What are we doing wrong?

Don't get me wrong, I love being Australian. I love living here. I do love travel but I think this country is best suited to me and we are indeed very lucky (for the most part). However, I saw this on my travels and I can't get it out of my head. Where did we go so wrong?

In Japan, the houses are right on the footpath or road. No fence, no distance. They leave their bikes (or prams) out the front. The bikes have bags with presumably stuff in it. Or the prams have nappy bags underneath. The bikes aren't chained to anything.

No one steals them. There is no presumption anyone would.

In Australia (and America), you can barely get a parcel left on your doorstep (which is a good walk away from the street) without someone nicking off with it. Where did we go wrong? What aren't we doing that created this difference?

My husband had his bike stolen with an angle
grinder cutting through the chain. The guy turned up almost immediately after my husband left work for the day. All caught on camera (and the person arrested) so there was no mistaking what went down.

I asked a FB group and one person said they'd studied this in Criminology and it was put down to the closed culture (homogenous race is linked to lower crime, but also they are raised to respect and honour others from an early age). Another (American) blamed high meth problems in our countries and thought you could only be crime free in a gated community (interestingly, Australians view gated communities quite differently, so that's a whole other cultural clash there). Another person asked if there were high punishments for crime, or was it out of politeness that people didn't steal?

I do not have the answer, but clearly we are doing something wrong as a society. I remember in France at Xmas time I pointed out to a local friend how amazed I was that the Christmas trees in the streets had decorations just hanging from the branches, all over Paris. He looked at me quizzically and said "They're decorations. Why would anyone steal them?" It was incomprehensible to him. I pointed out that in Australia, those decorations had to be wired into the tree, otherwise it would be stripped bare in minutes on the first Saturday night after the city had had a few drinks....That trip was also when there were bombings in Paris and I'd not registered I'd shown my bag to security on the way into the department store. On the way out, I walked over to Security so he could look inside my bag. He questioned "Why would I want to look into your bag when you leave?" I then realised he was looking for bombs, not shoplifters. I mumbled something about in Australia we check when you leave because we steal stuff...it was not my finest patriotic moment.

One of the hotels we stayed at, I paid in full on check in because I wanted to make a quick getaway in the morning. We are 4 people, 2 rooms so should we order in house or hit the mini bar, we could potentially rack up a large bill. I said "Here's the credit card for incidentals" (a different card). The clerk replied "Oh don't worry about that". Instantly, my first thought in my head was "Are you crazy? What if I'm a thief" I know that I am not and I still thought that. I clearly have a default expectation or wariness wired into my head from cultural experience (or newspaper brain washing). So am I seeing more petty crime in Australia than is there? (Are the gated communities in the US seeing danger outside their walls that is above the reality?).

So I ask you, what are we (quite a number of countries around the world, not just Australia and America) doing wrong? Why do we have a culture that assumes theft, that builds society with that expectation, and where it does happen frequently?

How can the Japanese just leave their bikes unlocked and they're still there in the morning?

All things must change to something new, to something strange. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I've written quite a bit on "Something New". The Torschlusspanik list is specifically created to make me try new things. The Wednesday club is created to explore what is out there. Curiosity is rewarded. I will often take a punt on unknown musicians or comedians to find new things I like. There is a joy in new places, maybe a country far away or even just a new local venue. I've written about the importance of beginnings and how they slip by unheralded.

But today, the Longfellow quote got me thinking. Ben Elton in his last show said "I'm so old, everything I learnt as fact is wrong". He went on with a few examples. And he's right. Everything we know as solid fact becomes obsolete. Though people hold on tight to their old opinions, not wanting to educate themselves on the new information and change with the times. Fear, stubborness, ignorance. I don't know why.

The older I get, the more I see it in myself, or worse, in others around me. There are whole countries still ignoring the climate science, even though I had two friends have their travel plans change (in different countries) due to changed climate issues. So it's definitely happening in the far Northern Hemisphere, as well as on some islands.

I think our job as old people is not to assume we know better, though in some cases we will, but to really listen to the information and presume that perhaps our knowledge is obsolete. Or become dangerously obsolete yourself. You can learn from the past but you don't need to try and live there.

