from 1999 to 2000.
So when does the Mayan calendar really end? Well, based on those 5 numbers, the last day would be 19.19.19.17.19 - October 12th 4772.
And that is not the end. Because 20 b'ak'tuns make 1 piktun (ca 7885 years). 20 piktuns make 1 kalabtun (ca 157700 years). 20 kalabtuns make 1 k'ilchintuns (ca 3.15 million years), etc. The date of creation is expressed as 13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0, where the units are 13s in the nineteen places larger than the b'ak'tun.
These are incredibly large dates. So while the last day of the world according to the Christian calendar is December 31st 9999 because we run out of digits for the years, the Mayan calendar will be able to specify dates after the entire universe has collapsed and been recreated. Twice.
The conceptual end of the calendar is not religious per se
The calendar in question is not the religous Tzolkin calendar, but the civil calendar. While the religious calendar has names of gods and energies, the civil calendar is a series of numbers. The combination of the civil calendar and the religious calendar made a cycle of 52 solar years. Obviously, the world has lasted more than 52 years, just ordinarily, that's about the time span you'd usually need to address.
In terms of having to date beyond 52 years, the long count was introduced, where there are 20 days in a winal, 18 winals (360 days) in a tun, 20 tuns (7200 days) in a k'tun, 20 k'tuns (144000 days, ca 394 years) in a b'ak'tun. So it is this calendar that comes to an end, right? No.
The calendar doesn't end on December 21st
I know, everyone are saying that the calendar ends. So let's look at the facts. The long count is written in the format b'ak'tun.k'tun.tun.winal.kin (kin is a day). So December 20th is 12.19.19.17.19. So, move on to the next day, 19 is the last kin, so take that back to 0 and increase the winal. 17 is the last winal, so set to 0 and increase the tun. 19 is the last tun, so increase the k'tun. 19 is the last k'tun, so increase the b'ak'tun. 12+1=13. Hence, December 21st will be written 13.0.0.0.0.
Which means that the date is about as significant as going from 1999 to 2000.
So when does the Mayan calendar really end? Well, based on those 5 numbers, the last day would be 19.19.19.17.19 - October 12th 4772.
And that is not the end. Because 20 b'ak'tuns make 1 piktun (ca 7885 years). 20 piktuns make 1 kalabtun (ca 157700 years). 20 kalabtuns make 1 k'ilchintuns (ca 3.15 million years), etc. The date of creation is expressed as 13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0, where the units are 13s in the nineteen places larger than the b'ak'tun.
These are incredibly large dates. So while the last day of the world according to the Christian calendar is December 31st 9999 because we run out of digits for the years, the Mayan calendar will be able to specify dates after the entire universe has collapsed and been recreated. Twice.
2012-11-29
Bullying: The village animal
The term "Bygdedyret" - the Village Animal - was coined by Norwegian author Tor Jonsson (1916-1951) as a common denominator for the negative sides of living in rural areas. It has since become a common term, particularly referring to how the culture of small town and villages enforce the Law of Jante.
Since the Village Animal operates at village level, and with individual and societal consequences, I see the animal as a combination of several elements that combined, and in a specific configuration, generate a hostile environment. These elements are:
Since the Village Animal operates at village level, and with individual and societal consequences, I see the animal as a combination of several elements that combined, and in a specific configuration, generate a hostile environment. These elements are:
- Personal insecurity in the affected (mechanics of bullying).
- Personal insecurity by those who propagates the Village Animal (mechanics of bullying).
- Circular self feeding and/or external feeding of a splitting mindset (generating bullying environment).
- Jealousy fed by personal insecurity and/or economic contrast (mechanics and/or environment).
Smaller communities are particularly vulnerable to these elements: It doesn't take many people to make up a large percentage of the community, and the short distance to local government also create a short distance to circular self feeding. External sources, such as media, national politics and the school system, also add to the signals and thought patterns that encourage an environment where bullies and victims are grown.
By smaller communities, we do not necessarily have to look only at villages and towns, we could also be looking at clubs and companies. Basically anywhere a community may occur.
On the bright side, this also means that small communities should also be quicker to change. It shouldn't require too much to do, though I do not currently see government as a player in this:
Top-down government policies against bullying have limited effect for numerous reasons, the main problem being the lack of a universal vision: They apply only for bullying at schools, whereas bullying occurs everywhere and in all age groups.
For this reason, the actual programmes that have been developed are not easily obtainable by the common man. Mostly, you have to apply to take part, you should be a school, etc. While they do see some effects, it does nothing to work on the root causes within society itself. Maybe there is a political reason for this. After all, top politicians love to trash each other on TV, thereby teaching everyone that it is acceptable to do so.
Looking for government intervention is actually to repeat the same problem that allows bullying, now on a larger scale: Outsourcing inner strength. So while one might find inspiration from the outside world, the real work can only start with yourself and with the community coming together to work for a common goal: To accept everyone in the community for who they are, and to help each other thrive.
Dealing with the village animal, therefore, I see as part of the same work as dealing with bullying. The solution is basically a two factor approach: First build your own core self, and second inspire everyone you meet to do the same. Realize that the two tasks are mutual catalysts.
By smaller communities, we do not necessarily have to look only at villages and towns, we could also be looking at clubs and companies. Basically anywhere a community may occur.
On the bright side, this also means that small communities should also be quicker to change. It shouldn't require too much to do, though I do not currently see government as a player in this:
Top-down government policies against bullying have limited effect for numerous reasons, the main problem being the lack of a universal vision: They apply only for bullying at schools, whereas bullying occurs everywhere and in all age groups.
For this reason, the actual programmes that have been developed are not easily obtainable by the common man. Mostly, you have to apply to take part, you should be a school, etc. While they do see some effects, it does nothing to work on the root causes within society itself. Maybe there is a political reason for this. After all, top politicians love to trash each other on TV, thereby teaching everyone that it is acceptable to do so.
Looking for government intervention is actually to repeat the same problem that allows bullying, now on a larger scale: Outsourcing inner strength. So while one might find inspiration from the outside world, the real work can only start with yourself and with the community coming together to work for a common goal: To accept everyone in the community for who they are, and to help each other thrive.
Dealing with the village animal, therefore, I see as part of the same work as dealing with bullying. The solution is basically a two factor approach: First build your own core self, and second inspire everyone you meet to do the same. Realize that the two tasks are mutual catalysts.
2012-11-27
Power in music
I do not remember where I heard it, but at some point in my life I learned that in the future, wars will be fought with music. Well, now is the future, and I'm using this knowledge to my own advantage. On my way to and from work, I have a USB stick in my stereo filled with music that strengthens my inner powers or otherwise cheers me up. I now share this play list with you. Use it wisely - that is, learn the lyrics and sing along, the effect it has on you increases exponentially with how loud you sing. Sing from you stomach, sing from your heart.
In alphabetical order by filename at 27.11.2012:
In alphabetical order by filename at 27.11.2012:
- A beautiful world (Tim Myers)
- (Amanda Marshall) Believe in you
- (ATC) All around the world - la la la la la la
- (Baz Luhrmann) Everybody's Free - to wear sunscreen
- Beautiful World (Anya)
- (Bon Jovi) It's my life
- (Dune) I can't stop raving
- (Ella Fitzgerald) Ac-cent-thcu-ate the positive
- En solskinnsdag (Postgirobygget)
- Flashdance: What a feeling (Irene Cara)
- (James Brown) I feel good
- (M.A.R.S.) Pump up the volume
- (Mariah Carey) Hero
- (Passion Fruit) The Rigga Ding Dong Song
- (Queen) It's a kind of magic
- (Queen) Don't stop me now
- (Queen) I want it all
- (Queen) We are the champions
- (Rod Stewart) Faith of the heart
- Super star (Roller girl)
- (Suzie McNeil) Believe
- (The Carpenters) Top of the world
- (Tom Jones) Sex bomb
I might be adding more on the YouTube play list in the future without altering this article.
2012-11-21
Dimensions of the Israel-Palestine conflict
It is possibly the most well known conflicts in the world, it has been going on for a while now. Not the longest war in history, but may very well end up earning the title.
Much can be said about the complexity of the situation. In a video from Prager University, Dennis Prager says that he studied "semester after semester discussing the Middle East conflict as if it were the most complex conflict in the world, when in fact it is probably the easiest conflict in the world to describe. It may be the hardest to solve, but it really is the easiest to describe."
The explanation then goes on about the "Israel wants to live, but surrounding Arab states refuse to recognize Israel" perspective. I see this as one axis of the conflict, and a natural conflict by karmic law. After all, the modern state of Israel was founded on the assumption that everyone wanted to kill the jews. Without this assumption, there would be no reason for the Israeli Jewish state to exist in the first place, and the assumption is thereby ingrained into the state at birth, and a task for the state to overcome. Though that is a slightly buddhist digression.
