Category: Articles
Community Regeneration – encouraging dreams
(The boat featured in the photo is one of the “ripples” as it was built in a neigbouring village by youth under the guidance of another man who had a dream to build an historical boat as a means to impart boat building skills to youth.) Change is not a new phenomenon as every generation […]
Alex’s dream/Sinclair’s vision
(This is Alex and the boat of his dreams. It was built by Alex and a group of volunteers in Portsoy, Scotland as one of their inputs into the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival.) Within the hearts of people everywhere lie the dreams, often dormant, that cause real development to happen. While there to discover few […]
Affirming Self – just being
The most fundamental of human needs after physical sustenance is that of affirmation. People have need to sense a conscious reality, to perceive permanence and to belong. It is primarily why people have gathered together in groups and created structures throughout history. The perception of security that emanates from belonging is critical to spiritual health […]
Accepting Stillness – enduring solstice
Solstice is the point in time when the sun on reaching the extremity of its cycle, becomes still before beginning the next cycle of earth’s seasons. Solstices are about change, uncertainty and transition from one season to the next. In earlier periods the advent of each solar solstice was the cause of much apprehension as […]
Acknowledging Roots – life’s web
The “search for roots”, has become a growing passion for many, especially in the western world. Some pursue family trees in often fragmented records, others search long lost relatives, and still others explore ancestral homelands. Most do not realise that these are superficial exercises, for our longings, even much of our anguish, and despair emanate […]
Appreciating Rhythm – valuing relationships
When any rhythms are interrupted or altered, they tend to veer out of control until measures are taken to restore balance. The all too evident apprehension, stress and despair which can be seen everywhere today would indicate that this point of imbalance has been reached. Whether one considers the natural environment or human activities, these […]
Development and Culture – an inextricable link
The integration of economies, shifts in manufacturing bases, communications developments and technological developments are having impacts, causing stress and re-evaluation of institutions, programs and methodologies. These economic thrusts are shaping political agendas as well. The apparent inability of national governments to control either economic levers, interest rates or currency patterns exemplifies and heightens these shifts. […]
Attaining Peace – understanding trust
Trust (belief in oneself and others) is diminishing amid the flurry of news items portraying sadistic crimes, police brutality, and abuse of all sorts. Study after study produces statistics depicting evident ills inflicted on every segment of society. Political systems are under duress, justice systems are in chaos and most religions face challenges to tradition. […]
Achieving Harmony – cultivating respect
In today’s world, too often, respect becomes confused with envy, with empathy and with profile. Yet, respect (feelings and expressions of worth for oneself and others) is fundamental to the nurture and fulfilment of human existence and doesn’t evolve from societies built on borders, barriers and boundaries. It can’t be legislated nor regulated, can’t be […]