Appreciating the inner self

It’s been a while since I posted anything on this blog. Such is life, right? Or so I would like you to believe, truth is I haven’t been able to write for the last few weeks. And it sort of ties in with the TEDTalk I want to share today.

Life is all about change, but in some ways it is also about the fear of change. And I find myself at that very cross road right now. Upcoming changes in my life will define me for at least the next couple of years. The biggest change for me is leaving behind what I have come to know as a sort expected normal. The normal being that I studied and have three degrees to my name and with them came knowledge and some degree of success. But what it left behind is a person who feels far away from herself. I know now that the biggest fear is the one of leaving behind the comfort of doing what you might be good at and actually going out into the world and finding out what you are passionate about.

Unlike our speaker today it is not writing (as in I want to write a novel) but it may be writing as a way of reporting on my life and experiences. But where do I start? How do I do that? These are the questions that I believe is holding me back. Plus I also know they are same type of fears that have been preventing me from writing on this very blog these past few weeks.

Our speaker today is Elizabeth Gilbert the author of Eat Pray Love. In the talk she candidly talks about the perils of success and failure. She takes us on a brief journey to find ourselves again. To live closer to the self and to finally to recognize that if we stick to what we live for (as she puts it) “it will all be okay”.

 And as the eleventh doctor said: 

Sandy 

Asking yourself to be brave

I have two distinct memories of the universe asking me to be brave. Or at least, having to perform outside of myself. The first was the day my dad passed away. I really had one of those once in a life time fathers that understood that life is a precious gift and that we only get to live it once, mistakes and all. He was and still is the light in my life. So on the day that he passed I believe it fundamentally changed me and asked me to brave, like he had to be for me all those years previous.

The second time is quite recent really, working on a MSc (Masters in Science) while grieving your father takes a lot courage. Courage I never had before and never knew hid inside me. And thank goodness for those around me supporting and guiding me or I wouldn't be able to talk so candidly about it. The day finally came, my thesis was accepted and I had to defend it publicly. I was paralysed with fear, consumed by anxiety and nearly did not make it to my talk. But, again I believe I was asked to be brave, and to confront my fear head on.  

The talk by Morgana Bailey (not gay or lesbian Morgana, but only Morgana) asks us to be brave. Too face our deepest fears, whether it be rejection (as in her case), failure (as in mine) or something completely different, but that we NEED to face them. I also believe her story is not just about someone coming out the so-called “closet”, but a story of courage and what it takes to be true to yourself. 

Be brave. Be true to who you are.  

What’s stopping you, me and everyone?

We have all heard the fairy tale, college student misses family creates way to share pictures and updates with them and becomes a billionaire overnight (I’m of course referring to Matt Zuckerberg and Facebook). Now his is living the dream! Getting up everyday and getting inspired by the very thing he invented. We are further taught from a young age to become educated and our passions will provide the next meal ticket. After several years of studying many of us have come to the conclusion that this might not be the truth. Or that it is a version of the truth that we want so desperately to believe. In the end we realize that we will have to settle for that not so nice job and maybe if we are lucky we will start to like it and be good at it. 

But it does not fill that void. That void deep inside you where your actual passion is hiding like a petrified kitten. You go there often enough only to return to reality and wonder why am I not doing what I was meant to do? 

Why don't we unleash our creativity? Why do we give up on it? What's stopping us?

What I’m getting at is that we all want to follow our passions and wake up every day in pursuit of it. So, I ask the question: What is stopping you? Why do we make up excuses and in the end settle for less? What is holding us back? Why do we stop dreaming?

In today’s #Tedtalk Prof Larry Smith from the University of Waterloo bluntly (but very funny) tries to explain the excuses people make to not follow their passions. And why it results in us not having that perfect career.

I hope the video lights a fire under you, as it did me!!

 Follow your dreams and don’t settle for less.

Travelling to a distant a planet for food?