My experience studying various conflicts tells me that the longer a war has been going on, the more complex it becomes. As I have a fairly visual mind, I made a quick drawing of some of the perceived conflicts and a few interesting cash flows (green).
Each conflict by themselves can easily be described, as each conflict is one dimensional. Together, they make a messy two dimensional picture. I note a conflict between the Israeli military and the Israeli government, in that, as with any other government agency, they need to fight for its budgets. Indeed, this means that the military needs military conflict and demonstrated real threats to avoid cuts.
In short, any conflict is about one or more of: power, money, land, revenge. Politics. And as we know, conflicts by themselves do not kill, though they may verily be used an excuse. Therefore, I wish to introduce my three dimensional model, which is what is making this so much more interesting:
This is what would be the proper, religious and ethical axis. While everyone are looking at individual one dimensional conflicts to try to solve the two dimensional problem, the reason we get involved is how we feel about the third dimension, the axis of good and evil. The conflicts themselves may be legit, and conflicts do occur, it is how they are dealt with that is problematic.
As conflicts get deeper, people are pulled downwards, into a darkness where only conflict is perceived, terror and murder are permissible tools, and you're moving away from the divine. Those who manage to elevate themselves from the conflict and see the real madness from above just wish for peace.
In the Israeli/Palestinian area, there are people both above and below the surface. And as is typical, the evil side has a huge propaganda machine. Evil has used propaganda in order to turn "the enemy" into aliens you're allowed to kill. Good has typically not had such a propaganda machine. So if good is to win - that is, for peace to be accomplished - as many people as possible need to be lifted from the hateful abyss of the underworld to the peaceful overworld.
By doing so, those who are involved in each conflict will eventually find their own solutions, we don't need to interfere with every little detail of every little or major conflict, that will all just take care of itself. And this is the basis of many a religion; the fight is not between the Israeli and the Palestinian, it is between good and evil. If we want to help, what we need to find out is, how do we pull people up from the abyss and show them the light?
Fortunately, there seems to be a point where civilian populations just won't take it any more. And hopefully, the people will rise from being the people that everyone want to blow up - to become the people that loves everyone.
Much can be said about the complexity of the situation. In a video from Prager University, Dennis Prager says that he studied "semester after semester discussing the Middle East conflict as if it were the most complex conflict in the world, when in fact it is probably the easiest conflict in the world to describe. It may be the hardest to solve, but it really is the easiest to describe."
The explanation then goes on about the "Israel wants to live, but surrounding Arab states refuse to recognize Israel" perspective. I see this as one axis of the conflict, and a natural conflict by karmic law. After all, the modern state of Israel was founded on the assumption that everyone wanted to kill the jews. Without this assumption, there would be no reason for the Israeli Jewish state to exist in the first place, and the assumption is thereby ingrained into the state at birth, and a task for the state to overcome. Though that is a slightly buddhist digression.
My experience studying various conflicts tells me that the longer a war has been going on, the more complex it becomes. As I have a fairly visual mind, I made a quick drawing of some of the perceived conflicts and a few interesting cash flows (green).
Each conflict by themselves can easily be described, as each conflict is one dimensional. Together, they make a messy two dimensional picture. I note a conflict between the Israeli military and the Israeli government, in that, as with any other government agency, they need to fight for its budgets. Indeed, this means that the military needs military conflict and demonstrated real threats to avoid cuts.
In short, any conflict is about one or more of: power, money, land, revenge. Politics. And as we know, conflicts by themselves do not kill, though they may verily be used an excuse. Therefore, I wish to introduce my three dimensional model, which is what is making this so much more interesting:
This is what would be the proper, religious and ethical axis. While everyone are looking at individual one dimensional conflicts to try to solve the two dimensional problem, the reason we get involved is how we feel about the third dimension, the axis of good and evil. The conflicts themselves may be legit, and conflicts do occur, it is how they are dealt with that is problematic.
As conflicts get deeper, people are pulled downwards, into a darkness where only conflict is perceived, terror and murder are permissible tools, and you're moving away from the divine. Those who manage to elevate themselves from the conflict and see the real madness from above just wish for peace.
In the Israeli/Palestinian area, there are people both above and below the surface. And as is typical, the evil side has a huge propaganda machine. Evil has used propaganda in order to turn "the enemy" into aliens you're allowed to kill. Good has typically not had such a propaganda machine. So if good is to win - that is, for peace to be accomplished - as many people as possible need to be lifted from the hateful abyss of the underworld to the peaceful overworld.
By doing so, those who are involved in each conflict will eventually find their own solutions, we don't need to interfere with every little detail of every little or major conflict, that will all just take care of itself. And this is the basis of many a religion; the fight is not between the Israeli and the Palestinian, it is between good and evil. If we want to help, what we need to find out is, how do we pull people up from the abyss and show them the light?
Fortunately, there seems to be a point where civilian populations just won't take it any more. And hopefully, the people will rise from being the people that everyone want to blow up - to become the people that loves everyone.
2012-11-15
Concern for others creates stronger self
His Holiness the Dalai Lama made a speech to the Japanese Parliament, where he basically says exactly the same as what I concluded in terms of bullying. The speech incidentally took place on my oldest son's fifth birthday:
That said, I also realized that my entire series of articles about bullying really IS about finding out, finding in.
That said, I also realized that my entire series of articles about bullying really IS about finding out, finding in.
2012-11-07
Democracy, idiocracy, mediocracy
Over at NaturalNews, Mike Adams has observed the absurd reasoning among a large number of voters. And he blames the chemical warfare between industry and population, turning US citizens into mindless zombies.
While he's right about unhealthy chemicals possibly affecting overall intelligence, I believe he unknowingly touched the real reason for mindless voting at the very beginning of the article:
Sure, a good bunch of people do have the time and energy to research before the election. They are the ones who don't waste their time getting dumbed down by television every night. The one way communication of television is turning democracy into medi(a)ocracy.
Mike confirms that "push media" is overrunning informed thought:
While he's right about unhealthy chemicals possibly affecting overall intelligence, I believe he unknowingly touched the real reason for mindless voting at the very beginning of the article:
- I don't normally watch television (the "zombie tube"), but I couldn't resist on election night.
Sure, a good bunch of people do have the time and energy to research before the election. They are the ones who don't waste their time getting dumbed down by television every night. The one way communication of television is turning democracy into medi(a)ocracy.
Mike confirms that "push media" is overrunning informed thought:
- So instead of rationally examining the ballot measure, they were easily suckered by the anti-labeling messages of the "No on 37" campaign, which used every dirty trick in the book to confuse the zombie masses.
2012-11-06
Bullying: Social ripples
When I was in high school, filled to the brink with testosterone, I had great problems engaging any girls whatsoever. While some would blame my dress code at the time, there would be strange reactions or comments that made me wonder. I later mentioned this to my best friend, who made the following observation: "It seems that someone is purposely sabotaging you by talking behind your back."
After a lot of thought on this, I hypothesized that this was a social ripple effect from the time before high school.
The story
Very early on in school, we were divided between guys and girls. Incidentally, I had a red backpack, so some of the guys insisted that I was a girl and pushed me over to the girls. To start off with, I did my best to stand my ground. Through repetition, and obviously with the addition of the cooties, I took to heart a misconception early on, automatically linking contact with girls and being bullied. While this typically should not be a problem for your average Joe, the intensity and frequency (several times a day, every day for years) of this turned it into a problem.
Basically, anything that could be used as a reason to bully me would be used. So I avoided at any cost to reveal anything that would expand the bullies' options for bullying. And so, I learned to shut myself up.
There was one incident, where the two main bullies pushed me to ask a girl if she wanted to be with me, to which she said yes. In reality, I was happy to hear this, because I really liked her. A lot. Unfortunately, the next step was to tell her that I was only kidding. Which in reality I wasn't. And I wished I did not "have" to "call it off". I felt terrible doing it, and it's an incident that followed me far into adulthood. (Much later, I wrote a letter, apologizing, to which I never received a response, and I don't expect one. So in the sense of self healing, at least I did my part. But that's not what this story is about.)
This one incident was so intense that from then on, I didn't believe any girl who said they wanted to go out with me. I closed myself up and made up thousands of excuses why I didn't believe them, why I couldn't, and so on. In reality, I had one crush after the other, and I would never admit it for as long as I was in that environment.
So after compulsory school, half of the people disappear into other schools or work, bullies seemingly disappeared, there were plenty of new people who had no idea about my past, and as we have learned is typical among teens - I started to take risks. On the occasion that I might actually get a positive response one day, the same girl might have turned completely around the next. Something was going on, and I could not put my finger on it. Eventually, the 100% turn down rate was quite devastating to the little self esteem I had.
