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.
16 May 2014 · 09:55

Reason – Blog No. 28

reasonHow are people taught to reason?  Does it come naturally, or is it learned?  Is reason a by-product of philosophy’s tendency to bounce around the word ‘therefore’ when coming to its conclusions?  Reason can complicate matters.  It is an important skill, but employ it wisely.  Do not discount those things you cannot rationally – reasonably – explain.  Not knowing the how or why of something is no reason to disregard it.  In good time everything comes clear – if something does not make sense immediately, trust that it will.  Being capable of understanding is more valuable than being able to reason.  Reason can divert one’s attention from the truth and diverted attention is called not concentrating.  It is vital to concentrate when searching for the truth.

You react because another acts towards you in a certain way.  For instance, the reason a person shoots dead an intruder is because the intruder is trespassing.  That is not reason enough.  The reason a person assassinates another’s character is because they have low self-esteem.  That is not reason enough.  You cannot always excuse an action because there is a reason behind it.  The reason for a genocide is a hatred.  A fear.  Those reasons are never reason enough.

Giving valid reasons for your actions makes sense if you feel the need to explain yourself to other people.  Some people feel that need.  Some people feel the need to make others explain themselves.  Who is anyone to make another person explain themselves?  That need that people have, makes me smile.  Like policemen they stand, demanding disclosure.  You cannot force disclosure if you want the truth.  Ask nicely and you might get an explanation, which is better than being given a reason.  However.  Give reasons if you feel you need to.  Be sure they explain themselves.  It is not to say that the reasons you give will be met with approval, but give them anyway.  They open dialogue.

 

 

 

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13 May 2014 · 14:38

Speechless – Blog No. 27

speechless-------webI watched a video today of a mob of black South Africans killing a young black woman lying in the road, by kicking her in the face and body and men jumping with their full body weight on her head.  Numerous times.  And I did not even watch the clip to conclusion.  I am not even sure what the girl did, but no matter – that kind of savagery against another human being is something very twisted and I think South Africa has a major problem with the mentality of many of its residents.  The cruelty made me shake, I could not actually believe what my eyes and ears were telling me.  Wherever that savagery comes from, whatever its motivator – it has to be stopped.  And I do not use the word ‘savagery’ lightly.

Each day I find myself less and less inclined to concede that this planet deserves the mercy it seems to think it does.  I would not be surprised if this place imploded in the next 50 years.  When you have people that will chop a dog’s feet off for the hell of it and people that will stomp another person to death in the street until they are way beyond dead – I think it is safe to say that it is fair time for despairing.  One has just to glance around and be appalled.  I am left wondering what next?  Stresses are not set to lessen in a world that is going the way this one is.  In fact, the more people that are shunted into the system, the more stressful life will get.  For everyone.  For those that have, remember that those that do not have way out-number you.  Those that do not have do not care that you have worked hard to afford what you have in your life.  They feel entitlement.  They want what you have and in this world of immediate gratification, that means immediately.  It’s a problem.

 

 

 

 

 

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09 May 2014 · 11:20

Heroes – Blog No. 26

heroesHeroes are not heroes for no reason.  They are that kind of person.  They are heroic.  Heroes in stories often die.  Sometimes, they have to.  That is the way of heroism.  Since you, too, have to die at some point in the future, why not a die a hero?  It is an honourable death.  It takes some doing to get your actions registered as heroic.  That means it is not a walk in the park being a hero.  It is a very serious calling and those that decide to become heroes in life – or death – should be acknowledged with our gratitude.  A hero has focus, vision, to see a mission through and deliver reached goals with maximum efficiency.

There are many heroes walking the face of the Earth.  Theirs’ is a legacy that speaks for itself.  When you save something or put your life on the line for a cause in which you believe and you do so with a fierce passion for what you represent, you begin to understand what heroes did historically – what they still do – and why they do it.  A hero is a person who helps others, a person that understands loyalty.  That is why their value.  They are resourceful, enterprising.  They are very good at what they do.  Heroes are still required and it is just as well that they do exist.  This world has not been saved yet.

It is time to stop avenging the deaths of former ‘heroes’.  There are too many men chasing each other around brandishing death because of dead heroes.  What is the point of that?  You do not teach your son that he must kill his neighbour because the boy’s grandfather killed yours.  That is stupid thinking.  The business of vendettas is a big business, understandably, there is a firm principle behind an eye for an eye, but there are ways to do the things you must do to balance the scales of justice without compromising your soul.  It is important to know this.

