One Geek

Sitting here at Sydney Airport my flight is going to board now so I should go.  Good bye everyone. 

A minutes all I need
To say these things to you
I’m here and then I disappear from view
It’s true

Don’t forget me when I’m gone
Don’t you let me be gone too long?
Don’t forget me when I’m gone
Don’t you let me be gone too long

A minutes all I need
Michael Franti

I managed to do over 60 social events in 23 days. I think that’s pretty damn impressive. That’s an average of over 2.6 events a day. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. I love ya all!

Here today, gone tomorrow
Crack the bone, get to the marrow
To be a bee and the flower
Before the sweetness turns to sour

What we have we’re gonna keep, always
What we’ve lost we don’t need, always
What is it that won’t let you sleep, always

Be the arrow and the target
Put your head over the parapet
Be uncool, yes be awkward
Don’t look in the obvious place
The soul needs beauty for a soulmate

Get down off your holy cloud, always
God will not deal with the proud, always
Well if you dream then dream out loud, always
Eternally yours, always

I want you
I want you
I want you
Touch me now inside
I wanted to be a man
I wanted to call

You say you come to know yourself, always
Don’t find yourself in someone else, always
And always wear a safety belt, always
Wait for me I’m running late, always
This is the moment that we share for always
Turn each song into a prayer, always
Now and forever
For always

U2

“Men of Gondor and Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails… when we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship… but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when all hope comes crashing down, but it is NOT this day! This day, we fight! For all that you hold dear, stand, Men of the West! “;

- Aragorn, at the Black Gate

Until I go back to India…hmmm.

In an age of globalism,
my heros are not global,
they work locally,
wherever that may be,
they fight unsexy boring battles,
joining people on the fringe, at risk, and people who just need a friend,
They work with love for and with all kinds of people,
people with disabalities,
people with physical illness,
people with mental illness,
people with painful pasts,
people without hope,
people with dull everyday problems,
people like me,
people like you,
through relationship they work,
loving and building people up,
even as the world seems determined to tear them down,
in a world filled with war, poverty, hate and indifference,
they often feel rather hopeless,
making mistakes and often filled with doubt,
sure they can’t live up to their own heros,
and yet they get up each day and fight,
determined to love,
even when it is hard,
and so somehow I’ll find a way,
to stumble on and try to love my neighbour,
whomever that may be.

And I know for shore why they hate US?

Our countries (UK, US, Australia) are complicit in so many war crimes in a war that was started using lies.  Can there any longer be any doubt that the war on terror is an evil cynically used political tool?

The timing of most terror events is so convenient and the beneficiaries so clear.  The lives of 3000 odd American’s, now has another 2666 US lives added to that number in Iraq.  Add to that 40,000 civilian deaths.  13.3 Iraqi civilian deaths for each American death from September 11.  Is that justice?

Of course I am not be fair as it was to liberate in the end that we went into Iraq. So please feel free to disregard my maths.

But another interesting point is that however horrific these figures are 50,000 people a day who die due to extreme poverty.  The US have spent to date 313 billion US dollars on this war, I wonder how many lives could be saved with that money? How many friends in volatile areas they/we could make with that kind of cash?

But no they won’t do that, instead they will honour the dead by killing more people.

If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again

Isaiah 58:9-12 The Message

Well it’s time for the wedding of fun. I have to be at Howie’s place soon. That will soon become the Howie’s residence, very strange. Odd too I just realised at the reception I will be saying goodbye for another 6 months to Howie and Jenny. I have to keep moving, have to make myself very pretty for today.

Extreme drug resistant TB (XDR TB) is emerging as a real killer. It looks pretty grim. Looks like even more people are going to die from TB in the future. I guess this is what happens when you ignore a poor people’s illness.

Anyway you can read more about in the guardian and BBC News.

Well I have been a rather bad blogger of late and an atrocious emailer. But that is what happens when you spend all your time socialising instead in front of a computer like I usually do. Everyday since arriving back I have had at least two social outings, which has been good fun. Scheduling and trying to keep a clear track of who is free when gets a little complicated but I have managed pretty well I think.

Emotionally the past week I’ve been a bit down. I have felt a bit down about my project and my work and the things I’ve missed that have been happening in Sydney. I’ve had some great chats with people during this time and I am feeling much better about things today. An important realisation I voiced last night was that even groups working to try and help people are filled with imperfect people. It is quite an obvious thing but it was good to think about it.

Anyway time to head off again, have to find a Father’s Day present.