It is somewhat ironic that having been in the USA at the time of the EU referendum and, therefore, fielding questions from many Americans about “why” the vote went the way it did I should this morning wake to the news that they now have their very own version of the same type of result. The similarities between the build ups to the two elections and the way in which it eventually played out are eerily similar – albeit driven by two completely different agendas.
Systems Thinking
A Bit Of Speculation
My eye was caught by an article on the BBC website – as much as by the fact that it seemed to be reporting “old news” as by the headline itself. However, having navigated to the page I discovered that it was, indeed, a good piece – if slightly spoiled by being rather one-sided.
Seveneves
I was a bit surprised to find that it is three years since I last read anything by Neal Stephenson. So far this is living up to expectations.
What Do We Leave Behind?
None of us is immortal – as someone (probably lots of people) once said “everybody dies” – although few know beforehand exactly when that is going to happen. A seemingly growing trend is to generate a “bucket list” – things to do before I die – always assuming I get round to them in time that is…. The longer the list, the less chance that you will actually complete it!
I’m NOT Going Back
Previous writings for this blog have addressed the issue of “regret” in terms of changing our past behaviours and decisions whether that be considering the different outcomes – if only – or looking at what would not have happened if we hadn’t done what we did – only if. This post returns to that but focusses on a new aspect.
Drama With A Hefty Dose of Reality
Whenever something dramatic happens there is a (very natural) tendency to treat it as “all bad” or “all good” – a mistake surely as it is extremely rare that any event hits either of those extremes, even more so when the event is far reaching either by dint of the number of people affected or due to the length of time involved. Rather there will be a mixture of good consequences and bad ones – all of which need to be taken account of to determine whether the event was beneficial or detrimental in the long term to the wider community.
Entanglement
This blog is predicated on the foundation that I don’t know everything. That – I am sure everyone who knows me will agree – is a not unreasonable starting point. 😉 Sometimes it surprises me just how much is included in the not known bucket – then I think – what about all the rest that I haven’t yet realised I don’t know – and that makes me slightly more comfortable with having such a big list of things I don’t know – it is dwarved by the (likely) list of things I don’t know that I don’t know!!!
We Are What We Are
I received an email the other day that widened my thinking on the subject of “we are what we are”. Previous blog entries have already delved a bit into my thoughts about there being no room for any consideration of going back and “changing history” by making different decisions the second time around. This email added a new “dimension” to this issue.
A Different Sort Of Madeleine
This is not the first attempt to put this into words. Usually, my blog posts are triggered by a thought that develops easily into a stream of ideas that are (hopefully) connected and lucid and coherent. Most times the writing is easy – perhaps too easy – as that doesn’t always lend itself to reviewing to ensure that it is expressed in the correct way. This one is a bit different….
Time To Talk
Today is “Time to Talk” Day (as well as World Cancer Day) and I think that writing something on the topic is near to essential for me. It is shocking to think that the figures show that 1 in 4 people will be afflicted with Mental Health issues in their lifetime. Once upon a time that sort of thing was taboo to talk about – not now, when it seems to affect everyone – one way or another.