Another step - Day 18

Day 18 (Monday 18th December 2017)

18% of British Police officers are expected to work on Christmas Day.

In other parts of the world there is a mixed response to police involvement

in the community. There is tension in Catalonia, ever since eleven days prior 
to the 1st October referendum, when the Civil Guard mounted Operation Anubis 
to raid the offices of government ministries and detain officials involved in the referendum, 
which resulted in large protests by independence supporters. The Civil Guard (the Spanish 
non-urban police) positioned 5,000 officers in a large ferry boat decorated with Looney Tunes' 
characters Sylvester , Wile E. Coyote and Tweety Pie. In Catalonia it has been a tradition since the late 
17th century for the nativity scene to include a "Caganer": a small model of a defecating figure 

(originally a peasant wearing the distinctive local hat and rustic clothing). Since the 1940s the model has

increasingly become a caricature of someone famous or a political figure. This year the most

popular figure is proving to be a defecating Tweety Pie, symbolising the Civil Guard/The Police.

For those who celebrate Christmas, you, like me, must feel that you are about to enter the home straight... although I must confess that I am far from prepared, I haven't even got enough wrapping paper.

Today's piece is written by Trevor Black. I had the pleasure of working with Trevor a few years ago - he is very bright and an inspiring and capable colleague. Mind you, he is inspiring and capable regardless of whether he is a colleague or not - gifted academically, with artistic flair and a constantly curious mindset. For two and a half years he stepped off the corporate career ladder (despite having excellent prospects), to spend time reading, engaging, thinking, learning and writing. He wrote a daily blog about his thoughts and experiences on his long-standing site, swartdonkey, (he still blogs now) and deliberately went out of his way to try new things and test his concepts. He remains interested in investment and concerned about the tensions between global and local, the issues of migration and land ownership/exploitation, Universal Basic Income (where he is at the bleeding edge of thinking and application) and community and empowerment. He has recently resumed investing to support his other ventures - some of which are linked to South Africa, where he was born and raised (he is back in South Africa at the moment visiting family and friends). You can find him on Twitter - @trevorblack or, if you are lucky, you might bump into him in the beautiful town of Burford in the Cotswolds, in the UK, where he lives. 

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Detachment isn't the same as not caring. It is the practice of separating who we are from what we are experiencing, but also recognising the part everything plays. Just a little distance. 

Darkness and dawn are not separate. 

Their contrast allows us to think and feel. We know things through their opposites. 

We exist in our opposites. 

Recognising and being aware that I am struggling isn't the same thing as being a weak person. 

Weakness and strength are not separate. They are both part of the same powerful force that pushes us on. That pushes us back. 

That is. 

We pulse with the stuff of life. 

Detachment is the awareness that dawn follows darkness, which follows dawn, which follows darkness. 

We can't be something temporary. We can't be the darkness. We can't be the dawn. 

That little twist to the story allows us to enjoy both. 

With a wry smile. 

With a pervading calm. 

With another step.

Heights, Hearts and Hollows

Day 41 (Tuesday 10th January 2017)



41% spike in hate crimes motivated by race or religion, occurred in the UK
following the EU referendum. Home Office dat shows a marked increase of more
than 2/5ths in July 2016 compared to July 2015. This appears to be linked to a
rise in anti-immigration sentiment, although it is also possible that the increase is
due in part to victims being more inclined to contact the police to report
crimes than perhaps they would have in 2015.

On this day in 1920 the League of Nations was founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended World War One. In many ways, this seems apt given that today's writer is, in my and many people's minds, a true global citizen who wants a better world for all. Trevor Black, the author of today's post, is an inspirational man. He is academically gifted, having qualified as an actuary before becoming valued as a talented portfolio manager and financial analyst, working both in South Africa and Europe. He then made a conscious decision to leave the financially rewarding environment of corporate life to pursue his passions. He is artistic and creative - I have enjoyed attending art exhibitions and admiring his highly textured oils; his writing speaks for itself. Trevor writes a daily blog on happiness and learning Swartdonkey which has occasional guest posts. He is gathering stories from people he knows and meets about how to overcome obstacles to creativity and composing his own.

