Time wasted.

international | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis

Wednesday January 23, 2013 23:08

by Gale Vogel - Birds Eye View

Time is one of our most important resources. That this is continually wasted throught futile debate that is too often followed often by nothing.

Every moment is valuable. We can make more money, we can never make more time. That we waste this vital resource in so many ways is a shame. We waste it when it is free, we waste it when it costs. We waste it in futile debate about solutions to problems, some of which never were. We waste it through broken promises. We waste it by trying to buy it, by trying to give it away or sell it. Sometimes, the most valuable thing we can do is to sit still for a moment. Take stock, life is not a race. There is no urgency, and most certainly money is not the real priority that we have today. It is also certain that money is not the solution.

Officially it would appear that priority today is exclusively related to finance. Time spent is about money and repairing the extensive damage done to those wealthy while ignoring the damage being caused to most people. Time spent in futile pursuit is time lost, forever. Is it now that we should admit that the problem is not repairable? Like a broken, old and rusting heap that once was a car lying damp in a ditch, it cannot be repaired. If this analogy is indeed true, as it most definitely is for some, then a new car is perhaps the only remedy. A remedy, not repair to a human plight but the complete replacement of the driven system. It is true for some, those dying from stress, those taking their own lives out of frustration and despair are the same for whom this impasse will remain for their entire lives. We can make more money, we can make more material things but no ingenuity will ever make it possible for us to make more time. Money lost is a challenge. As with any challenge, time used correctly may allow us to rise to the challenge. The time we have lost is lost forever, let us not loose any more time.

It is therefore of great importance that we use the time we have to the absolute best, to be the best that we can be for both ourselves and our fellow human beings. It is time then to concentrate on people first, protect the true value that we do have, our children and our people. This means providing education and the opportunity for those already educated to carry us through the challenge. Without this opportunity we are unlikely to achieve any reasonable goal.

Today, I spoke with Simon who expressed that he was neither happy nor sad. He spoke clearly and used his hands to demonstrate a level and explained.
'There was a time when happiness was here.' He held his hand horizontal and high, then lowered his hand four inches.
'This was less than happy, but not sad or upset.' He lowered his hand a further four inches.
'This may have been sad.' Without changing the level.
'This today is happy, but today happy is gained through what we do not want, at times through an absence of suffering. The simple walks no longer interest me, my bike is gone, my car is gone, my job is slow. There is no joy today in happiness. Happiness is relative, today anything above miserable is considered by too many to be happiness. The surveys might say the Irish are the happiest nation in Europe. We do smile and laugh in the face of despair.'
Simon was silent. He neither smiled nor cried, nor did he laugh.

Simon suffers an increasingly typical syndrome of not caring and deems what should be normal as being above happy, it makes the unbearable bearable. We all seek to be normal and in assuming despair to be normal, then one might assume themselves to be happy. He smiles genuinely he says very seldom, but these wonderful moments of light are for him the bliss that makes the plight worth the fight.

We all hope that those blissful moments will become more in this relatively New Year and in the future.

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Comments (6 of 6)

Crisis response.

Sat Feb 02, 2013 17:37

Accommodation and property in Ireland has long been a basis for crisis. The government published more than ten years ago in the same year documents relating to the accommodation and housing crisis, both with opposing emphasis. The philosophies were also opposing, the accommodation crisis document was focussed on people, the housing crisis document was focussed on money, the latter was unfortunately that supported by our leaders.

That we in hind sight have great vision incites a focus of blame. The point I believe been made by Maguire in Iceland was not that the ordinary Irish people are intrusive but that there is a vested interest in the hospitality offered. While once been welcomed to Ireland as a visitor I and my Irish friends were accosted in a Dublin pub. The inebriated man insisted on asking questions and intruded on a conversation repeatedly, he had been in the pub I believe for some time. Perhaps he wanted to be considered hospitable.

The focus on money as distinct from people is not hindsight. It is present, it is now, it is the authorities focus. The fault can be apportioned, as does Observer, to any particular group. This is neither a reasonable vessel for change nor even correct. The greed of those in the building industry was perhaps a result of the higher greed born of demand, that demand created by banks and nurtured by the 'ordinary people' of this land. The reality is that there is no one either completely innocent or guilty. Perhaps those guilty are those seeking to live a boom time mentality while poor, and focus overwhelmingly on the nurturing of money at the expense of people. The people being 'too busy tacking this recession' is only confirmation of a philosophy that sees money as the higher priority.

