While the application being lodged is somewhat academic at this stage, the Irish Palestinian community were always realistic about their chances of success. This was very much the mood at the Palestinian Cultural Day at Liberty hall last weekend organised by the Mission of Palestine in Ireland, SIPTU and Sadaka – The Irish Palestinian Alliance.

Speaking with Dr. David Morrison of Sadaka, who gave a comprehensive overview of the history of Israeli-Palestinian relations since the end of the Second World War, he underlined the importance of the application for Palestinians. Both he and Dr. Bassam Naser, head of the Palestinian community in Ireland, are conscious of the thousands of Palestinians who have ‘…become refugees all around the world…’, as a result of their villages being destroyed. He is conscious also of those, many who are close friends, currently living in the region who must travel 3 – 4 hours each way to work and to go about their ‘normal daily business’. Both are also realistic that the bid itself and that its rejection will lead to even more violence in the short term. For them, the application is nonetheless important and another milestone towards ‘full nationhood and independence based on the 1967 borders’. They are hopeful too that it will lead to the return home of so many refugees who have had to flee their homes over the years. They are also acutely aware that a successful application would give Palestinians access to bodies such as the IMF and most importantly the International Criminal Court.

Dr. Morrison finds Israeli opposition to the application perplexing in the long-term given that, ‘demographics is against them’ and that their reluctance to give up the West Bank ‘is costing them in terms of trade with their neighbours’. Lots of Israelis have the right to an EU passport and German passports are apparently ‘been taken out hand over fist’. Perplexing to him also is that, ‘the atmosphere in the Middle East is changing against Israel’ through losing an ally in Turkey and ‘a new regime in Egypt that will be less favourable towards Israel’. This remains to be seen and is by no means so clear cut.

Sadaka’s hope is that the Irish Government will support the Palestinian position in the future but in the absence of a clear stance from the EU, total support from the Irish Government looks increasing unlikely. The furthest the Irish Government have gone is to show ‘general support for the establishment of a Palestinian state’.

There is of course an Israeli community in Ireland, while much smaller in number. Theirs paints a somewhat different picture, as articulated by Yanky Fachler, Chair of the Israeli-Irish Group. He believes that the application is ‘quite dangerous’ as it is being made in the absence of ‘real negotiations’. With family in the area and a regular visitor to Israel too, Yanky is keenly aware of the realities ‘on the ground’ and the realistic security threats that both he and his family face on a daily basis to their very lives. He believes that the situation we are in today is somewhat as a result of ‘squandered chances’ going back to the 1967 conflict where, in the aftermath of that conflict, the Arab League responded with their ‘3 No’s to Israel’.

While ultimately accepting that some of the Israeli ‘settlements will be sacrificed’ as part of an overall settlement in the future. He also feels that, contrary to the inspiration that some Palestinians are taking from the ‘Arab Spring’, that it somehow ‘usurped their focus’ so they feel the need to get it back with the current application. As Yanky puts it, ‘Israelis have had to fight to defend Israel and have spent much on sophisticated armed forces’ otherwise Israel would simply have ‘disappeared’ so there ‘won’t be much change’ in the short-term.

Whatever the overall outcome from today’s application, all sides living in Ireland believe that violence in the Westbank is regrettably the most likely outcome in the short-term. It seems certain, from speaking to both communities in Ireland, that a Palestinian state in the long-term, of some description, is inevitable with pressurise on the Irish and EU governments set to continue. It also seems certain that Israelis will continue to ‘defend their position’. Long term, however, both sides need to decide what is really important to them and look more carefully at the implications of the Arab Spring, if indeed there are any significant implications beyond the changing of faces. Similarly the possible ailing position of the US as, Leader of the Middle East peace process, also needs careful consideration. Consequently, the only real outcome from today will be both sides looking for new friends, in the long-term and maybe even the short-term too.

Dr. Rocco Errico believes so. He argues that The Bible was written for the ‘people of the near East’ and not those in the west. People in the west have literally interpreted expressions meant for those in the east, and this is where the misinterpretations have occurred. Rocco says that The Bible still has relevance for us in west but it needs to be re-written. Dr. George Lamsa, who grew up in the northern mountains of Kurdistan, where the most ancient Biblical customs were kept, is Rocco’s inspiration. Lamsa dedicated his life to translating the Bible from Aramaic into English and spoke ancient Aramaic. In his research, Dr. Lamsa found over 12,000 translation differences between the Aramaic version and the western version of the bible.

