Equity vs. Equality

Because we are living in a society where we have access to the same resources, does this make us as individuals equal? Or more to the point can we claim to live in an equitable society? Indeed, one persons position in an equal society can be a symbol of another's failure. Because I earn less than you, am I less successful? Because I come from a privileged background, is my success any less worthy?
The debate is even more poignant when opened up to health care. Indeed, in the UK we can almost speak of an equal and equitable health care system, until that is we cross the line into drugs pricing. While in the US, the equality on which the nation is built is a far distance from achieving equity in health care provision.

Negative Peace

I came across an interesting term today - "Negative Peace". It worries me that academics and indeed politicians have gone so far as to stretch the definition of Peace to include anything other than what is a positive outcome. Indeed, a cessation to violence - whether permanent or fragile - is a period of peace; an opportunity for parties to conflict to reassess their ideals; to see the potential for dialogue; and to embark on dialogue for peaceful resolution. While the permanent state of peace, that "Positive Peace" has been coined to define, may not always be tangible, the potential for coexistence and the hope that periods of non-violence give a society are more valuable than time spent seeking to define the state of affairs. War is not a science, the only rules of conflict are those which are wisened to after the event.

The only way is up

Thanks Jordan, great bit of advice you gave me there! To put this morning's elevator conversation into perspective, readers should note that I am 3 days away from embarking on an Everest base camp trek. So yes, the only way is up (or so one would hope)!

But should we always seek to attain that which is deemed higher? Deep, I know. But seriously worth some consideration. Because essentially if we focus on what we want to achieve more than what we already have achieved then maybe we lose out on the essence of appreciating the moment and living for the here and now.

Even in politics the constant focus on what we need to achieve may leave parties, governments and international organisations in a state of flux. Between working with what we have to maintain and improve the situation as it is, and preparing for the next 12 years governments lose focus. Miss opportunities. Waste time. Take climate change. We all agree that we need to act. We all agree to a certain extent that we need to act now. But we can't agree on what goals to set so we're going to delay acting for a year? Sorry guys, not convinced. What we should be dong in a situation where we can't agree is sitting down until we do agree. Instead it seems governments have changed the goal of Copenhagen 2009 to "lets decide when we'll be ready to decide what to do". Ludicrous!

So I say stop climbing and take a moment to appreciate the view. Climb any higher and things will only get tougher especially when you aren't working together.

Inspired, by a bag lady

What do we do to really make the world a better place? Recycle, donate to charity, re-use shopping bags... the list goes on and as it does so we soon realise that ticking the box of each and every one of these is a full time job.

But what if it didn't have to be?

Maybe the answer is to "institutionalise" sustainability. What if when you go shopping, you can't not be sustainable? What if your workplace made sustainability part of the wallpaper?University campuses become Green War battlefields and countries as well as communities feel proud and are rewarded or their efforts in a way that make us all want a piece of the pie...

My initial thoughts are turned towards the creation of a national sustainability agenda encouraging businesses and communities to “compete” in proactive carbon emissions reduction. The US already do a lot of this on University campuses and I think it has massive potential to make lasting impact and positive change across the public sector and society as a whole. Blue sky thinking perhaps. I like blue skies.

Sustainable communities

Where can we find examples of sustainable communities?
I am interested in seeking out those who rebuild their lives after natural and manmade disasters. Or those who have embarked on a social movement to regain control of their comunity in a bid to create sustainability where before self destruction was a real threat.
How can we maximise social value, invest responsibly and generate sufficiant finacncial returns to ensure sustainability?

Looking for the link: my thoughts into words, uncut.

History is full of them leaders, warriors and mothers who protect. Their objective is the same, survival. Their strtategy defense and a constant awareness of that or those seeking to harm you or your protégé.
As time and history moved on we slowly began to realise that internal threats were just as dangerous to our survival as threats from our neighbours and beyond. The idea that such internal threats could be more easily defended against sparked social protectionism in it's many forms.
Yet all the while the majority of effort still was directed towards the external threat, perhaps neglecting the internal beast as a result. With time protectionism led to rebellion to supression and so on.
And now we protest and deny our governments the freedoms once given to use violence and counter external aggression in the name of defense. As we the protected begin to question our protectors, attention is turned to social harmony, prevention and sustainability. If we can fix ourselves, we can save the world. Naïve?
Social movements, sustainable communities, peace ... where is the link?
Have we found the anwser? Have we even found the question?

New ... ?

New Year new me? Or time to reignite the me I have suppressed for 4 years...? Lets go for the latter, with a hint of the former to get me on my way. It started badly this is true (I 'cancelled' NYE) but my philosophy is things can only improve. Again, that has been my philosophy for a good few years now so I'll need to work on that as well. 

Change doesn't just happen, or does it? Is it our necessity to feel challenged that causes us to fabricate barriers to what would otherwise be achievable goals? I sense a challenge to challenge the challenge. Find a thesaurus you say? I say pick one up yourself if you want literary genius, we all know what the final meaning is! 

Where will I be this time next year? Neither here nor there, because I like not to know. Lets say somewhere.