Friday, December 23, 2005

You are the only one there is

YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THERE IS
(abridged transcript of a speech delivered at the Isbourne Foundation, Cheltenham, 22nd October 2005)


Ask any hairdresser and they will tell you that no two peoples hair is the same.
Ask any optician and they will tell you that no two peoples eyes are exactly the same.
Ask any palmist and they will tell you no two peoples hands are the same.
Ask any teacher and they will tell you that no two children learn at the same rate.

We are all individuals, with our own needs and wants, but above all our own way forward.

As two people walk down the street, side by side, they are aware of each other and if they turn to look at each other as they walk they see a certain side of the other. The person on the right sees the other persons right, the person on the left sees the other persons left. From their perspective, they do not see the whole of the other person. They cannot.

We all see things from our perspective, our point of view.
Our point of view may be informed or it may be ignorant, it may be prejudiced or it may be open, but it is our own.
It will be influenced by others, partially or wholly, but it is our own, and it belongs to each of us.
And our opinion is as valuable as anyone elses.

But is goes further than just saying we are all different

Every one of us is unique, and we are unique for a reason.

Every single one of us has a particular job to do, in a particular way. It is ours, no one else can do it.
We each have a contribution to make and we can each make a difference.

But it goes further even than that.

Every single one of us has a job to do, and we know what it is, we just do not know that we know. Some may have forgotten and may need guidance to rediscover this, but it is all there.

The job that we each have to do is so important that we have all the abilities, already within us, with which to do it.

So whether we like it or not, there is no getting out of it.

This approach, these fundamentals, fly in the face of everything we have been told from the moment we were born.
Many road blocks have been created to prevent us pursuing us lifes work, to prevent us from being ourselves.
For centuries we have been told,
You are nothing special
Do not do it your way because that is not good enough
You cannot do that because you are not clever enough, or pretty enough, or tall enough, or slim enough, or rich enough, or white enough, or black enough, or you are a woman, or you are too old, or too young
Never put yourself first, what do you know anyway

We have been told to put others first, and ourselves last.
We have been told to place our trust in those that clearly do not deserve it, and then to act surprised when they let us down.

Each of us knows what is best for us, and we will each be far better off without these restrictions.

Conformity and Uniformity, although it is encouraged by others at every turn, should actually be resisted at all costs.
The men in suits that pull the strings in society, stifle creation and innovation at every turn, preferring to perpetuate the status quo that they command. Teachers are tasked with measuring a childs intelligence again and again, completely overlooking the fact that every single child has something special within them that the common ground of assessments and tests may well not reveal.

To be part of a group, to be uniform, or to conform, hampers our growth, first as individuals, then ultimately as a collective. It prevents us fulfilling our individual potential, it stops us becoming all that we can be, it prevents us following our path and it stands in the way of us achieving a form of real happiness.

The biggest and most influential groups of all are not political or social, but religious. All religions encourage their followers to act en masse, without recognition of individuality. All faiths state that in order for us to achieve happiness and fulfillment we need do nothing at all, other than believe. Religions say follow their way and do as they say and all will be well.

Religion is thankfully experiencing a painful demise because it misses the point of life entirely. We are all INDIVIDUAL, the mould was broken after each if us was made. Religion does not, will not, and cannot ever, take this fundamental into account.

To those that think that this new approach is rather selfish, I would say that it is actually a message of hope. May we be protected from those people that purport to mean well, for on its own the sentiment is not nearly enough. By putting ourselves first, and getting ourselves right, we place ourselves in the best possible position to be of lasting and genuine help to others.

But this is where it gets a little tricky.

We are all members of the community, citizens of our country, and citizens of the world. But we are all those things second and individuals first. Individuals with our own needs, wants, talents and failings. Our own ability to succeed and progress and our own ability to put our foot in it.

The ability to put our foot in it, to screw up and get things wrong, is to be applauded, for it provides the opportunity to learn and to grow. The man or woman that never made a mistake, never did anything.

Michael Jordan, the American sport star, said "I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the winning shot . . . and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why . . . I succeed."

So, it is all down to us, because it is all within us. Cease to search for new heroes and leaders. They will not lead us to safety, only we can do that.
If that is the case, then who knows best for us? We do, not others.
If that is the case then who is to be congratulated when things go well? We are, not others.
And who is really to blame when things go wrong?

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Nothing of worth comes easy..

Many, many problems have been experienced in setting this up. PC illiteracy being the main one.

Please bear with us..

Monday, May 09, 2005

Testing

Up and running - getting ready to rumble..