Lamsa said that in order to understand how such a thing could have occurred we must first of all look at the cultural context in which the Bible was written. We must understand that some of the hidden meanings within this book could not be decoded. At the time of writing The Bible, Aramaic was the spoken and written language of the Jewish people while Greek on the other hand was a foreign language.

In my conversation with Dr. Rocco he continues with examples to explain how easily misinterpretations can occur. He explains that hunting metaphors are used to describe the concepts of prayer, sin and evil. In Aramaic, the word for prayer, ‘slotha’, literally means to set a trap, i.e. a trap for the mind of God. A hunter would set a trap and await his prey in an expectant posture. Similarly in prayer, one waits with a receptive attitude to receive the mind of God. From archery, come the terms for evil and for sin. The Aramaic word ‘beesha’, which in the Greek texts, has been translated as ‘evil’, has many meanings, such as immature, unripe, hardships, and much more.

Dr Rocco has looked further at the Scriptures, from the perspective of Aramaic, which unravels theological paradoxes such as the following: Why did Jesus say to Peter, “Get behind me Satan?” The word ‘sata’ means errant. Jesus was reprimanding Peter for his misconceptions concerning Jesus’ mission. How was Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt? This is an Aramaic idiomatic expression, meaning she suffered a stroke. What was the purpose of Jesus giving his followers power to handle snakes and drink poison? This idiom means to handle devious people and to be unaffected by their gossip.

He says that the Aramaic understanding of the Bible, solves apparent riddles and contradictions. The God of the Old Testament is described as jealous. How could a God, whose essence is love, be jealous? Jesus tells us that God is love. The word ‘tanana’ means to be jealous, envious, or zealous, depending on the context in which it is used. Clearly the most appropriate term in this context, is zealous. The ambivalent view of God, continues in the Lord’s prayer, where we ask that God ‘lead us not into temptation’, as if His nature were untrustworthy or inconsistent.

As with all languages, the Aramaic language has numerous expressions of speech which say one thing but mean another. Imagine the quizzical look on the face of a Dub in response to the wise remark of the Connamara Gaelic speaker in impeccable English, “One beetle recognises another” (“Aithonionn ciarog ciarog eile”). When idioms are transliterated it is impossible to interpret them accurately. When mystical experiences are translated without reference to their cultural context, they become magical and mystifying, confusing rather than edifying. The story of Jonah being in the belly of a whale, exemplifies this. The Aramaic expression “to be in at the belly of a whale”, means “to be in a pickle” or “to be between a rock and a hard place”.

The list of examples Dr. Rocco gives are endless as is his knowledge on the subject matter, whether you agree or disagree with him. It is hardly surprising then, that he has dedicated 50 years of his life to this subject after Dr. Lamsa had already dedicated 60. The debate does not end here and is likely to continue for some time despite some religions not even recognising its existence.

Understandably, as we trade quite considerably with the UK, some commentators have become a little concerned. But is it genuine concern? Or is it part of a wider plan? The Brits have fallen out with the EU before have they not? We have been in the Euro without them for 10 years have we not? Their abstention from the Euro hasn’t saved them from recession has it? And by contrast the German economy seems to be doing ‘reasonably’ well is it not?

You might just believe that it is simple concern for our economic position were it not for the fact that Fine Gael want to ditch the Senate next year. Of course it will be by referendum and ‘by consent of the Irish people’ who are already so angry with politicians that any proposal that gets ‘rid of 60 odd of them’ (as a Fine Gael TD put to me 2 months ago) will have their full and undivided support. The Irish would do so on the basis that ‘it is an unnecessary cost’ ‘what do they do anyway’ and ‘sure aren’t all politicians corrupt anyway’. If something doesn’t work you fix it surely? Should you leave it with no replacement? Or is there already a replacement lined up?

We should not forget that the economic crisis was in part caused by a lack of regulation. The Senate, for all its faults, is neither a cost nor is it corrupt, it is a very necessary form of democratic regulation for the Irish people. Can you imagine if the Dáil had a free run?

Add to this the position taken by presidential candidate, David Norris, in a Belfast Telegraph article on 21 May 2010. He stated that Irish membership of the Commonwealth would ‘reap enormous benefits’ for Ireland and could be ‘accomplished with a minimum of fuss’.

