Tag: understanding

At 70yo with the Power of Invisibility

Well I am blessed to be able to sit and write this little ditty as a few of my mates have not been so lucky and left the stage.

Over my life I have not stayed inside any bubble for any great length of time in my work life therefor my social experiences have been as expansive yet as my son grew up my “street wise” credentials have expanded even further. That’s not a reflection on him its a reflection on our parental interest never failed him and like all kids he had to make his own way and I think we gave him that freedom. He was not in our bubble but knew where home was to clarify the point.

The reason I started on this is I am so thankful that I was introduced to what the younger set were thinking, and being a baby boomer we thought we knew the ropes and I /we discovered their were different ropes. Times change and we the old farts have to adjust.

Yes ADJUST, learn and let go and learn again.

Many of my age played the too old or don’t want to card and expected the world to feel sorry or adjust to them, be it business practices, technology, travel even basic shopping they played the victim card not realising it was their choice in the majority of cases so as time progressed that victim card turned into well get onboard and stop the poor me shit.

Personally I’m a self taught bloke, very fortunate to be involved in the biggest technology shift in the world at the leading edge. Thanks to PMG, Telecom Australia , Telstra i was involved in watching learning and partaking in changing the nations communication systems from open wire to fibre.

That knowledge sits with me today as vivid as it was when it happened as it was just exciting to be part and to grasp the knowledge so you could progress to the next level, be it physically and professionally.

I watched my initial trade Boilermaking progress in equipment, techniques but the 4 pound hammer is still a basic requirement. I left for my good and my family’s future taking a massive wage cut to gain security. The punt worked in so many ways I no regrets.

Then it was the Retail phase where we went into the family business, and lived out of the till. My/our decisions, and that was a necessary step we felt at the time. A great experience I don’t regret but it was a tough teacher.

Throw in cab driving, fruit and vegetable at the markets, car detailing, football coaching semi professional, leaves me I feel with reasonable credentials to in my older phase to look where we are, and where I fit.

It seems the older you get the more invisible you are to the busy or self indulged.

Self indulgement was a blessing we never claimed in my set but it was part of the elite lifestyle we never aspired to join for the fear of loosing real friends. Many tried and never has the breeding, and realised it was a inbred thing as it still is today.

Back to our secret power of invisibility we can talk at gatherings and be ignored, stand in line at the shop and people talk past you, say hello or make eye contact and people turn their head, offer advice and help from actual experience to absolute Fuckwitts and be looked at like a dog turd.

Such is life as older human who should be parked up out of sight out of mind.

No I’m not bitter I’m amazed and question myself strongly if I was that discourteous to my elders.. I question that daily. I often disagreed as I did question, but never ignored out of respect.

We old farts are guilty of our own destiny too as many especially in retirement cannot let go of their past and try to remain in roles of importance after retirement, not to the benefit of the organisation but for self importance and relativity.

All good but comes a time for the good of that organisation you have to stand aside a become a mere mortal.

An autocrats nightmare I know but that attitude does nothing for the elder reputation overall, and dare I suggest successive planning.

What a stupid idea is that… “look at me, I’m a senior citizen and there no-one to take my place”, without thinking its you job in reality to find and train people to do your job for the good of the organisation you represent.

Ego won’t allow that too many.

Yes it happens and happening in your bubble. Just look.

Well I’ve calmed down a bit, taken by blood pressure and I’m good to go. So what about the present me?

After being in positions of captain and presidents of football and golf clubs and being active in a playing only capacity for about 5 years I had to stop because of oxygen, or lack of.

Asbestos is not you friend so of late I’ve been asked if I want to help with the golf club Pennants side and I will do the job as I always have in a business like perspective. Results are a priority then comes the social aspect as it costs the club business to compete even though the players are amateur.

All of my “volunteer” roles have been based on the same princiopal which some find it hard to comprehend. That’s my business brain at work and it has cost me friends as they can’t grasp business outside the kitchen table wanna be professionals who have never moved outside their bubble, but know the power point presentations by heart.

Sister too has moved back into the workforce and I admire anyone regardless of age steps into the unknown and challenges themselves outside their bubble.

Pop that bubble and you will see life outside, but be prepared for some push back from those who have taken you for granted, or scared to move outside theirs, directly and indirectly, and be prepared to be challenged. You have no status other than your clipboard even though you may have a title bestowed.

It’s a test of your Basic skills not the ones you may have acquired in your former career.

In closing for now I was pleasantly surprised when a young person asked me if they could contact me for advice in a new role , so my superpower of invisibility is penatratable to some who actually want to converse to another human in a most unfashionable way face to face. Let’s see if that eventuates..

Bye for now, and if I’m still up i’ll be back oxygen permitting..

It’s Getting Just too Hard for Scotty from Marketing.

