Tag: lockdown

Broken

~ Des

It’s already July 2020 and we have been in “lockdown/limited normality” for some time now. Most of us have had serious time to reflect on serious issues. After considering my past and current circumstances, the “serious issues” that have arisen, the things that have made me feel uncomfortable during this time, which have engaged my psyche and have caused me to be unsettled, disconnected and a little helpless, hapless, and hopeless …. I have amalgamated into one word. That word is – BROKEN

Here are some of the definitions of Broken:
violently separated into parts
not working properly
full of obstacles
violated by transgression not kept or honoured
disrupted by change
interrupted
made weak or infirm
subdued completely
cut off
imperfectly spoken or written
not complete or full 
not fluent


Rhodesia/Zimbabwe the place of my birth and my heritage, where I lived for 45 years. Through misguided politics, corruption, war and megalomaniac leadership, is broken. 

South Africa, a country to which I immigrated some 19 years ago, with an appalling history of Apartheid, followed by an utterly corrupt and inept ANC government – is broken

My experience of the financial system and wealth equality – broken

Big Food and Big Pharma – broken in respect of what they are supposed to offer

Nutrition – broken

Politics – broken

Communication – broken

Trust – broken

Truth – broken

COVID 19 a world pandemic, a new experience to most of the world’s population – is devastatingly and dramatically moving towards being an event that puts all the world’s “brokenness” under the microscope.

The death, the suffering, the imposition of strict rules and regulations onto societies, communities, and individuals, who pride themselves with certain freedoms, beliefs, and rights, which usually portray as arrogance, selfishness and supremacy, will weaken the weakest, rattle the strong, magnify all imperfections, poorly affect the underprivileged, destabilise the comfortable and forever change the world we had become accustomed to. Whoever we are and wherever we are.

 The inability or lack of will, to see and acknowledge changes in the future, will cause more disarray, more anarchy, more anger, more exploitation, more fear, more racism, more inequality, more panic, more protectionism, more injustice, and more brokenness.

The ability, open-mindedness, and willingness to change and learn from this challenging time, without blame, without greed, without politicking, without selfishness – will equalise, stabilise, destroy all the wrongness and injustice that has endured. It will change the financial system and the perception of wealth, the use of fiat money, it will lessen prejudice and destroy entitlement. It should enhance the study of science over politics, teaching over ignorance, sharing over greed, learning over knowing, sharing over owning, wellbeing over wealth. We will re envisage how we work, how we spend our earnings and time, how we accumulate wealth, how we treat the disadvantaged and how we restore our natural environment – all hopefully leading to more kindness, compassion and understanding between all the humans in this world, a planet we don’t own, but just occupy for such a brief time.

Let’s make it a better place for all – unbroken

Albert Einstein on Crisis:
“Let’s not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress.
Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born from the dark night. It’s in crisis that inventive is born, as well as discoveries, and big strategies.
Who overcomes crisis, overcomes himself, without getting overcome. Who blames his failure to a crisis neglects his own talent and is more respectful to problems than to solutions.
Incompetence is the true crisis.
The greatest inconvenience of people and nations is the laziness with which they attempt to find the solutions to their problems.
There’s no challenge without a crisis. Without challenges, life becomes a routine, a slow agony. There’s no merit without crisis. It’s in the crisis where we can show the very best in us. Without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. |
To speak about a crisis is to promote it. Not to speak about it is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead.
Let us stop, once and for all, the menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it. “



My new life and lockdown….

~ Des

Being in isolation, sheltering at home, confined to lockdown, whatever you wish to call it has allowed me, as with many others, to reconsider and re-evaluate my ‘new’ life.

Until now, I have not been able to fully articulate my reasons for the move, my feelings about it, nor what I have experienced over the last 9 months.

But sitting quietly, very quietly, I can reflect about what I love and value of being here.

I ‘bravely’ gave up my most recent 18-year career and big city life to relocated to Prince Albert, a small rural town in the Great Karoo. South Africa. Here I hope to live a simple, considered, authentic life on my own terms, unencumbered by some personal past difficulties and the rigors of “normality”, a place where I can contribute and perhaps connect to a community and myself. Where I have time and space.

Time to be free, to think, create, learn and write. 
Space to adventure.

To walk in the veld, unhindered by time or crime that allows me to feel and be present. Touching and smelling plants, stepping over uneven hard terrain, exploring dry riverbeds, crunching dry mud flakes barefoot on empty dams, climbing steep rocky and yet unexplored gorges, while at all times being aware of the solitude, beauty and subtle opulence that surrounds me.

Cycling, uninhibited by traffic and tarred roads, travelling kilometres on hard-packed dirt roads, jeep racks and animal paths seeking out windmills and reservoirs, scattered through arid sheep country, sometimes hindered, and challenged by corrugations, headwinds, and horse flies! But, with warm wind on my face, fresh unpolluted air carrying a myriad of new fragrances, encouraging me to breathe deeply and slowly – nature’s own meditation.

Adventuring in my very competent 4×4 Jimny, carefully learning the limits of ‘her’ capability, and overcoming my ‘what if’s’. I feel like I can go ‘where no (wo)man has gone before’ I feel tough and fearless, and what’s on the other side is always exciting and constantly fulfills my curiosity!

Endless vistas of undeveloped dry land, dolerite sills, the magnificent Swartberg Mountains and rocky, ancient post-glacial outcrops scattered across the mostly flat landscape – littered with hundreds of species of xerophytic plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh, but beautiful landscape. Strewn with a collection of stones, fossils, rocks and meteorites, a petrologists dream! Hidden caves with rock paintings, ceramic fragments and flint tools of the amazing Bushmen who shared this place.

Finding water in this place has become such a joy for me. Whether it is from an isolated, noisy, rusty windmill pumping up a few drops at a time and slowly filling a reservoir generated from a gentle breeze, to paddling barefoot in the perennial rivers that run through the Swartberg range. Water is life. To quote from a late friend – ‘Water has no enemy’
On the hottest day in the remotest driest of places, where there is water there are a myriad of living creatures, from minuscule unidentifiable creepies, worms, ants, spiders and scorpions, tortoises, birds, snakes, sheep, buck, all manner of flying insects who all survive and thrive in these miniature biomes…. it’s fascinating!   

Sounds of utter and complete silence or the gentle rustle of a cooling summer breeze through thin acacia leaves. The deafening frightening tropical thunderstorms, with the frantic rushing sound of flooding rivers after a deluge, the distant call of an evening owl and of a daytime turtle dove – have all become my music – far from the madding crowd.

Visions of magnificent (and ordinary), transitory sunrises and sunsets. Night skies overflowing with stars falling onto distant horizons, all humble me and fill me with gratitude.

Kind, friendly people from every walk of life, hardworking resilient characters, and creatives, with whom I feel I can relate. People who acknowledge and greet on every occasion with a wave or a smile – there is no indifference here.

All of this is my new life. I am living :)