The hypothesis
Early bullying turned me into an introvert who, as we noticed, made me avoid expressing my attraction to girls. By doing so, those around me would see me as someone who was not attracted to girls, i.e. gay. When I approached someone who didn't know who I was, they might at first be interested, asked around about who I am, only to learn about a guy who is perceived as gay. Before the end of the day, the exchange of smiles were replaced with them responding with a frown.
I returned to the well established pattern that anything positive said about me was dismissed as an attempt to tease me. In my mind, I had no value to society. I had suicidal thoughts. And my teachers told my parents that I was the happiest person in class, always smiling.
Long term confirmation
I eventually left for "the big world". I was not in touch with anyone for ten years. Through an actual friend, I learned about the back stabbing still going on behind my back - stories about things that couldn't possibly have happened, since I was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean at the time it supposedly happened. And I started to wonder, what is wrong with these people who have a need to do me harm even 13-16 years after I had seen them?
Shortly after, I hit the wall, passed a kidney stone, spent a week in hospital, was diagnosed with hypertension. So I slowly recovered, I found a new job 1600 km away and stayed there for the next five years. Best move ever. The community I moved to built me up again, and I started to rebuild the spine I lost in primary school.
Again I returned home, for completely different reasons. Strange things still happened out of the blue, the typical red tape moves that occur when someone has decided they don't like me. So the other night, I was challenged with the following question: "Seeing who you are and what you do, you're helping people known or unknown, unselfishly, you do not carry prejudice against them; how is it that you still experience these things, as though you're still a bully victim?"
Simply, because around here, the place I grew up, the place where the bullying started, people still remember their own interpretation of the person I was and use that as their basis for interacting with me. Without realizing it, they are unsuspecting participants of a bullying project that should have ended 23 years ago.
The major difference between then and now: The ever evolving Me.
The difference will become: The ever evolving Us.
Let's focus on that.
After a lot of thought on this, I hypothesized that this was a social ripple effect from the time before high school.
The story
Very early on in school, we were divided between guys and girls. Incidentally, I had a red backpack, so some of the guys insisted that I was a girl and pushed me over to the girls. To start off with, I did my best to stand my ground. Through repetition, and obviously with the addition of the cooties, I took to heart a misconception early on, automatically linking contact with girls and being bullied. While this typically should not be a problem for your average Joe, the intensity and frequency (several times a day, every day for years) of this turned it into a problem.
Basically, anything that could be used as a reason to bully me would be used. So I avoided at any cost to reveal anything that would expand the bullies' options for bullying. And so, I learned to shut myself up.
There was one incident, where the two main bullies pushed me to ask a girl if she wanted to be with me, to which she said yes. In reality, I was happy to hear this, because I really liked her. A lot. Unfortunately, the next step was to tell her that I was only kidding. Which in reality I wasn't. And I wished I did not "have" to "call it off". I felt terrible doing it, and it's an incident that followed me far into adulthood. (Much later, I wrote a letter, apologizing, to which I never received a response, and I don't expect one. So in the sense of self healing, at least I did my part. But that's not what this story is about.)
This one incident was so intense that from then on, I didn't believe any girl who said they wanted to go out with me. I closed myself up and made up thousands of excuses why I didn't believe them, why I couldn't, and so on. In reality, I had one crush after the other, and I would never admit it for as long as I was in that environment.
So after compulsory school, half of the people disappear into other schools or work, bullies seemingly disappeared, there were plenty of new people who had no idea about my past, and as we have learned is typical among teens - I started to take risks. On the occasion that I might actually get a positive response one day, the same girl might have turned completely around the next. Something was going on, and I could not put my finger on it. Eventually, the 100% turn down rate was quite devastating to the little self esteem I had.
The hypothesis
Early bullying turned me into an introvert who, as we noticed, made me avoid expressing my attraction to girls. By doing so, those around me would see me as someone who was not attracted to girls, i.e. gay. When I approached someone who didn't know who I was, they might at first be interested, asked around about who I am, only to learn about a guy who is perceived as gay. Before the end of the day, the exchange of smiles were replaced with them responding with a frown.
I returned to the well established pattern that anything positive said about me was dismissed as an attempt to tease me. In my mind, I had no value to society. I had suicidal thoughts. And my teachers told my parents that I was the happiest person in class, always smiling.
Long term confirmation
I eventually left for "the big world". I was not in touch with anyone for ten years. Through an actual friend, I learned about the back stabbing still going on behind my back - stories about things that couldn't possibly have happened, since I was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean at the time it supposedly happened. And I started to wonder, what is wrong with these people who have a need to do me harm even 13-16 years after I had seen them?
Shortly after, I hit the wall, passed a kidney stone, spent a week in hospital, was diagnosed with hypertension. So I slowly recovered, I found a new job 1600 km away and stayed there for the next five years. Best move ever. The community I moved to built me up again, and I started to rebuild the spine I lost in primary school.
Again I returned home, for completely different reasons. Strange things still happened out of the blue, the typical red tape moves that occur when someone has decided they don't like me. So the other night, I was challenged with the following question: "Seeing who you are and what you do, you're helping people known or unknown, unselfishly, you do not carry prejudice against them; how is it that you still experience these things, as though you're still a bully victim?"
Simply, because around here, the place I grew up, the place where the bullying started, people still remember their own interpretation of the person I was and use that as their basis for interacting with me. Without realizing it, they are unsuspecting participants of a bullying project that should have ended 23 years ago.
The major difference between then and now: The ever evolving Me.
The difference will become: The ever evolving Us.
Let's focus on that.
2012-11-04
Honour, stress and bullying
In the Art of Manliness blog, an interesting article series gives a good description of Honour, its function and in part 2, its decline. Of particular interest is the traditional immediate response to injuries to one's honour. While my first thoughts on honour practices is that this may increase stress, my latest studies of stress makes me now think otherwise.
Maintaining a strategy of immediate response allows the body to complete the full adrenalin-fight-rest-cycle. When the response is completed, the entire thing is over. This, however, is difficult to achieve in an honourless society. It is particularly difficult in situations where you have to battle a boss, who launches the insult friday night, and you can not respond until monday morning. Further, when you do make a response, it is not necessarily the end of the story, because it now has to go through lengths of red tape. The entire thing may last for months before it is resolved, which means that you're likely to generate adrenalin in your body continually for the entire period, wrecking your health.
Further, groups of people with horizontal honour increases social skills, which in turn also reduces stress and increases your support network. Honour is a guideline for personal integrity, which means you have to look inward to strengthen your inner core. It is this perspective that seems to be missing today. As I pointed out in an earlier article, looking outwards to support a fragile inner core is exactly what generates bullies and bully victims.
Which means that honour is another piece of the puzzle.
2012-10-29
Israel to Iran
Warmongering is the work of governments and economic interests, we know this. So it is about time we begin to see this people-to-people-messages. Because this pending war between us, it's not people against people. It's government against government. There is, of course, two videos I would still love to see on this topic: Israel-to-Palestine and Palestine-to-Israel.
2012-10-28
Waffle heart
Wonder what it's like in Gardistan? This music video is built from cuts from the TV-series "Waffle Heart", recorded on the island (Runde). The song is the theme song of the TV-series, based on the book with the same name written by Maria Parr. It is possibly the best children's book I have ever read, it was very hard for me to put it down when the children fell asleep. I hate to admit, but I even fell a few tears on the saddest parts. It's not really a children's book, it's a story for everyone. About compassion, friendship, family, love, waffles and what it's like to live out here, on the edge of the world. International translations are in the works. Music by Odd Nordstoga, who also played "the doctor" in the series. I hope the video works outside Norway.
Lyrics roughly translated to English:
There is light out there, that you can see from where you live
When you're afraid and alone, it's not like you think it is
It is not so, that nobody has thoughts for a small one
who lies there so alone and afraid
longing for the morning to lights and wind and weather
and is scared by the dark, big, scary
And it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
There is a light out there, that my eyes rest on
when (the waves) break against the beach, but there is nothing you can see
It isn't so, that others aren't small, too
Because the ocean breaks even the hardest mountain
But out there, swipes a light for me and you
And show the way home to the quiet gardens
And it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
Do you see the fence, go to the gate
Do you see the door, come in, then
Do you see the stairs, take a step and come inside
Because it isn't so that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so that you don't have a best friend
Lyrics roughly translated to English:
There is light out there, that you can see from where you live
When you're afraid and alone, it's not like you think it is
It is not so, that nobody has thoughts for a small one
who lies there so alone and afraid
longing for the morning to lights and wind and weather
and is scared by the dark, big, scary
And it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
There is a light out there, that my eyes rest on
when (the waves) break against the beach, but there is nothing you can see
It isn't so, that others aren't small, too
Because the ocean breaks even the hardest mountain
But out there, swipes a light for me and you
And show the way home to the quiet gardens
And it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so, that you don't have a best friend
Do you see the fence, go to the gate
Do you see the door, come in, then
Do you see the stairs, take a step and come inside
Because it isn't so that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so that you don't have a best friend
No, it isn't so that you don't have a best friend
2012-10-27
Bullying: Responsibility
The Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang recently had an article about a psychologist, practicing cognitive therapy, making a statement about the victims of bullying needing to take responsibility to change their thought pattern so that they don't feel like victims.
