Woke up last Thursday to be told flight to Birmingham was cancelled. Because of a strike, I assumed. No, volcanic ash. Erhm, we've had April's Fool already.... Nope. It was no joke.

It's exhausting to think of all the natural occurrences of recent months. Blizzards and snowdrifts beyond living memory, earthquakes on three continents, now volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Seems relentless. Yet each time, we find ways to cope. The fighting human spirit, the dogged determination to get through, to get by, to get up and out.

Oh the effort of it! And for what. Make way for the next natural disaster.

But what if we bring all that good training, that instinct for survival, to bear on the un-natural economic 'crunch'. I suspect the seismic debt could succumb under sheer human will.

It seems to easy a 'way'.

Rights and Reasons

Seems such a simple thing to do -- believe that human rights or a human rights-based approach is the core value to live by. So why is it so hard? And why do groups, organisations or institutions find it so hard to uphold such a fundamental principle?

When my thoughts filter down to "It's the human condition", I can just hear scientists pooh-poohing my 'evidence base'. It has become crucial in 21st century World to have verifiable answers to everything, but the necessity of burden of proof means we can still fall foul of self-made rules when we conjure them into boxes whether they fit or not.

I guess the tension between my rights and your rights will always be the sticking point. Can there ever be such as thing as (unqualified) freedom? What happens when mine meets yours head on? It's the sort of encounter that brings on and perpetuates The Other as the undesirable, the problem.

So.

How do we as a civil society get to the point of truly valuing each individual for exactly what she or he is?

I think it is a tricky question. But one that has a first solution in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Surely.

Tunisia September 29 - October 4 2009

What still stays with me, even though it's nearly two weeks since we've been back, is an amazing connection I have made with a bunch of inspiring, concerned individuals of varying ages from Tunisia.

Never thought I'd have the opportunity but the British Council made it possible for me to visit this North African country with four others from Scotland. Over five days of 'Interaction', a leadership exchange programme, a dialogue has started that must not be allowed to fade.

So much energy. Passion. Shared beliefs. So many ideas for making a difference.

Watch this space as developments happen.

Where has time gone?

I really don't use this site enough. Guess I'll catch up eventually.

Big Brother Society

Can't believe how time flies! And it's not just about getting older.

Since March, the world has changed irrevocably. Almost as if civilised society is collapsing inwards. The fallout from the Westminster debacle about MPs expenses has not run its course but the media have been diverted to the Iranian streets. Some individuals somewhere must be daring to breathe easier.

There's an aura of 'big brother watching' about this life as it's happening around us; a sort of cross between reality TV and Orwellian socio-pathology. I have such a strong sense of inevitability about the next feeding frenzy -- as the economic downturn bites in, let's watch the national health service jump!

Graciousness

Two weeks in Thailand is not a long time but just enough to reconnect with friends, as well as a nation long admired for its non-colonised history, superb cuisine and genuinely gracious people. While the bonds have been decisively reaffirmed, I couldn't help noticing there is something about this 21st century Thailand that's different from the one I knew in the 1980's, from that of even 18 months ago. And it's not just that places aren't as they were before.

Certainly, Koh Samui has paid the price since the development of its airport in 1986-7. Today's departure facility is tropical luxury, laidback and chilled if reminiscent of an upmarket outdoor mall. In sharp contrast to the almost endless configurations of 24-hour tailors, massage shops, pizza eateries and bars, tightly packed along the exotic lanes we used to call "The Strip" all those years ago. Except Samui's Strip is today the length of Chaweng Beach, the 5Kms of fine, white sand that squeeked under your footsteps. At least in my memory.

With not a glimpse of Gulf of Thailand turquoise peeking out between end-to-end developments, it was the proverbial needle in a haystack finding an escape Soi (lane) through to the beach to recapture paradise lost. Nearby Lamai Beach had already disappointed. Oh the changes that have been made!

Not so, along the island's western shoreline. Still very local, undeveloped, intrinsically Thai. What a joy! Then there's the breathtaking view out to Phang Nga, Ang Thong and Koh Tao from the top of the Four Seasons arrival sala. Food for the soul!

And it's that turquoise-peacock green... how it touches that deep place in me.

Love Life Death The whole Damn thing

Love Life Death Fear Courage Integrity Choices The whole damn thing.

It's such a simple story but it says so much. Dancer in the Dark. Bjork. How could I have missed it before? Cannes Palme d'Or prize. Best Actress Award. 2000. But who cares. I shouldn't be surprised that I was so totally blown away by it. After all the simplest of stories are the most powerful. 

There is so much we have lost in the process of evolving this far. Fundamental values of friendship, loyalty, truth, keeping one's word, even just having values. Principles, standards, boundaries. Knowing when to cross the line. But knowing to accept the consequences of one's choices. Being human. Able to reach out to other humans. Giving, and not expecting in return. 

It might seem anachronistic to some viewers. Or perhaps otherworldly, fairytale unreality. 

I just find its layers of meaning so profound. If you let it touch you, if we let it reach our deepest places, the message might serve to bring us to a different level of existence.