In that same article ‘The Reform Group’ stated that Ireland should cultivate its “already close relationship with the peoples of the Commonwealth by becoming members of the association”. It goes on to argue that “this would not only be strategically beneficial but would be an important symbol of a new confident state at ease with its own identity and free from the animosities of the past”. Other contributors also voiced their support for the move including Professor Robert Martin, an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College Dublin. He said “There is a natural bond between Ireland and the Asian, African and Caribbean countries of the Commonwealth. It should be strengthened and institutionalised. Commonwealth membership would be the best means of achieving these ends.”

Could the above be substantiated? How would joining their Commonwealth be “strategically beneficial”? Surely membership of the EU and our relationship with the US, not to mention all the other international relationships we have cultivated achieves this? Furthermore how does it symbolise a state “free from animosities”? Why would we need to join a club to prove this? Surely being free from it and interacting equally proves this more than anything? And one really has to question Professor Robert Martin’s logic in highlighting a ‘natural bond between Ireland and the Asian, African and Caribbean countries of the Commonwealth’ . The mind boggles at such regal logic.

Anyway let’s not give that ‘logic’ any more publicity nor the further benefits of “Irish athletes to compete in the Commonwealth Games” As even Norris himself admits that it is an issue “unlikely to be top of the Irish political agenda”

No doubt the very successful and very welcome visit by the head of the British state to Ireland for the first time in 100 years will be carted out as another plausible reason for ‘developing’ this “close relationship”. Can you remember the euphoria and excitement of economist David Mc Williams in his feature “What have the Brits ever done for us?” where David examines “…our national blind spot when it comes to our relationship with Britain…”Which blind spot would that be exactly David? The blind spot that ignores the absence of full and genuine contrition, from our near neighbour, for brutality committed in their name? In fairness to David though, he does focus on this past relationship which he labels “a very tricky one” As an economist I have immense respect for David as it is in economics that his expertise truly lies.

So what I would like to explore further is whether or not the above are the first steps being taken down a long road, by certain quarters in Ireland and for who knows what reason, to entry into sterling, the British Commonwealth and then later the UK?

Strong ties with the UK are good for Ireland and the UK. We have a lot in common. We have a lot of differences too which are to be encouraged and appreciated. We are both learning from the past and becoming stronger as a result – but still learning. And surely one thing we have both learned from our past is that we both value our independence? We are both confident to live cooperatively and democratically side by side as equal nations are we not?

Economic crises are times of great panic and desperation. People desperately seek a solution and want one soon. The Irish electorate removed an out of touch government in the hope it would change things. Has it changed anything for the good? Cuts on the poor, salary increases for advisers, that breach the Governments own and new limits? People may democratically vote for greater ties with the EU and the UK and the removal of the Senate in the hope that these will also fix our problems, but will they really do anything at all?

As I have learned, from my own life experiences, which were confirmed by a recent visit to Palestine, solutions do not lie with politicians or with political bodies. They have all proven quite useless in finding real and lasting solutions to any problem of significance. And it is delusional to think that joining a body or being closer to a body can make any difference to your lot in any meaningful way. They say that one of the signs of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. How many times do we have to vote for politicians to see that they do not have our interests at heart? How many times do we have to join groups to realise that they do not have our interests at heart either?

Just like in Palestine the solution will not come from the PNA, nor the GOI, nor the UN, EU nor the UK. The solution will come from the people themselves deciding on the society they really want and beginning to live it immediately. This comes from looking at the real root causes of our problems and unhappiness and dealing with them. This calls for brutal honesty with ourselves before we go looking to any politician or group for a solution. We must do this soon otherwise others, as is currently the case in Palestine, will express it for us.

September 11 2001 was ‘a beautiful crystal clear day’, what some pilots would call ‘severe clear’. Off duty that day, he was tempted to take his private plane up for a run around. But that run around was put on hold when he got a phone call from a friend asking him if he had seen what had happened, to which he replied ‘No’. His friend told him to turn on the TV and when Dan asked ‘…which channel…’ his friend replied ‘…it doesn’t matter which channel…’. Within minutes the 24 year veteran was at the scene and he couldn’t believe what was unfolding in front of him. He lost over 50 of his men at Ground Zero that day. One of those was Steve Belson, a very close friend of Dan’s who had convinced him to leave school teaching and join the fire department all those years ago, went into the North Tower and never came out.