Don't assume your country does it best. Learn from other places in the world (there will be a post on this shortly as there was something I saw in Japan that I just can't get out of my head). It doesn't mean you're not patriotic. It means you're not a fool. It means you want your country to BE the best (or at least better).

It is reassuring to fight change or hold tight to how we want our vision of society to be, but it is futile, because the change is upon us, whether we like it or not. We can be open to learning and understanding or we can be part of the problem. Carl Sagan stated "The dangers of not thinking clearly are much greater now than ever before. It's not that there's something new in our way of thinking - it's that credulous and confused thinking can be much more lethal in ways it was never before." It's a warning for us not to rest on what we learnt at school or 'the way it was in my day'.

The same goes with ourselves. Just because we've always thought this way or behaved this way, doesn't mean we shouldn't challenge it. Life long behaviours can be altered, with work. If we recognise our role in the dynamic, we can change it. It's not easy, and it can be quite uncomfortable.

A friend from my youth, since our college days 35 years ago, sent me a message, meant as a compliment but I've been pondering it since. She wrote that I was someone "who never ever strays from their own values in the treatment of your fellow human beings, stranger, neighbour, friend, family. It's not normal. You are exceptional." Firstly, as flattered as I am, it's not true. There are times I've not taken on the crusade I believe to be right for others. I've maybe not stood up to defend someone against someone else. But more to the point, have I not changed my beliefs? Have I not evolved in my treatment of others to improve their place in the world? Have I learnt nothing in all these years? It's got me thinking I should be doing more. 

We can insist the world isn't changing, that society was better when our understanding was limited but the world & society will keep changing regardless. So it really doesn't matter what you think, just who you hurt & how much damage your old way of thinking causes.

"Each day, we have the opportunity to learn something new, apologize for our mistakes, and become better." Lewis Howes.

Linking with #TellUsAbout on Something New.

“Snow isn’t just pretty. It also cleanses our world and our senses.” — John Burnside

 

As someone from a city where it never snows, I rarely see the cleansing aspect of it. I don't see the whiteness transform into the bright colours hidden underneath, glistening with the dirty washed away.

And yet, in Kyoto, when I left the main hall of Sanjusangendo, what was white was suddenly bright greens and oranges and gleaming in the sunshine, umbrellaed by a crisp blue sky.

That experience was priceless for me. It is rare to see a first in nature by my age, yet it never ceases to astound me.

Sightseeing at it's best.

Linking with #FloralFridayFoto for the winter blossom.

When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I'll know I'm growing old. Lady Bird Johnson

On my last morning in Kyoto, I ducked out to Sanjusangendo, the temple with 1001 statutes. They are gold and it is stunning, however photos are prohibited so for my eyes only.

It snowed heavily as I strolled the grounds and the garden was more stunning than usual as a result.

There is a magic to the dusting of whiteness and the thick, large snowflakes falling all around me. Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote of that the "feathery flakes are scattered widely through the air, and hover downward with uncertain flight" and it's such an apt description.

I am curious that lots of languages have many words for snow but English only has one, while it snows heavily in so many English speaking countries...do our lack of words limit our thoughts or does our lack of thought limit our words?

Linking with #WeekendReflections for the trees in the pond #TrafficJamReboot #FloralFridayFoto

Snow in Japan

We had snow twice in Japan, in Hakone - only a little, enough to get excited about as we walked around the Open Air musuem (and enough to hide Fuji on the cablecar) and then real thick snow flakes that stayed on the ground in Kyoto. 

It did disappear again by the walk home but it was weirdly exciting for someone who rarely sees it, and three trips to Japan, this was the first time!

Even simple streetscapes became beautiful.

And the beautiful became more so.

I know for those of you swamped in blizzards each year, it probably seems silly but for me, it was magical.

Allseasons is back this week, and will think about if #Favouritefotos comes back next week....

#Allseasons linky runs from Thursday to Wednesday each week. 

Link one post that shows something seasonal. Traditional weather wise, a seasonal nature marker or a seasonal celebration. 

Make sure you link back to this  #AllSeasons post. 