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06 May 2014 · 11:19

The Animal Kingdom – Blog No. 25

The Animal KingdomThere is a vocation.  A calling.  It is called Investigator of Kingdoms.  It is all-encompassing.  When you are required to make an informed decision you need to gather all the information.  That means checking the ins and outs of every kingdom.  There are a great many, The Animal Kingdom but one.  Ask people who game.  In part they are all investigators of kingdoms, some of them extraordinarily adept at what they do.  Ask people who save animals for a living.  Theirs’ is a kingdom.  Ask people who have crowned money their king.  They belong to a kingdom, too.  There is even a point in asking a murdering savage why he does what he does.  He will say because he wants to.  What can you say to that in a free world?

The Animal Kingdom belongs to Nature.  That is the first – and easiest – thing to understand.  Man, too – belongs to Nature.  Woman, belongs to the Sun.  Notoriously possessive, the Sun is a formidable opponent.  His shield is virtually impossible to penetrate.  The Sun shields the Virgin.  That is the second thing to understand.  If you will reach her sanctity you must brave fire.  In the Animal Kingdom you will find carrion.  What else does the wild feed upon?  The stench of death does not deter them from feasting.  You will find bones, thrown here and there.  Everywhere.  Then you will find hyenas.  They shriek and eat bones.  Vultures abound, too.  They tidy up nicely.

The Animal Kingdom impacts a lot of pain.  Their pain – generated almost entirely by humans – is revisited upon the planet for the humans to experience.  The randomness with which sudden death appears to consume people, for instance, is no different to the randomness with which hunting humans seem to choose their targets.  Right.  You.  Bam.  Most hunting humans do not say sorry when they kill.  Nor do they say thank you.  They should.  It gives them headway when they become the hunted.

 

 

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02 May 2014 · 11:10

The sacrilege – Blog No. 24

sacrilege

 

 

 

 

 

 

… of starving children

… of cruelty

… of abuse

… of inauthenticity

… of denying yourself your truth

… of living a lie

… of entrusting your Fate to one God (never put all your eggs in one basket)

… of forcing a child to peddle religion door to door

… of breeding children into hate, poverty or slavery

… of the corrupt

… of demonising death

… of rape

… of greed

… of letting others label you

… of following authority blindly

… of deceiving your children

… of trashing the Earth

… of thwarting progress

… of only living for now (never put all your eggs in one basket)

… of waste

… of capitalising on another’s Fate

and

… of selling another’s soul for your supper

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28 Apr 2014 · 10:23

The wonder – Blog No. 23

wonder

 

 

 

 

 

 

… of getting the joke and loving the humour

… of feeling the lyric tug at your heart and understanding the reason the song was written

… of considering the workings of your eyes

… of trusting someone or something implicitly

… of knowing you can speak your mind and be heard

… of creating something out of nothing

… of watching a rising full moon dominate an horizon

… of sharing your dreams with those who want to know and choose to believe

… of turning good into better and better into best

… of making your own acquaintance when you least expect it

… of letting yourself succeed at what means most to you

… of giving and seeing why

… of living inside sleep

… of loving to distraction

… of being in a position to help

… of knowing exactly what to do

and

… of learning exactly how to do it.

 

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24 Apr 2014 · 11:13

Understanding – Blog No. 22

understandingIt is an interesting thought.  How do you convey an understanding?  That is some skill, when you can do that effectively.  It is a skill we are all learning, all the time.  It is about being skilled in communication.  However you choose to do that.  Understanding is visceral.  You can feel it.  How do you confer a feeling?  First you must understand the feeling before you can attempt to share it.  When you hear a truth, remember that you do not need to remind yourself to remember it for the future, when you hear a truth it sinks right in.  You have to do nothing more than hear it.  Hearing is not the same as listening.  Also, it is best if you do not start trying to fight the truth with reason – man’s reason ought not be valued as much as it is in this world.  It tries with its noise to out-shout others whose opinions are more valuable.

It is said that love means understanding a person’s position when they wrong you, treat you badly.  Instead of lashing out, you stand back and you consider what pain the person must be in.  Pain governs a great deal of bad behaviour and oftentimes deserves empathy.  This can be challenging.  Of course, should the person treating you badly simply be an arsehole, then take yourself out of their equation.  In life there is really little point in surrounding yourself with arseholes, do not allow yourself to become one, either.  It is a choice.

To share an understanding with another is a beautiful thing indeed.  Your understandings will guide you in life.  They guide very effectively when you have them accessible, your understandings lead you to ever-new perceptions about people, times, places.  Fresh perceptions are necessary in life.  They inspire you.  When you understand something new, or you understand a thing differently to the way you understood it before, you give yourself tools with which to work your life around you.  It is worth taking time to understand a thing, things.  Tools come in a variety of shapes, and sizes.

