Author Archives: C.J. Birch

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About C.J. Birch

I was born on Thursday 13th July 1972 in Harare, Zimbabwe, to an English father and a South African mother. I was christened Catherine Jane Birch and - from the outset - I've been inquisitive about most of life's elemental questions; its myriad paradoxes and unpredictable anomalies, their sources, solutions and their propensity for unmitigated change. From a very young age I was captured by the enigmatic life process, the challenge of living and what it 'means' to be alive. I spent countless invaluable hours in nature, watching the world at its work. I had a fascination for everything around me, curious about what things were, how and why they worked, what they represented in relation to one another. I began writing at the age of 5. Journals, stories and poetry, illustrations, have been a constantly evolving source of quiet self-reflection, expansive expression throughout my life. I'm fortunate to have travelled many miles, to have visited a variety of differing destinations and though I've learned a lot about life in the last 50 years, my questions about its complexities are neverending. I currently live in the south-east of England, having returned to the United Kingdom after a particularly harrowing period of 7 allegedly 'invisible' or 'non-existent' years of absolute hell in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. I've decided to erase those memories, altogether. My 15-year-old son lives in Switzerland, with his father.
20 Oct 2014 · 11:03

Issues – Blog No. 58

issues

At times we are all plagued by issues in life. Some are deep-rooted. Some, are not. This is fortunate because we are easily able to relieve ourselves of the lesser issues and focus on those that obstruct us. Issues are not insurmountable. They just take some patience and understanding. We develop issues for a reason. Usually, that reason has something to do with a past hurt left unresolved. Hurts should never be left unresolved.

Issues are best dealt with whenever you become aware of them. Left unattended, they fester. If it is not possible to address the cause of your issue(s) personally, it is best to be sure that you deal with its/their impact on your internals. You can get over your issue(s) when you spend time working with its/their actuality. When you resolve your issues with yourself, the object of your issue(s) becomes unimportant in your days. That is a good place to be.

If you can give yourself enough space, it is possible to laugh at yourself and your issue(s) sometimes. Of course, there are times when nothing is funny. That is how it is. The object is to get through the things that cause you discomfort, not to suppress or repress them. If going through discomfort changes the way you perceive yourself and the world, then you can know that your issues – while they lasted – were worth themselves.

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13 Oct 2014 · 11:33

Childhood – Blog No. 56

childhood

Childhood is for children. That means it is a time of innocence. Every child has innocence. Should you be responsible for taking the innocent wonder out of the life-experience of a child, you will have a lot to answer for when that child becomes an adult. It is not easy to ensure that a childhood is untainted in this day and age, but it is possible.

Childhood is short for most children these days, that is why it is important to cherish the idea of it. Again I will say it, if you cannot offer a child a happy childhood, why have one? That kind of a betrayal is sacrilege. Children are all born with hope. Love, and innocence too. If you choose to damage these faculties in a child, you can safely consider yourself a cruel person.

There are those parents that will live vicariously through their children, and this, too, tampers with the early experience that children should be having. Children need guidance, they do not need their parents to make their choices for them. Childhood is a time for exploration, for children to learn how to make sense of the world they have been born into. An adult is not able to make up a child’s mind.

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11 Oct 2014 · 11:02

Family – Blog No. 55

family

Family is what you make of it. It can be anything you like. It is said that you cannot choose your family but you can choose your friends. I am not sure that is entirely true. I suspect that there are instances where it is possible to choose your family. It depends who you are and where you choose to call home.

Every single person on this planet has at one time or another been a part of a family. Whether that family proved to be dysfunctional or not is immaterial. Whether the dynamics were skewed, or the values lacking, a family at base-level inception wants the best for all its members and this means it will pass on its greatest strengths in addition to its weaknesses. It is what a person makes of weakness that determines their future.

Family is a social concept. It works. It is not something that is determined by a name, or a label. It is a feeling. An understanding. Family members get each other. That is how you know you are family. A family celebrates its members. It is not intolerant of them, nor does it try to repress its lessons, if it is wise. What are lessons for, unless to learn from?

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06 Oct 2014 · 13:34

Corners – Blog No. 54

hospital_corners-1

The best way to ensure that you are never surprised by what is around your corner is to ensure that there are no corners on your road. This is possible with enough forward planning. In any case, whatever would be around a corner – should a corner appear – is only what you have projected, for yourself. Therefore, it can be readily handled. You need only your wits, your instincts and the ability to think straight.

Cornerstones, on the other hand, are things you should want to find along your road. The more cornerstones you come across, the more solid your foundations. The same could be said for anchors. A cornerstone need not sit in a corner, nor must a foundation be fixed. It depends on what you are building.

Cutting corners is a fast way to go nowhere. Short-cuts are not necessary if you know where you are going. If you should conjure up corners for yourself to encounter, know that it is possible to pass them by without having them turn on you. Their turning depends on whether you allow yourself to become distracted by their promise.

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29 Sep 2014 · 12:18

The System – Blog No. 53

system

Is it the system that twice stops South Africa from issuing the Dalai Lama with a visa? It seems that there is some resistance to his being welcomed on the tarmac at Oliver Tambo International Airport. I wonder what that resistance could be about? I am sure he would love to see South Africa in 2014. It would be interesting for him to understand how far South Africans have come.