He also went further, saying that verbal bullying has great resemblance to freedom of expression. Because often, WHAT is being said is not actually illegal.
This caused a bit of a stir. The office of the Children's Ombudsman responded with a letter stating that bullying is NOT freedom of expression, and that it is never the victim's responsibility that bullying occurs. In an anti-bullying forum on Facebook, several people obviously sided with the Ombudsman, some even making statements about the doctor that resemble, well, verbal bullying. How dare he blame the victims? The victim is never at fault. (The moderator, I'm happy to say, understood exactly what the doc was sayin')
I believe, however, that the doctor is right, and that the Ombudsman and the others who respond negatively are simply blinded by the attitude that the bully has the entire blame for the bullying. Because what they make so much noise about is not really about anything the good doctor has said.
Freedom of expression
Yes, verbal bullying can be compared to freedom of expression. Let me explain how.
In a very simple explanation of psychology, something happens, this thing means something to you, the meaning generates an emotion, and you act on the emotion. Your action then causes something else to happen, which means something - and so on.
First scenario: "Something happening" might be that a bully tells you you're worthless. In your mind, this statement might be a confirmation about your idea that you are worthless. This gives you pain, and you start crying. Bully scored!
Second scenario: "Something happening" might be that someone drew a made a movie depicting Muhammad as a child molestor, and you learn that the US government is showing this movie in all TV channels in the USA. In your mind, this seems to indicate that the US government is building up a consensus to attack your country, and you and your family will be killed. So you become outraged and go put the American Embassy in flames.
The power of verbal bullying lies in the second stage: what this means to you, and the emotion attached to this meaning. And you have the power to change that meaning. So let us try the first scenario again with a different meaning:
Bully tells you that you're worthless. In your mind, you realize that the bully is trying to tear you down, so that he can feel good about himself, and so you get a feeling of petty and decide to give him a hug, telling him he doesn't have to tear other people down to get hugs, all he has to do is ask.
Responsibility
The thing is, the only person who can change what something means to you is yourself. Noone can do it for you, and therefore you are responsible for the change to happen. This also means that the victim is responsible for the change to happen within themselves. This is what the good doctor is trying to convey, and it is absolutely true.
But it is not the full story.
Newborn children does not understand these concepts. They learn from the people around them. And the people around them are usually not cognitive therapists. So if we want to instill the non-bully behaviour in our children and thereby create a better, bully free society, we all have to take responsibility to increase our own knowledge and skills, so that we can become better role models for our children.
2012-10-23
Bullying: Media frenzy
I do not always agree with The Amazing Atheist, but he is my favourite Devil's Advocate. And picking up on the feed about Amanda Todd, he made an excellent point - there are so many people out there who have been bullied so far that they kill themselves, it is a great question why exactly Amanda Todd has been singled out and turned into a story. Even Anonymous has gone to lengths to find her bullies, but what about those who are responsible for similar suicides, not to mention those who are active bullies today?
Will this be yet another story that is forgotten as soon as the US presidential election is over? Or will there be an actual earth shattering change?
Please! Prove The Amazing Atheist wrong, let's explore the root causes of bullying and do some major change at all levels of society - on a global scale. Let's treat the illness, not the symptom.
Will this be yet another story that is forgotten as soon as the US presidential election is over? Or will there be an actual earth shattering change?
Please! Prove The Amazing Atheist wrong, let's explore the root causes of bullying and do some major change at all levels of society - on a global scale. Let's treat the illness, not the symptom.
2012-10-18
Bullying: Amanda Todd
For those who don't know the case of Amanda Todd, her story can be found at the bottom of the article.
Bully apologism and death penalty
In the trail of Amanda Todd's suicide, a whole bunch of people - some trolling, some being honest about their opinion - see Amanda's suicide as self inflicted and well deserved. So what they are really saying is: If a woman shows her breasts and sleep with someone's boyfriend, she should be dragged to the city square and stoned. As usual, the guy is of no fault, so he gets to take part of the stoning.
I don't know about you, but I don't want women to grow up thinking there is a death penalty for showing their breasts. Nor do I want anyone to think there is a death penalty for a silly mistake they did in 7th grade.
Mental health
Amanda started getting mental illnesss after photos of her breasts started circulating on the Internet, which constitutes a major traumatic event. At that moment, her perception of her life was changed dramatically. She feels shame, a matter of "I am" rather than "I did". She crossed the clinical line. And as she moved from place to place, she got a constant confirmation from people around her, that she "is" a mistake.
This is, in my opinion, a flawed thinking that a lot of people do. In the bullying that followed, the perpetrator was able to make life hell for her only because all her friends looked at it as a case of "you are" rather than "you did". It should take little effort to realize that yes, people in seventh grade do make mistakes, and that a child pornographer should not be your source of knowledge about the worth of children.
So when we're talking about mental health, we need to see the whole system. Everyone involved in the bullying were basically just trying to show off that they were better than her. I don't think destroying someone you see as lower than yourself makes you a better person. A better person has compassion. A better person does not strive to show off that they are better.
Education
Indeed, a mentally secure and stable person does not have a need to compare themselves to others. My claim is that this shows a society-wide mental health issue. And it exists because children today are not educated in good morals and what it really means to be good. And possibly because it is being viewed as a task for the parents only, without giving the parents the tools needed to do this part of the job.
You have no friends
"Look around you, you have no friends," she was confronted with, as a way of pushing her further into the dirt. Why, a better person would have continued with "let me help you".
Today's TED is about shame.
Background: Amanda's story in her own words
Bully apologism and death penalty
In the trail of Amanda Todd's suicide, a whole bunch of people - some trolling, some being honest about their opinion - see Amanda's suicide as self inflicted and well deserved. So what they are really saying is: If a woman shows her breasts and sleep with someone's boyfriend, she should be dragged to the city square and stoned. As usual, the guy is of no fault, so he gets to take part of the stoning.
I don't know about you, but I don't want women to grow up thinking there is a death penalty for showing their breasts. Nor do I want anyone to think there is a death penalty for a silly mistake they did in 7th grade.
Mental health
Amanda started getting mental illnesss after photos of her breasts started circulating on the Internet, which constitutes a major traumatic event. At that moment, her perception of her life was changed dramatically. She feels shame, a matter of "I am" rather than "I did". She crossed the clinical line. And as she moved from place to place, she got a constant confirmation from people around her, that she "is" a mistake.
This is, in my opinion, a flawed thinking that a lot of people do. In the bullying that followed, the perpetrator was able to make life hell for her only because all her friends looked at it as a case of "you are" rather than "you did". It should take little effort to realize that yes, people in seventh grade do make mistakes, and that a child pornographer should not be your source of knowledge about the worth of children.
So when we're talking about mental health, we need to see the whole system. Everyone involved in the bullying were basically just trying to show off that they were better than her. I don't think destroying someone you see as lower than yourself makes you a better person. A better person has compassion. A better person does not strive to show off that they are better.
Education
Indeed, a mentally secure and stable person does not have a need to compare themselves to others. My claim is that this shows a society-wide mental health issue. And it exists because children today are not educated in good morals and what it really means to be good. And possibly because it is being viewed as a task for the parents only, without giving the parents the tools needed to do this part of the job.
You have no friends
"Look around you, you have no friends," she was confronted with, as a way of pushing her further into the dirt. Why, a better person would have continued with "let me help you".
Today's TED is about shame.
Background: Amanda's story in her own words
2012-10-16
Bullying: What is it?
In media today, the issue of bullying comes up at an increasingly frequent rate. Some stories similar, some stories different. There's the teen girl who committed suicide after being bullied, there's the politician who says "they're bullying me" and even representatives of a specific trade exclaiming "we feel bullied."
There are many definitions of bullying. I thought I had a good explanation when I defined my own "modes of bullying" to show how the operation changes as people grow older and the bullying evolves.
In 2002, the Norwegian goverment signed a "Manifest against bullying", which in turn prompted the Labour Inspection Authority to make a legal definition of bullying that would be somewhat managable from a monetary perspective: The work against bullying is limited to cases that occure "repeatedly and over time", and much effort is therefore also put into reactive policies.
My latest analysis of the mechanics of bullying, however, leaves me with an even simpler, psychological view: Bullying is when someone exerts physical or pschological supressive/destructive power against someone who is not likely to defend themselves. That is, if the target is someone who IS able to defend themselves and protect their physical and mental health, it is only an attempt of bullying. Whether the deed is repeated over time is irrelevant. If the target was hurt, it was bullying.
