Funny
Well fellow bloggers, with a few minor exceptions, we have so far dealt with some pretty heavy (though interesting!) topics that have demanded introspection and thoughtful reflection – and all this against a background of global gloom over economic matters and terrorism. So I thought I would lighten the mood a little this week with a question theme around humour.
1. What scene from a sit-com, book, film or play have you found the funniest and why?
2. When was the last time you laughed so hard it hurt and who or what made you laugh?
3. What’s the funniest or most absurd situation you have found yourself in? Did you find it funny at the time or afterwards?
4. How would you describe your sense of humour and why do you think there is so much variation among individual’s senses of humour?
5. Is humour powerful?
Showing posts with label Peter Waring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Waring. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
PETER WARING: Teaching & Learning
1. What's your learning style? What do you like about it? What don't you like about it?
I’m the kind of learner who, when he buys any new gadget or software, throws away the instructions and learns by trial and error. I tend to be an impatient learner and prefer less structured learning environments.
2. What's the most useful thing you have learned that can be applied both, to your personal and to your professional life?
The most useful thing – can I have two please? Always retain a sense of humour and a sense of proper perspective (in other words, ask yourself does it really matter?).
3. Can you share what's been the most useful thing you have ever taught?
Good question for an academic but also an easy one – critical thinking skills are easily the most important thing I teach my students.
4. What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?
My parents always told me that whatever I tried in life, to always do my best and no matter if I failed at something I would know that I had given my best shot. This seems to have served me well over the years.
5. If there was one thing you wished everyone in this planet learned, what would it be?
I agree that empathy really is the most important quality that I wished everyone had. It goes hand in hand with ethics, logic and reason.
I’m the kind of learner who, when he buys any new gadget or software, throws away the instructions and learns by trial and error. I tend to be an impatient learner and prefer less structured learning environments.
2. What's the most useful thing you have learned that can be applied both, to your personal and to your professional life?
The most useful thing – can I have two please? Always retain a sense of humour and a sense of proper perspective (in other words, ask yourself does it really matter?).
3. Can you share what's been the most useful thing you have ever taught?
Good question for an academic but also an easy one – critical thinking skills are easily the most important thing I teach my students.
4. What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?
My parents always told me that whatever I tried in life, to always do my best and no matter if I failed at something I would know that I had given my best shot. This seems to have served me well over the years.
5. If there was one thing you wished everyone in this planet learned, what would it be?
I agree that empathy really is the most important quality that I wished everyone had. It goes hand in hand with ethics, logic and reason.
PETER WARING: Dreams, Youth and Possibilities
1. When you were young what did you envision your future to be? And as a follow up, how does it compare to where you eventually arrived?
Strangely, I always thought that I would end up in politics or working as an actor. The cynical might suggest that there are few differences between these occupations! When I was a kid, I wrote several ‘audio’ plays and recorded these as well as wrote and acted in school plays. I was also school captain at primary and later high school and liked the idea of having some kind of leadership position in the future. Instead I became an academic and lawyer which probably compares poorly with any grandiose dreams I had. Though lecturing and appearing in court is essentially ‘stage work’ but often without an appreciative audience!
2. If you could go back and become yourself at a certain time in life which time would you choose and why? And if you could only take one bit of knowledge or one trait you’ve gained as you’ve grown older (but not too old!), what would it be? And why again?
There were two golden ages - when I was between 10-12 years old and 18 to 22 years old. Between 10 and 12 my childhood was in full swing and I lived to play with neighbourhood friends in our make-believe worlds. The second, between, 18 to 22, was my first time at University which I did not treat too seriously but had a wonderful time with a good group of friends. Both golden ages were carefree and characterised by little money but an amazing sense of freedom and optimism. Do I feel this way now? Somewhat but I also have many more responsibilities.
The one bit of knowledge I would take? Perhaps to be less risk-averse and be willing to consider different possibilities for my life.
3. Were you a reader as a youth? If so, what kind of books did you read? Who were some of your favorite authors at the time?
The anecdote my Mother still tells of my childhood is of me being so obsessed with books that I would read in the shower. I would prop the book up outside the glass shower screen so that I could peer at the pages through the glass!
