THE VALUE OF WALKING

THE VALUE OF WALKING

By Frances Harris



  

I know I’ve been leaning over the computer too much lately, and for far too long, and haven’t stood on the weighing scales in a while. It’s been cold and wet outside and I‘ve got all the excuses for not exercising today, or yesterday, or a week ago and the rest.  I try to eat healthy, but I know when it comes to making popcorn, it’s got to have butter on it, or it’s not real popcorn. My tendency to want to hibernate in winter makes take-away food look real nice.  But if I’m a couple of kilos heavier I know my health conscious son will notice. Which is worse I ask myself, the exercise or the nagging? Time is running out until he catches on. I’d better do something fast! 

So I remembered a beautiful park in Dingly, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. I’ve driven past it a few times and thought; one day I’m going in there to take a look around in there. It’s located on hectares of bushland framed by Springvale Road, Governor Road, Boundary Road and Cheltenham Road. The Entrances are about half way down – either from Boundary Road, or Governor Road. When you go inside the walking tracks stretch out as far as the eye can see. There are kilometres of winding paths and pristine bushland with chortling wild birds, rabbits, echidna, possums, gliders and the list goes on. I took the camera with me, and was so engrossed I ended up going further than I planned. I noted there are rest stops, a few barbecue and restrooms along the way tucked subtly into the landscape. I didn't stop but others may find them useful.



Once I set out along the first path wanted to see more. The paths are soft to walk on, so for anyone who has aches in their body, it’s good. These pictures you see are my experience at Braeside Park.

I find this to be an invigorating sight and wonder what's around the next corner?

This is a good place to take a load off your feet if you need a break on the way back.

What do you do with a dead tree?  You polish it and sculpt it of course!

At least I know now where I’m going.

There are no problems feeling close to nature. This is where the lungs say, 'thank you, I'm feeling good.'

 

Fresh air and sunshine, you can't beat it.

This is a forest of bracken and gum trees

It's amazing how closely art and nature are linked.



 Another art work made from a dead tree stump.

There sitting on a dead tree stump is one of Australia's national symbols, the kangaroo. 

Australians literature is loaded with references to going out into the bush. This is classic Australian bushland.

This is what you would expect to see around marshland or billabongs. At this point I've forgotten that I'm exercising. The world outside is far too fascinating.

I feel so good at this corner.

So exhilerating I could keep walking all day.

I think I was nearly back at the start, but still have a way to go. There is a glimpse of a pair of rosella parrots, but I'm too slow with the camera.

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I made it back to the car park just in time for sunset. I think I walked perhap seven kilometers or more.  So what if I'd stayed on the couch all day? There was so much I would have missed out on. Now I feel like a cup’a and a laze on the couch - No guilt!



CLASSIC PERSONALITIES

CLASSIC PERSONALITIES


By Frances Harris

 

 

It seems there is a fine line between pleasure and pain. The lyrics of many songs are based on this fairly baffling proposition. Well the contradictions don’t end there. This is the point where my mind begins to ask the questions - What if? – How often? - How come?

While researching deeper into the mysteries of the human psyche I discovered there are many similar patterns of contradicting similarities infused into the human personality.  It seems when we find an executive or leader who is supremely successful, he or she is likely to meet the criteria of clinical narcissism. They would be lacking any semblance of empathy or compassion. Queen Victoria, Maggie Thatcher and Cleopatra would fall roughly or fully within this femme framework. A good example of males is John Bolton, George Bush’s man of the moment when deciding on US war strategy. Then Nero (Roman emperor) and Joseph Stalin would be others. That is not to suggest that all had similar rates of successes and failure.

To gain an edge, the narcissist (being with narcissistic disorder) would be an uncompromising bully without a shred of conscience about running a steamroller over anyone or everyone who gets in the way. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Anecdotal evidence and small clinical studies show this to be likely. Not excluded in the collateral damage can be the spouse, children, family, close friends, associates and complete strangers. The narcissist won’t lose a wink of sleep if his or her actions devastate other humans or their communities to meet a justified end. In fact, they will probably be proud of it. Sometimes diverting the truth is another preferred tool to keep in the arsenal. Maybe we could call it respectable deception: i.e.: USA assertions that Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Reports published on Bernie Madoff’s - too good to be true, Ponzi scheme is another example.

For this to happen; at the apex of a very unsavoury pyramid of power would be either a person who is a dedicated narcissist, or a CEO with principles, who would need to hire one to get the job done. Bernie Madoff is more infamous than most because he not only crushed his clients, but also his friends and family with his deceptive activity. For some time, he seemed to be an infallible manipulative superhero of the financial markets until the GEC and its monetary gyrations revealed his illegal activities.

Now, to flip the coin over to the other side, the revelations are surprising. Near carbon copies of that same class of psychopathic executive, who can be found running the world’s most powerful corporations, are likely to be found in jails all over the world. Both classes share similar characteristics. They are likely to have the traits of compulsive personality disorder such as recalcitrance, high inflexible expectations of others, perfectionism and be workaholics. Studies have shown that they have superficial charm, insincerity, an exaggerated inflated ego and also be highly manipulative. But what the detainees don’t have which the executives often do, is personal discipline. The executive strata are also likely to be more responsible and have less impulsive personalities. In both examples, collective and rigid obsession with self makes both sides difficult to work with.

It seems the jailed individuals who share traits with the executives are the ones who got caught while trying to make it to the top. Maybe they had poor judgement and strapped themselves to the wrong rocket. Were they unlucky? Or perhaps due to low level education they were careless or lacking insight?  Maybe privilege has its benefits. Then I ask myself, what shape would the world be in now if there were no narcissists?