C.J. Birch

I understand Ubuntu to mean:  I am; because we are.  In other words, we are – each one of us – a whole human being because each one of us is a part of the community, the collective.  There is another African saying I like:  ‘It takes an entire village to raise a child’.  Indeed it does.  That is why those children kept secluded or cossetted from life in general grow up to be emotionally retarded.  Emotional retardation in an otherwise ‘fully-functioning’ human is not only a sad state of affairs, it is dangerous.  Neither empathy, nor compassion – or tolerance – are fostered where emotions are either repressed or lacking.  That is a simple fact.  You cannot in this day and age hope to encompass the entire spectrum of human experience and make it palatable to your children unless you expose first yourself to its depredations and then introduce your progeny gently to its complexities and pitfalls.  You cannot hope to bridge the gaps built into the futures of the next generation.  Evolution does not work like that.  Each successive generation IS more intelligent than those that have come before, but whether or not they are fully capable of accessing that intelligence invested in their actuality is foremost in my mind.  Like my frontal lobe is.

Tedium is almost as boring as boredom.  If I had to write a thesis it would be called ‘How To Terminate Boredom with Tedium’ but that in itself would bore me to death so I will not be writing a thesis or dying in the foreseeable future.  If that does not fit with your agenda – or the state of my longevity pisses you off – then I apologise.  And I say sorry for you.

Togetherness is to me synonymous with sharing.  You should choose to be with people you are comfortable sharing with otherwise keep yourself to you.  You will know who you are comfortable with and you will feel those who make you uncomfortable.  In that distinction – that discernment – is your destiny.  Life always was – and always will be – like that.

27.11.15

There are times when there is no time to worry about counting the hours.  The hours are not the problem.  It’s the minutes that matter.  Kind of like quality, not quantity.  When those times come it makes sense to work out the difference between wants and needs.  Wanting something enough – like wishing with a pure heart – can sometimes bring to you what you desire, but there is no guarantee.  Wants are considered greedy, by some, it would seem.  They needn’t be seen that way.  Like wanting world peace – that is a worthy want, as is wanting food in your stomach every day.  Needs are considered more urgent than wants, usually, but this is not necessarily the every case.  I’d prefer to want world peace now than to be in a position where we NEED world peace now.  There is a distinct difference.

It is important to establish need priorities.  Remember, there are fundamental priorities that you perhaps neglect – like finding a place every single day where you can simply sit for a bit and feel safe.  Or perhaps giving yourself plenty of space to maintain your dream(s), to see another side to your life and build with it.  Those are basic needs and should be first on your priority list.  Once you have tended to your necessities you are in a better position to tend to the rest of everything that needs tending these days.

There are too many people on this planet whose needs are not being met.  What do they say?  When you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of your customers.  I think that should be the basic mission statement of every single company on this planet that considers itself to be a part of the ‘service industry’.  If you cannot provide the service for which you are charging people your business should be shut down and you should be blacklisted – end of story.  People have become too accepting of a lethargy in the marketplace, in life.  Like nothing or no one is worth any effort – that life is a chore.  That is not a good mindset – so make it change.

If you cannot be bothered to do whatever it is that you do to the best of your ability, then do not do it at all.

24.11.15

Punctuate that.  See what every variation means to you.  Then describe how each meaning feels in your context.  Like you find the same 4 chords in most of the songs you can bring to mind.  And because some things do not run according to ABCDE, it does not mean they are chaotic.  Shuffle the letters around now and again and you get an interesting new perspective which teaches you to question.  In order to question, you first need to think – not to open your mouth the minute a thought pops into your head.  Manage your thinking, choose your thoughts.  If you know the answer, don’t ask stupid questions.  If you don’t – or are confused – then ask for sure.  Like asking whether you may or may not gives you at least a 50% chance of getting a yes.  If you don’t ask, then it is 100% no.  Those are good odds when you have both nothing – and everything – to lose.

Whether you are or are not is not a matter of public opinion, neither is it relative.  You are when you decide to be.  You do not require the approval of any family that lives vicariously through you, for instance.  You do not need anyone’s permission to be true to yourself.  Ever.  That is your gift to yourself, your authenticity.  Those who will inhibit your personal growth are neither authentic friends nor are they remotely trustworthy.  Their agendas are their own and can therefore be dispensed with.  Any hindrance to self-actualisation along the path you forge for your own feet must be viewed with suspicion.  And those that will heap the shame of ages upon the new generations need a fat slap.  Inexplicable shame is painful on every level, and it is confusing.  It stunts growth and it damages the innocence of children.  No child needs to carry for life lies that are not theirs’ to process.

A work ethic is an important aspect of yourself to foster, and nurture, whether or not you get paid or abused for what you do.  It speaks of your self-respect.  It speaks of your understanding that nothing in this life comes for nothing.  Karma sees to it that what you give of your capacity – however you define your capacity – you get.  If you are an advocate of Giveology, you will be a recipient of Getology.  Like chickens lay eggs, eggs do not lay chickens.  Developing a work ethic is a fairly personal process, but it is important to know that we are initially guided by the work ethic of those close to us, those that raise us.  The way you work should reflect your ambition, your competitive edge (without one you go nowhere) and your desire to build the kind of life you know you will be most inspired by.  Inspiration makes the impossible, possible.  It feeds the soul.  It allows you to persevere no matter your circumstance.  Stimulating your self is vital if you wish to get where you know you must go.  And if you do not know where you must go you need to find out what stimulates you.

I saw this today, written on a photo of Mystique from the X-Men.  It made me think and I think it should make us all think.  What – exactly – is in a name?  And what of every slave of old who was forced to carry his ‘owners’ surname as his own?  The families of those slaves still carry those names and I would imagine that they’d appreciate knowing their true heritage and the actual heritage of the name they hold.  I am not sure whether any of those slaves’ families ever considered themselves to be anything other than what they were to begin with but with the advent of labels many things on this planet changed.  Another thing that concerns me, how many of those slaves remembered to tell their grandchildren their real names?  Sadly, I am sure that many didn’t.  That is why DNA is so important – it can find us all our roots.  It cannot perhaps give original ‘names’ back to lost families, but it can make amends to their hearts.

Children need to understand where they came from.  And why.  If grandparents had to flee their homes and settled elsewhere for reasons of safety, then the family must remember that.  Therein lies great trauma that was probably never addressed.  That is what concerns me now about the Syrian refugee crisis.  That same basic terror is being perpetuated.  Myriad children are learning that the world which ‘houses’ them is not a safe place to be, nor is it filled with much humankindness.  That – for any child – is absolutely terrifying.  Children need three basic things – something to eat, a safe home in which to live, and to know that they are loved.  If as a parent you can provide for your children even one of those gifts, it is a good start.  When you can offer your children none of those – why have children?  And saying ‘I love you’ to a child – or anyone in fact – without any real sentiment carrying the words does not convey to them anything other than a lie.  If you will lie to your child – why have one?

It is important to know that a lot of people that live in sunny countries have a vitamin D deficiency.  This is because they wear too much sunscreen.  Go into the sun in safe hours and supplement your system with nature, just don’t sit in the sun at noon without expecting some serious sunburn.  A vitamin D deficiency is not healthy.  Neither is a vitamin B deficiency.  And did you know?  A flame does not have a shadow.  Unless you shine a torch on it.  Then, it might.