Celebrate, and look after each other.

The New Year. A chance to reflect on the past, present and future. While reading about the first world problems of doctors’ fees, obesity (New Year resolutions), binge drinking and yobbo behaviour. I cast a thought to the millions of displaced people in the world. We are all part of this global village. Sending out greetings for peace across many lands. As Alfred Tennyson said - You are all part of who I am. We are all part of this comedy of life. Celebrate, and look after each other. Jenny Esots 27 Kookaburra Court WILLUNGA SA 5172

What I know is true seems so less certain than when I was a growing up.

The year ticks over and we are in the midst of the post Christmas slowdown and steamy weather. I, like Helen Razer, cave in when the heat assaults my whole body. I resent the malaise that my brain succumbs to. But I found time to think about the premise Helen raises, how do we know what is true? (448) Thanks Helen, I needed something to ponder on the drive home from work. As I see it everything is still up for debate. The universe, cosmos, inner consciousness, 70’s fashion. It all comes down to who has the best argument. Life can be so confusing and ambiguous. Even an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence cannot convince the general public that our planet is warming at an alarming rate. What I know is true seems so less certain than when I was a growing up. The search for truth is never easy. But who wants an easy life?! Blessings to you & yours for the new year and the Big Issue in 2014.

Redemption on Bougainville.

•image: my link text Mr Pip I came into the world on Bougainville with all its horrors and brutality. Where savage acts were never far from daily life. When destruction was unleashed on the village the people seemed so powerless. Everything was taken from them, their homes, possessions and people they loved. But still they had the air, the fruit, the sea and each other. We are guided through the story by Matilda, a child in the village. Who discovers the world of Mr Dickens and Pip of Great Expectations. Pip becomes a saviour to them all. To the children of a ramshackle school, their teacher – Mr Watts and the village. But in a cruel twist ‘Pip’ is sought after as a renegade rebel. The events unravel. One is kept hoping for some redemption, which comes with a terrible price. A master story teller, who knows how to leave the reader guessing and yearning for more.

Christmas day is almost over.

Christmas day is almost over. The yearning for Christmas past is very real. The morning you woke up and found that little sack (pillow case) at the foot of your bed. Father Christmas had been. For some reason I recall this only once, finding a big children’s bible in it. The stories from so long ago. But they live on. Isaiah and his prophesy still read out thousands of years later. The coming of the messiah, one who saves. Be open to the light of God, change, the annoyances of ageing and the friendship of your mates.

Giving more

Christmas greetings and thanks you for all the editions throughout 2013. In times of uncertainty it is tempting to keep with what is known. Publishing and digital technology is flying along. Information is becoming downsized to a tiny hand sized object. The economic landscape is riven with change. Where is the certainty? But the head line of Tuesday’s Advertiser states that we are to explore the spirit of giving. Not in the spirit of flinging gift wrapped socks under the Christmas tree. But in the spirit of giving compassion to each other. Negotiating change will need more than simplistic mantra’s of cut spending and tighten your belts. We in fact need to give more, more time, more understanding, and more compassion.

Oil and Honey - a memoir of an accidental activist, Bill McKibben

Oil and Honey by Bill McKibben A treatise on living in a global warming world and the rallying cry against fossil fuel. This is a surprisingly human account of the campaign to put climate change squarely on the agenda. Bill McKibben is a journalist and writer and he writes in a flowing conversational style. So you feel like you are with him on that campaign trail. You are on the bus that crosses the country, attending rallies, going to give talks and speeches with the media and all manner of people. You feel Bill’s pain when he receives ugly threats. You can feel the calm as he finds home base. This account of an accidental activist as he calls himself is mixed with his self-guided retreats to a beekeeper named Kirk. The story of how bees exist is a mirror of the modern world breaking open the natural world with horrible consequences. Chemical overkill and the wipe out of half the bee population. But still there is hope. Hope is a word never written here, but is exposed on every page. We are fighting against the odds, but there is hope. A message that is often submerged in the gloom of the facts on global warming. Yet this story tells of a seemingly motley bunch of people, melded into action by the very real threat to their livelihood, their land, and their home. Our home, our planet. The sense is that the movement does not have all the answers. They make mistakes, but they fight on. The pollination is the thing. Sowing seeds in many hearts and minds. The personal reflections of Bill show a man guided by a love for this creation and the creator. As he reflects that global warming is like Genesis in reverse. There are so many more stories that could be written here. But that is the mark of a good writer, leaving you wanting more. On a broader level I was made to question our way of being. As Bill gently probed his bee keeping neighbour, Kirk, on how he survived day after day, year after year with such a basic existence, devoid of all the usual amenities. He reported he never got bored; there was so much depth in each moment. He followed the seasons. Not the conventional wisdom of days. Thanks for the education Bill, I want to hear more.

Oil and Honey - Fossil Fuel in free fall.................

I am currently reading the book Get Up! sent me - Oil and Honey by Bill Mc Kibben and am very interested in the story of how environmentalists are fighting the Fossil Fuel industry, which has a massive budget across the world. It seems that few governments are willing to stand up to this industry. Our planet is in peril. Changes need to be made on pricing carbon. Am thankful that the Labor government made changes ie the carbon tax - but is it too late to save it?

May the wisdom of his brave soul live on.

Thank you for your Saturday edition honouring Nelson Mandela. I have not encountered such an outpouring of love for one man in a long time. The grief is written large among so many. Mandela didn't just talk about forgiveness and reconciliation, he lived it. May the wisdom of his brave soul live on.