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Aug
22
Peering into……
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Well yesterday we here in Australia had an election and the day ended with a hung parliament. I’m not sure how this will turn out over the next week or two but I will say irrelevant of the outcome both major parties need to admit to the people they have failed. When you have an election within a two party system and both parties average 50% it has to be a sign. When half the country don’t want you then you certainly have to think seriously about it.
My opinion is simple. We have two major parties whom are both full of bullshit (I know, such a surprise in politics lol). What do I mean? Well I think there are a lot of factors that affected the outcome but generally we are sick of the lies and propaganda. All the public really wants is for politicians to come out and say what they really believe, what they can achieve and what they can’t, in realistic timeframes.
I don’t want promises that they won’t follow through on or use an excuse when they don’t achieve. I want strong policies. I may not agree with them but if those policies are transparent I can make an informed decision. I read through a lot of the policies that were out there prior to the election and to be honest within the two major parties I liked probably 50% of what I read. I will talk about my preferred party at a later time and talk about why.
I’m not a huge fan of politics but I have strong views on policy for this country and what I think. Whether others agree with me is not the point. Even if I am right or not is not the point. They are my views and I will stand by my decisions. You will never get one party that gets everything right, however a party that is responsible and tells it how it is will be sufficient. The thing I see is that political parties seem to forget that they have a responsibility to do what is right, fair and just. Yes they need to represent the people but they also need to make unpopular decisions if it is the right thing to do.
Unfortunately in the two party system we have one leader who seems to use his bigotry and sexism to gain popularity and another who seems to promote the Christian views whilst living in sin (doesn’t make much sense). Funny enough is that this leader has no problem accepting preferences from a formidable party that has an openly gay man at the helm.
Right now I think we need clear policy and direction with a no bullshit approach. Bring it on!
Aug
18
Quality of Friends
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One of the things that I have always been comfortable with is the need to ensure that the people around me are quality. Obviously at times I cop slack because I don’t keep certain people around but in the end I am a firm believer that the quality of people around me has a direct impact on the rest of my life.
The result of this lifestyle is that I maintain a small group of friends who are real friends and who are generally low maintenance. Does this mean that there are no problematic or high maintenance people around me? No, but they are few and are in an outer circle and only receive limited time.
I operate my life not in a system of thinking that there is a certain amount of time and then allocate it out. I work under the premise that I have a certain amount of energy and emotional strength available. I then prioritise where that should go. Now obviously work receives a fair amount of ET (emotional time). My other major priority is my own family and then after that what is left over goes to friends and other things. Now obviously that’s a simplified way of outlining it but it works.
Now I know that there are people out there who need loads of people around them and in their circle and I think that’s great if you can do that. However that is only good as long as it doesn’t cut into ET that would be better spent on the people that will be there for you and who genuinely care about you.
I don’t feel I neglect friends but that is because they actually have their own lives therefore any time we give each other is quality time. I don’t waste my time on people who use me to occupy themselves and I don’t waste my time on people who sap my energy.
This all may sound harsh, but in reality it’s not as harsh as it sounds. I also give people the chance for me to know them. I truly find that by giving my energy to those that matter the quality of people and relationships in my life is amazing.
Aug
15
The Debate Continues
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We are having a continuing debate around the issue of gay marriage around here. The debate is because it is such a hot topic at the moment (as usual) and looking at the different opinions in an objective way.
The debate is due to the fact that views are diverse not just in the straight world but also in the gay world. So where is the real issue in my mind at this point. I keep hearing the argument that marriage is a biblical tradition or tradition for straight couples and I can see where people might think this. I mean in the past marriage has been traditionally seen between straight pairs. The argument that this should remain a straight tradition seems rather slim to me. The reason being that just because the word has a historical meaning doesn’t mean that it can’t change, just look at an old dictionary versus a modern one. Also marriage is a deeply personal thing and has been performed over the centuries by non-religious people. Christianity isn’t the only instigator of marriage. In fact less and less people utilise a religious leader to perform marriage. So really that argument is void.
Also the government’s decision in Australia to maintain that marriage is between a man and a woman seems to be more a political stunt than a fair decision. I mean we have a political state that means politicians are not allowed to have personal opinions but only the opinion of the party. To avoid problems they more and more make the statement that they personally agree with the party’s policy or stance but there is no room for a different view unless they are given the ok for a conscience vote or view. So politicians are really screwed. The funny thing is there are many other religious based areas that are ok to disregard. We have a Prime Minister who technically is living in sin which is not allowed. We have Ministers who are openly gay which is not allowed. Married people cheat (more about cheating in an upcoming post) which is not allowed biblically. We live in a country where religious organisations put enormous pressure on political parties to do what they want. However we apparently live in a country where there is a separation of church and state.
When will politicians look at doing what is right and ensuring that discrimination does not exist. If you are going to make some decisions based on religious beliefs than make all of them based on religious beliefs. However sometimes politicians need to not follow the money but do what is right. Otherwise they are just followers and not leaders. Show some balls and do what is right.
Aug
11
Work Ethic
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Specifically the work ethic of people looking for work has been something on my mind lately. I know friends who are unemployed or have been recently and there seems to be two very distinctive groups. Those who do whatever it takes to get work and those who don’t.
I have friends who inspire me when it comes to their job hunting. If they are out of work for whatever reason they get straight in there and start looking. Of course they apply for jobs that are advertised but they don’t just rely on waiting on that call. They print copies of their resume and walk the streets walking into every business they pass handing out their resume. They don’t stop until they find something.
This is an awesome method because the reality is finding a job is all about timing. If you walk in somewhere at the right time you may get a look in without having to go through the torture of competition. If you get in when someone is looking but before they advertise you have a better shot. This attitude inspires me.
Unfortunately there are also people out there who say they want a job but really do nothing. Unfortunately I know a few like this. They actually would rather live off the government then actually contribute. These are the people who spend all their time avoiding work. They work the system by showing up for appointments as they are told to in order collect their unemployment benefits but work the system so they never really do anything.
Now some don’t have a problem with this but I find it insulting and really shows a lack of ethic. I mean the time they spend jumping through loopholes and avoiding work seems pointless when they could avoid all of these dramas by undertaking some work. Seriously they are better off financially if they work and would only have to work 15 hours a week to both be financially and get the government off their backs.
The key is that it is tax payers money which is paying for these people and I think the money would be much better spent elsewhere on helping those who need the assistance or on much needed services such as mental health or health in general. I do find these leeches annoying and I then see people who really want to do the right thing battling because they want to find a job and it all seems so unfair.
To those who really want to work I congratulate you and thank you for inspiring me.
