A "Black Swan Event" is when the unexpected occurs, causing a huge mindshift and change in how the world works. People never imagined that Black Swans existed, until the discovery of the first Black Swan... (as per book "The Black Swan", by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2007, that sold over 3 million copies)

Is a perception change the next Black Swan Event? Consider that by changing perception we might change the world. Look at everyday things from different angles. Find beauty in the unexpected...
Change our thinking, change our actions, change our world!

See that all people are part of God's puzzle and have something to give. Black swans do exist. The ugly duckling was actually a swan who needed to discover himself and where he fitted and be who he was meant to be. To the last, the lost and the least, you are beautiful as you are.
May all who visit this page feel God's touch and experience His blessing...

Thursday 26 July 2012

Where There Be Blue Gums...

I saw a lot of Blue Gum trees when I was living in South Africa. They looked like such messy trees; tree trunks reaching for the sky and limbs askew, colour the tones of grey. Bark that shredded and curled, and did not look like normal woody bark of trees growing around them. Eucalyptus leaves that tasted funny when you bit down. They were a symbol of conservation gone wrong: a displaced tree, grown quickly to provide shade, but not naturally occurring. I would normally see them stand alone, or in sheltered pockets or rows. Now I see them all around me in Australia. There are forests of Blue Gum trees. The Eucapyptus trees on top of Mount Wellington are wizened and stunted and a testament to survival in harsh mountain conditions. In many rainforests here, massive Blue Gum trees reach for the sky, forming canopies, each tree vying for sunshine. I see a forest of Blue Gums stretching for kilometres close to suburbia where I live, a haven for possums and wallabies and kangaroos. Blue Gums in Australia do not look out of place. The forests are beautiful. Why is it that in South Africa these trees seemed ugly to me, out of place in African Savannah, and here they blend in and look lovely? And now I realise, they have always been beautiful trees. Perhaps it is my own perception that has been seeing them differently in these different locations?

Monday 23 July 2012

The Subtle Art of Bullying: I Heard You Said...

Have you ever been accused of saying something that you in reality were just a listener to? I remember numerous times when someone would come up to me and say something, and later I would hear by chance that I was accused of making that statement. For example, a particular person, call him Jim, would sidle up to me and say, "The new manager in this area is changing everything without asking and is headed for a fall", and I might have looked blankly at him and kept quiet, after all Jim is one of my superiors and I don't really know the new manager. Then a few days later I hear Jim telling someone I said the new manager is inept, and I think, "huh?".

Sunday 22 July 2012

Context Behind the San's (Bushmen's) Situation Makes a Comedy Sad

Have you ever watched The Gods Must be Crazy I or II? The first movie of the series was first released in 1980. I remember really enjoying the first movie when I watched it as a child, and it shows a glimpse of San culture and the very different worlds we live in, and it is truly a hilarious film. I received a copy of these movies, and I am wondering if I will ever be able to watch the films and laugh at the light hearted scenes, as the main characters, the San (Bushmen) are living a life lost. They are no longer a people of hunter gatherers, free to roam at will over vasts tracts of borderless land; most San have been forcibly settled into sedentary villages and have thereby lost their unique cultural heritage and wealth that is freedom. This tragedy occurred shortly before the initial The Gods Must Be Crazy Movie was made. How did something like this happen without anyone really noticing?

Are anthropological groups capturing the unique culture that older San people still have, like fireside tales, and documenting these for future generations, especially by means of video and audio recordings?--I know some writings do exist, e.g. as found on ForumBiodiversity, and I love "The Prayer Addressed to the Young Moon".

I am wondering if it is possible to start a fundraising effort for the San? I would love to buy a huge tract of land for the San, a place they can do with as they please, and this may require millions of dollars to purchase--I've seen a large farm area of the Kalahari for sale, adjoining the central Kalahari Game Reserve, for about US$5-$6 million dollars--any kind philanthropists who would be interested in buying land for the San? Or is there another solution? Is land the only requirement? I pray God shows the way.