While my understanding of prophylactic psychology is limited to some books and one single lecture, I have no hestitation to state that the bully targets people who feel they have little right to be true to themselves. And by extention, the target is someone who is more dependent on external affirmation, rather than internal.
If we turn our focus to the bully, it is typically believed (I find little hard facts, so I intend to find some bullies to interview) that their behaviour is a method to feel better than others. They receive their affirmation by by-standers, "lieutenants" and the submission of the target. Similarly, "lieutenants" seek affirmation from the main bully. Indeed, there is a very thin line between bullying and crime - and often, this line is crossed.
To sum up, bullying occures between individuals who have low or non-existant internal affirmation. None of the people involved have really found "the right to be true to themselves". The roles they play in the bully game reflects the roles they have learned that statistically increase their external affirmation - up to the point that "being bullied" is an affirmation of your existance, even when it destroys you mentally and ultimately will drive you to suicide.
It is therefore clear to me, that preventive actions should be concentrated round the improvement of internal affirmation. Putting our efforts into this field would reduce the number of people who are susceptible to bullying (the bully's target-market), it would reduce the number of "lieutenants", it would reduce the bully's urge to hurt others, and more by-standers would dare to interviene.
As a bonus, I believe that average grades in school are likely to increase as well, as low internal affirmation creates mental stumbling blocks in students.
There are many definitions of bullying. I thought I had a good explanation when I defined my own "modes of bullying" to show how the operation changes as people grow older and the bullying evolves.
In 2002, the Norwegian goverment signed a "Manifest against bullying", which in turn prompted the Labour Inspection Authority to make a legal definition of bullying that would be somewhat managable from a monetary perspective: The work against bullying is limited to cases that occure "repeatedly and over time", and much effort is therefore also put into reactive policies.
My latest analysis of the mechanics of bullying, however, leaves me with an even simpler, psychological view: Bullying is when someone exerts physical or pschological supressive/destructive power against someone who is not likely to defend themselves. That is, if the target is someone who IS able to defend themselves and protect their physical and mental health, it is only an attempt of bullying. Whether the deed is repeated over time is irrelevant. If the target was hurt, it was bullying.
While my understanding of prophylactic psychology is limited to some books and one single lecture, I have no hestitation to state that the bully targets people who feel they have little right to be true to themselves. And by extention, the target is someone who is more dependent on external affirmation, rather than internal.
If we turn our focus to the bully, it is typically believed (I find little hard facts, so I intend to find some bullies to interview) that their behaviour is a method to feel better than others. They receive their affirmation by by-standers, "lieutenants" and the submission of the target. Similarly, "lieutenants" seek affirmation from the main bully. Indeed, there is a very thin line between bullying and crime - and often, this line is crossed.
To sum up, bullying occures between individuals who have low or non-existant internal affirmation. None of the people involved have really found "the right to be true to themselves". The roles they play in the bully game reflects the roles they have learned that statistically increase their external affirmation - up to the point that "being bullied" is an affirmation of your existance, even when it destroys you mentally and ultimately will drive you to suicide.
It is therefore clear to me, that preventive actions should be concentrated round the improvement of internal affirmation. Putting our efforts into this field would reduce the number of people who are susceptible to bullying (the bully's target-market), it would reduce the number of "lieutenants", it would reduce the bully's urge to hurt others, and more by-standers would dare to interviene.
As a bonus, I believe that average grades in school are likely to increase as well, as low internal affirmation creates mental stumbling blocks in students.
2012-10-10
2012-09-29
Je t'aime
Some songs and videos touch me especially deeply. Especially, people making people happy, people connecting in a joint project. If anything brings a tear to my eye and a smile on my face, these are my favourite videos...
Lara Fabian is taken by surprise as fans spontaneously sing "Je t'aime" back to her.
Flash mob dance on European scale - never mind our differences, let's dance. Together. As one.
Lara Fabian is taken by surprise as fans spontaneously sing "Je t'aime" back to her.
Flash mob dance on European scale - never mind our differences, let's dance. Together. As one.
2012-09-08
Be or do?
Today's thoughts stem from a question from a science-follower about how Virgin Mary could be impregnated without intercourse, to which the obvious answer is ... irrelevant (aka artificial insemination, people do it all the time). While the power structures may claim that the birth of Jesus is very relevant, my view is that it is as irrelevant as who is the President of the United States of America.
Please, give it some thought.
What is more important? That Obama is president, or what he does whilst in his presedency?
What is more important? That Dr. Lawrence is employed at E.R., or the fact that he's saving lives whilst employed at E.R.?
What is more important? Who Jesus is/was believed to be, or what he did/taught?
All this nonsense about "the bible is false, because I can't see any way this might scientifically work out" (the same way in which space flight once a scientific impossibility) is merely taking the attention away from the things that actually matter.
While so many ask, are you who you want to be?
The real question is, are you doing what you want to be doing?
Please, give it some thought.
What is more important? That Obama is president, or what he does whilst in his presedency?
What is more important? That Dr. Lawrence is employed at E.R., or the fact that he's saving lives whilst employed at E.R.?
What is more important? Who Jesus is/was believed to be, or what he did/taught?
All this nonsense about "the bible is false, because I can't see any way this might scientifically work out" (the same way in which space flight once a scientific impossibility) is merely taking the attention away from the things that actually matter.
While so many ask, are you who you want to be?
The real question is, are you doing what you want to be doing?
2012-08-06
Your heart's desire
I spent the weekend driving to Sweden and back for a personal erand. During the drive, I had a chance to listen to some audio books that were long overdue to listen to. One by John Berglund titled "The emotional language", and one by Randi B Noyes titled "The art of leading yourself".
Berglund's five hour "seminar" gives great insight into the human psyche from a professional point of view. There is no doubt Berglund know what he's talking about, and the emotional system he describes is quite logical. I'll quickly sum it up like this:
Something happens, which has a meaning, which generates an emotion, which is inside of you and leads you to make a decision, which is then turned into action.
There are no negative emotions, as the word "negative" implies that "it should not have been this way". Of course it should be this way - if something blocks your way, you SHOULD feel anger, the adrenaline gives you energy to overcome the obstacle. It is not negative, it is a difficult and/or painful emotion. Therefore, if you do not want to be angry because something happened, and you can not change what happened (we are all late for the past), you must change the meaning.
Noyes has a life experience approach. Basically, she does not have Berglund's professional background, though she does make valid points about, among many things, following your heart's desire. I'm glad I listened to Berglund first, so I could avoid certain caveats that would otherwise have gone by undetected. The one question that started to bug me was "if you learned that you have one year left to live, and there was no shortage of money, what would you do? Would you keep your job?"
Interestingly, no. While I thoroughly enjoy my job, I have to admit that there is one set of things I love to plan, to try to find time for, and try to put into life: It's my travel/bicycling/writing projects. According to Noyes, then, this is what I should be doing for a living. Alas, today, it's something I spend money to be able to do, it does not actually bring any money in.
It should, however. Just by putting together a photo book from Paambi, I could theoretically get something off the ground before I start the longer writing session. I also see how I want to dive into some of the adventures uncovered during my trips and research various aspects. Who is that guy who died by the road in France? What is it about this tiny village that makes me want to return? How about staying at this unknown place for a couple of weeks to paint, take photographs and get to know people?
And as Berglund says, there is no "but", there is "and". You can't say something true and then negate it with another truth. They are both truth.
Therefore, I would love to do all this AND my current situation of being employed means I'm not able to do as much of this as I would like to. AND I have a mortgage to pay and a family to feed. If I can make each trip/project self-funding, I guess that would be an important first step.
Berglund's five hour "seminar" gives great insight into the human psyche from a professional point of view. There is no doubt Berglund know what he's talking about, and the emotional system he describes is quite logical. I'll quickly sum it up like this:
Something happens, which has a meaning, which generates an emotion, which is inside of you and leads you to make a decision, which is then turned into action.
There are no negative emotions, as the word "negative" implies that "it should not have been this way". Of course it should be this way - if something blocks your way, you SHOULD feel anger, the adrenaline gives you energy to overcome the obstacle. It is not negative, it is a difficult and/or painful emotion. Therefore, if you do not want to be angry because something happened, and you can not change what happened (we are all late for the past), you must change the meaning.
Noyes has a life experience approach. Basically, she does not have Berglund's professional background, though she does make valid points about, among many things, following your heart's desire. I'm glad I listened to Berglund first, so I could avoid certain caveats that would otherwise have gone by undetected. The one question that started to bug me was "if you learned that you have one year left to live, and there was no shortage of money, what would you do? Would you keep your job?"
Interestingly, no. While I thoroughly enjoy my job, I have to admit that there is one set of things I love to plan, to try to find time for, and try to put into life: It's my travel/bicycling/writing projects. According to Noyes, then, this is what I should be doing for a living. Alas, today, it's something I spend money to be able to do, it does not actually bring any money in.