No doubt our country is going through a political identity crisis at the present and our political party’s don’t really know who their actual base is as they try to find a space that suits the current climate and suits their factional nemesis’s

Once the proud County Party now the Nationals used to represent the man on the land, the cocky,the producer, now its total focus is running a case for big coal and gas that rips the guts out of agricultural land, contaminates or irradiates underground water surrendering fertile country for the bag of fools gold.

They themselves have created a vacuum that the Greens and other groups with nowhere near the knowledge of the forefathers to fill, all self inflicted.

Amazing diatribe from Allan Jones about coal and climate denial yet the same man led the protest at Aplin against coal expansion. You have to ask who is paying the piper then conveniently forgets or hope we forget.

This country is crying out for leadership on important issues such as climate, mental health, economic certainty for business yet this government and its factions cannot decide what seat they sit in Canberra Parliament, what ideologies to have to suit days narrative, what we expect from Trumpsville but not in a thinking democracy.

If only we thought, listened and questioned more, and actually engaged we the punters could raise the bar if we choose.

Wayne Offer

Our Working Poor Does not Fit Scotty From Marketing’s Model.

It’s rude to eves drop. It’s probably unethical to write about it but this is a story that needs to be told.

While shopping in a major chain complex i inadvertently overheard two employees discussing if one had received a email from management re a issue. A negative reply then the conversation expanded into why the email was generated as one employee dared to question a manager.

The end result was that employee lost hours, and then the fear of that happening to them fully revealed how we allowed our people be manipulated as throw away human beings.

When loosing one hour is the difference of having a roof or on the streets for a family it becomes inconceivable to some who live in the land what we regard normal Australians.

These people are the working poor and in some cases destitute. They have pride and often present well clothed from charitable outlets or in uniforms and the only thing they have to trade is their labour and when your that low in the labour chain you are expendable and the ruthless employers prey on that vulnerability.

My initial thoughts was seek union advice but this contract society has taken away that safety net, and keep in mind millions of these are officially employed although they may only have 4 hours or less and do not appear on national un employment data, and then we wonder why our crime rate continues to rise as people struggle between New Start and manipulating employers of survive but when it gets down to feeding your kids or loved ones people resort to desperate measures, filling our courts and costing the community billions in enforcement.

Scotty from Marketing’s “have a go get a go” slogan does not apply to this level as his rejection of New Start increase is rejected and big business gets tax breaks about sums up the care factor to raise the living standards of all Australians not just the Silent Ones.

Wayne Offer

Trust and Truth are Targets of the Skeptics.

Regardless of what the skeptics would have you believe our nation is is experiencing a apoplectic event never seen in this countries lifetime, that is ever since white mans presence.

For those of us that are exposed to social media we have seen photoshopped newspapers, photos, data that was impossible to collate at the time due to uninvented technology trotted out as fact designed to influence the unsuspecting public not attuned or caring to partake in public debate period.

It’s said Truth is the first casualty in any war or dispute, and might I add trust to that casualty list.

Taking away trust in areas such as science, medicine, technological gathered data is the task set by those who feel that information will have a monetary effect on their support base only not humanity as a whole.

We as a human race have advanced with the help of evolving technology, from the stone axe head to a iPhone some good some bad, but in laymen’s terms, we embraced the transitions although some chose to remain in the past.

Their choice, but trying to discredit fact via fabrication puts trust and all those who have dedicated their lives challenging theories, scientific outcomes, medical tests as part of proof testing before public release in a position of some sort of blame if the data doesn’t suit your ideology.

The simple fact is now we are experiencing the science we chose to ignore and are paying the price not only here but world wide.

Would Female Leaders make the World Safer?

Hang on world I want to get off. Thats what many may be thinking looking at the way the leaders of the most influential countries are performing in their roles as leaders.

Trump thinks America is just a economy forgetting it’s also has people and social structure, Britain has moved to close debate on a exit it’s not sure what are the real ramifications. Hong Kong is fighting for its right to just be itself as you were, while Israel and Iran are goading each other seeing who can gain the power in the sand pit. China and Korea have plans that do not align with the rest of the world based on self interest and in every case the leaders are male.

If history is not to be repeated and world conflict can be avoided we have to look at who are the best political negotiators are women in the majority of cases And will always reach compromise sooner with better or amiable outcomes.

Politics aside Britain’s T. May was ejected for not achieving a outcome she herself did not vote for but her effort goes unchallenged while Hong Kong’s lady is driving a agenda not of her making both outstanding performers driving a agenda not of their own beliefs. That’s politics in its rawest form unfortunately but I believe if we had more women as world leaders the debates on the major points of contention would not escalate any where near quick. and our world would be safer, but unfortunately males at the highest level are of aggressive culture and seem comfortable in intimidating rather than intellectual behaviour which brings into question are they right fit for the job of leaders for today’s world ?