I read initially Enid Blyton (The Famous Five), Hardy Boys books, The Wind in the Willows, JR Tolkien (Hobbit, Lord of the Rings) and then Robert Ludlum, James Clavell etc. I was lucky that I developed a passion for reading at early age which has served me well throughout my life.
4. I’m wondering if there are any dreams you had which you did not achieve but are still working on, or hoping to achieve?
I’ve given up the prospect of becoming the Australian Test Cricket Captain but I would love to write a comedy/sit-com or film script.
5. Please share a book that has meant something to you, and tell us why.
There have been so many but James Clavell’s ‘King Rat’ – a story of POWS in a WW2 prison (Changi) in Singapore is a remarkable tale of the power and resiliency of the human spirit in extreme and oppressive circumstances. I still read it every few years or so. The second is ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ which holds special significance since I my son’s middle name ‘Atticus’ comes from one of the main characters of this book – a quietly proud, rational lawyer of great personal courage.
Strangely, I always thought that I would end up in politics or working as an actor. The cynical might suggest that there are few differences between these occupations! When I was a kid, I wrote several ‘audio’ plays and recorded these as well as wrote and acted in school plays. I was also school captain at primary and later high school and liked the idea of having some kind of leadership position in the future. Instead I became an academic and lawyer which probably compares poorly with any grandiose dreams I had. Though lecturing and appearing in court is essentially ‘stage work’ but often without an appreciative audience!
2. If you could go back and become yourself at a certain time in life which time would you choose and why? And if you could only take one bit of knowledge or one trait you’ve gained as you’ve grown older (but not too old!), what would it be? And why again?
There were two golden ages - when I was between 10-12 years old and 18 to 22 years old. Between 10 and 12 my childhood was in full swing and I lived to play with neighbourhood friends in our make-believe worlds. The second, between, 18 to 22, was my first time at University which I did not treat too seriously but had a wonderful time with a good group of friends. Both golden ages were carefree and characterised by little money but an amazing sense of freedom and optimism. Do I feel this way now? Somewhat but I also have many more responsibilities.
The one bit of knowledge I would take? Perhaps to be less risk-averse and be willing to consider different possibilities for my life.
3. Were you a reader as a youth? If so, what kind of books did you read? Who were some of your favorite authors at the time?
The anecdote my Mother still tells of my childhood is of me being so obsessed with books that I would read in the shower. I would prop the book up outside the glass shower screen so that I could peer at the pages through the glass!
I read initially Enid Blyton (The Famous Five), Hardy Boys books, The Wind in the Willows, JR Tolkien (Hobbit, Lord of the Rings) and then Robert Ludlum, James Clavell etc. I was lucky that I developed a passion for reading at early age which has served me well throughout my life.
4. I’m wondering if there are any dreams you had which you did not achieve but are still working on, or hoping to achieve?
I’ve given up the prospect of becoming the Australian Test Cricket Captain but I would love to write a comedy/sit-com or film script.
5. Please share a book that has meant something to you, and tell us why.
There have been so many but James Clavell’s ‘King Rat’ – a story of POWS in a WW2 prison (Changi) in Singapore is a remarkable tale of the power and resiliency of the human spirit in extreme and oppressive circumstances. I still read it every few years or so. The second is ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ which holds special significance since I my son’s middle name ‘Atticus’ comes from one of the main characters of this book – a quietly proud, rational lawyer of great personal courage.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
PETER WARING - Travel,Work and Politics
1. Can you describe a favorite travel memory? It doesn’t have to be extraordinary - simple is good, too – but what is a memory of some travel experience that you treasure?
I have been really fortunate to have enjoyed some wonderful travel experiences - from flying around the streets of Bangkok in a Tuk Tuk late at night to trudging through snow in the mountains of New Zealand or simply having a quiet ale in a small 'pub' in Wales. As someone wise once said, 'Travel is life lived intensively'. A favourite memory though is having climbed a mountain with my then girlfriend, now wife, in Tasmania (southern state of Australia) - we were alone (no one for miles) and it was the most perfect day and we felt like Gods.
2. What is something you’ve learned from traveling - a lesson that you’ve tried to carry with you in the rest of your life?
I agree with Rick that this is a great question. I think I have learned that the world truly is remarkable and wonderful in everyway - and that people generally have the same hopes, fears and dreams.
