Friends n' foes

Do you know these moments when you just talk to someone about something completely insignificant but then suddenly the conversation turns to something completely different and important? I had one like this today.

The whole reflection was triggered by the fact that I have been helping some people lately that objevtively observed were a very bad thing to do, even though the intentions were well.

I had a conversation about my obsession to keep good relations with everyone. This is a funny obsession for a controverse guy like me. I make statements that some people bring to opposing me. But still I try to make an effort to have good relations with these people. This makes me invest a lot of time and energy into worthless relations. I should be fine with the fact that some people oppose me and some like me. It is not easy to actually feel that. I often have the impression that my work is not appreciated but actually the problem is that I seek appreciation from the wrong people. I can't make everybody love me. I learned this the hard way this last week and even though I wanted to change that already a couple of times, this time I will do it. I don't care about these people anymore. I must invest my energy in relations that are actually worth the effort.

Cheers
Stef

Chicken chicken chicken

They are everywhere... glad to be a lizard...

Dear blogreading beggars

Dear beggars who might read this blog (although I think my effort is quite futile)...

I really think that I should share something with you:

I have witnessed a lot of beggars begging in front of banks... Now at first it seems to be a pretty clever idea, since the place really smells of money... but it is not a good idea...
If you think about it: People go to banks because they don't have any money anymore... and they come out with wallets full of bills of 50, 100 or more... and they sure will not share that with you...
So if you ever think about going begging, do so in front of a supermarket or something like that...

Cheers
Stefan

Good bye realism

I was kind of thinking about this for quite some time. There are some reasons who indicated to me that I really have to write this. The last one was when I heard today in the morning Peace Train from Cat Stevens in the office. I actually did not pay that much attention to the lyrics but I actually just thought about the word Peace. And I thought about my values, as I did a lot these couple of days. And that’s why I decided to write this blog entry:

I am, and this might be quite some shock to the people who know me, an idealist. I believe in the fact that our world can improve in future. I think it is not acceptable that there are people starving all over the world, while we throw away our food. I think it is a scandal that people get shot while standing up for their right, as it happens in Burma for the moment. I think that every person on earth has the right for justice, equal treatment, freedom of speech and freedom to believe and think what he or she wants. I think that women do an equally good job in most of the professions and should therefore be paid according to their economic strength. I am aware that I live a privileged life, that some of it is just pure luck, some of it good choices of mine, but still there is a part for which I was not responsible. This analysis results basically in the fact that I have to face responsibilities that I was not ready to face before. There is certain amount of duty in this privileged life. I mean, as we cannot do much for the fact that we live the way we do, at least we should try to make the life better for the others. This does not mean that I will become a fanatic fighter for the poor, for those who do not have a justice system that works or any other who have a life less free than we do. Because having this mindset would make me do too much. I cannot help everybody. What I promise here and now is that I will act up to my values in a smart way, based on economic criterias and regarding the opportunities I have in my life.

This does not mean that I for example will stop buying T-Shirts made in China because they were produced by workers who have no rights, are underpaid and not happy. I will continue buying them for two reasons: First, by buying T-Shirts made in China, I at least provide a working opportunity to these people. Maybe it is underpaid, maybe they don’t have any rights, but at least it is an opportunity for them to get some food on the table. I really think that there is a natural evolution of working standards. I mean, 200 years back, we didn’t have much better standards here in Europe either. And second, by buying the cheapest shirt on the market, I have more money left for other things to buy which creates jobs and which helps drawing people out of poverty.

What it means is that I will not accept any analysis done by me who finishes with the result: We just have to work with the people that we have, because there are no others. I believe that we can change the people we have by being a good example. I want to stop being cynical, being a realist in political terms, to believe that we live in a bad world. I think that if everybody would maximise their wellbeing, we would maximise the well being of the society, of the world. But as we have different capabilities of maximising our well being (some have the chance to do it, some don’t) we are actually not capable of doing that in a way that is justified towards those with limited capabilities. This is just one example of many where I will apply different standards to my thinking from now on.

I have been a realist and a cynic for a long time, so I am not yet used to this way of thinking. And that’s why I write this very long blog entry: Because I want to be judged after moral values such as justice, honesty and so on…

Cheers
Stefan