Cartoon Pen & Watercolour Copyright 2008 Jean Burman
Another incredible day of human achievement. I don’t quite know what’s come over me as I am not generally given to watching much television…. and definitely not sporting events… especially as a non participating couch potato!
But this week has been different.
Not that my viewing has been all that “couch potato-esque”… most of it comes in fleeting snapshots as I pass by the tellie. But then it happens that something captures my attention… and I am sucked helpless (like a moth to the flame) into the next event!
“Oh hang it all… there’s always next week to get something done”
I attribute my newfound interest in the Olympics to advances in technology and the huge leap in the way television is delivered to us today. With innovative camera work (capturing with subtlety a single water droplet) and insightful commentary from programs like the Seven Network’s “Yum Cha” (check out Episode 3 so funny)… the focus has been not only on the winners… but also on the stories of personal triumph that… after all the hard work… don’t always translate into success.
It strikes me that there are metaphors for life everywhere in the Olympics. And there are lessons to learn in watching how these dedicated professionals deal with triumph and disaster in their own individual way.
Moreover… there are lessons for the world (at large) to learn… in how to deal effectively with each other in a moderate way… having respect for our differences whilst at the same time celebrating those things that we do have in common. No… not everyone gets it right… but there are lessons in not getting it right too! LOL
This cartoon was inspired by Libby Trickett’s individual gold medal win in the 100 metres butterfly event. It wasn’t the win that inspired me so much as the humanity shown at the end of the race when the silver medal winner Christine Magnuson from the US… bobbed spontaneously under the rope and wholeheartedly embraced her rival. What an awesome example of friendship, tolerance and understanding.
I hope our political leaders are taking note… and paying attention to more than just the scores!
Cartoon – pen & watercolour 9″ x 12″
artwork & content Copyright 2008 Jean Burman
If you’ve ever been left holding the door for an endless stream of otherwise-occupied people… (in an act of kindness gone madly wrong)…
If you’ve ever stepped aside at the checkout to allow someone with one item to go through first… (only to have the fully laden grocery trolley suddenly materialise from nowhere)
If you’ve ever pulled back in traffic to allow a car to merge into your lane (and four more barge in as well… without so much as a wave of thanks)
(I could go on… 
)
you will have experienced first hand the distressing modern day phenomenon of bad manners.
My father used to say “I’d give anything away… but I don’t like having it taken from me”
It’s not so much that you want them to reciprocate… it’s just that you wish things could be different… and that if they were going to be so downright rude… you’d hope they could be a little more courteous about it! (chuckles)
Good manners.. not to be confused with “etiquette” which is a whole ‘nother kettle of comparatively insignificant fish… is definitely going out of style!
No longer taught in schools… and less valued or encouraged at home… this next generation could be forgiven for not having an ice-cube’s hope in hell of dealing… (with decorum and grace)… with the burgeoning wave of bad manners, inconsideration, disrespect and self-centred boorishness that is fast becoming the norm in modern society. And no… it’s not just the young who are at fault. It seems that we more mature folk (ahem)… who were taught well… have either forgotten our P’s & Q’s… or have choosen to abdicate from our responsibility to pass them on! ~grin~
Fred Astaire
The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.
If you have ever wondered what cyber rage… road rage… supermarket rage (and any other type of rage you’d care to mention) had in common… wonder no more. All forms of modern “rage” from the superficial to the full scale global variety… have their origins in the loss of what we humans used to value highly and used to do rather well. Once upon a time… common courtesy… consideration… tolerance… and good manners were the order of the day. It made things tick. It made us feel good about ourselves and others. It gave us a rudder to steer ourselves by.
That was… until there were too many of us on the planet!
I blame population growth… an increasing anonymity… and the consequential loss of our sense of “community”. Anonymity provides the perfect cover for the rude and ignorant… who espouse the attitude
“No-one knows me… no-one can see me… I can do and say what I like”.
Back in the day when everyone “knew” someone… or at least… knew someone who knew someone else who knew you (if you know what I mean! LOL)… we all had to be accountable for our actions. “Reputation” was everything. Now there are no consequences… and someone’s pulled the pin on the checks and balances!
Confucius
Consideration for others is the basic of a good life, a good society.