3. I’ve been doing a bit of reading about work and careers lately, and came across this quote: “Jump, and a net will appear.” What does that say to you, if anything, and does it apply in any way to your own life?
Rick persuaded my wife to jump into a job in Asia and 5.5yrs later we are still here! So this has certainly been true for us - though not just a net, more like a ladder to bigger and better things. The experience has taught us to consider alternative possibilities for our lives which I think is healthy.
4. Here is another quote about work and life choices that I recently discovered: “I must simplify my life, and whittle down what I do to the things that I am absolutely the most passionate about, or else I risk being stuck in mediocrity.” Similarly, what does that say to you, if anything, and does it apply to your own life?
Perhaps this is true but it is also life's diversity and multiple possibilities that enriches the experience. Also seems contrary to the renaissance notion of excelling across a range of arts, intellectual pursuits, sports and so on which I find appealing.
5. The U.S presidential election is on Tuesday. By the time you have to answer this question, we’ll know the outcome of the vote. How do you think the result of this election affects how the world views the U.S.? (Or, if you prefer, how you personally view the U.S., or how the U.S. might view itself?)
Like Rick, I was also moved to tears by one of the best speeches I have ever heard. Full of history, graciousness and hope, I found myself choked up by the sheer emotion of what this moment in our collective consciousness means.
I don't know anyone in Singapore or Australia who wasn't hoping for an Obama victory. I think his victory has restored our faith in the promise of America and our sense of kinship with American people. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but this may signal a new golden era in America's position in the World. I for one will go out of my way to buy American (equities included) as hope has replaced fear and it is clear that America is energised to face the significant challenges of this time - I think the rest of the World will also see this and begin re-investing in the US and its great promise. The power of this victory, is unlike any other - nothing can stop an America inspired by that creed 'Yes we can!'
I have been really fortunate to have enjoyed some wonderful travel experiences - from flying around the streets of Bangkok in a Tuk Tuk late at night to trudging through snow in the mountains of New Zealand or simply having a quiet ale in a small 'pub' in Wales. As someone wise once said, 'Travel is life lived intensively'. A favourite memory though is having climbed a mountain with my then girlfriend, now wife, in Tasmania (southern state of Australia) - we were alone (no one for miles) and it was the most perfect day and we felt like Gods.
2. What is something you’ve learned from traveling - a lesson that you’ve tried to carry with you in the rest of your life?
I agree with Rick that this is a great question. I think I have learned that the world truly is remarkable and wonderful in everyway - and that people generally have the same hopes, fears and dreams.
3. I’ve been doing a bit of reading about work and careers lately, and came across this quote: “Jump, and a net will appear.” What does that say to you, if anything, and does it apply in any way to your own life?
Rick persuaded my wife to jump into a job in Asia and 5.5yrs later we are still here! So this has certainly been true for us - though not just a net, more like a ladder to bigger and better things. The experience has taught us to consider alternative possibilities for our lives which I think is healthy.
4. Here is another quote about work and life choices that I recently discovered: “I must simplify my life, and whittle down what I do to the things that I am absolutely the most passionate about, or else I risk being stuck in mediocrity.” Similarly, what does that say to you, if anything, and does it apply to your own life?
Perhaps this is true but it is also life's diversity and multiple possibilities that enriches the experience. Also seems contrary to the renaissance notion of excelling across a range of arts, intellectual pursuits, sports and so on which I find appealing.
5. The U.S presidential election is on Tuesday. By the time you have to answer this question, we’ll know the outcome of the vote. How do you think the result of this election affects how the world views the U.S.? (Or, if you prefer, how you personally view the U.S., or how the U.S. might view itself?)
Like Rick, I was also moved to tears by one of the best speeches I have ever heard. Full of history, graciousness and hope, I found myself choked up by the sheer emotion of what this moment in our collective consciousness means.
I don't know anyone in Singapore or Australia who wasn't hoping for an Obama victory. I think his victory has restored our faith in the promise of America and our sense of kinship with American people. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but this may signal a new golden era in America's position in the World. I for one will go out of my way to buy American (equities included) as hope has replaced fear and it is clear that America is energised to face the significant challenges of this time - I think the rest of the World will also see this and begin re-investing in the US and its great promise. The power of this victory, is unlike any other - nothing can stop an America inspired by that creed 'Yes we can!'
