The Place where Time Begins

Instead of going to work today I put on my walking shoes and braved the cold and crispy roads that lead to Greenwich. Home of the Prime Meridian, the place where time officially begins and the world is separated into the eastern and western hemisphere. 

An eternal starting point from which you can emerge cleansed and rejuvenated. Like a private New Year's Eve.

I walked through the park to get to the Meridian Line.

Quiet.

The stillness of the ancient trees seemed to laugh at all my “real life”/ “work related” stresses. (Some of the trees are around 400 years old - yes I know I’m a nerd - I like it) If the trees could sing they would serenade me with the Beatle’s song “Because”. Or maybe that’s just the mood I’m in.

“Because the world is round it turns me on”. If you’ve never heard it you’re in for a treat.*
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ6pmRlwP6Y&feature=related)

So I climbed up them, I climbed the trees and remembered what it was like to be a kid. By the way if you don’t remember getting up is the easy bit. On the way down you have to calculate the jump. It was challenging. A good thing to imagine is the roll you must perform during a parachute landing, even if you’ve never done one. I've never done one but it works.

And that’s when I saw them. He wore a pink knitted hat with a bobble and she was all covered up in layers and lying in his arms. They looked out towards London and had their backs to me. 

I took their picture and walked on when an urge came and spread it’s tentacles across my brain.

Urge: Go give them the picture! 

Me: I’ll look stupid.

Urge: You’re a grown woman who was climbing a tree a minute ago. 

Me: They didn’t see it, they’ll think I’m stupid.

Urge: Go give them the picture. 

So I walked back. 

I cautiously approached and showed it to them. In my best "I’m not weird" face. (What does that even look like? I must check in the mirror).

You know what happened? 

They laughed, they were delighted. They were happy that their combined image had inspired someone to take a photo. It was romantic. I sent it to them whilst we were still talking and left them to their giggling (Instant Good Karma). 

Having spent the morning looking and acting stupid I stepped over the Prime Meridien feeling a little bit renewed, with a smile on my face.

A Very Old Game

So here we are. Since the evening of Friday 13th January 2012 Europe has been thrown into a new crisis. (I bet whoever picked that date for the announcement did it for effect)

9 countries credit ratings have been downgraded by S&P (Standard and Poor’s - A purposefully ominous name?- If I was reading this in a script it would come across too corny. I’d ask the writer to change it at this stage.)

Is it time for the collective to Panic and Freak out? 

Let’s back up a bit. This is all constructed and I’m not referring to conspiracy theories. I’m talking about the basis of our society. 

Our economy and the way it works is just an idea, a game, created by similar minds to the ones that brought you the hula-hoop, chewing gum, tetris, the army, the spaceship and the cat flap. 

The economy as we know it today was constructed by Adam Smith in 1776. He wrote a book called "The Wealth of Nations", which is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work of economics.  A few others pitched in with ideas but Adam Smith is the one that's known as the father of Economics. He was also often described as having a very large nose. 

There are no credit ratings decreed by God. If we started living in a different way all these ratings would mean nothing. 

The money you have in your bank account and in your pocket is your score. It’s what you win when you play, whatever the game you chose to play during your 9 to 5 may be. 

The less you do for bigger amounts the smarter you are and vice versa. This is how we measure achievement in our society.

We could stop playing! Take a moment to think what it would be like if we stopped playing and started a different game.

(Long pause for effect)

Are you smiling?

My instinct tells me that Life is not a series of tasks we have to complete. I have a strong feeling that we are here to enjoy ourselves. Everyone makes such a fuss about us when we’re born. Are they just delighted at the arrival of a future tax payer?  They talk about the joy the new arrival will bring.  New arrivals have such easy access to joy and very little concern about PAYE, free medical or dental. 

Anyway, this game we’re playing, it has very old rules made up by very old minds. It’s not working and I’m absolutely sure it’s time to change it. 

In fact I’m certain of it. I know the way you know about a good melon. 

The Year of Alternative Thinking - It’s only a miracle until you understand the science behind it.

Begin the Begin

We are all alike. Flesh and Thought. 

Complicated, multi-tasking, always-dreaming, forward- planning. Human, in short. 