In answer to the question not quite asked. I do not refer to the banks. That is simply apportioning blame for a national condition on the few and perhaps only the very few who are unlikely to create a human change. Let's not give permission to those blamed for taking responsibility or control. The absence of those walking the streets in demonstration is a symptom of the fear the 'ordinary people' have in regaining control.

Down-turn Celtic Tiger Boom

by Observer - Ordinary people

Fri Feb 01, 2013 14:06

The down-turn of Ireland's Celtic Boom has given birth to many economists and so called philosophers Mr. Vogel. It is easy to talk from hindsight about the scourge caused by the blind greed and profit chasing developers. How many builders, surveyors, architects, engineers were caught in the downturn. Thousands and many fled the country in the last number of years leaving massive debts behind them.

The ordinary people of Ireland did not cause the collapse of this nation, it was the greed of the above mentioned. As far saying we are friendly under a disguise and more intrusive into people's business - surely you refer to the banks because ordinary people of Ireland are too busy tackling this recession than to gossip.

And the list goes on ...

by W. Finnerty

Fri Feb 01, 2013 08:46

Reply to Gale Vogel at Fri Feb 01, 2013 00:04 ...

There's more ...

"Workers destroy Baronstown at 4am", on Tea Shop Bertie Ahern's Watch:

"The SIAC/Ferrovial construction company, Eurolink, resorted to underhand tactics in the early hours of Wednesday morning July 4th (2007) when they arrived at Baronstown, reportedly, at 4am with machines to destroy the monument there. This may very well have been a National Monument along with the extraordinary graveyard at Collierstown."

The above excerpts have been copied from:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/IndyMediaIreland/4Jul...e.htm

Celtic Tiger or Money Power Whore?

Cultural Genocide, Ireland, King Ollamh Fodhla, Brehon Law, Tara, Turoe, Human Rights Ireland: http://tinyurl.com/awyy52o

"The Constitution has been hijacked", on Tea Shop Brian Cowan's Watch ...
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/PrimeMinisterCowen/9M...l.htm

Related Link:
"King Ollamh Fodhla":
http://www.kingollamhfodhla.com/

Sleeping Tiger.

Fri Feb 01, 2013 00:04

While travelling recently in a fiscal war torn country not alone most of the time but with company, I and my companion were afforded the privacy of our own company by many. One notable exception was an Irish American who accosted us with uninvited comments and conversation. In return we gave our time. The irony of his comments remain with us still.
'You're Irish?' he said looking to our Land Rover which was parked and wet having just traversed a deep river.
'Yes,' we responded without meaning to invite further intrusion. He however began a tirade comparing Iceland with Ireland. He started with a comment very similar to that of Brian Flannery's about Ireland's great reputation for hospitality, welcome and conversation. He continued with a similar vein on the demise of this trait.
'Hey, don't misunderstand, the Irish are great. BUT, look, they're not great at conversation, they're great at taking an interest in other peoples business and asking questions, thinly disguised as interest.' He obviously considered me not Irish, with a name like Vogel, it's understandable. His name was Maguire and he continued.
'Their interest in other peoples business has had them take, take and take. I've lost a fortune in Ireland. OK, so they take from each other more than anyone else, especially the politicians. What do you call your leader? A Tea Shop! I mean..., come on!'
We both were very patient, he had noted the IRL on our registration and was impressed with the fact that our name was written on the registration, 'Cill Chainnigh', that was the trigger for our introduction.

In any event, this expression of the image of our country was disturbing. He continued with a comparison with the hospitality offered in Iceland where it is rare for the Viking locals to interrupt anyone who has company and is common for them to approach those alone. They respect the privacy of those in conversation or those with company, an attribute that was thought rude until we realised that they would help without condition real people in need. Despite this philanthropic condition they fried their banks and are on the road to recovery, they helped the people, not the money. Here, in Ireland, our 'Tea Shop' and his team help the money. We must seriously examine our priorities and incentive before ever trying to waken that sleeping tiger again. That this carnivorous beast slept for so long before our boom was a blessing seething beneath a mistaken reputation, apparently, if Maguire is correct. His is only one opinion, but an opinion that should be listened to.