Saturday, November 1, 2008
PETER WARING - Prejudice and Stereotypes
1. What are some of the things people who don't know you very well tend to think about you?
A tricky question since I also don’t know the people who don’t know me very well. I guess though some people might view me as being a little serious and reflective – perhaps even a little ‘anal’? Some may even think I’m conservative? People who know me better know that I have a broad and occasionally bizarre sense of humour and a left-leaning, liberal political orientation.
2. Which of these assumptions are true?
Certainly not the assumption that I am conservative. I can be quite serious and reflective though and sometimes I do need to remind myself to temper idealism with realism and not to get too ‘worked-up’ over the things that get me angry – prejudice, anti-intellectualism, narrow thinking…
3. Which stereotypes about your country are true about you, if any?
Australians are typically seen to be free and easy people with a laconic style and friendly disposition. We’re known for being intolerant of ‘bull-shit’ and those who seek to assert their superior social status. I guess this description is generally true of me also though I tend to be less laconic and perhaps not as ‘free and easy’ as other Aussies. I also wrestle less crocodiles then my fellow Australians and have only once ridden on the back of a Kangaroo!
4. What are situations in which you find yourself to be prejudiced?
Ditto Bob’s comments on ‘right-wing’ nutjobs. I also find myself prejudiced against those with narrow views but who also fail to read or attempt to broaden their understanding of any important issue but rather cling to ill-conceived, self-interested and anachronistic ideology.
5. To you, what value is there in stereotypes?
Only in reminding us that the basis of prejudice is often founded on a gross perceptual error. To take someone’s skin-colour, gender or sexual orientation and link this to certain negative behaviours or characteristics is plainly stupid.
A tricky question since I also don’t know the people who don’t know me very well. I guess though some people might view me as being a little serious and reflective – perhaps even a little ‘anal’? Some may even think I’m conservative? People who know me better know that I have a broad and occasionally bizarre sense of humour and a left-leaning, liberal political orientation.
2. Which of these assumptions are true?
Certainly not the assumption that I am conservative. I can be quite serious and reflective though and sometimes I do need to remind myself to temper idealism with realism and not to get too ‘worked-up’ over the things that get me angry – prejudice, anti-intellectualism, narrow thinking…
3. Which stereotypes about your country are true about you, if any?
Australians are typically seen to be free and easy people with a laconic style and friendly disposition. We’re known for being intolerant of ‘bull-shit’ and those who seek to assert their superior social status. I guess this description is generally true of me also though I tend to be less laconic and perhaps not as ‘free and easy’ as other Aussies. I also wrestle less crocodiles then my fellow Australians and have only once ridden on the back of a Kangaroo!
4. What are situations in which you find yourself to be prejudiced?
Ditto Bob’s comments on ‘right-wing’ nutjobs. I also find myself prejudiced against those with narrow views but who also fail to read or attempt to broaden their understanding of any important issue but rather cling to ill-conceived, self-interested and anachronistic ideology.
5. To you, what value is there in stereotypes?
Only in reminding us that the basis of prejudice is often founded on a gross perceptual error. To take someone’s skin-colour, gender or sexual orientation and link this to certain negative behaviours or characteristics is plainly stupid.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
PETER WARING - Funerals
1. Which is the best funeral you ever visited?
Two weeks ago I was a bystander to a traditional Balinese funeral which is by far the best and most joyous celebration of life at a funeral I’ve witnessed. Much of Bali is Hindu and they believe that the spirit is released through ritual cremation. The body is placed into a cremation tower which is then paraded down the middle of the village on the shoulders of men. The women dress colourfully and carry white umbrellas – there are drums and singing, music and movement. See
http://www.baliblog.com/travel-tips/balinese-funeral-procession-in-kerobokan-bali.html
for photos and more information on Balinese funerals.
2. Which is the worst funeral you ever visited?
Easily my wife’s cousin’s funeral who died tragically in his early twenties. Lives cut short, children dying before parents – these are the worst and most difficult to process.
3. Did you make any plans for your own funeral?
What a happy thought! No but I certainly should given earlier remarks on the importance of responsibility. I need to get my Will in shape though like Bianca, I have given some thought to music – perhaps some Jeff Buckley and Queens ‘Who wants to live forever?’...
