reading the news with your own filter on

I am experimenting with reading the news with a creative filter attached. When I read a story I look at the pictures associated or some detail of the story to generate a new and interesting idea. For example I just read a piece about women explorers- and a woman who is following in their footsteps in order to promote courage and adventurousness among women. All praiseworthy but its effect is to simply to call forth that tired response: 'oh well done her.' Then 'forget and move on'. In order for this experience to have some extra nutrition and not just be an attention-suck (news sucks our attention and that means we have less to give to people who then give less back and we become gradually lonesome dorks...) I decided to be creative. The woman (Elise Wortley) had on a funny hat, maybe of Himalayan origin. Explorers often have distinct headgear. Stanley even designed his own special cap. Blashford Snell wore a pith helmet long after they went out of fashion. So explorer's hats became my theme. I recognised on all my expeditions I have a 'special hat'. For a while it was a Barbour baseball cap. Then a tweed cap with no lining. Then my own explorer school baseball cap. When you have the right hat you feel really empowered- crazy though that may seem. I trace it to the moment each day when you awake full of misgivings and even fear about the trip ahead. But putting on the cap (and any other bits of 'uniform' you may have assembled) reminds you and reconnects you to the heart of the trip, why you are here. It can be almost a physical jolt of energy. Externalising the internal is very important when you are breaking new ground and there is no context and existing support for the enterprise. Get yourself an explorer's hat!

reading the news

The news is toxic. And the social media that re-reports the news is even worse.

It's as bad for your health as a tumbler of bad whiskey.

If you have a strong liver you'll survive.

But over time you may well get cirrhosis.

You'll spend your alive time therapising, in order to rid yourself of 'news poison'.

When you find yourself watching the news and reading it cos you are bored- get a good book instead.

Be hard on yourself and break the news habit.

News is poison. It's stuff you don't need to know. If you need to know something specific look it up. Return to books and documentaries and specific Youtube videos- stop browsing on the mainstream rubbish that is the news.

Why? Because it is based on emotional impact not truth. Because it gives airspace to lies and liars. Because it's model of 'average man' is pathetic and degrading. Because it encourages 'following' and celebrity culture. Because it is negative and pessimistic and only optimistic in a trivial and misguided way. The news is for fools. So how come so many highly educated people work in the news? Because it is a high status job that pays pretty well. Bottom line anyone in the news bizz is either obsessive, needs the cash or loves the status and buzz of meeting famous people and reporting headline grabbing stories. Truth? In what time frame? If we take a truth-maximising time frame (usually a longer one) most news is simply irrelevant.

News is no use to you either (bars news of petrol shortages) because the three most important things in your life BY FAR are a)people you spend the most time with b)what you do most of the time c) where you live. A few hours reading Fred Pearce's new book A Trillion Trees is better than ten years of watching The News...

But surely newspeople keep our leaders honest? Wake up- the news people ELECTED your leaders- based on those who gave the most entertaing 'news value'....either positive or negative...just doesn't matter- news is news....

my plan to reread Idries Shah

I have never taken entirely seriously the CONSTANT admonition in Shah's work to cross out the bits that appeal and focus on the other stuff. Why? Because I thought the text was all of equal importance. In fact his books are loaded with booby traps. You can find attractive little asides on becoming more expert, more intuitive, and even wealthier in his texts. If that attracts you- cross it out and move on. There is no need to overthink this- as I have probably done- if you down-to-earth like something (think adding a facebook 'like' in the margin) then cross it out. "Liking' means you are still looking for confirmation of existing beliefs rather than something useful. This 'like' feeling is fairly low key- just like the facebook 'like' is. When you really get something of nutritive value from a book by Shah it will have an ah-hah key like quality. It will unlock something or connect something or bring something into the foreground. It will be useful rather than merely cool or reassuring. This said with the usual caveats that words are rather fumbly things in this area. I will report back on my crossing out experiences later, should I actually get round to it! But I am already thinking- cross WAY MORE out...

where's the mystical

"The mystical is not how the world is, but that it is." ~Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 1922

People have different ideas about where to locate the mystical. That the world IS rather than ISN'T does seem a mystery of the highest order though...and I am always interested in attempts to try and explain it away using mathematical ideas about energy states etc. The motive to remove mystery is just as strong in some as the motive to add unnecessary mystery is in others.

where do you put your seriousness?

You can put your seriousness into the visible world or you can put your seriousness into the invisible world. The visible results may not be even that much different, but as the end approaches work in the invisible realm will help you avoid the usual trapping cycles that are the real meaning of 'circles of hell'.

this simple life update

Well 20 days to go and we are nearly at the DOUBLE mark for the comic camapaign- £1941 pledged- which is great. Meanwhile I have been in the Lake District reseraching a new story for THIS SIMPLE LIFE provisionally entitled 'Rob and Mark's big rubber boat adventure.'! Or something.

please help fund my kickstarter campaign!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thissimplelife/this-simple-life-a-quarterly-comic-of-memoir-and-adventure?ref=user_menu

I wanted a comic that featured memoir and travel and adventure, I wanted it to be REAL, not another webcomic, and I wanted it delivered to my door. So that is what I came up with THIS SIMPLE LIFE is a memoir based true life comic. if you want to find out more go to the links...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thissimplelife/this-simple-life-a-quarterly-comic-of-memoir-and-adventure?ref=user_menu