The system was set to manage society and its maladministrations. It is offset by its own failings. This is not new news. The system has been watching itself fail for decades, now. It has become more adept at putting out fires than it is at starting them. Starting fires was the point. Without fire, there is no new growth. Also, it is important to know that starting fires is not synonymous with arson.

A system should be implemented only when it can be ascertained that the system to be introduced is 100% fail-safe. There is no point implementing a system that fails. The point is to construct a perfect model that works before you set about implementing it. That is called forward planning. The system is a model. It should be a model of infinite reach, a model that reflects the makings of a community dream – in order that the system’s reality is well-received by its people.

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22 Sep 2014 · 14:11

Longevity – Blog No. 52

longevity

What can be considered a fair life-expectancy? Or should we not have expectations when it comes to our deaths? There are those for whom life without expectations is as pointless as death is without its permanence. There are those for whom it isn’t.

Keep yourself the way you need to be kept and you will live for a long time. Deny yourself your necessary and you will die what is commonly called ‘before your time’. Living, laughing and loving are excellent for longevity. Practice them. They are free. If you cannot find anything to laugh about, anything to love, or any reason to live, you need to think again. It’s that simple.

There are a lot of people who are hoping to live forever. They must have a reason for that. There are a lot of medicines that keep dead people walking and perhaps that is called progress in some countries. It would appear that the many children walking the planet today would appreciate a planet to walk on. Their longevity is dependent on the planet we give them to appreciate.

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19 Sep 2014 · 13:55

Laws – Blog No. 51

Rule-of-Law

There are two schools of thought when it comes to laws. The first – that laws are made to be broken, and the second – that laws were made by man, for man, and as such they must be obeyed. Law-abiding citizens is what the system is after, and it cannot be blamed for that. In a world of seven-odd billion people, what else can hold the masses in check?

Outlaws seem preferable to inlaws in today’s world. Inlaws bring friction, oftentimes, to life. There are too many of them. That is perhaps because marriage has outlived its purpose. This is not bad news. It is good news. It means that there is something valuable in the institution. It has survived itself. Its framework works for many and its infrastructure supports many happy families. This does not mean that marriage is the be-all and end-all, though. It depends on what you believe about unity.

Laws are needed if the world is to make anything worthwhile of its criminals. Everywhere has criminals. This is not out of balance. It gives the laws something to do. The thing about laws, is that the punishments meted out for lawlessness should not only be relevant to the crime committed, they should be serious enough to deter the criminal from ever reoffending. In the first instance, however, lawlessness must be properly defined. It is a broad term. Gayness, for instance, is not lawlessness. Neither is genetic manipulation nor poisoning the environment. It’s a strange world, this.

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15 Sep 2014 · 15:32

Roots – Blog No. 50

roots

Roots are the beginnings from seed, like chickens are the beginnings from eggs. We all begin somewhere. Roots are probably what to ask if you will know the state of the world in which we find ourselves. They know it all. They carry through them the news of what is happening in – and to – our environment. Roots can lead to all sorts of things. Even trees. That is their strength.

When you are rooted, you have central balance. Core stability. There are a number of different ways to root yourself. Like there are a number of ways to earth a charge. When there are droughts, roots dig themselves deeper into the ground. They surge, and at times, they reach the water table. That is to their advantage.

When you consider that rotting bodies gone to ground feed the soil with their truths, you will understand that in actual fact many a person’s essence has at some stage travelled through a plant. Perhaps that is why flowers bloom so beautiful.

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13 Sep 2014 · 11:57

Circles – Blog No. 49

circles

It is said that if you can draw freehand a perfect circle, you are certifiable. I would suggest that if you can draw freehand a perfect anything, you are probably one of a kind. That would be something worth exploiting in this contemporary world of busy businessing, if that is what you are into. Is perfection subjective? I suspect for a lot of people, it is. For the rest, it is simply a necessity. That need means there is no time to debate on the merits of perfection as opposed to its demerits.

The wheel is probably one of the better circles that was ever invented. As was the method in a mandala. If you are not clear on what a mandala is, it would perhaps be a good thing to investigate. Ask the Buddhists about their why. Perhaps the Buddhists also know why pandas have black circles around their eyes. It is worth asking.

Circles are continuity. They are consistent. Circles are not cycles. Cycles are their own entity. They depend on themselves for their shape. A circle is a definite shape. Anything less than perfect for a circle is not good enough. You cannot call a 99.9% round, a circle. A circle is 100% round. 360°, even, if you like.

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01 Sep 2014 · 13:36

Phenomena – Blog No. 48

phenomena

What counts as a phenomenon? Should we count ourselves as phenomena? There is the phenomenal in humankind. It is – like many other things – just a matter of finding it. How hard you look depends on what you wish to find. When seeking phenomena, ask yourself what you are hoping to demonstrate through your discovery. That way – looking at the message you are intending to send – you will be sure to succeed in your search.

Allow phenomenal to happen to you. It is a matter of giving permission. Once granted, that particular permission cannot be revoked. You open a lock, as such, and set yourself upon a path that is guaranteed to bring you out into the sunshine. That is where you want to be, it does not matter when you get there. If you would prefer to find yourself brought out into a blizzard, then that is your indaba.

Think of phenomenal as a methodology. What to aspire to. There is a lot to be said for aspirations. There is a lot to be said for the courage to chase them. A cynic will say there is no point in chasing anything. A coward will say there is no way to chase. A defeatist will say there is no chance of succeeding, no matter what you do.

There is a point. There is a way. There is a chance. Take it.

 

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