Who dares to love forever?
When love must die
But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever
Forever is our today
Who wants to live forever
Who wants to live forever? Forever is our today
4. What are your thoughts on burial in the soil versus cremation? Which is better? Which is better for you?
Cremation is for me I think after all that is useful to others has been removed. Like Bianca I am a declared donor and what remains might be scattered off the coast where I was born or across some mountains in Tasmania where I have walked.
5. And finally: Isn't it just odd that the word funeral starts with fun...? What are your thoughts on the very word? And what is the word for funeral in your language, if your first language isn't English?
Yes but the etymology of the word doesn’t suggest that ‘fun’ is the origin. Nonetheless, I agree with Brett that a joyous celebration of life with a few jokes is probably the way I’d like to be seen out. Ideally, I would have Larry David (from Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld fame) give the eulogy.
Two weeks ago I was a bystander to a traditional Balinese funeral which is by far the best and most joyous celebration of life at a funeral I’ve witnessed. Much of Bali is Hindu and they believe that the spirit is released through ritual cremation. The body is placed into a cremation tower which is then paraded down the middle of the village on the shoulders of men. The women dress colourfully and carry white umbrellas – there are drums and singing, music and movement. See
http://www.baliblog.com/travel-tips/balinese-funeral-procession-in-kerobokan-bali.html
for photos and more information on Balinese funerals.
2. Which is the worst funeral you ever visited?
Easily my wife’s cousin’s funeral who died tragically in his early twenties. Lives cut short, children dying before parents – these are the worst and most difficult to process.
3. Did you make any plans for your own funeral?
What a happy thought! No but I certainly should given earlier remarks on the importance of responsibility. I need to get my Will in shape though like Bianca, I have given some thought to music – perhaps some Jeff Buckley and Queens ‘Who wants to live forever?’...
Who dares to love forever?
When love must die
But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever
Forever is our today
Who wants to live forever
Who wants to live forever? Forever is our today
4. What are your thoughts on burial in the soil versus cremation? Which is better? Which is better for you?
Cremation is for me I think after all that is useful to others has been removed. Like Bianca I am a declared donor and what remains might be scattered off the coast where I was born or across some mountains in Tasmania where I have walked.
5. And finally: Isn't it just odd that the word funeral starts with fun...? What are your thoughts on the very word? And what is the word for funeral in your language, if your first language isn't English?
Yes but the etymology of the word doesn’t suggest that ‘fun’ is the origin. Nonetheless, I agree with Brett that a joyous celebration of life with a few jokes is probably the way I’d like to be seen out. Ideally, I would have Larry David (from Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld fame) give the eulogy.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
RESPONSIBIITY: Peter Waring
1. What is your principle on RESPONSIBILITY. And how does that play out in your life? (principle defined as: set of beliefs that guide your actions).
The Australian Bar Exam which I took earlier in the year, imbues each aspiring lawyer with a strong sense of the importance of professional responsibility. It is perhaps a measure of how far the reputation of lawyers has fallen as a result of a few taking advantage of legal privileges and exploiting their power advantage over clients. Lawyers who screw their clients (literally and figuratively); lawyers engaged in fraud, malfeasance, crime and all kinds of other nefarious activity. These people failed to recognise that responsibility shadows rights and privileges – this is I suppose my own guiding belief.
Living in a civil and functioning society requires all members to be fundamentally responsible. Having said this, to err is to be human and all of us sometimes fall short of acting responsibly.
2. Where does the principle of responsibility come from? Does it come from religious beliefs? As an offshoot from philosophical principles like “the golden rule? Does it rise out of fear? Is it a requirement of being human?
I think it was Socrates who spoke of the ‘first moral reaction of man’. What do you do when you see a person bleeding and in distress in the street? What do you do if a group of thugs threaten a stranger in the subway car you are riding? What do you do if you learn that your colleagues are involved in corporate fraud as Sherron Watkins did at Enron? These situations require great personal courage and a sense of higher responsibility.
For me the sense of what I would personally do in these kinds of situations arises from what Freud would describe as a strong ‘super-ego’ developed by my parents who embody the principle of ‘self-sacrifice’ and higher purpose.