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My Neighbourhood Stands Together.

What a unique Street we live in.

On Girral, we had a very pleasant evening at the local celebrating a rather gratifying week and a bit preparing, erecting, judging, stewarding, exhibiting, and winning, then dismantling everything we constructed.

We, I say we all helped each other in exhibits such as school work, art, the inaugural honey exhibition, bonsais, horticulture, photography, and general supervision of all of the above.

Not bad for a dead end street and a bunch of possibly the most diverse people from diverse backgrounds one could imagine all coming together for a Rosewood Show commitment.

We all live on acreage, yet our commitment to each other and families quality of life goes without saying. Even those who don’t participate in everything still are not left out. We all communicate, we all care.

Unique no not really to me, as my upbringing was exactly this. Care about your neighbour, communicate and be understanding of diverse opinions, cultures, and habits. It does not come naturally and it has to be worked on but so does life.

I like to think we are similar to the Football Club I follow who has the motto Mia SAN Mia, which translates plural and singular “We Are Who We Are, and I Am Who I Am.”

Aboriginal Heritage Came before the Tragic Train.

As the. Media reels in the tragedy of the Notre Dam fire and records the world shock and pity of the 800 year old structure and artefacts lost or damaged could we please take a step back and look at what we are doing to our 80,000 year Aboriginal heritage and that is challenged daily by nature, bulldozers,  selective memory loss or just plain ignorance. 
We have the oldest Culture on the planet  and its history just  within  hours to all of us  on this island if we choose to accept that fact and although it may not fit with the teachings of some beliefs the artwork and history and  authenticity is  undeniable.
No one is donating billions  of dollars to keep this history let alone recreate it to its former greatness because its destroyed and anything else would be a fake disservice  to its creators. Those memories are left with respect to ancestors families to pass on but that does not stop us newer inhabitants from learning, appreciating and respecting. 
Its easy copy to look elsewhere and get on the tragic train but can we just take the time to appreciate what we have and preserve what is left. We owe that to mankind all over the world as  we are the keepers of history far before any cities, buildings or paintings were created. 

Upholding Journalistic Standards

Maybe I’m one who should be honoured to get a run occasionally in this forum but I actually think public debate is good for democracy. To be honest I was one of the first to burr up about taking Courier Mail copy and pasting Bolt and Murray in my QT.

Over time I have realised it’s important to have them there as it allows the masses to judge where the benchmarks of journalism are set in Australia and it’s becoming quite clear those columns make people aware of the lower end of the debate.

When people aspire to take this country back to the Menzies era of white Australia, coal burning, climate ignorant, society and try and spin that as the good times do not have Australia and our grandkids future at heart.

The light has finally fallen on the conservative ranks that climate change is not a political football and the right wing nutters like Bolt And Murray are so far out of step with real Australians views their opinions will only add the present to governments struggle for credibility, so keep it up.

In regards to our ABC every government regardless of ideology has bellowed bias from its inception and that’s great for our democracy and the cries from the crackpots from the right who want to silence it highlights its importance of a broader perspective, on political and social issues which is not on the media barons agenda who desire to claim the entire debate on their networks and engineer it accordingly.

Merry Christmas and let’s get to the polls.

Gay Bashing Reignited by the Good Christians.

This nation and our LGBTQ’s community was dragged through the mire of hate and recriminations, with the referendum to appease the what turned out to be a distinct minority of people who wanted SSM to be outlawed in this country.

Not satisfied with that result that all should be treated as equal the LNP immediately commissioned Ruddick to deliver a slanted outcome to compensate the proportion that voted NO, then proceeded to hide it for It’s political reasoning.

Well Zannits cartoon in today’s QT has regenerated the non acceptance of those have no control over who they are and is a total disgrace. We as responsible adults should have a obligation to teach and live acceptance, but obviously some of the good church going hypocrites feel kids and teachers will infect their pristine views on who and who isn’t fit to be educated in private schools.

It’s gays this time, then will it be blacks, asians, if they don’t fit the pristine model?

In a culture that has hidden, supported, criminals who destroyed children’s lives for decades world wide and still ongoing have the audacity to point the finger and discriminate at those who through no fault of their own are dealt a hand that is different leaves me breathless, and surely the QT should make it clear on its stance on such a toxic ,unfunny and divisive piece of trash disguised as a cartoon

See below

Aboriginal Massacre Locations Revealed.

Our history in Australia has been carefully written and vetted to ensure our skeletons are well concealed as it would not enhance the image of our colonial past be tarnished with the true history of our barbaric acts we inflicted on the aboriginal people and culture.

This official link Comes With A WARNING so prepare yourself for a discovery you may not want to hear.

https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/

Truth must be revealed no matter how upsetting it may be for some.

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