It should, however. Just by putting together a photo book from Paambi, I could theoretically get something off the ground before I start the longer writing session. I also see how I want to dive into some of the adventures uncovered during my trips and research various aspects. Who is that guy who died by the road in France? What is it about this tiny village that makes me want to return? How about staying at this unknown place for a couple of weeks to paint, take photographs and get to know people?
And as Berglund says, there is no "but", there is "and". You can't say something true and then negate it with another truth. They are both truth.
Therefore, I would love to do all this AND my current situation of being employed means I'm not able to do as much of this as I would like to. AND I have a mortgage to pay and a family to feed. If I can make each trip/project self-funding, I guess that would be an important first step.
2012-08-01
Tzolkin origin
In my quest to have a properly synchronized Tzolkin, I find that no source I have found describing the Tzolkin calendar so far give a specific synchronization date for the first Kin of the calendar. Many date converters seem to agree on July 15th 2012 as the date for 1 Imix, the first Kin of the latest Tzolkin calendar.
However, my source for the "Spellwave" make July 20th 2012 to Kin 53, which means that Kin 1 then must be May 28th 2012, a whopping 48 days - almost one castle - earlier than the most prevalent tzolkin calendars.
Searching more for Spellwave, there really are no references on Wikipedia, and the sources do seem a little sketchy. How authentic is the Spellwave? Is it inspired by the Dreamspell, which is a newer invention related to the 13-moon calendar?
The research continues...
However, my source for the "Spellwave" make July 20th 2012 to Kin 53, which means that Kin 1 then must be May 28th 2012, a whopping 48 days - almost one castle - earlier than the most prevalent tzolkin calendars.
Searching more for Spellwave, there really are no references on Wikipedia, and the sources do seem a little sketchy. How authentic is the Spellwave? Is it inspired by the Dreamspell, which is a newer invention related to the 13-moon calendar?
The research continues...
2012-07-27
13 days a week
As I dive into the realm of the classic seven liberal arts, I obviously start with the end; astrology. I take this subject seriously - as in the purpose of tracking objects in space and relating them to things occuring on Earth. Let me reduce this to a more modern view: the frequency of which we observe certain things in space gives a time scale to which we may measure the frequency of things occuring on Earth. Let me reduce this one more time for you: Things tend to occure in waves, and a way to measure the wave length is by means of objects in space, which we then turn into a calendar.
So by doing these reductions, I end up with a study of calendars and the effect these may have on culture and psyche.
Example: A person is born in the "Western" zodiac of Leo. While this person might find a lot of what is written about the traits of Leo to be true, chances are that merely reading about Leo will make the person emphasize these traits about themselves. As it is repeated by everyone throughout life, it becomes part of the identity and the psyche and thus a self fulfilling prophecy.
While many will use this to prove astrology to be fantasy, it may still be a useful tool for your psyche in the same sense that the power of placebo also is a powerful tool to keep people healthy. There are many approaches to my study into astrology, yet the gateway to all is the calendar. The calendar dictates the cycles of astrology and the cycle of culture. The cycles, I'm sure, affects psyche.
Most civilizations today have adopted a 7-day week with a 5+2 or 6+1 rhythm. The calendars we put on our walls, our journals, everything related to time tends to follow this format and locks us into a 7 day rhythm. Each week is a "long tick" for our collective psyche, and we measure project time and business time through these ticks. The pace of life, so to speak, is greatly affected by the frequency of these ticks.
Imagine that these ticks were further apart. Instead of a 7 day rhythm, we adopt a 13 day rhythm, adopted from the Tzolkin Wavespell. As an experiment, there is no need to change your work schedule. Instead, work days should not be considered a part of the wave per se, but rather appointments you have made throughout your 13 day week.
The Wavespell goes a bit further: Each day "kin" (day) in the wave (week) has a specific "tone" which, when studied closely, resembles a 13 day sprint cycle, when you look at it from a software development point of view. Further, each wave has a pupose. Four of these waves make a castle (month) whose cycle also has a developmental aspect to it. Each castle also has its colour and purpose, which resembles a full five castle / 20 wave / 260 kin project cycle.
You do no need to believe that these are energies that affect our life on these specific days. Rather, by following this schedule, your life should become more orderly. The effect on society if all followed the same schedule would be tremendous.
And so, the experiment begins...
So by doing these reductions, I end up with a study of calendars and the effect these may have on culture and psyche.
Example: A person is born in the "Western" zodiac of Leo. While this person might find a lot of what is written about the traits of Leo to be true, chances are that merely reading about Leo will make the person emphasize these traits about themselves. As it is repeated by everyone throughout life, it becomes part of the identity and the psyche and thus a self fulfilling prophecy.
While many will use this to prove astrology to be fantasy, it may still be a useful tool for your psyche in the same sense that the power of placebo also is a powerful tool to keep people healthy. There are many approaches to my study into astrology, yet the gateway to all is the calendar. The calendar dictates the cycles of astrology and the cycle of culture. The cycles, I'm sure, affects psyche.
Most civilizations today have adopted a 7-day week with a 5+2 or 6+1 rhythm. The calendars we put on our walls, our journals, everything related to time tends to follow this format and locks us into a 7 day rhythm. Each week is a "long tick" for our collective psyche, and we measure project time and business time through these ticks. The pace of life, so to speak, is greatly affected by the frequency of these ticks.
Imagine that these ticks were further apart. Instead of a 7 day rhythm, we adopt a 13 day rhythm, adopted from the Tzolkin Wavespell. As an experiment, there is no need to change your work schedule. Instead, work days should not be considered a part of the wave per se, but rather appointments you have made throughout your 13 day week.
The Wavespell goes a bit further: Each day "kin" (day) in the wave (week) has a specific "tone" which, when studied closely, resembles a 13 day sprint cycle, when you look at it from a software development point of view. Further, each wave has a pupose. Four of these waves make a castle (month) whose cycle also has a developmental aspect to it. Each castle also has its colour and purpose, which resembles a full five castle / 20 wave / 260 kin project cycle.
You do no need to believe that these are energies that affect our life on these specific days. Rather, by following this schedule, your life should become more orderly. The effect on society if all followed the same schedule would be tremendous.
And so, the experiment begins...
2012-05-07
Accidental 30 minute dinner
Coming from the shop, I quickly washed a handful of almond potatoes, cleaved them in half and put them in a pan to start boiling. I then put a pan on the stove and started to heat up some butter. When it was melted, I tossed in the newly bought, pre chopped meat. While this was warming up, I chopped the mushrooms, before I tossed them in and stirred. Ecological carrots don't need much washing and certainly not pealing, so these are quick to chop and toss in as well. For fluid, I added coconut milk, which I then thickened with potato starch. The starch kills some of the taste, so I counter this with salt and a little bit more butter. Season with a dash of black pepper, salvie and oregano. Everything left to simmer.
Now was time for the salad. Glass bowl, toss in prechopped salad mix. Wash and chop cherry tomatoes, drop them in. Now to get creative about seasoning. Take cup, fill a dash of the oil we had left. The potatoes were already done, so some of the water to thin the seasoning, before adding a dash of honey. Mix with some black pepper and oregano before tossing it in the salad - and then toss the salad itself.
...and dinner was done, tasted amazing and I had not spent 30 minutes.
2012-05-01
Finding out...
Why do we find out things instead of finding in? There is ultimately more out than in - at least in the areas that humans ordinarly operate - so it should be a lot easier to find out than in. Finding in is a lot more challenging. Especially if you're locked out. Though a lot of people seem to be locked in. Perhaps that's why they can't find out. Do we need a series of articles about finding in and out?
2012-04-20
Bettervision 2012: Estonia
Similar to Hungary, Ott Lepland from Estonia wants us to stop and listen. To observer and just be is a therapeutic meditation that helps you get rooted with "now". The moments you are able to block out past and future are moments of euphoria. He doesn't sing it, I speak from experience. People should do it on a regular basis. It is an important ingredient for a better world.
Listen to the horizon
Listen to how far it takes you
Listen to what the wind has to say
Listen
Watch as darkness approaches
Wait – the light remains within us
Listen to how your land breathes
Listen
Listen to what has fallen silent
Just listen to these simple moments
Listen – the heart too has a voice
The path has passed into shadow
I look and keep on looking
Silence has the power to resound
I wait for you here, halfway there
Listen to my voice calling you
Listen to what has fallen silent
Just listen to these simple moments
Listen – my heart has a voice
Listen
Listen to the horizon
Listen to how far it takes you
Listen to what the wind has to say
Listen
Watch as darkness approaches
Wait – the light remains within us
Listen to how your land breathes
Listen
Listen to what has fallen silent
Just listen to these simple moments
Listen – the heart too has a voice
The path has passed into shadow
I look and keep on looking
Silence has the power to resound
I wait for you here, halfway there
Listen to my voice calling you
Listen to what has fallen silent
Just listen to these simple moments
Listen – my heart has a voice
Listen
2012-04-13
Bettervision 2012: Hungary
A better world begins with listening to our hearts, defeating hatred, accepting differences as a source of enrichment. This is the message of the Hungarian entry, a strong candidate for Bettervision 2012.