Please comment on the post before yours and the host. Don't dump and run.

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Pick of my posts and the year in review - 2024

I normally do this as 2 posts but this year, just one. It's been a great year, but I don't feel I've been writing as much as I normally do.

So straight into it - 2024 has been a great year despite health issues and a steady physical decline. Or what feels like that. More tests in the new year. Good times.

In January we took what I thought would be our last holiday with our son, but thankfully he's coming to Japan again next year. Very happy to have two kids in tow for that. The eldest moves back home to look after our fur baby. Travel posts on Japan included one on Otagu Nenbutsu-ji , Bunraku and eating Fugu

I wrote the Road Less Travelled about our life choices and Money and Happiness about the privileged thinking people use when considering money, forgetting the ease it affords them. I also wrote about making the most of your years as you age. 

One of the absolute highlights was dining on top of the Harbour Bridge at Luke's Table. It really is a magical experience. We also had a pretty spectacular weekend with friends at Currawong.

I wrote about the importance of play and friends, and making new friends. I wrote about the antiquated shame with women's health. That has absolutely got to change.

In April we returned to the Banyan Tree in Bintan, where we went for part of our honeymoon 25 years before. It was really lovely. It was fun to compare the then and now, seeing it quarter of a century later.

I had a blast at Ultra, and am super stoked to be going again! Especially as I'm missing Timmy Trumpet and now Kygo and Cyril due to weddings etc. I wrote about my faulty memory and the joy of dancing.

I went to the book launch of my friend's novel that was published posthumously. A very bitter sweet experience. A great gift for Puccini lovers.

I was back in Singapore for the F1 Grand Prix. I am not booked for next year and have to say I'm quite disappointed. Hopefully something happens and I get to one somewhere....

We had the most amazing time swimming with whales in Moorea.

I used points to fly to Auckland to see Grace Petrie. While there, I ticked off a bucket list excursion to Gibbs Farm. It was well worth it. As was the detour to Piha Beach. A sensational 46 hours. I'm planning to go back and walk coast to coast when I can....

There was another getaway to Currawong with different friends & I loved getting out on my new stand up paddleboard (a birthday present earlier in the year).

So when I look back, it's actually been a pretty fantastic year, despite the woes. Plenty of good times and dancing with friends. A lot of travel. Plays and concerts. Activities and fun. It's funny how the negatives can cloud our vision a bit.

The green ones are 3D Xmas trees - so cute!

Best wishes for the New Year. May we all step up and do better for the planet and future generations.

Linking with #WWWhimsy #WednesdayAroundtheWorld #MCoW #SundayBest #WeekendCoffeeShare #TrafficJamReboot

Holiday Reading

This was a book club pick and I really enjoyed it. It's about relationships with mental conditions and the impacts around that. I was engaged and the narrative voice worked very well, I thought. I listened to it and it really felt like someone you knew was talking by the end of it. It was surprising and enjoyable, more for being something quite unusual in the topic and story.

I had to read this after seeing the show, because I wanted to see how the mirroring worked in the book, and the way the story threads appeared before we understood what we were following. I thought the writing (and presentation) of this tale is very interesting in the craftmanship.

I enjoyed the book, and the use of different fonts made it clearer than the tv show (where I spent a lot of the early episodes saying "That's a different narrator - who's that narrating for him?" or "What's that clicking - is it a film?"

Anyway, book is good, and tv show is really great. Wins all round.

When I saw this on a bin I was reminded of how much I loved Peanuts as a kid, so decided I would re read some. I can borrow them from the library on Hoopla so read them on my phone when I get a chance. This one is in colour and the other is in B&W.

They are still funny but there are some that seem so harsh or sad.

It's kind of strange - yet true, I guess.

I did enjoy them though, 50 years on!

This is a short story on Audible. Very funny - worth the $3 investment, I thought. Nails a lot of the weird human herd behaviour. I laughed out loud a few times in recognition.

Hope Santa brings everyone a few good books for Christmas.

Enjoy the time to relax and read.

Linking with #WOYBS #MonthlyWrapUp #SundayPost, #SundaySalon  #StakingtheShelves #Bookdate