He also remembers how he felt those days and for some days afterwards. Like so many Americans it was a feeling of anger. The ex Fire Chief, again like so many Americans, gave serious consideration to joining the armed forces to exact revenge. However, unlike some other Americans, those feelings subsided. Chief Daly began to realise a completely different message to most. He believes that 9/11 will remain one of the greatest atrocities of our generation, in the western world at least, and it is because the atrocity was so great that a new message must be spread.

Those feelings of anger subsided despite experiencing the horrific scenes of picking up human body parts and putting them into buckets along with the horror of losing close comrades and lifelong friends. Amongst the devastation, which has been well documented over the last 10 years, he would see that faint glimmer of hope. The hope he saw was through the volunteers who turned up to ground zero to set up tents and bring some comfort to the rescue workers through therapies such as massage and chiropractics. He describes how he saw ‘two worlds’ unfold in front of him. On one side there was Dante’s inferno as the two towers crashed and burned and on the other side there was a ‘City of Angels’ made up of these volunteers in their tents. In the early days there was no uptake on the services of the volunteers as firemen and other rescue workers were ‘too manly’ for such things. Yet as the days went by one or two tried it out, then three or four and pretty soon there were queues of rescue workers waiting to use them on a daily basis. These people, or ‘angels’ as Dan refers to them, sent him this new message, helped those feelings of anger to subside and changed his life forever. Up until that point he viewed retirement as taking it easy and living it up in The Caribbean, again like so many Americans. A dream retirement for most Americans but not when you feel you have even more to give and after 9/11 to Dan Daly ‘that would be a very shallow thing to do’.

Dan feels compelled to have a positive influence on the world and to do something to ensure that events such as these may never happen again. In his talks he has spoken in New Zealand, Australia and in the ghettos of Rio de Janeiro.  What he teaches is that we ‘need to drop our ego and reach out to people’. Dan says that “9/11 was a wakeup call for everybody but it seems that everybody has gone back to sleep” People are still filled with fear and confusion which has lead to tension and they don’t know what to do. Young people growing up are ‘Hi Tech but Low Touch’ and the so called ‘leaders in society are lost to them’. He feels that the vibrancy is back in New York as ‘New Yorkers are survivors’ but wonders, with some disillusionment, ‘what kind of lesson will we have to experience before we get serious about living with each other in peace’

Now in that retirement, far from kicking back in The Caribbean, Dan Daly is spreading a new message, that message of hope, compassion and personal responsibility to ensure that we get the real message from 9/11. As a father, Dan is conscious of the world that the older generation are handing over. It is for this reason that he is focusing his message on the youth of the world. In so doing he has already travelled to Brazil, Nicaragua, Nepal, Canada, Chile and, this Sunday September 11, he will be addressing crowds at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght. He will be speaking on The 5 keys to Successful Living which is a message of personal responsibility and means that ‘your actions matter and your actions have reactions’.

And with a name like Dan Daly it’s a sort of homecoming. Dan, moved to New York when he was 3 years old, having been born in London to Irish parents. His father is from Cahirciveen and his mother from Mitchelstown with an uncle, who is a retired Senior Captain with Aer Lingus, residing in Co. Dublin.

Dan’s talks are pro-bono so, apart from a small contribution from the US State Department, he does not receive a fee for giving these talks. Dan says that ‘every human being is on the same quest – the quest for happiness – yet they get distracted on the way which is what leads to so many problems in the world’.  In all of Dan’s life as both a School Teacher and Fire fighter nothing compares to bringing a young 5 year old girl with Aids to the Bronx Zoo, from the Children’s Wish Foundation. He saw that he had made a real difference in her life, a difference he would like to make in so many more lives. It is ‘an amazing feeling’ and it is why he does it. Time for a new story from 9/11, time for this new message.

Ever felt emotionally drained at the end of the day? Ever felt emotionally drained just after the day has begun?! Ever considered that maybe, just maybe, it’s caused by the people you interact with on a daily basis? And if it was, how would you know? What would you do?

Well, you could simply take a quick check on your mood before meeting certain individuals and then take a quick check afterwards! If you genuinely (which means being brutally honest with yourself) feel the same or better afterwards then everything is good. If you genuinely feel worse or drained, then consider that you let them have this effect on your mood? Maybe you need to do something about that?