3. What is something you learned from being irresponsible
I guess like many young people going through their rites of passage, I had an especially bad night when drowning in a toilet became a real possibility after downing far too many tequila shots. The next day I vowed never to be so cavalier with my life again.
4. What is an example in the world today in which you, or someone greater than you needs to take more responsibility?
I’m writing this the day after the Dow dropped another 8% or so and in the week after Richard Fuld (former CEO of the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers) did his best to justify the half billion dollars or so he ripped out of the company.
Clearly the issue of corporate responsibility has become acute to the point of potentially becoming a more significant issue then global terrorism. Certainly its absence has threatened the world in a way that terrorism hasn’t.
Our stewards of industry, leaders of banks, regulators and individual shareholders and consumers need to build a far more sustainable capitalist model in which we all exercise greater responsibility and restraint.
5. Is everyone in the world “responsible” for everyone else in the world? Is a country responsible for something greater than their country?
I think everyone in the world has a responsibility to protect and uphold human rights. Rick mentioned Darfur and I note that in one of the recent Presidential debates, Obama was asked a similar question. His answer was brilliant – if we had chance to prevent the Jewish Holocaust of course we would. The world may have had a chance to intervene in the Rwandan genocide but failed. The problem is that these global situations are almost always nuanced and occasionally factually ambiguous – yet where there is clear evidence of severe abuse of human rights, history tells us we should act.
The Australian Bar Exam which I took earlier in the year, imbues each aspiring lawyer with a strong sense of the importance of professional responsibility. It is perhaps a measure of how far the reputation of lawyers has fallen as a result of a few taking advantage of legal privileges and exploiting their power advantage over clients. Lawyers who screw their clients (literally and figuratively); lawyers engaged in fraud, malfeasance, crime and all kinds of other nefarious activity. These people failed to recognise that responsibility shadows rights and privileges – this is I suppose my own guiding belief.
Living in a civil and functioning society requires all members to be fundamentally responsible. Having said this, to err is to be human and all of us sometimes fall short of acting responsibly.
2. Where does the principle of responsibility come from? Does it come from religious beliefs? As an offshoot from philosophical principles like “the golden rule? Does it rise out of fear? Is it a requirement of being human?
I think it was Socrates who spoke of the ‘first moral reaction of man’. What do you do when you see a person bleeding and in distress in the street? What do you do if a group of thugs threaten a stranger in the subway car you are riding? What do you do if you learn that your colleagues are involved in corporate fraud as Sherron Watkins did at Enron? These situations require great personal courage and a sense of higher responsibility.
For me the sense of what I would personally do in these kinds of situations arises from what Freud would describe as a strong ‘super-ego’ developed by my parents who embody the principle of ‘self-sacrifice’ and higher purpose.
3. What is something you learned from being irresponsible
I guess like many young people going through their rites of passage, I had an especially bad night when drowning in a toilet became a real possibility after downing far too many tequila shots. The next day I vowed never to be so cavalier with my life again.
4. What is an example in the world today in which you, or someone greater than you needs to take more responsibility?
I’m writing this the day after the Dow dropped another 8% or so and in the week after Richard Fuld (former CEO of the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers) did his best to justify the half billion dollars or so he ripped out of the company.
Clearly the issue of corporate responsibility has become acute to the point of potentially becoming a more significant issue then global terrorism. Certainly its absence has threatened the world in a way that terrorism hasn’t.
Our stewards of industry, leaders of banks, regulators and individual shareholders and consumers need to build a far more sustainable capitalist model in which we all exercise greater responsibility and restraint.
5. Is everyone in the world “responsible” for everyone else in the world? Is a country responsible for something greater than their country?
I think everyone in the world has a responsibility to protect and uphold human rights. Rick mentioned Darfur and I note that in one of the recent Presidential debates, Obama was asked a similar question. His answer was brilliant – if we had chance to prevent the Jewish Holocaust of course we would. The world may have had a chance to intervene in the Rwandan genocide but failed. The problem is that these global situations are almost always nuanced and occasionally factually ambiguous – yet where there is clear evidence of severe abuse of human rights, history tells us we should act.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Happy Birthday to Peter
A very special birthday wish to FQOF author Peter Waring. We hope that dad is having a great day today in Singapore - no doubt spending time playing with his second love of his life - little Jack (picture - and an outdated one at that! Hint. Hint!)