We walk the earth coming up with thoughts and turning them into the reality we see around us. 

Sometimes we begin on a journey that gives us great joy but for some unexpected and inexplicable reason we stop halfway through, like impatient gardeners that stop watering their plants because they aren’t growing fast enough.

Why do we stop cultivating our dreams? Self sabotage? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of judgement? All of the above? 

I write this publicly in an effort to change a pattern and also because I see and meet lots of you out there who are frustrated by it and I just want to say: 

"Hey, I understand that you feel you’re not where you should be. How about trying to take for granted that it’s happening and start again?"

Then again there are things that you make happen for yourself with a complete lack of effort. 

Examples? 

Your job, your warm home, your circle of friends, your ability to provide for yourself, the people you have in your life who love you.Whether you’ve created some or all of them, it’s all your own work. 

Still your dreams sit on your shoulders and talk straight into your minds eye. "When will you make us exist?" 

They did the same to Goethe who learnt to take them for granted and make them realities. Here’s what they taught him: 

“Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. 

A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Happy New Year! 

If you see this Man lock your “Door” © (Do the Slut Walk 11th June)

“Slut Walk” is coming up on Saturday and everyone has an opinion.

An article by Deborah Orr in the Guardian yesterday talked about the signals we give out by our choice of “costume”.
She suggests that wee vests and short skirts make people think, sex worker?
An orange fleece may point out the Sainsbury’s assistant, and when one wears overalls the guess is usually…. Plumber?
Apparently wearing “sex-signalling” clothing is to a rapist what leaving your door open is to a burglar. If he happens to pass by he might like to have a little poke around.

Deborah Orr goes on to say that “Men, generally, are not the problem. Considering the flood of fantastical sexual messages they are fed by the media, they show themselves to be notably resilient and sensitive. But that unlocked door? Hundreds of thousands will walk right past. But some bastard might come along who won’t. Door locked, door unlocked, burglary is burglary. And only burglars by definition commit it.”

So ladies lock your “door” and you’ll be fine. I like to lock my “door” with a Chanel two-piece suit. No one dares approach me.
And if they do, I clutch my pearls with fury and proclaim: “How dare you beast? This is Chanel.”
The “burglar” then knows my “door” is locked and scampers off into the darkness. It’s that simple. And now to find my smelling salts…

I don’t think Slut Walk is an effort to cure depraved individuals. For me it’s primarily about how we view female sexuality.
As a society we are offended by women who signal their appetite for sex or worse their promiscuity.
Why? Men want sex. Women want sex.

When in “heat” both sexes parade themselves in front of each other wearing whatever they hope might bring about the symptoms of lust.
As I write this I think of the volleyball-playing boys of  “Top Gun” in their little tight jeans and their shiny oiled torsos, frolicking in the sand. (I need a moment)
They wore very little, bless them and yes they were just after for one thing but I never judged those boys. I never called them sluts.
No, I just thought. …That’s gorgeous, I gotta get me some of that and clutched my pearls (once a lady always a lady - Link attached below for your viewing pleasure*)

So can we put all this Slut – Non Slut rubbish behind? I know we can’t but I must keep asking the question.

It’s a thousand year old urge. If you feel like dressing up cause you want to get busy…go ahead.

No one should judge you and you shouldn’t have to keep your “door” locked with fear.

Enjoy!!!!!!

 

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdAVH-ZeUHc

(It's dubbed in Italian ...as it should be)

Feminism and the Beast (Do the Slut Walk - 11th June)

We’re Animals. Humans are animals. Why do we constantly forget this? 

We have intellect of course and we delight in creating rules and laws in an effort to civilise and elevate the society we live in.
Nevertheless we are animals and we do not always control our base instincts.

Men are in charge of the world because they are physically stronger. It has nothing to do with brainpower, it’s just good old fashioned law of the jungle.

In Europe over the last few centuries we have tried to master the art of taming our inner Beast. (This of course does not apply to Italy)
We haven’t succeeded, but there are rules we have to live by.