Trevor was born and raised in South Africa, but now he lives in the beautiful Cotswolds in the UK. As well as being active and mindful (diet, yoga, and attitude are important to him), he is curious and a thinker. The main themes he is interested in and writes about are: 

• Universal Basic Income
• Global Citizen
• Guest Posts
• Exercise
• Diet
• Breathing
• Relaxation
• Positive Thinking
• Flow
• Relationships

You can follow him on Twitter (his handle is @trevorblack) 

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“Heights, Hearts and Hollows”

We are forgetful. I often need, and find, reminding just how fragile life is. Reminding how much care we need to put into the things that matter to us. Being forgetful helps focus our attention. We can’t worry about everything, and still do anything worthwhile. Understanding how we function can give the perspective needed to make sure we don’t wander off, and forget the things that matter. Daniel Kahneman talks about our Experiencing and Remembering selves. We experience each moment, if we are paying attention, but we tend to remember according to the Peak-End rule. The heights the experience reached and the way it concluded. We don’t add, or average, each and every moment. The story we live, and the story we lived hold each other with a light touch.

Like a delicate path of breadcrumbs as we wander into the unknown, our hearts provide the connections back to what matters. 

Edward Colarik Hearts Sculpture Blue

We remember things that have meaning to us. We create that meaning by caring. We are trigger happy. If we have an emotional response to something – anger, humour, disgust, and love – it forges a link to other memories. 

The more connections of the heart we make, the less likely we are to get lost as strange beasts of the night nibble away at the tasty morsels we have left behind.

The real flavour of life can lie in the hollows. Hidden from the easy path. The cavities, craters, caves and crannies caused by the drama and pain we encounter. If we share our struggles with others, they add depth to those connections.  Then each struggle adds a layer of strength that increases our capacity to engage the unknown. Each struggle overcome builds our confidence.

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt, 'Sisyphus', Tate

Our Experiencing and Remembering selves weave through the heights, hearts and hollows of our story. The more that story is shared, the more flavour lingers on the air connecting each bite we take.

Hand loomed, Persian Tree of Life tapestry

Comet Tails and Coal Dust

Day 22 (Tuesday 22nd December 2015)

22 is referred to as "two little ducks" in Bingo. Bingo's roots can be traced back to Lo Giuoco del Lotto d'Italia - the lottery established in 1530 in Florence after the long Siege,
as a means of raising funds for the state. The game spread across Europe. It was called Le Lotto in France and consisted of a square of card marked out in 3 rows and 9 columns with
numbers from 1-90 arranged at random in the boxes. A caller announced numbers as they were drawn.
The game travelled to North America in the 1920's and was called Beano (due to dried beans being used
to cover numbers once called and also being shouted when the first horizontal row was filled).
Legend has it that the name Bingo came about through an over-excited mispronunciation of Beano.
100 million people play bingo today.

Today's blog has been written by Trevor Black. Trevor was born and raised in South Africa, but now he lives in the UK. His parents had a passion for learning and creativity (both traits Trevor has inherited). Being academically accomplished and highly intelligent, Trevor commenced his career by qualifying as an actuary and working within Investment Management. He is rare in that he is both highly analytical but also is charismatic and curious - Trevor enjoys stimulating conversation and challenge, so it is no surprise that he subsequently transferred into a direct client-facing role. In autumn 2014 Trevor decided to go it alone and pursue his own passions - he blogs daily, you can read him on http://www.swartdonkey.blogspot.co.uk/, is always up for a challenge, is a talented artist and entertaining and thought-provoking companion. You can follow him on Twitter (his handle is @trevorblack) 

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When you look at the Pale Blue Dot picture of earth, we are less than a pixel. We are all the same pixel. It is difficult not to feel insignificant when the comet passing the earth, and the ‘large’ rock we call home melt into one, from far enough away. And yet, as that comet passes by and it continues on its journey, it is the only thing that matters. Each time we do something, it is the only thing that matters. Each time we think something, it is the only thought we have. Each time we look at someone, they are the only person in that moment with us.

Pale Blue Dot

Our lives are composed of stories and patterns. We connect things. Nothing exists in isolation and so we constantly look for reasons why they do. 

To help us predict what will happen next. To give us a sense of control. But hidden in the tails can be events that define everything. That change everything. The thought that we had put such importance on previous specific choices brings a wry smile. Each thing we do doesn’t matter in the broader context of everything that matters to us. And yet each thing we do is the only thing that matters.