As we are responsible for our own lives and moods, we do not expect others to solve our problems, similarly we do not expect to solve others’ problems.  In any event, you cannot fix anybody else’s problems for them – this they must do themselves and this they must really really want for themselves. And if they really really want it for themselves they should be able to explain the benefits of solving those problems and how they will take the first steps towards solving them. People who can do this are not a drain on your energy. In fact they are quite the opposite!

All you can ever be to someone going through difficulty is a good listener (see article on Active Listening). And this applies to those serious about tackling their difficulties – not others. You are responsible for your own feelings and you are responsible for what you do with them – guard them carefully, they are precious!

So how do you recognise people who might be draining your energy? When interacting with others simply ask yourself if you;

•    Feel frustrated by their constant criticism?
•    See a lot of, anger in them and that they want you to share their pain?
•    Notice that they don’t really want solutions or constructive feedback.
•    Notice that they love drama – where none should really exist!
•    Notice that they need your assistance on every single detail and they feel the need to explain every single step to you.
•    Receive a cynical or sarcastic response to most situations you present.
•    Become irritated by their constant joke telling and their physical closeness.
•    Observe that they constantly blame others.
•    Feel that they are intruding on your life and are ignoring boundaries and privacy.
•    Hear their constant criticisms & negativity – about everything!

So how do you deal with these situations?

1.    Correctly identify those who drain your energy and those who do not.
2.    Steer the conversation towards something constructive!
3.    When they highlight their problems, politely ask – ‘What have you done about it?’
4.    Set clear parameters when you interact with energy drainers.
5.    Stay calm and detached from them – don’t let their negative energy consume you.
6.    Build an imaginary energy field around you to block their negativity.
7.    Be honest about your own needs (“I need this time to work, read, relax…”)
8.    Refrain from attempting to fix their problems.
9.    Spend time with people who make you feel good – yet tell you the truth also!
10.    If nothing improves – you may need to temporarily avoid them!

Should you wish to go deeper, as the above are merely surface level solutions, you may want to consider these two possibilities;

1.    What does this experience teach us?

As the saying goes ‘…wherever you go, there you are…’ And as Life Coach and Hay House author Michelle Phillips would say ‘…you attract who you are not what you want…’. What does this mean? Maybe it means that what you see in others (both good and bad) is merely a reflection of yourself? So if you see negativity in others then you need to ask yourself ‘Where am I being negative in my life?’  Take a look at where you might be doing likewise in your life and start making changes. This is by no means a short and easy course but it is simple and life rewarding! So in a roundabout way there is something positive to be taken from associating with those who drain your energy – as long as it is temporary!

2.    Use of Meditation

Mangala, who is a regular contributor to Engage Your Mind , recommends meditation. As a student of Sri Chinmoy she says that practicing mediation alone makes you feel both relaxed and energised. Or as Sri Chinmoy would say ‘…it gives you the strength of a lion…’ Meditation therefore allows you to calm your mind and preserve the energy that you lose through over thinking. It gives you the further protection of peace and awareness which increases your capacity for loving and acceptance of people as part of God’s creation. In short, meditation can calm your mind, allow you to see the good in people and therefore preserve your much needed energy.

Peter Kearney hosts a weekly radio show, called Engage Your Mind on 103.2 Dublin City FM (Thur @ 8pm). He is a Human Resource Coach and Workplace Mediator, working with individuals and small businesses – www.engageyourmind.ie

 “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

And you won’t mind my repeating it as it is said that:

 “Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again.”

The point being, we actually remember very little of what we hear! How can this be so? Are we really not listening? Well, I believe we are listening but we aren’t listening very well! So how do we become better listeners? Well, I will give you a few quick tips at the end, but first let’s take a look at some examples!

It is said that when the Quaker movement have difficulty in making a group decision that they stop talking and start listening! They enter total silence, listen to the heart beat of the room and make a decision. How different our lives would be!

Indeed a friend once advised that before talking we should W.A.I.T. and ask Why Am I Talking! It’s a clever technique that encourages you to really listen before talking. Of course silence by itself is not enough. As Stephen Covey said in his 5^th Habit – Understanding is also required. How often have you experienced a conversation like this?

PARTNER 1: “come on honey tell me how you feel, what’s bothering you this evening?”