The whole big world is just one place
You can say it’s all the same
You may feel hatred’s it sows
We can show it’s no way to go
This is the sound of our hearts, if you listen
This is a zeal from above and it can say it all
This is a fever they can’t take away
This is the sound of, the sound of
The sound of our hearts
The sound of our hearts
The sound of our hearts
Harmony can be achieved
Just find some way to get connected
Differences may not be wrong
They enrich the things that we know
Different faiths, different views
All we can do is to turn them in key
This is the sound of our hearts, if you listen
This is a zeal from above and it can say it all
This is a fever they can’t take away
This is the sound of, the sound of, the sound
This is the sound of our hearts, if you listen
This is a zeal from above and it can say it all
This a fever they can’t take away
This is the sound of, the sound of
The sound of our hearts
The sound of our hearts
The sound of our hearts
2012-04-11
2012-04-09
Unemployed Vagabond: It is so bad at home...
Physical security. It's one of the basic needs of humans. But as Antarctic hikers and Mt Everest climbers prove, every individual have a different pereception of what is acceptable security. It is easy to understand that large numbers of people flee from war zones. Yet some insist on staying, even though their lives are in imminent danger.
| "Ah, Oklahoma!" the other man said, finally putting the pieces together. "Yes, Oklahoma City. It is a dangerous place?" I couldn't imagine what he was talking about. Cowboys? Indians? "Dangerous?" "Wasn't there a bombing" "A-? Oh, right. Yeah, well, there was one bombing." "But it was a very big bombing, yes? Many pople killed." "Sure, it was very big. But it was one bombing almost ten years ago." We were in occupied Palestine and this guy was worried about Oklahoma being dangerous? I supposed that was what happened if you knew nothing about a place except its bombings. |
by It is difficult to set a universally defined threshold as to when someone decides to just pick up and leave. I see three degrees of uncertainty associated with leaving, which is part of the formula deciding when to leave. They are:
While a country's economy greatly affects its people, Hans Rosling has shown some tremendous statistics about the difference between rich and poor within each country as possibly more important than the difference between countries. Local politics play as much a role, if not more, than international politics.
I conclude this article with Hans Rosling's 2007 statistics about poverty:
- Things are so bad for my physical health and/or mental health and/or economy (all three are interrelated anyway), that I can not imagine my current situation as sustainable, therefore I must leave and...
- ...I have found a new and better place to go to, all is set up.
- ...where I'm going I have a social network to take care of me while I attempt to get on my own feet.
- ...must face the unknown in a desparate hope that I find a way to support myself (and my family).
The lower the degree of uncertainty, the lower the threshold to move. Leaving at a third degree uncertainty is usually invoked only when you find your health in imminent danger and see absolutely no way that the current situation will improve on its own. And that's when you get the "unemployed vagabond".
The world operates with two distinct flavours of unemployed vagabonds - that is, people with no fixed income who travel and thus lack basic physical, mental and economic security. They are "War Refugees" and "Economic Refugees". The war refugee has been recognized for so long that the term "refugee" is usually perceived as refugees from a war zone specifically.
Economic Refugees have also been around for quite a while. The Great Transatlantic Migration from 1836 to 1916 was greatly an economic escape from Europe to The Promised Land of North America. Similarly, many Africans risk their lives trying to cross over to Europe, because a small chance of surviving, and still have no clue as to what awaits on the other side, is somehow better than the status quo.
More recently, during Iceland's economic crisis beginning 2008, many people got on the ferry to Norway in search for a new life. Greeks have found their way to the United Arab Emirates. Mexicans have been migrating to the USA for a long time. Now, Americans are finding their way to Ecuador. Irish find their way to Canada.
The list goes on and on. And it's about economy:
"I didn't leave Cuba for political reasons, I left for economic reasons"
"An economy run into the ground because of what?"
"Because of the government of Cuba"
"I see now that you're not as dumb as you sound"
The world operates with two distinct flavours of unemployed vagabonds - that is, people with no fixed income who travel and thus lack basic physical, mental and economic security. They are "War Refugees" and "Economic Refugees". The war refugee has been recognized for so long that the term "refugee" is usually perceived as refugees from a war zone specifically.
Economic Refugees have also been around for quite a while. The Great Transatlantic Migration from 1836 to 1916 was greatly an economic escape from Europe to The Promised Land of North America. Similarly, many Africans risk their lives trying to cross over to Europe, because a small chance of surviving, and still have no clue as to what awaits on the other side, is somehow better than the status quo.
More recently, during Iceland's economic crisis beginning 2008, many people got on the ferry to Norway in search for a new life. Greeks have found their way to the United Arab Emirates. Mexicans have been migrating to the USA for a long time. Now, Americans are finding their way to Ecuador. Irish find their way to Canada.
The list goes on and on. And it's about economy:
"I didn't leave Cuba for political reasons, I left for economic reasons"
"An economy run into the ground because of what?"
"Because of the government of Cuba"
"I see now that you're not as dumb as you sound"
While a country's economy greatly affects its people, Hans Rosling has shown some tremendous statistics about the difference between rich and poor within each country as possibly more important than the difference between countries. Local politics play as much a role, if not more, than international politics.
I conclude this article with Hans Rosling's 2007 statistics about poverty:
2012-04-06
Bettervision 2012: Russia
Unline most party songs in Eurovision, Russia's contribution is an invitation to a communal dance. The message being, let us ALL be happy. Ordinarily, party songs is not what I wanted to include in Bettervision, but I needed to make an exception here, as even Russia has made a very unexpected exception to their own contribution: The lyrics are not in Russian, but in the Udmurt language. This makes me very happy, and I would love to party with these Udmurt grannies!
I am spreading a tablecloth carefully, waiting for my sons
Let the dough rise and warm our hearts
Party for everybody, dance
Come on and dance
Come on and dance
Come on and boom, boom
The house is full of my dear children, who have just returned
The house is full of my dear children, who have just returned
I am going to put on a green dress and a red shawl
I am going to put on a green dress and start dancing
We wanna boom boom boom, we wanna party party
We wanna boom boom boom for everybody
Party for everybody, dance
Come on and dance
Come on and dance
Come on and
Party for everybody, dance
Come on and dance
Come on and dance
Come on and boom, boom
The cat is happy, the dog is happy
The cat is happy, the dog is happy
We are in a wonderful mood and very happy
We are in a wonderful mood, oh joy
We wanna boom boom boom, we wanna party party
We wanna boom boom boom for everybody
Party for everybody, dance
Come on and dance
Come on and dance
Come on and
Party for everybody, dance
Come on and dance
Come on and dance
Come on and… boom, boom
Party for everybody, dance
Come on and dance
Come on and dance
Come on and
Party for everybody, dance
Come on and dance
Come on and dance
Come on and boom, boom, boom, boom
2012-04-04
2012-04-03
Latvian brain drain
I have reasons to take a pinch of salt with anything served by a mass media outlet such as RT. They like to exagerate, make a big deal out of things, in order to gain viewers. But in this case, they do have a point.
The most resourceful people are the ones who can most easily leave the country and find better pay elsewhere. Of course, working in a different country gives valuable experience. Provided, of course, that the person then comes back home to use this experience in developing the country.
This is one of the things that came up in Pamela Olson's Fast times in Palestine
: Palestinians with education and experience from other places in the world return to Palestine to help improve the conditions there.
What a country needs in dire times is not a brain drain, but bold people who find a way to use the current situation as a strength. Hjörtur Smárason stayed in Iceland when the bubble burst in 2008, and has since become a world leader of "Recession Marketing", which seems to be exactly what the world needs right now.
The most resourceful people are the ones who can most easily leave the country and find better pay elsewhere. Of course, working in a different country gives valuable experience. Provided, of course, that the person then comes back home to use this experience in developing the country.
This is one of the things that came up in Pamela Olson's Fast times in Palestine
: Palestinians with education and experience from other places in the world return to Palestine to help improve the conditions there.What a country needs in dire times is not a brain drain, but bold people who find a way to use the current situation as a strength. Hjörtur Smárason stayed in Iceland when the bubble burst in 2008, and has since become a world leader of "Recession Marketing", which seems to be exactly what the world needs right now.
2012-04-02
Project: Unemployed Vagabond
What's the documentary about?
Norwegian national TV recently broadcast a documentary called "Please, please, please" about, well... that's my first problem: What is this documentary really about?