W. Finnerty alludes to the selling of our resources as the taking care of money. Add to his litany is something altogether more insipid, both the selling and dumping of the care of our people away from state care or control. This has been effected since the foundation of our state through the care of children being foisted on unsuitable institutions. It continues more recently in law enforcement with the privatisation of our speeding cameras, worse possibly to come with the ongoing debate about possible privatisation of our prisons. All in the interest of money! Where will this lead?

Be careful waking that sleeping beast!

"Ahern and his cronies created a false economy and the warning signs were evident from 2006 onwards."

Thu Jan 31, 2013 16:04

Reply to Brian Flannery at Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:15

I'd say "Ahern and his cronies" did much, much worse than to simply create a false economy (with the help and guidance of the banksters, of course). It seems to me that they used unconstitutional legislation ("illegal and invalid law" in other words) to do so, and at least one warning sign of this was evident from before 2006 (I believe).

For example, and for anybody who happened to be in the right place, at the right time, a very powerful tell-tale sign of there being something EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY wrong in the Republic of Ireland Government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial), appeared on the "local scene" in East County Galway -- well before 2006 -- with the arrival of hard evidence of the phenomenon of "unconstitutional legislation": in the form "Waste Management Amendment Act 2001". More information on this particular example of "unconstitutional legislation" (as I see it) can be found at: http://www.finnachta.com/BordPleanalaAppeal.htm

As can be observed at the www address just above, An Board Pleanala were informed formally (by me using a registered letter dated February 21st 2004, the text of which was also copied by e-mail to Bertie Ahern) regarding the "unconstitutional legislation" problem, and An Board Pleanala unashamedly, and with 100% impunity, did absolutely nothing to "blow the whistle" on the Government: which meant the Kilconnell rubbish dump (in East County Galway) went ahead, financed with large sums of money -- provided by the banksters -- to the company then known as "Celtic Waste", and which later changed its name to "Greenstar".

Please note that I'm not saying this was the first piece of really hard-core "unconstitutional legislation" (as I see it) to appear in the Republic of Ireland. It was the first that I personally became aware of though, and I suspect there may have been lots more before that in connection with the "Great Oil and Gas Giveaway" (for example). I say "I suspect", because I never really seriously looked into how the "Great Oil and Gas Giveaway" business came about. However, allowing for Article 10.1 of the Republic of Ireland's Constitution (the SUPREME LAW of the Republic of Ireland), which states that all such resources "belong to the State", "common sense" alone would suggest that the alleged "Great Giveaway" in all probably must have involved large doses of unconstitutional activities of one or more kinds: especially if reports of the overall oil and gas resources in question being worth 5.4 trillion Euros are reasonably accurate. For more information relating to this point please see see at http://tinyurl.com/b7oqpom

Related Link:
"Unconstitutional legislation, Republic of Ireland, United States of America, William Finnerty":
http://tinyurl.com/aczxr8w

Times if vital and money is a necessary evil

by Brian Flannery - Justice

Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:15

In response to the above posting which I find quite interesting with a deep level of morals, I would like to ask a few questions, after I make some points.

The Tiger is long over and as many people say he is in the cage at the Zoo fast asleep. The tragic thing is that 70% of our population are heavy in debt. Before the Bertie Ahern era Irish people were famous for their conversation, their hospitality and their sense of welcome to people from all over the globe. Where did it all go wrong? Ahern and his cronies created a false economy and the warning signs were evident from 2006 onwards. The building industry is on its back and this morning on RTE news the ERSI have predicted a disaster in our national growth in exports for this year. Sadly this will have a download throughout many industries and small businesses and the knock on effect will be enormous.

During the illusion of the Tiger, £30 billion was borrowed by ordinary people to buy second homes and put their offspring on the property ladder according to the Central Bank yesterday. Now we are in the era for years to come in negative equity. It will take a long time for this country to find a way back to a sense of morals and credibility.

I agree with Gale Vogel to a point but have we learned the hard lesson that during the Bertie bluff years that time was money and money was time and now the ordinary people of Ireland are paying a high price for forgetting what Ireland was renowned for across the globe - coversation and time to have it.

I believe certain developers who have fled to England to declare themselves bankrupt are using time again to bounce back, learn nothing and money is their God given emphasis. I will close by saying this Government especially Limerick's Michael Noonan has been given enough time to change the Promissory notes and bailout debt forgiveness but yet and his bluff along with Brian Hayes has not been called in yet.

Brian Flannery

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Time wasted.

Comments (6 of 6)