PARTNER 2: “Oh I don’t know, it’s hard to say”

PARTNER 1: “Oh come on honey, you can tell me anything” (Big encouraging smile)

PARTNER 2: “I’m not so sure that I can tell you this”

PARTNER 1: “Of course you can. I mean you know I love you don’t you” (sympathetic look)

PARTNER 2: “Yeah sure I know you love me”

PARTNER 1: “And you know that you can tell me anything, don’t you?” (even more sympathy)

PARTNER 1: “Yes I know”

PARTNER 2: “Then come on honey, tell me. What’s bothering you?” (Smiles & hugs all over)

PARTNER 1: “Well ok…I’m thinking of leaving my job” (Pause for silence!)

PARTNER 2: “You’re WWHATT….?!”…”After all we’ve been through, after all the bills we have to pay, after all the support I gave you to get that job in the first place, you just want to quit! Well, what’s the plan? Live on the street?! For God’s sake get real will you!”

Sound familiar?! How often do we give each other the space to really understand what lies beneath what we are saying? And when you give that space its remarkable what can happen.

A lady came knocking on Eckhart Tolle’s door one night with a letter in her hand in a very upset state. She repeated again and again ‘…they are going to kick me out, we have to fight them…’ . She explained how her management company were threatening her with eviction! Eckhart remained perfectly silent and said absolutely nothing for the 30 minutes or more she spent talking about what the management company were going to do to her. The lady eventually calmed down, apologised for having disturbed her neighbour so late at night and left. The next day he met her on the street where she put her hand on his and said ‘…thank you so much for last night, it really helped…’ Of course he had done nothing except listen and give her space to say what she had to say without adding to an already very upsetting story.

Sounds simple doesn’t it?! So give it a go, just once this week, and see the difference it makes!

However, apart from the highly useful and somewhat jargonistic nature of the course, the one thing that stood out is a simple one-liner from one of the very experienced trainers. They advised us that, no matter how well researched, financed or staffed our business was it would go absolutely nowhere if ‘…those closest to us did not support it…’  That set alarm bells off in my head because, it rung so true.

I didn’t have the support of those around me and I wasn’t living the life I wanted. I was surrounded by good people but people who didn’t really understand me nor what I wanted. It would have to change otherwise I was destined for a life of even greater stress and unhappiness. From that point forward, something that I had known for some time, was brought to the fore and needed to be acted on. I needed to get back to who I was, the real me, who I had been many many years before. Yet this time I would live that ‘me’ with confidence.

The reality was that I had not been myself for a long long time and I was playing out a script written by someone else – who that ‘someone else’ was I didn’t know but it wasn’t me. And that not knowing who that ‘someone else’ was and indeed believing that there was a ‘someone else’ was an easy opt for me. It meant that I didn’t have to try. I could happily slump into this other role and play out the script written by this ‘someone else’ and I could blame it all on them when it all went pear shape, and it did. I was rapidly gaining weight, which came from over-eating to block out the reality that was my life – and of course I blamed ‘someone else’ for that too!

What was the result, well as Judy Garland said, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else” I was a 2^nd rate (or even a 3^rd or 4^th rate) version of someone else.

I had been trying to lose weight for some time and even increasing the numbers of times I went to the gym made no difference. In fact it got worse as I was eating even more rubbish, safe in the knowledge that I was going to the gym and could burn it off!! A vicious vicious cycle!!

The gym didn’t work for me – the reasons being that I didn’t enjoy it and I never really knew why I was there! ‘You were there to lose weight’ but NO I wasn’t. I was (literally in some cases) running away and hiding from the fact that there was something wrong and missing in my life. My relationship wasn’t working and my paltry half-hearted attempts to find employment after redundancy weren’t working either – I simply didn’t want either…and they didn’t want me!

When I got clear on what I wanted and took responsibility for where I found myself, I moved into a much happier place within and things started to happen without.

I had had enough and decided it was time to change. Often I think back to what it was that made me want to change and I still don’t clearly know. I have racked my brains to discover the exact point in time when the change occurred so I could replicate it and increase it. It may have been when I finally became brave enough to end the marriage knowing that underneath that heavy exterior lay the real me. It may even have been the few compliments that I received when I first started losing weight that egged me on to lose even more. Not sure exactly, but I suppose it must have been sometime after seeing, just one too many photos of a man looking at least 10 years his senior and having a few too many inches around the waist! That happens to ‘lots of people’ in marriage but I was never ‘lots of people’ So when we decided that the relationship we were in was no longer serving us, we parted. Maybe others need to face the same reality? Or think twice before entering into it?