In the online description and related article, it's about Romanians, i.e. citizens of the European country Romania. However, the contents of the article, the introduction in the documentary itself as well as the closing, the host speaks about the Romani people.
Government officials interviewed are very clear about them speaking of Romanians (Norwegian "rumener"), even when the journalist keep turning it into something about the Romani people (Norwegian "romfolk" or "romanifolk"). One police officer emphasizes that we really are talking about Romanian citizens, even though this is still an unfair use of terms, since there are also many Romanian citizens in Norway that are not beggars.
In the related article to the documentary, it begins with Romanians, while the journalist keeps discussing Romani people.
Some will claim that the specific Romanian citizens who come to Norway as vagabond beggars are, indeed, Romani people, the documentary keeps jumping back and forth between the two so often, that it's sometimes difficult to distinguish the two. It is this kind of documentary that supports the Romanian government's claim that the Romani people must change name.
As such, the documentary brings up a specific social issue, pretending that the same social issue belongs to only a specific group of people of which we are confused about whether we should refer to them for their nationality or ethnicity - and closing with words about similar "issues" within the same ethnicity in Norway.
So what was it about again?
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."
The documentary spends a lot of time referencing an ethnicity and/or nationality, both of which bring unjustice to others within the same ethnicity or nationality. This injustice was recognized by a police officer, who seemed to lack a good term for the people in question at less than ten syllables. Spending so much time of the documentary focusing which term to use, and ignoring other groups of people doing the same thing, takes attention and energy away from the acual issue at hand.
So here's what it really is about:
1) The economic and social situation in someone's home is experienced to be so bad, that
2) the person leaves home and family to a strange country with no prior arrangements for employment,
3) with the only hope to be able to beg for money on the street,
4) where they also sleep,
5) send some of their earning back to their family, and
6) residents of the new country see beggars as a problem, even when it is legal.
The last issue spawns the documentary meant to highlight the first five issues. So I wish to take a closer look at remaining issues. But that must wait till another article.
Norwegian national TV recently broadcast a documentary called "Please, please, please" about, well... that's my first problem: What is this documentary really about?
In the online description and related article, it's about Romanians, i.e. citizens of the European country Romania. However, the contents of the article, the introduction in the documentary itself as well as the closing, the host speaks about the Romani people.
Government officials interviewed are very clear about them speaking of Romanians (Norwegian "rumener"), even when the journalist keep turning it into something about the Romani people (Norwegian "romfolk" or "romanifolk"). One police officer emphasizes that we really are talking about Romanian citizens, even though this is still an unfair use of terms, since there are also many Romanian citizens in Norway that are not beggars.
In the related article to the documentary, it begins with Romanians, while the journalist keeps discussing Romani people.
Some will claim that the specific Romanian citizens who come to Norway as vagabond beggars are, indeed, Romani people, the documentary keeps jumping back and forth between the two so often, that it's sometimes difficult to distinguish the two. It is this kind of documentary that supports the Romanian government's claim that the Romani people must change name.
As such, the documentary brings up a specific social issue, pretending that the same social issue belongs to only a specific group of people of which we are confused about whether we should refer to them for their nationality or ethnicity - and closing with words about similar "issues" within the same ethnicity in Norway.
So what was it about again?
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."
The documentary spends a lot of time referencing an ethnicity and/or nationality, both of which bring unjustice to others within the same ethnicity or nationality. This injustice was recognized by a police officer, who seemed to lack a good term for the people in question at less than ten syllables. Spending so much time of the documentary focusing which term to use, and ignoring other groups of people doing the same thing, takes attention and energy away from the acual issue at hand.
So here's what it really is about:
1) The economic and social situation in someone's home is experienced to be so bad, that
2) the person leaves home and family to a strange country with no prior arrangements for employment,
3) with the only hope to be able to beg for money on the street,
4) where they also sleep,
5) send some of their earning back to their family, and
6) residents of the new country see beggars as a problem, even when it is legal.
The last issue spawns the documentary meant to highlight the first five issues. So I wish to take a closer look at remaining issues. But that must wait till another article.
2012-04-01
2012-03-28
Bettervision 2012: Switzerland
Allowing yourself to express yourself even if it is against the current social norm is one of the freedoms of self empowerment. Without such liberty, you have individual suppression, which in turn may cause individual psychological and physical illnesses. En masse, we get epidemics, and we hear psychologists today say that we're currently experiencing an epidemic of psychological illnesses. The message of self empowerment is therefore good both for the individual and the world at large. I therefore nominate Switzerland's contibution to Bettervision 2012.
“Unbreakable” Lyrics:
“Unbreakable” Lyrics:
You can do everything you want
It doesn’t matter how hard it is
You can do it, you can do it
So please don’t mind, close your eyes
Take a trip outside your head
You can give me more
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Unbreakable, unbreakable
Unbreakable, unbreakable
Don’t stop rock, rock this place
Don’t stop tryin’, try your best
Don’t stop, don’t stop movin’
Today is all allowed, a good vibe is in the crowd
You can do it, you can do it, you can do it
Unbreakable, unbreakable
You can give me more
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Unbreakable
Unbreakable
So please don’t mind, close your eyes
Take a trip outside your head
Unbreakable, unbreakable
Unbreakable, unbreakable
You can give me more
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
(You can give me more)
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
(Unbreakable) Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Swim against the stream
Following your wildest dream, your wildest dream
Unbreakable
2012-03-27
Road work, house work
Road work. I got this reminder today, of why we moved. Not just for more square meters, but also for less road work right outside the window.
 | But definitely not less work. There's plenty of digging outside, and neighbours have been helped ut cutting down the boards that were crowding the top floor hallway and lift the unused floor boards up to the ceiling. It is now possible to walk around and move things upstairs, which is key to get the required space everywhere to build the required closets for clothes and everything else we've got. |
 | There used to be a platform here, for the trash cans. It was old and far from level, so I removed it, and started digging. I need another 20-25 cm at the deepest side before I level it out. On friday, this is where they will put the outside portion of the air-to-air heat pump, before I build a new platform on top of it. |
2012-03-25
Bettervision 2012: Montenegro
I am looking up songs competing in the first round of Eurovision. Starting with the first entry, Montenegro. This song is a definite nominee for Bettervision 2012, propagating tolerance and easy living through catchy lyrics, though the start of the entry is "slightly scary". Lyrics and video below, you be the judge.
Eurosceptic, analphabetic
Try not to be hermetic
Euro Neuro don't be sceptic
Hermetic, pathetic, analphabetic
Forget all cosmetic, you need new poetic
Esthetic, ecletic, dialectic
Euro neuro, don't be dogmatic bureaucratic
You need to become pragmatic
To stop change climatic automatic
Need contribution from the institution
To find solution for pollution
To save the children of the evolution
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Monetary break dance
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Give me chance to refinance
(Blaue grotte ausflug do Zanjica, heute habe hobotnica)
Euro Neuro I don't like snobism
Nationalism, puritanism
I am different organism
My heroism is pacifism, altruism
I enjoy bicyclism
Liberalism, tourism, nudism, optimism
It is good for rheumatism
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Monetary break dance
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Give me chance to refinance
Euro neuro, I got no ambition
For high position in competition
With air condition
Different mission, different school
I got only one rule
Always stay cool
Like a swimming pool
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Monetary break dance
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Give me chance to refinance
Eurosceptic, analphabetic
Try not to be hermetic
Euro Neuro don't be sceptic
Hermetic, pathetic, analphabetic
Forget all cosmetic, you need new poetic
Esthetic, ecletic, dialectic
Euro neuro, don't be dogmatic bureaucratic
You need to become pragmatic
To stop change climatic automatic
Need contribution from the institution
To find solution for pollution
To save the children of the evolution
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Monetary break dance
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Give me chance to refinance
(Blaue grotte ausflug do Zanjica, heute habe hobotnica)
Euro Neuro I don't like snobism
Nationalism, puritanism
I am different organism
My heroism is pacifism, altruism
I enjoy bicyclism
Liberalism, tourism, nudism, optimism
It is good for rheumatism
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Monetary break dance
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Give me chance to refinance
Euro neuro, I got no ambition
For high position in competition
With air condition
Different mission, different school
I got only one rule
Always stay cool
Like a swimming pool
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Monetary break dance
Euro Neuro, Euro Neuro
Give me chance to refinance
Project: Bettervision
As we are drawing closer to Eurovision 2012, I must repeat what I said after ESC 2011: If we look at the impact a song may have as soft power, then we, the voters, should vote for the song that helps propagate thoughts and actions for a better world. Let's make Eurovision a Bettervision!
2012-03-19
2012-03-17
Tall order
3/42 - sometimes, this is exactly what I feel like. Pärnu mnt southbound, driving 90 kph.
2012-03-15
Living in small spaces
1/42: At a hair dresser in Lihula, Estonia. Small room, full of stuff, and this window decoration mirrors the room very well.
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