Submit to our primal selves and we will create harmony

Walking recently next to an Asian woman talking on her mobile phone I didn’t understand a word, but then she laughed and I understood immediately.

Laughter escapes the rigidities of language – it’s a communication everyone understands, irregardless of race or background.
In fact most human emotions can be understood, or at least sensed, by everyone.
The impact of laughter is obvious, happiness is a little more subtle, but often obvious, joy is similar; fear if not seen is still palpable; sadness may not be blatant, but tears make it so and although contentment is difficult to describe, it becomes evident when you look at a way of life.
Confusion brought on by language confirms the adage that we should take little notice of what people say, but keenly watch what they do - actions speak louder than words.
Much of the difficulty in our world, be it personal or somewhat more sweeping, can be traced to a failure to recognize and acknowledge an emotional state or even something more subtle, body-language.
Upon entering a room of strangers, you seem to know immediately, without anyone uttering word, which of those people you like or dislike suggesting that something about our survival, even beyond body language, is connected to our primal being.
Beyond the façade that all humans wear to help us understand race, status and a host of other surface values is a human being living with all the emotions, difficulties and delights each of us experience on the big wheel that is life.
Many of the world’s cultures have gravitated to Shepparton and to live in harmony we need to think about, respect and honour those inexhaustible and “raceless” human qualities of laughter, delight, happiness, courage, fear sadness, discipline, skill, morality and a sense of belonging..
The next time you encounter someone who appears different than yourself, then look beyond what you can see and connect with the essence of the person, the human who lives inside and in a fundamental sense feels all the same emotions as you.
Like the lady on her mobile phone, your new friend laughs just like you, I can guarantee that.

Weekend-long discussions about the stewardship of our earth

Nearly 20 people spent the weekend in Tatura considering stewardship of the earth.

But, there was more to the two-day of discussions than that.The weekend-long session had been organized by Tatura Transitions – a small group of like-minded enthusiasts’ conscious of the difficulties humanity faces as climate change and oil scarcity really begin to impact on our lives.

Recognising and acknowledging those changes are seen by many as apocalyptic, the group is eager to see the people of Tatura, and others in the Goulburn Valley, embrace the idea of transition as it would enable them to change their ways of living and so exist comfortably and profitably in a low-energy future.
Transition is not about casting away all that is good about life and living a subsistence lifestyle, rather it is about living in a sustainable way, the builds community making our towns and cities more sociable; escaping from the present industrial way of life that has an emphasis on growth, profit and confrontation that disregards the wellbeing of people with a preference for machines; improving our food security; sharing with our fellows and broadly helping people understand the role nature plays in underpinning their lives.
The emerging difficulties brought down upon the world by the activities of our booming population are complex in the extreme and as knowing how to respond to them is equally complex; the Tatura group asked two transition trainers to share their understanding of how the shift can be made.
Jane Phillips and Jacinta Walsh, both from Castlemaine, and each with some 18 months experience of helping similar groups in three states, first helped the group understand the realities of climate change and peak oil and then spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday explaining and consolidating the transition idea and within that the rich benefits to community.
Dentist, Ross Musolino, is the “face” of Tatura Transition, but his commitment to the idea of seeing his town living successfully in a low-energy future has seen others quickly identify with his views and enthusiasm and so after two days of intense training, the group was bubbling with excitement.
The transition concept works in communities all around the world and sometime soon it will be unleashed in Tatura.