dont hate the player. hate the game.

via Zoe Scaman

I don't really believe in choosing hate. Its such a strong word. Nevertheless there are situations that can really trigger the anger within a person.

Have you ever felt that feeling of intense, frustrating anger at someone or something because, for example:

a.) You're not getting your own way, or

b.) Someone is saying all the right things to push your buttons so you're impermanent personality is being severely offended, or

c.) I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT I HATE THE WORLD RIGHT NOOOOW!!!

Hate tickles all the wrong places and often by all the wrong people. The people you want to love sometimes, behaving like naughty children, like little angels equipped with heartbreak bows and arrows nakedly and innocently stabbing you in all the painful spots while fluttering along unawares. Naughty angels they are and that lovely English idiom "Don't shoot the messenger" really sings true sometimes.

Life does not come with a remote. It cannot always be controlled. Our reactions however can be as can who we choose to engage with.

When hate comes knocking at the door, I've tried taking a big step back from the situation. I might slip in to my wee anarchistic-revolutionary-onesy and realise that rubbish behaviour is rather consequential to a crazily out of balance world, bad upbringing or unconsciousness. This world that has taught us to think in foolish ways. To compare. To be greedy. To want more. To compete. Sure sometimes its important to say "dude, that's not cool, turn round 3 times and take what you said back" while also knowing when to walk away compassionately because someone who's on Team Hate must be really suffering. And hate sometimes arises because it's showing you a side to yourself that is truly vulnerable. That needs working on. That is less emotionally developed.

“That I feed the hungry, forgive an insult, and love my enemy…. these are great virtues. But what if I should discover that the poorest of the beggars and the most impudent of offenders are all within me, and that I stand in need of the alms of my own kindness; that I myself am the enemy who must be loved? What then?” ~Carl Jung

I think there's power in doing something about the madness in this world we live in and channeling those annoyed feelings about it towards that. We are co-creators. We all have to accept responsibility for what society has created and can at least try, a little, to do something to change it in my opinion as much as we can to self-improve and take responsibility for our life and our darker emotions.

tender radicalism, dolphins in japan

Watch The Cove in Activism & Non-Profit  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Recently I was given a book to read "Rules for Radicals" by Saul D. Alinsky (free pdf) and a documentary I have been wanting to watch for a long time, The Cove. I laughed to myself about the book... an insightful read nevertheless.

I suppose it appeals to the little activist in me who feels a bit heart broken every time she sees the ignorant destruction we're causing to ourselves and the planet.  I guess one of the side-affects of travel is the opportunity to witness the scale of mankind's ignorance and stupidity. This really is the 'Age of Stupid' on so many levels, but thankfully, there are people out there that through their awareness, passion and creativity provoke us to realise it and perhaps even, change our ways and perspectives a little.

One quote I loved from this movie is "Society doesn't change through Government, it changes through the passions of individuals". 

I was also brought up on Flipper and wanted to swim with dolphins. Its still a dream of mine. However, realising how wonderfully conscious, beautiful, empathetic and intelligent these creatures are, I'd rather learn from them than support a cruel industry of Seaworlds and mass aquatic murders.

When I was in Japan at the tsunami volunteers camp the camp was donated tinned whale meat from the local fisheries. The fisheries close enough to the two nuclear power-plants which were damaged from the tsunami (the second very much kept under wraps by media).

Its saddening to think that the gorgeous volunteers who dedicate their life to rebuilding a place destroyed, practically left to die by the government, are eating toxic meat unbeknown to them. I understand the notion of 'cultural pursuits' but there's got to be a line drawn somewhere between mass destruction, pollution of the oceans and maintaining tradition. Not to mention the nuclear stuff which I'll hold my tongue on.

This documentary is a wonderful demonstration of how a person's passion can create change and, in all honesty, makes me want to be a mermaid, go to Japan and save the dolphins. Sadly I can't do that right now - so I'm sharing this documentary instead. 

who will occupy wall street?

With over 700 arrested over the weekend and hardly a peep from the nations mainstream media, the US Occupy Wall Street protest against the nations state of economic affairs and policy has been an interesting one to witness from the other side of the globe.

And of course, without being there how do you know what to believe? How can you make a fair assessment when your perception might be at the mercy of the voice of those who may not have your best interests at heart? Perhaps that's when the power of social media really does come in to play, because these people don't profit by sharing their story, they're giving you insight in to their world in order to empower and protect their community without the bias or perversion of a middle-body's agenda.

A perfect, somewhat disturbing, example of this can be seen below where the New York Times changed the first line of a story about the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. The change subtly shifted the blame for the mass arrest on the Brooklyn Bridge from the police to the protesters. In the first version of the story, police allowed them onto the bridge and then “cut off and arrested” them. In the second, there was a “showdown” in which demonstrators “marched onto the bridge.” Adding interest, the author of the piece was changed from “Colin Moynihan” to “Al Baker and Colin Moynihan.” Who is Al Baker? He is the guy in charge of the police bureau at the Times.

via Society Page

So once again the internet has been a key enabler for organising the masses and while news portals such as CNN have kept shtum about the reality of what’s going on, people have taken the lead in becoming content producers, citizen journalists, the voices from the ground sharing livestreams, twitter updates, videos and blogs to let the rest of the country and the world know what is really going on and continue to organise further protests (there are over 60 locations around the country right now).

Some of the most upsetting footage has uploaded on to YouTube (for example, this one showing innocent female demonstrators being maced in the face by a police officer).

But there are suspicions that even the diplomacy of Twitter has been compromised (with over 1 billion tweets, how was #occupywallstreet not a trending topic?) and knowing governments are getting in to bed with social networks and mobile phone providers, one might question what side of the fence these conversation platforms are on... But people continue to be the propagators of a message they feel needs to be heard nevertheless and that message is platform agnostic so long as there's the infrastructure in place and people willing and able to listen to it.

via Laurel Papworth

And what are these people so upset about? Is there any wonder? Was it only a matter of time?

More charts on Mother Jones

A huge share of the nation's economic growth over the past 30 years has gone to the top one-hundredth of one percent, who now make an average of $27 million per household. The average income for the bottom 90 percent of the US? $31,244. The economic downturn shook the many and yet benefited significantly the few.

And what will happen? In a representational democracy the government must respond to the wishes of its people. Otherwise it becomes a dictatorship. And that doesn’t sound like the ‘land of the free’ to me.