Beauty and the News

Hello Everyone

Recently I watched a TED show on What is Beauty?  TED is a nonprofit organisation devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.  It started in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.   Now its medium is the internet where great ideas get incredibly quick global exposure.

In the presentation I am referring to, designer Richard Seymour asked ‘how do we tell that something is beautiful?’  and ‘Why does it matter so much to us?’

To me it matters because mainstream media, in my opinion, shows us little that is beautiful but rather accentuates the ugly.  This is rather worrying because if we agree with the saying ‘what you focus on is what you get’ then this focus disempowers us. 

We have an interesting paradox. Evidently only bad news sells yet I assert that we all have a deep yearning to be nurtured and in touch with the beauty of life.

Scientist and author Steven Pinker of the new book Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence in History and its Causes suggests that the human brain is changing.  Evidently the parts of the brain related to stopping violence have become increasingly engaged.

Evidently the evolution of reasoning ability grew as humans started living in cities, reading literature and communicating and travelling long distance.  Higher levels of education also assisted this evolution.

Let me give you an example of how our reasoning ability impacts our ability to value beauty.   Richard Seymour showed a rather ordinary child’s drawing of a flower and a butterfly.  My initial reaction was very bland.  Then he said that this was the last action of Heidi, a five year old before she died of spinal cancer.  And then I thought ‘Oh my, that, is beautiful’. 

Similarly Seymour showed a plastic bag. This to my mind was definitely not beautiful.   Then he explained that the empty plastic bag could be placed in filthy water and by osmosis clean water would be filtered into the bag. Beautiful!!! 

So what is beauty? To me it is a deep reaction from within my inner being, a feeling of love, warmth, gratitude with a desire to stop and dwell on that feeling.

So dear reader, where in your life can you see beauty?  What would it be like for you if you sought out and dwelt on the beauty in the world?

Live! Love! Laugh!

Roz Townsend

Corporate Greed and Integrity

Hello Everyone

These last couple of weeks have seen an interesting revolt around the world.   Ordinary people from all walks of life have joined forces to protest against corporate greed and corruption.

 It seems that there is a universal lack of respect for integrity.  In fact, I wonder if most people even understand the importance of integrity for a world that work with everyone included.

The present global financial crisis is a strong indicator that what is happening in the world right now is not working.  White collar crime, nepotism, excessive corporate salaries, lack of transparency, extortion, bribery, absenteeism, presenteeism, workplace bullying and harassment are all indicators that people are not doing what they promised.   They are not valuing each other nor creating a sustainable future.

 I would like to share with you a definition of integrity that I find very useful, it comes from Landmark Education.

 
Integrity:  Nothing hidden, being truthful and honest, doing complete work, working from an empowering context, and doing very well what you do, doing it as it was meant to be done or better and without cutting corners.

In other words, HONOURING ONE’S WORD: Doing what you know to do, doing what you said you would do and on time, doing what others expect you to do even if you haven’t said that you would do it, and saying when you are not doing this as soon as you realise you won’t be doing it or won’t be doing it on time.

You can see from the above definition that integrity from this viewpoint is not about right or wrong  but what works for us individuals and communities.   You might like to consider that we would have greater workability in the world if we elevated  our integrity.

So dear reader, where in your life could you elevate your integrity?  It would not make you a better person but make your world more workable. What would it be like for you if you valued and endorsed the above definition of integrity?

Live!  Love!!  Laugh!!!

Roz Townsend

Decline in WOmen's Happiness

Hello Everyone

I have come across some interesting research and a new phrase.  The research is from the US General’s Social Survey of 46,000 people and the phrase is the ‘paradox of declining female happiness’.

There is no doubt that progress for women in many (not all) parts of the world has been remarkable.  Education levels have risen and now often surpass those of men, they have gained greater fertility control, and domestic appliances have created a level of freedom from household chores.

Despite these enormous gains in freedom Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers in

‘The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness’ indicate that in the industrialised world women’s happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men and a new gender gap is developing.

 
The questions being posed : is it possible that the changes brought by the  women’s movement may have in fact unintentionally decreased women’s happiness?
 
Is it that women might be caught up in the cycle of consumerism and comparison?  Might they be feeling that their lives are not measuring up to the ideal? Is it that they might find the complexity and increased pressure of modern lives came at the cost of happiness?

The research indicates that the saddest person in white collar jobs is a 42-year-old unmarried lawyer or doctor.  I find all of this particularly poignant as my own sister, a 45-year-old unmarried lawyer committed suicide a number of years ago. 

Evidently one of the unnecessary pressures that women face is the need to have everything  perfectly balanced.  In contrast, happier women tended to give up on ‘balance” and be OK with ‘messy’.  They go with the flow and are prepared to be more flexible and easy going.

So dear reader, it is not about having it all or doing it all in your life.  What would it be like for you if you  allowed yourself to be more flexible and ‘go with the flow?’

Live! Love! Laugh!

Roz Townsend