 

 

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14 Apr 2014 · 08:08

Succeeding – Blog No. 21

jackpotSucceeding is far more satisfying than winning is.  Long term.  Winning is a delight, there can be no doubt about that feeling – to be the best at something is a personal achievement indeed.  Whatever that best, be.  But the joy that winning brings you is short-lived.  You are only ever as good as your latest victory.  If you are in the business of winning then you will know that is the truth.  The thing about winning is that there will always be someone who can beat you.  In the end.  That is the way of Nature.  Challenges are posed, accepted.  Territories are won, lost.  Survival of the fittest is nothing to be sniffed at.

Take pride in your successes.  Do not rub them in other people’s faces.  Be modest, enjoy the freedom that succeeding brings you.  Surround yourself with people who will celebrate your successes with you, people who wish to see you succeed at those things you do that mean something to you.  It is pointless surrounding yourself with people who wish to see you fall, or fail.  That is counter-productive.

Success is empowering.  When you set yourself a goal, or give yourself a deadline, you are posing a challenge.  Throwing down a gauntlet.  When you accept the challenge and then ensure that you do achieve the goal or meet the deadline, you are giving your self esteem a needed boost.  The kind of pleasure success brings you feeds your soul.  There is a reason for having self esteem, you should pay attention to yours.  It is safer to rely on yourself to boost your esteem, when you give another that task you are playing a risky game.  Set yourself goals.  Give yourself deadlines.  Let yourself achieve them.  Feed on your successes.  They buffer you against failure.

 

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07 Apr 2014 · 10:28

Ignorance – Blog No. 20

ignorance-in-business-unethicalIgnorance is a choice.  As is refusing to believe a fact when it is irrefutable.  Fortunately facts abound in our world.  They provide stability, a framework.  Lay-people should not be so afraid of them, they are tried and tested – each one.  Facts can be relied upon.  They are there for you to use, so use them wisely.  It is pointless ignoring them.  That is choosing to be stupid.  No one should choose to be stupid.  Ignorant is not the same as stupid.  There is a marked difference.  Ignorance is curable.  Stupidity is often terminal.

Should you currently find yourself in challenging circumstances do not plead ignorance as to the whys or whens of these tricky situations.  You have brought them to yourself.  They have arrived because you needed to learn something new.  It is simpler to accept lessons when they come, trust that there is a reason.  Lessons occasionally bend you out of shape.  They push your boundaries.  This is not a problem.  Stretching through learning is worth every squeak and groan of the expanding infrastructure in your mind.  When you begin to eradicate your ignorance through deliberate effort you will find that your life opens up immeasurably.  You will find that you start to care more about the world in which you live because you understand it better.

Educate your children.  Then teach them to have patience with ignorance.  There are a lot of ignorant people on this planet and the children are the ones who are going to have to remedy this situation.  It is the next generation that is going to carry that load.  As a people we should think more about what we are consigning to our kids.  The society they are set to inherit is not looking good.  It is going to take a monumental effort on the part of those currently in power to make this different.  One would hope that those currently in power understand their responsibility.

 

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04 Apr 2014 · 11:58

Accountability – Blog No. 19

accountHow is it possible in 2014 that the ANC can be in such a mess?  How can they be sitting with a leader who has evaded the law on charges of corruption, of rape, and now – of theft?  You cannot have a president as a role model who refuses to take accountability.  For himself, for anything.  Jacob Zuma authorised the spending of a quarter of a billion rand on his private residence.  The fact that it is a quarter of a billion rand is problem enough, nevermind the other fact that a great many of Jacob Zuma’s ‘people’ are living in tin shacks whilst he prances around in a palace.  I think he thought no one was watching what business he gets up to, what plans he makes.  Everyone is watching.  He is in the spotlight, under scrutiny, and he cannot run and hide.  He needs to learn that taking accountability for yourself is the first of many steps that a man must make if he is going to be respected, and remembered.  I am sure Jacob Zuma is a man who wants to be remembered.  He must be sure he is remembered for the right things.

It is not a teacher’s job to teach a child accountability.  It is a parent’s job.  A teacher’s job is to reinforce what the parents teach their child, a teacher works from the base foundations laid by the parents.  Do not expect teachers to bring up your children when you cannot be bothered.  A child must understand accountability the same way it must understand consequence.  If you make a decision and you act on that decision, you are accountable for what you bring into your days.  You must take accountability for your thoughts, too, I have said this before.  Your thoughts are energy, they are not just there for your entertainment.

Taking accountability is standing for yourself.  If you are not inclined to do this you must accept that you are letting an empowerment opportunity pass you by.  If you will not even stand for your own ideas who do you think will listen to them?  No one can stand for you better than you can stand for yourself – in the face of anything at all.  But first, you must learn yourself well.  You cannot stand for something you do not know.  If you are afraid to take accountability for a mistake you have made then how can you learn from it?  Do you just carry on as usual, pretending there was no mistake, and hope the problem goes away by itself?  I think that is what Jacob Zuma thinks.

 

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