Related blog articles
This is a link to a previous blog article I wrote about the San (Bushmen): Ode to the San

Note:  The San's story is not unique. There are many tribal people adrift in this encroaching modern world. Surely there is space for all?

Oscar Pistorius Will Run At the Olympic Games 2012!

Congratulations to Oscar Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic Games, London 2012! He has earned a spot in the individual 400m race, as well being part of the 4x400 metre Olympics relay team. He will also run in the Paralympics. http://www.news.com.au/sport/london-olympics/double-amputee-to-race-in-olympics/story-fndpu6dv-1226417274171

See previous blog articles about Oscar Pistorius:
Great Video About Oscar Pistorius and His Journey Towards the Olympic Games
Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner

All Who Labour and Are Heavily Burdened...

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 WEB)

This is a bit of free form musing from me:

Who is my blog for? Who is my book for? I have trouble answering that question. I like to think my thoughts are for everyone, but are they? I suspect my writing is targeted at people who feel they are ignored, teased, perhaps bullied by society. People who have a lot of potential, as all people do, but who don't realise it. People who might sit in what seems like a meaningless job, just living from day to day, trapped by a routine from which it seems there is no escape. People who are judged negatively on first impression, who are not taken seriously, who have travelled a hard road and where it seems barriers are formed all around them so they cannot change lanes to travel a more meaningful journey. And then I wonder, haven't we all experienced moments like this, just to varying degrees? What does it take to just be in the present moment and walk with confidence and choose the path we walk? Is it as easy as changing mindsets? Or is there also a tide of perception to change, so we can be swept along with society's tide, instead of being battered by it? What do you think? I know I have found renewed purpose and meaning for living through belief in God the Father and His Son, Jesus. What will give you meaning?

Saturday 21 July 2012

An Analogy For Living Your Purpose

I took a drive one early morning, and ended up parking my car overlooking a quiet bay. Picture gently rippling waves, a golden glow hanging low over the water, and wisps of clouds draped across the brilliant blue sky above. Small boats and yachts sway gently on the water, and a bridge spans the background. Seagulls wander around the shore on a constant quest for food. A few seagulls swim along the surface of the bay, and then dip down into the water when they spy a morsel to snatch. A runner jogs past and the seagulls pay him no mind. And I think back to a day past when I saw a seagull standing in wet sand on a beach, feet covered, waiting, and each time a wave washed over her feet, the seagull would quickly churn the loose sand into blossoming billows in the water as she flushed out sea creatures, perhaps crabs or shell fish or shell creatures. And I contrast these scenes in my mind with times I have seen seagulls squawking racous cries as they fight over rubbish being dumped, or swoop noisily over a fishing boat just landed, or when they try to grab take away food from diners at a waterfront restaurant.
I sit in my car and enjoy the scene in front of me, where seagulls are enjoying the life they were meant to enjoy. I see a few seagulls hovering anxiously just outside my car door, and I wonder if they will follow me if I get out, eager for a scrap or two of a sandwich or a chip.
How easy it is to disturb purpose! Seagulls are meant to forage for food at beaches; to fish and swim and glide on silent wings, swooping low over water, or flying high with currents, flying in joyful abandon; seagulls are not meant to be hovering over garbage waiting for a chance to swoop. How quickly purpose can be overtaken by the temptation of an easy meal.

Send That to Me In Writing

I sent off an email to a large company recently, to enquire whether or not they would be interested in stocking my book on their shelves. I received a reply back saying they only deal with specific suppliers, giving me some guidelines, so I wrote back and said I would be able to comply. The next response said to give the person a call and she would explain the purchasing process, and I thought "How wonderful. A possible opportunity." However, I felt quite deflated when I spoke to her, and she effectively said sorry, she was not interested. So why did I have to phone her to hear that? Why didn't she tell me that in an email? I have noticed that people can seem very friendly and polite in written communication, and only show their true selves in person, when their conversation is not subject to any more rigorous means of documentation than memory. Perhaps that is why someone I know insists on most communication taking place in written form, as she can be assured of the sender's politeness?