These days… what we seem to have is a bunch of anonymous “out of control” people. They look like everyday people but hand them a mobile (cell) phone or a mouse… put them behind the wheel of a car… or in charge of a supermarket trolley (not to mention… in charge of a country! ~grin~) and those who would be war mongers grow horns… cruising the supermarket aisles and roads…. and surfing the superhighways of the planet with “virtual” impunity! Unwilling and unlikely to take responsibility for their words let alone their actions… there appears to be no cure for this run away condition! *wink*
Eric Hoffer
Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength.
Except… of course… for you and me! And what are we going to do about it?
Well I guess we’re going to do what we’ve always done. We’re going to continue to hold the door… defer to others at the supermarket checkout… and pull over to let someone else into our lane!
And why?
No… not because we are stupid… or for some perverse reason we feel the need to go around looking for punishment!
No…. we are going to keep doing it because it’s the right thing to do… and someone’s got to do it! We need people to once again set the example. Besides… if enough of us do it… it might even become trendy and fashionable… and the pendulum may swing (ever so laboriously) back the other way.
Oh… how I wish it would be so… *sigh* (((chuckles))))
Arthur Schopenhauer
Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.
Artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman 2007.
He came… he saw… and he conquered.
Not by force… with guns and impressive armies.
But instead… with a very simple message of peace… tolerance… kindness and warm-hearted compassion for our fellow human beings.
Last week… His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived quietly… and with great humility… to share with the people of Australia his own special brand of humanity. And you don’t have to be Buddhist to appreciate his unique perspective on the troubles of the world and the challenges that we all face in these modern times.
“My religion is very simple… my religion is Kindness”
Regardless of religious persuasion… it is difficult to remain unaffected by a man such as this. He gave public talks to packed audiences wherever he went. His simple brand of infectious good humour, good will and compassionate warm-heartedness… was nothing short of inspirational.
His holiness meets with Prime Minster John Howard
I was also rather impressed… that despite strong objections from China… leaders on both sides of politics took it into their hearts to welcome the Dalai Lama personally. And for his part… the Dalai Lama encouraged the inclusion of China into the world community… with the words “it is as it should be”… recommending we make good relations and genuine friendships with China (albeit with the proviso that China should observe “certain principles of human rights, democracy, rule of law, free press… and on these things we should remain firm”). That sounds fair enough to me!
When asked in an interview with the National Press Club about the burgeoning crisis in the Middle East and the ongoing problems in Iraq… he remarked…”This is very sad… (pausing with head bowed) very… very sad” (pause). He then went on to say that violent intervention would only spawn more hatred and violence. “For instance” he said… “if you were to destroy Osama Bin Laden… there would be many many more Bin Laden’s who will rise up behind him”.
The tragedy that is currently unfolding in Iraq seems to bear testament to this. His belief is… the way to peace is through education… and the “turning” of people’s hearts.
Simplistic perhaps… but there is something about this man that makes me feel that anything is possible… if only we were to collectively adopt this viewpoint… and see the world through the filter of understanding our differences… and the cultivation of compassion for our fellow man.
‘Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practise these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned… or unlearned… whether we believe in Buddha or God… or follow some other religion… or none at all… as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy’ – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.
“I am no-one special… a simple monk from Tibet”
his comment upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989
When asked how we should deal with our inability to influence world events that affect us all… he suggested that (in general) we should look at a problem and if we think we can fix it… good… we should try to fix it. If we look at a problem and know we can’t fix it… we should simply let it go and stop worrying.
This philosophy reminded me of the Serenity Prayer… which has been adopted by Al Anon as inspiration for reforming alcoholics… (although I have never quite seen the connection)
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference…
At the beginning of what he had wanted to be a serious interview… a perplexed Ray Martin (in the Sunday programme) asked the Dalai Lama… with ever so thinly veiled mild annoyance…
“Why sir… do you laugh all the time?”
His Holiness replied… “Why not? Why not be happy? I could be sad (gesturing with slumped shoulders and grimacing face) but I choose to be happy… so I laugh… and I smile… why not?”
When asked if he was happy… he replied “of course!”
Yes… life is short (and it’s problems long)… indeed we should be happy… “why ever not?”