Peter - did you get a chance for a little time for self by days end? It is not often you get a birthday on a Friday?
Happy birthday!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
ATTACHMENT - Peter Waring
1. Picture this. A small boy, twenty months of age with big blue eyes sobbing as he clings to the wire fence enclosing his playgroup - searching and calling for his father while his father watches painfully from a distance, wanting to comfort his boy but knowing he should not.
This has been my life for the last month as my son Jack has begun a new playgroup in Singapore. Parents are instructed to stay with their children for the first half hour of the three hour session and then quietly withdraw to the safe distance of a nearby cafe. So far, each session has begun well and ended badly, with Jack picking up his small bag and heading for the gate within the first hour. It has proved to be the most difficult challenge I have yet faced as a parent to see him distressed and yet resist the temptation to run to him. I'm not sure which of us is suffering the most! The experience underscores my absolute love for him and the vulnerability that comes with being a parent.
My wife's cousin died in his early twenties - I still remember his parent's faces on the day of the funeral - etched with a grief they have never really overcome. I can't and never want to imagine having to deal with that kind of pain but ultimately the bond between parent and child evokes the possibility of both extreme happiness and suffering.
2. Thankfully I'm 'secure' - but I had a good intuitive sense of this in any case.
3. Probably only my son. I would like to also think my wife but she is fiercely capable and independent in every respect.
4. My interpretation of this may be inaccurate but I think there is a sliver of truth in Chuck's statement Sometimes we don't view challenges in our life through the prism of the longer term and perhaps more rational perspective. What seems important to us in the moment and which causes suffering, may, with the passage of time and a more rational outlook, appear just a little silly. Though I also agree with 'Bianca' - Chuck's turn of phrase obfuscates rather than clarifies.
5. I think this is a great question Rick and I moved by Bianca's response to it. I have a strong internal locus of control but I still believe that we can't control, everything. Life sometimes throws us curve balls and how how we deal with these is a measure of the strength of our characters. Life is about getting kicked in the teeth occasionally but what matters is how quickly we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves down. Recently both my sister and brother have separated from their partners and have had to contemplate radical changes to their life plans. I think this kind of 'de-construction' is part of the pattern of life - but let's face it, without 'de-construction' and 're-construction' life might be pleasant but also dull.
This has been my life for the last month as my son Jack has begun a new playgroup in Singapore. Parents are instructed to stay with their children for the first half hour of the three hour session and then quietly withdraw to the safe distance of a nearby cafe. So far, each session has begun well and ended badly, with Jack picking up his small bag and heading for the gate within the first hour. It has proved to be the most difficult challenge I have yet faced as a parent to see him distressed and yet resist the temptation to run to him. I'm not sure which of us is suffering the most! The experience underscores my absolute love for him and the vulnerability that comes with being a parent.
My wife's cousin died in his early twenties - I still remember his parent's faces on the day of the funeral - etched with a grief they have never really overcome. I can't and never want to imagine having to deal with that kind of pain but ultimately the bond between parent and child evokes the possibility of both extreme happiness and suffering.
2. Thankfully I'm 'secure' - but I had a good intuitive sense of this in any case.
3. Probably only my son. I would like to also think my wife but she is fiercely capable and independent in every respect.
4. My interpretation of this may be inaccurate but I think there is a sliver of truth in Chuck's statement Sometimes we don't view challenges in our life through the prism of the longer term and perhaps more rational perspective. What seems important to us in the moment and which causes suffering, may, with the passage of time and a more rational outlook, appear just a little silly. Though I also agree with 'Bianca' - Chuck's turn of phrase obfuscates rather than clarifies.
5. I think this is a great question Rick and I moved by Bianca's response to it. I have a strong internal locus of control but I still believe that we can't control, everything. Life sometimes throws us curve balls and how how we deal with these is a measure of the strength of our characters. Life is about getting kicked in the teeth occasionally but what matters is how quickly we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves down. Recently both my sister and brother have separated from their partners and have had to contemplate radical changes to their life plans. I think this kind of 'de-construction' is part of the pattern of life - but let's face it, without 'de-construction' and 're-construction' life might be pleasant but also dull.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
AUTHOR BIO: Peter Waring
PETER WARING. Originally from
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