Yet if a female is unlucky enough to be born in a less socially structured geographical area, life could get heavy very early on. In Afghanistan (where rape is legal within marriage) if a sixty-year-old man can afford to buy a thirteen-year-old bride for £20.000, well then he can have her.

Don’t get me started on Thailand ….It feels a bit like the Beast is taming society as opposed to the other way around.
Humbert Humbert could run for president and be in with a good chance of winning.

Discrimination against women is not based on race or creed or social background, it sees no colour, it’s a global phenomenon that’s in the news every single day of the week.
If we think the way women are treated in another part of the world will not affect us, our daughters or our granddaughters in years to come we are sadly mistaken.
It’s a tiny globe we live on and it’s getting smaller.
Have you heard of consciousness of the collective? Scary stuff…. it could go either way.

So what are we western women doing about all this?

Over the last twenty years it seems we lost our urge to conquer new ground on the road towards equality. And, yes I’m going to bring it up again …Feminism has become a four letter word. Why?

There are still places in the world that as women it doesn’t make sense to go to.
You can’t get a job or be treated as an equal.
Women are being trafficked and sold into slavery.
Women are responsible for 2/3 of the work done world wide yet earn 10% of the total income and own 1% of the property.
Women are also still making up their minds whether to go on “Slut Walk” on the 4th June because of the S word and what it evokes.

I say have a look at some of the week’s headlines below and let’s meet up on the 4th June.
I say if you don’t like it let’s come up with a better word, one that speaks for us all.
But at least let’s meet up and take it from there.
I think there might be a need for it.

The Week in Headlines

• In this Harsh Afghan desert community women are hidden away and child brides sold for £20.000 – Evening Standard – Thursday 19th May

• Bristol rape victim’s husband wants Ken Clarke to resign – BBC News – Thursday 19th May

• Kenneth Clarke denies “rape is rape” - Telegraph - Wednesday 18th May

• One in five female employees in China have suffered harassment in the workplace – Stylist – Wednesday 18th May.

• Lured to Britain, locked up and raped at £30 a time. – Observer - Sunday 15th May

• IMF chief on rape charges: From vroom to bust – Guardian – Sunday 15th May



I'm not Bad, I'm just drawn that way? (Do the Slut Walk - 11th June)

I’m regularly told that I belong to a generation of women who aren’t feminists. Whenever it comes up in conversation with another woman I witness her need to defend herself against being called a man-hater.

So, before we go on and for the purposes of clarification here is the definition:

Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing and defending equal political, economic, social rights and opportunities for women.
It’s concepts overlap with those of women’s rights. Feminism is mainly focused on women’s issues but because feminism seeks gender equality; some feminists argue that men’s liberation is therefore a necessary part of feminism and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles.
Feminists – that is, persons practising feminism – may be persons of either sex.

And now…. on with the story…………

When I was five I developed a dislike for garages. Every once in a while I’d have to go to the one in our neighbourhood with Mum or Dad in order to pick up their car. A truly dull place, vacant of anything that might interest a little girl.
The real reasons for my aversion however were the pictures of naked women in the centre of the garage. Tiny waists, big bosoms and benign smiles. They looked like things and made my flat chested, barely there feminity feel extremely awkward.

I’d go bright red and feel a need to hide. I didn’t really know why, it just felt embarrassing. I wondered why it was ok to photograph women like that and this was before I knew anything about semiotics, semantics or feminism.

The woman I’ve become has encountered plenty of things that make her recoil in a similar way and other things she should mind but has become immune to.

Slut Walk. How’s that for a phrase? (When a Toronto policeman told a group of students they should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimised it caused a wave of protests, which will come to the U.K. next month – Observer 15.05.2011)
It conjures up all sorts of uncomfortable images and makes me cringe a little every time I say it. However in today’s society do women really have to dress up in an overtly provocative way in order to be victimised?

The inappropriate coverage of certain women in the media would suggest otherwise. Once you become the object of desire you could, depending on your admirer’s gaze, be a Madonna or a Whore.

Most of time it’s not really up to you or is it?

(To be continued.....)


http://thisaffectedyouth.com/2011/05/04/slut-walk-june-4th-trafalgar-square-london/
http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/community/forums/thread/1498929