Tag: Thought

Poverty

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

I wish I didn’t need to use the word poverty, in this country and about the rest of the world.

Poverty can be relative, a millionaire can feel poor in relation to a billionaire. But that’s not real. Or someone who lives in a first world nation can struggle to survive on a very low income, having to chose between heating and eating.

But I think true poverty is in countries wracked by famine, war, sickness or all three. When starvation is rife, and children are stunted by lack of food and clean water.

And yet there are eighty men in the world that own the same amount of money as half the world’s population. That’s 80 : 4,000,000,000. Each one has an average amount of money equal to 50,000,000 individuals.

If only our world was not so unequal. I’m not talking about complete equality, people would fight to the death over that, but perhaps a bit more generous support for the poor and more taxes for the rich. Perhaps charitable foundations to spread food and medicine, to reduce wars, to care for one another. I know that trickle down economics does not work. The trickle is stemmed by the slightly less wealthy. But somehow we must change things, stop poverty, be fair, and tackle the climate change to which is having the most detrimental effect on the poorest in society.

So instead of poverty my new word would be fairness.

I don’t

Posted on Posted in Memories, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Are you holding a grudge? About?

I don’t hold a grudge, it’s too painful, and it makes no sense. If you hold a grudge who are you harming? Yourself. Painful thoughts about someone else don’t harm them, they don’t know about it, but the worm of a grudge bores inside you and makes poison in your thoughts and harms your moods.

Oh I have held grudges before now, and for a long time, but I have it up as a bad idea. Don’t hold grudges, it’s not worth it.

In my dreams

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

In my dreams I’ve flown to Mars

Months in space beyond our globe.

Spinning microgravity ship

Holds me in its gentle arms

Final days and then descent

Falling through a cold thin air.

Retro rockets saved the day

Landing on a desert of red.

Never going there again

Cost too much and I’m afraid

I’d never spend another night

On Elesyums Planitia’s slopes of red

I’d rather spend my dreams in bed.

An astronaut? Not me, I’ve said.

To be people friendly

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

How would you design the city of the future?

Enough space to live, to fit in, to get what you need. But not too much, so you crowd everyone else out.

I like the ideas in Japan where space is at a premium so it is designed to be suitable for peoples needs. Things like fold up beds, or rooms that convert from one use to another. Innovation and recycling of materials.

There is a TV programme called George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, where every week someone is trying to get the most home space out of a tiny space. Some of the solutions are incredible.

Look at the Earth and our cities, we are too wasteful. We want too many things, we want the biggest car or house, without realising less is more. Each of us could accept slightly less and share out assets better!

So town planners need to consider the resources we have, the cost of living, how things can fit together to make things better (or worse). Just having a little garden space can be very fulfilling. Life doesn’t have to be awful in cities, but it does need to be less haphazard and more organised, otherwise things tend to the chaotic and entropy builds. Cities fall as well as rise. We need serious thought and planning.

Caring for people

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

What motivates you?

I think I’ve always cared about people. My mom used to say I had a soft heart. I like films that you would class as weepies, ones that bought a tear to your eyes. I’d sit on the sofa with my mom and have a good cry.

So I’m motivated to try and support people. I wonder if that is just a perpetuation of a female role model ? It certainly was pushed when we had our careers guidance. It was suggested I went into nursing, I which didn’t set well. Why not a doctor? Anyway by then my motivation had changed. I wanted to be an artist, and for forty years I’ve pursued that role. Not to be famous. Not to make money, but to create art (and care about people).

Comparison

Posted on Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I play with these drawings to create a double image of two faces. One side has more texture than the other using different apps.

One side is sharper than the other, the left hand side has been processed through photodirector to add texture.

Does it matter what I did or why? Isn’t it more important to create something? I explain what I’ve done, but is there any significance? I see work in exhibitions wherr the piece of art will have a longwinded explanation of what the Art is about. I like to play and explore, I might not have a specific intention, but I hope what I do has some integrity….

I’m not conservative

Posted on Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

What traditions have you not kept that your parents had?

My family were traditionally conservatives. I was bought up to think that socialists were bad and would lead to serious problems for our country. But when I left home I started to see things in a different light. I had to look at how other people lived. There had been a lot of strikes, and people were struggling to survive. I found out things that had never been discussed at home. Thinking and listening to the words of John Lennons song Imagine really got to me. The struggle to manage when I was out of work for a short time. It made me realise how hard life can be for others.

My traditional upbringing included religion. The rules were set. Money had been important, but listening to Jesus teachings after I left home gave me more concerned belief that people deserved better. I became interested in equality for women, and I also supported charities that worked to save nature. I think leaving home gave me insights I would never have had before. It led to arguments with my parent, but I hope I changed her opinions too.

1st time…

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments

For the first time on my blog I had someone leave a rude comment on one of my posts today! They actually told me to ‘f’ off. First I was astonished that I had offended someone so much that they felt this way. Then I wondered how an innocuous and supportive post could elicit that reaction? Is it because I’m a woman and I’m daring to express an opinion? But the person referred to me as male. And as I just use my surname why would they know my gender?

Eventually I logged it as Spam and didn’t actually report the blogger. I just wanted the comment gone. Perhaps I should have done. If I’m being trolled how many others are being too? I will see if it happens again. I spent years moderating websites so it didn’t upset me. It’s just childish. And unusual for Jetpack /WordPress. X

Security

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

Are you seeking security or adventure?

At my age I prefer security. I used to like adventure, but I’ve grown out of it!

When I was young we used to cycle all over the country, riding a bike or a tandem for miles. We would go out and ride at weekends to different destinations. We would also catch the train and then cycle from there to campsites or a place to visit like a castle or a forest. One of my favourite places was Grizedale Sculpture park. On that occasion we had got a car and the bikes were tied to the top of it. We parked at the campsite and used that as a base to cycle all around the lake district.

One day I was cycling home from a friends houss and was hit by a car. I ended up with a fractured skull. From that day I became nervous of cycling. After a couple of more years of riding the bike suddenly collapsed underneath me. It had been damaged in the accident and the brazing had broken on the bike headset. It took months to get my bike repaired by which time I had started to drive more frequently. My health got worse and I was not able to ride my bike any distance.

I think it was about then that I became more risk averse. I still liked to go and do adventurous things but I was more careful. Nowadays I am even more concerned with safety. Covid and the pandemic has made me more aware of my situation and my security. I guess that I realise my life has changed, and I can not do things I would have happily done in the past.

Knowledge?

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 53 Comments

What do you think gets better with age?

Thinking about this question is a challenge. As I age I know I’m not getting physically better, but I hope and believe that I have better knowledge now than I did in the past. I try and keep up to speed with many things. I would say I’m a generalist, not an expert. My brain cannot take all of that information in, but I can try.

I think you always need to be willing to learn. Why not? Why be afraid of finding things out? It makes life more interesting.

For instance, the images that The James Webb telescope is taking of the universe really interest me. Our eye on the universe has got so much better in recent years. Then knowledge about chemistry might help us reduce or stop some of the carbon dioxide emissions that are causing global warming? Changes in computing and AI might help with human health?

And knowledge should be something we all seek. Having knowledge can give us a personal key to what is going on in the world. Avoiding fake news and fake facts. Being wary of things that are too good to be true (They probably are). There is a lot to sift through. But I think its worth seeking out true knowledge.