The patterns that define our lives may turn out to be noise. They may turn out to have contained grand directional meaning that withers into nothing. The thing that cannot ever wither into nothing is the AND. The individual connections between things are eternal in time and space. 

Life may not have meaning. Life is given meaning. The meaning is what a thing is connected to. Parent AND child. Mentor AND mentee. The relationship between two things is far more important than the direction. Moment AND meaning.

From those connections, we can find the energy to drive us toward the things that matter. The warmth of a glowing coal, whose energy is released. Whose energy is transformed. 

Those connections are the coals. They are the glow. Even as they may pass, or break, they lead onto something else. We are only partially in control of the pattern of life. What we are control of is how we respond. What we are in control of is the current moment. Even if real control is just the ability to focus. To savour the moments and connections with which we are presented.

So that when those moments become dust, and they will, they will have been worth it. When those moments become dust, we will not have been so obsessed with them that we didn’t have perspective. Yet their dust will be part of the fabric that makes us up. We will have been half-hearted fanatics. Saving energy. Keeping our fire burning. Looking after ourselves. Looking after those we love. Looking at the stars. Creating and appreciating a world and a universe to which we are deeply, and intimately connected.

Trying to UnSquiggle - Day 7

Day 7

7 - Poster art for the film "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) (a film about 7 gunmen 
hired to protect a Mexican village from bandits - it is based on 1954 film The Seven Samurai)
Many things come in 7s - Seven Wonders of the World; Seven Ages of Man;
Seven Sisters; Seven Levels of Hell; Seven Days of the Week; and Seven Dwarves. 

I have had the pleasure of working with Trevor as a colleague (of his own choice he left my current employer in August this year) and also I am proud to call him a friend. Trevor is complex, a true Polymath - an accomplished artist; financial markets expert; story teller; visionary; qualified actuary; yoga bunny; blogger; connector; continually curious and a thinker. He is always a pleasure to spend time with. Trevor is currently, deliberately, taking time out to pursue his passions and we can all learn from his experiments and journey. Follow him on Twitter @trevorblack or read his blog to learn more about his exciting adventures http://www.swartdonkey.blogspot.co.uk

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Once you know that the squiggles on a page are not squiggles but words, you cannot unsee them. It is impossible to ignore their meaning. Sticking to a well-known, well-loved path can be comfortable. Most of what we believe is based on stories constructed to help us make sense of what is going on in the world. All stories require a suspension of disbelief to enjoy. They require leeway to weave their magic. I love stories and have, since I was very young, really wanted to believe in the stories. I had a habit of seeing squiggles with meaning that I didn’t want to see. I had a habit of finding and diving into inconsistencies, trying to reconstruct a story that I could really believe in. A habit of walking off track.

Trevor in his studio

Some squiggles become words. Some are just meant to be felt.

The stories we tell ourselves are path-dependent. The plot depends on where we are born, our level of wealth, the story of our family so far, and the people and experiences we stumble across. One of the challenges we face in the world is that we forget how we learnt what we have learnt along the way, and we are more comfortable speaking to people who have had similar experiences. We are so convinced of the soundness of our logic that we struggle to understand how good people could possibly disagree with us on the really important stuff.

Advent is a story of waiting and preparation for a celebration. I am an optimist. I believe the world has made tremendous progress in conquering some of the bigger challenges we face. We are chipping away at ignorance. We are learning to listen to other people’s stories while suspending our own disbelief. We are starting to hear the music behind the tales of others. Each chip made, story heard, and song felt is a step closer to celebration. We don’t need to break down other people’s stories if they aren’t hurting others. We do need to break down stories if they are. The bigger story is one of multiple interlocking paths.

Relativity, M.C. Escher, Lithograph, 1953
(c) The M.C Escher Company - the Netherlands. All rights reserved
Used by permission. http://www.mcescher.com

Jonathan Haidt’s book ‘The Righteous Mind’ on why good people are divided by Politics and Religion really got me interested in the path of becoming a better story teller. To become a better story teller we need to get better at really listening to others' stories. This is not just about listening to their logic before pointing out the holes, it is about making a real effort to un-see the writing you have learnt to view in the squiggles. It is about letting go of your context, to see the music, art, dance, drama and poetry behind why people believe what they do. We all need to do this. Then when it is your chance to tell your story, others will understand.

Exciting times.