Lying on a log in the drizzle beneath the cement factory Dodging dogs staring at the full moon on a Nyanga street Dylan on the empty highway, the truck in the slow lane ahead inching slowly closer Tai chi on the damp grass, my chair-bound legs awakening Related Posts: Blissful lucuma Elements of Health –… Continue reading Bliss is…
Taming the tiger
This week, I had another opportunity to reflect on my mind’s reactivity, another repeat lesson. It was a day that began sleepless, thanks to the neighbour’s alarm being activated continually. With them away, their alarm had been going on and off all night long. There was a mess at work requiring tedious amounts of fixing.… Continue reading Taming the tiger
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is the practice of doing no harm to living beings, even in ones thoughts. As these things go, it’s been defined and analysed in different ways, and various systems have slightly different interpretations, but to me, it’s a way of life, the right way to live one’s life. It’s a principle rather than a… Continue reading Ahimsa
Lucid dreaming
This weekend I attended a lucid dreaming workshop at the Tibetan Centre, presented by Charlie Morley. Charlie is a wonderful teacher, knowledgeable (in spite of claims to the contrary) and full of enthusiasm. I became interested in lucid dreaming again not after watching Inception, but after discussing nightmares with my son, now 6. I told… Continue reading Lucid dreaming
Blissful lucuma
In my experience, bliss arrives when we’ve let everything else go, and, unplanned, let it saunter in. In Madagascar, arriving in a tiny village on the coast, far from where I’d planned to end up, alone, and with no expectations. And a new year’s party beyond any I could have imagined. An instant on the… Continue reading Blissful lucuma
Food Security Workshop
This week I attended a 2-day workshop on Food Security at UCT’s Graduate School of Business, convened by Milla McLachlan and Ralph Hamman of the Food Security Change Lab, and facilitated by Reos. This was a continuation of a process, which included a number of workshops and Learning Journeys around Cape Town, Johannesburg and Limpopo,… Continue reading Food Security Workshop
Athlone towers coming down
The Athlone Towers came down today. For those watching, it was mostly a disappointment. The towers were blown up 4 minutes early, catching most unawares, backs turned, or video cameras still bagged. eTV’s footage consisted of a surprised presenter and a hurried jump to a disappearing cloud of smoke. The Zoopy servers failed under the… Continue reading Athlone towers coming down
Northern Sotho Wikipedia needs help
Northern Sotho is the only official South African language without an active Wikipedia. The project sits in the incubator, where it interestingly has far more articles than all other SA languages bar English and Afrikaans (540 vs Swati on 187). Mohau Monaledi has been driving the project, and has contributed 1310 edits, more than everyone… Continue reading Northern Sotho Wikipedia needs help
Wikimedia South Africa workshop
This weekend a number of us held a workshop at Wits University to discuss forming a South African chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation – the non-profit foundation supporting projects such as Wikipedia and Wiktionary. For those interested in the details, the Wikimedia South Africa meta page has more, and you can also join the mailing… Continue reading Wikimedia South Africa workshop
Cruel to be kind?
A Facebook friend shared an animation from RSA Comment entitled First as Tragedy, Then as Farce. Go watch it first. By Slavoj Zizek, the renowned critical theorist, the critique was interesting and largely accurate. How we buy a Starbucks coffee as redemption in the consumerist act, for example. However, I was struck by a comment… Continue reading Cruel to be kind?