How ridiculous, you might say...

this is what springs to mind immediately

But, I've been thinking about time and space a lot this week. (And not the whibbly wobbly kind of spacetime) Maybe it's because I watched #Interstellar, I don't know. For those who haven't seen it do yourself the favour and do so. It's Christoper Nolan doing what he does at his best.

Why should we take note, now? Well Nolan hits the nail on the head---Food. It is a known fact that by 2050 we will have to feed 2 billion more, and frankly this planet will not be able to do so, given our lack of respect for it and its processes! Space might be our only option (as a species) for surviving major climate change. (we don't want to end up like Venus with its runaway green house effect) We are already growing a lot in space, many of the missions to space has had greener companions to explicitly see how they will grow in zero gravity. And on a side note, we have been making and drinking space beer for a while.

a view of space agriculture from NASA in the 1970's

Another reason to explore space might be mining. Mining has become a rather taboo practise on earth today. We have come to associate mining with all that is negative, digging up coal, destroying the rainforest etc. But we forget most industries are built on mining activities which fueled our advancement. Space might be the next wild west were materials that are in low quantities on earth are abundant. Who knows?

And finally, another reason might be more romantic and the topic of our TEDTalk today. The idea of travelling to diatant planets, describing new life and ultimately understanding our place in vast universe. A quest you might say as old as the human race. Who better, than Professor Brian Cox, to take us not really on a journey of space but to encourage the explorer within all of us. In this inpsiring talk he shows that the MONEY (we are constantly worrying about) should not be the reason why we should stop exploring, as he puts it---It will fund itself. So, enjoy

The exploration of the spacetime continuum or the new wild west, you be the judge. But money should not be the limiting factor.

All I know is we have looking up at the stars since the day we walked upright and wanted to travel there. Maybe now is the time, given that we might need to find a new home "out there" sooner than we'd like.

Maybe a Kite is all we need?

In South Africa for the last two or so weeks we have been suffering through something we lovingly refer to as load-shedding. What is load-shedding you might ask? Well it’s when the ESKOM (our only power supplier) switches of the power in shifts to ensure that the country does not experience a total black out. The cause of the immense strain to the power grid might as well be caused by gremlins...

So, what are we to do? Over the last decade or so more and more money has gone into finding green solutions to solve the power issue, considering South Africa is 80% reliant on electricity generation through fossil fuels like coal. One of the most obvious investments into electricity is via wind turbines. And as the saying goes, it works there it should work here. I believe the project has largely been successful. But the power generated is still not enough!

The talk by Saul Griffith dares us to think differently about energy. To harness the power of wind through the use of Kites!!! In the talk he briefly explains how kites have played a very important role in our pursuit of flight and suggests how they can be used to fuel our future. So, enjoy!

Hopefully ESKOM will take note!! 

and I repeat: Maybe all we need is Kite?

Colour to change lives

Okay, so every day driving to work I am reminded about how difficult life is still for many South Africans. But after watching this video, it also reminded me that when people are given a chance they will strive for the betterment of their entire community. The idea is simple, change the perspective of the community by transforming their environments, and in this case they use colour as a medium of communication. 

They are not saying that by painting the houses in a given neighbourhood it will change the circumstances of the people living there, but it’s a positive start to encourage those living there to strive for more.

Enjoy the talk by Haas and Hahn

Just imagine South Africans doing this? Possibilities are endless if we just believe. It works in the Bo-Kaap why not everywhere else?

What's that growing on your balcony?

Is the question the little boy in the apartment complex I live in asked? It dawned on me right then and there that he is the picture of the modern child. The child that does not know where his/her food comes from and how it is grown. This is of course not a new topic or situation, still it’s so sad. And it's becoming more and more prevalent even here in South Africa. The headlines are filled with stories of children being obese, living sedentary lives. The causes are as diverse and complex. But I don't want to debate those right now (story for another time). And in the spirit of living better the video below dares us to think differently about the spaces we live in. 

I think she will inspire you to re-imagine the way you think of gardening and the space you need to do it in….I know I'm already planning!!

Are you up for the challenge?