Difficult decisions are choices in direction.

Today I decided to give up on the option of completing my honours.  With the difficulty of working through a roster that is workable but not viable compliant but not commendable.  I have made a decision that will take me from the path of learning that I had once thought possible and I have moved it into the improbable.

My work is turbulent and only can be considered engaging as I hold onto the handrail of the secure option on a river that is not sure why different tributaries feed it strange and silted waters.  As much as there is the desire it is the inability to make do or force open the options.  For five years I have been capable of focusing my energies on the need to move constantly forward with a wide-ranging desire and the need to become better then I was in the hope of the greater will be a more evolved me.

Of course, it has required a desire and a drive that has sometimes left my family in the situation of second place.  Though without their support there would not have been a successful me coming through at the end of this stage of my journey.  A journey that has made me richer intellectually and emotionally and enable my understanding and appreciation of how precious my family really is.

What is the next step?

I do not know; but my next focus needs to be come from without.  The within of my person feels satisfied, and that says that I need to step up and rise to a new challenge not of my making but of my agreement.  My wife may not agree with where it takes me or us, but I know that I shall have her support, love and the prerequisite scolding’s for known fallibilities.  Ones that are part of my being and require me to look at myself and wonder why I am and why I do what is not always in my best interest or the families.

Is this a sad note that I write?

Certainly not.  I love my wife, family and life way too much to look at the glass being half full.  So long as they are by my side the glass shall always be half full and the hope of a better tomorrow will sit within viewing distance.  I simply need to find my new focus and hopefully this focus will give me the opportunity to be the husband and father that I desire to be.  This is of course a work in progress because I am far from perfect.

By: Peter Fox

Two lectures, one underlying theme.

An interesting weekend learning what the future has to offer.

Recently Perth hosted two interesting events.  This is not unusual but the fact that my roster lined up to accommodate both is a rarity that I treasure.  The first by order of attendance was the Japan and Australia: economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific hosted by the Consulate-General for Perth and the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA). The second was, Sunburnt Country: The History and Future of Climate Change in Australia; a public lecture by Dr Joëlle Gergis author of the book by the same name, hosted by the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies.

To cover all the material that the various speakers discussed, considered and critiqued would require an extended formal essay.  And I’m not about to do that; maybe later.  The main themes that I picked from the speakers, which included Professor Tomohiko Taniguchi, Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Sam Walsh AO – Director, Mitsui & Co (former CEO, Rio Tinto), Fiona Simson – President, National Farmers Federation, Prof. Mark Beeson – Professor of International Politics, University of Western Australia and of course the previously mentioned Dr Joëlle Gergis – was interesting, especially after having some time to digest the information.

Each are specialists in their fields and more importantly are recognised and progressive in their chosen fields.  The speakers all spoke of the problems ahead of business and the nation state in a world with severe climate change and short-sighted political focus.  But there was no complaining and there were no glasses in sight that could be thought of as half full.

Instead all four of these broad thinkers talked about the blending of ideas, international cooperation and the uses of technology and big data to overcome the issues that are confronting businesses, trade, farming, mining, the environmental problems not just locally but globally.  I do have a bias towards technology being the answer to solving the current man-made problems that we and our children will have to deal with.  There is though, a glaring problem.

A federal election is sitting in the wings and so far, I have not heard any of the parties announce a defined and consistent policy that will help us to transition into sustainable water management, forging ahead with sustainable energy, investment in local research and development or even shared research and development projects.  Where is the commitment?  Why is their no vision?  And why do farmers, scientist and business managers have a better understanding of Australia’s needs to remain sustainable and successful.  Rather than the lawyer filled political parties whose reckless indifference and sometimes outright incompetence are only making the situation for all Australians – present and future – less likely to be a lucky country and more likely to be the people that vote for the pointless fear mongers of Palmer and Hanson.

The only ontology being expressed by Canberra, is that political myopia is real.

By: Peter Fox

A thought started, lost, restarted and not completed but published none the less.

I live in a privileged time and I mean that in a way where I don’t want me people to think of me as a skyte.  There is a lot that is currently happening in the world and I believe that we as a species live at a special time.

I utilise Twitter and LinkedIn as the two main choices of social media, and on both I see a world of endless possibilities that is reaching a point where at no other time do, we can bring about great change through intentional purpose and reasoning.

That time is only special because we are now reaching a potential level where we can not only modify our climate through the acts of negligence and intent, but we are able to undo and overcome those mistakes that have been made in the past and/or are currently being made.

I recently read an article in National Geographic that talked about the potential green revolution that the Netherlands has embarked upon.  They have set a precedent in agricultural production that surpasses any other nation.  More importantly they are not only willing to share this knowledge they actively develop other nations to help avoid starvation through their enhanced growing techniques.

The second point that I picked up on in various forms of social media is the growing development and optimisation of sustainable energy production.  Combing the Dutch food production and the sustainable power technology that has been growing in commercial success is not only good for our society.  The combination could be used for the important development of colonies on mars or the redevelopment of small towns.

Firstly, small towns.  Towns, not only in Australia but right across the world have been dying due to urbanisation and that urbanisation has more to do with jobs and opportunities than with people not wanting to live in towns.  Local governments could quite easily move into the business of power production using sustainably developed power.  Local businesses could be started as cooperatives that not only produce crops in the Dutch style but also utilise sustainable energy supplies to keep costs down, but potentially be net power exporters.

I started on this early but have not quite finished, but considering the amount of material that is coming up, I thought that I may as well publish it now instead of stuffing around and not getting anything done.

The start of a New Lecture Year

The season for lectures has begun and I have been able to score three over the next month.  Each of these is related to the health and well being of Australia in one way or another.  The first I will be attending is the AIIA Japan Economic Symposium which will be looking at the important trading partnership between Australia and Japan, as well as the growing importance of the geostrategic alliance.  I’m hoping that there will be extra information concerning the Indian Ocean and its relationship to that geopolitically driven alliance.

The second session is called, Sunburnt Country: The History and Future of Climate Change in Australia held at UWA and run by the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies.  I have attended a lot of their lectures and every one of them has been fascinating.  Sadly though, due to my roster and working in a FIFO environment, the number of lectures I can attend is limited.

The third session will be the Unorthodox and exciting applications of solar energy which will also be hosted at UWA as part of the Institute of Advanced Studies.  This is going to be a special one for me because I am taking my two sons along.  As soon as I saw the title, I knew that this was the one that I needed to start my two boys with.  I’m not trying to force them to think the way I do, but I have always intended for them to se the world from a variety of perspectives.

That’s it for now, and I look forward with anticipation to the coming events.

I’m a journey person, the destination is somewhere to have a rest before starting the next stage.

Tonight after following the clear instructions from WordPress I was able to add my Goodreads book reviews to this blog. I am surprised how easy it was, but I work with computers a lot more then I once used to and after completing my degree have a lot more confidence with the technology that is available.

At this point I intend to add a little more each time I go through and try new techniques, hints and tips. I especially look forward to endorsing some of the more interesting articles and journals that I find on the internet. Especially my two favourite social medias; Twitter and LinkedIn.

For me have a high following is not important – I would be grateful and appreciative. This blog though, is as much about me trying something new and experimenting then it is to advertise myself to the world. The bonus would to receive some interesting feedback and information. There is a lot to learn and I am always happy to do so.

Until the next time I try and add or modify something on this blog, take care