An article with no name
- Martyn Foster
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
In the desert (online), no one remembers your name, but there’s always someone to give you some pain.
The article I had originally pinned for this week didn’t really manifest itself the way I had intended, so, I scrapped it and started again. Sadly, the replacement hasn’t come to fruition much either, so, I’m flying by the seat of my pants, and we’ll see what we come up with this week. It’s difficult forcing creativity, generally speaking, the best work won’t come from it, but I’m pushing through the block with the faith that something will appear.
No surprise, the article and subtitle came to me after the song by “America”, Horse with No Name, popped into my head and I just made a play on words. Step one, creativity check, passed haha. It can feel a bit like a needle in a haystack on the internet, sometimes worse, but I continue on because I know I’m making a difference to people’s lives. It’s not yet the millions that so many dream of – I don’t know what I’d do with that many fans, I’d inherently distrust it I think – but I always feel that even if it’s just one person you’re making a difference to, it’s worth it.
“Aim for peace when everyone is at war.”
Individuals, groups, countries…the combative nature of human beings is on full display and can be difficult to escape. If you are/feel under attack, it’s nigh on impossible to achieve peace. Peace is not just between two parties (without), but within. On a more individual level, you have to ask yourself some questions, “is this person here to help me or hurt me?”, “what part of me is feeling hurt / why am I feeling defensive?”, “what within me is causing me to respond this way?”, “have I perceived this interaction in a true and accurate manner or is there something I’ve possibly missed?”, “how am I contributing to this disagreement?”. A lot of the time, people get combative because they do not feel heard, cared for or respected, and their needs are going unmet. Other people get combative because they’re poorly developed human beings. It’s a lot harder to aim at peace, but much more conducive to longevity, worthwhile and emotionally fulfilling.
Keeping on with this subject of peace, I’ve stumbled across the most peaceful podcast I’ve heard/seen in a long time. “Get Birding with Sean Bean” follows actor Sean Bean (who I really like) and his love of bird watching – simple enough. He talks to various other people as they indulge in their mutual passion of birding and it’s so relaxing – or maybe it’s his reassuring northern accent, dressed like a proper Englishman. Gardens, trees, woodlands, ponds, streams, birds…there’s just something so serene about these settings, and small wonder they’re usually accompanied by poetry.
My mum loves her birds. I say her birds even though they’re free to come and go as they please, but they always return. They bring my mum great joy which means a lot to me, especially given the last 2-3 years, it has been quite difficult for mum, bless her. So, we get quite the range and quantity of native birds fly into our back garden and make use of the two bird baths we have. From galahs to magpies, pigeons and doves, various parrots, willie wagtails and other small birds, it’s quite the show – both in colour and sound. It’s very peaceful, even on the rare occasion when they’re not so peaceful.
Carve your own little place in the world, aim for peace and find it.
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