The Flip Side of the Coin - re-writing the balance

Speaking with a friend in London yesterday, we were discussing the recent rioting. One of the more positive aspects which she was inspired by, was the response of the major part of the local folks to the destruction and chaos around them.

Her son lives in Hackney which was left in a right old mess, yet by 10.30 the following morning, the local residents had been out in force, shoulder to shoulder, clearing up their home turf. It brought together people of all persuasions..socially, religiously and racially ...who together just were not going to put up with the destruction around them.

It's sad and worrying that so few can cause so very much violence, but heartening that a much greater number of people feel so strongly against such degenerative behaviour and pull together to do whatever they can to counter it.

Voice from the elder generation

I just had a call from a lovely friend of mine who is 83..a real elder of the tribe! She said she was thanking her lucky stars that she was young in the 1930s and 40s rather than in our present time.

That gave me food for thought as she had lived through the second world war, including the occupation of her country by the Nazis with all the resulting horrors.

Again, the same view was echoed to me as I've heard from so many different people over the last month.....that her fear was, that we are facing the beginning a serious breakdown of the stability we take for granted...that the current kind of western civilisation we have is simply falling apart.

It strikes me, if there is some truth in this, it is an incredibly important time to remain steady in oneself, to hold fast to our values and to do everything we can personally to maintain a good standard of life and living - one that, in whatever small way, could be part of the pioneering of a new way, a new time.

Unusual Behaviour in Queen Ants

BBC Film crews have recently filmed some unusual behaviour in queen honey ants. Normally they are solitary workers and seldom work in conjunction with others.Whilst building her nest, the original honey queen was seen to be digging and building together with several other honey queens. Normally the approach of another queen would result in fighting yet in the film, they were working together, co-operated well and all have gone into the nest together to begin to lay their eggs.

Interesting! When looking at a changing world, the behaviour of insects, birds and animals is another facet to watch.

The Riots in UK

Many people in the UK are reeling over the rioting of the last few days...and feeling horrified about the mindless violence and rapacious looting. It really does look feral...and many people are wondering why the army has not gone in with a heavy hand to nip it in the bud before it has reached this proportion.

However, this blog is not about that..but rather seeks to question what is it in the minds and hearts of those involved ( or absent) that allows such behaviour. The police, army and judicial systems may quell it with heavy measures, but the level of resentment that it has revealed is not going to go away by punishment. Some of the girls involved in the violence in London described their involvement as 'good fun' and felt justified in what they were doing because they felt the system was so unfair. Their lack of value for the safety of other people and the sanctity of their lives was chilling.

You really feel there is an undercurrent of unrest which is reaching boiling point and this is unlikely to be the last we see it surface. Understanding what it all means is hugely challenging .. and so very important.

Phoenix Arising from the Ashes

It's been some time since I blogged and there has been so much happening in the world.

I was watching the news with a friend last weekend. The news items covered so many negative events...the shootings in Norway, debt and finances in the US, continuing events in the Arab worlds, more coverage from Afghanistan and on it went to issues closer to home. Conversations had between various business people talking about the inefficiency they meet day to day in banking, in industry, in government departments....

The person with whom I was watching turned round and made an interesting observation. He said...."there is no bringing our civilisation back to a reasonable standard of life is there? It's just too far gone the road of breakdown"

For him this was a really sobering and depressing thing to come to....and I could only agree with him about the direction he was detecting. However, I began to talk of living in times of transition from the old to the new...a time of a phoenixing ...and that the breakdown of one way of life was pre-cursor to another emergent one .......and yet he just couldn't see it or feel this new possibility. All he could see was the world as we know it falling apart, with no fresh hope appearing. I wondered how many people across the globe felt the same?

It made me wonder how is it that some people feel this new arising so passionately , attempt to respond to this new signal so intensely, whilst other people simply seem impervious to it? Is it the case that it is only those who are actively pioneering the new, who feel it ?