It does really matter when it started or even how. What matters is that it started and it went in the right direction. As Chuang-Tzu said in The Little Zen Companion:

“The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbit is caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten.”

So we don’t really need to know the how and the why (well, not always…not in this instance anyway), we do need to know that this is for us and we truly believe in it. All I know is that when I knew that I wanted it there was no doubt in my mind and no going back whatsoever – that much was clear!

Until next week, take care…

At 5:46 a.m. in the morning of January 17, 1995, a huge earthquake struck Kobe, my hometown.

It was a terrifying experience.

The Kobe earthquake claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people and changed people’s lives in an instant. While my family and I survived the immediate quake, and were very grateful for that, the road back to a normal existence was a long and difficult one. My father had his own small fish wholesale business and I always remember the sight of him sitting alone at the kitchen table one night with his head in his hands; how would he support his employees, how would he take care of his family?

The experience made me realize that life can be turned upside down in an instant and I have to live my life to the full without regret.

Sixteen years have passed since the Kobe earthquake and thanks to help from many people and the fortitude of the inhabitants, the city has been rebuilt. Kobe is now a very modern, convenient city but unfortunately, not the same Kobe that I knew as a child.

Japan Tsunami: Appeal for Donations

As you know from TV or radio, a massive earthquake, the seventh largest recorded in history, struck the east coast of Japan on Friday 11 March.

The earthquake, measuring 9 on the Richter scale, triggered a tsunami which hit the east coast of Japan with 10-metre-high waves, leaving a trail of destruction. One small historic coastal town called Minamisanriku has simply disappeared and half of the town’s population of 17,000 is still missing. No one knows yet what the final death toll will be.

What can we do to help?
In the immediate aftermath, what is necessary is blankets, cup noodles, milk. After that, people have to fix their houses, their boats, fishing nets, schools and hospitals and what they need is money. This is where we can help. I know that Ireland is in the middle of its own economic tsunami, but if you can spare a little, it will be so appreciated.

How to donate?
By credit card through the Irish Red Cross:
http://www.redcross.ie/help/donate_now.php

By bank transfer through the Ireland–Japan Association: (www.ija.ie)
Bank Name: Bank of Ireland, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2
Account name: Ireland Japan Association – Earthquake Appeal
Account number: 81235601
Sort code: 900084

With time, the images from Japan will disappear from the TV but the process of recovery and need for aid will continue. When you have friends over for dinner or BBQ over the next year, if you can place a “Japan Tsunami Appeal” mug in a strategic place, it will help to give a steady stream of support.

The North East coast of Japan is famous for its beautiful coastline, and for its agriculture and fishing industry. In winter they have heavy snow. The people are patient, simple and warm. Please do what you can to help.

Beckett famously riposted (to a French journalist who innocently inquired whether he was English) was “au contraire”. Will we ever know who we are?

Surely we are more than this…?

This really is a NON-STORY. In 1980 NOBODY foresaw (nor could they have with any sincerity or credibility) the economic development and growth we were to have. Charlie was actually responsible for the IFSC (which was significant in creating the first REAL boom from 1997 – 2002. WE ALL, lead by Bertie & the banks, blew it thereafter. Charlie gave us Temple Bar for artists, which again THE IRISH PEOPLE blew & turned into a haven for drunken stag parties. I get people’s anger and, myself very much included in this, the responsibility lies a lot closer to home. I hope Irish people wake up and realise that we are responsible for our own destinies – am I hoping for too much?

Why did we allow FF govern for about 25 of the last 30 years and about 75 of the 88 years of the existence of the 26 counties as a state? Surely we have to take a large part of responsibility for that? The reality is that lots of people are just plain angry and they feel that FF and the banks are to blame – as they say when you point the finger of blame there are three pointing back! Anger is an understandable emotion and it is just that – AN EMOTION – NOT a solution in any way shape or form. Nor are any of the other TDs in Dáil Éireann – Labour & FG are still populated by the relics of the 80s & before!!

The real question is, as we are so angry with FF all of a sudden, why did we put them in power for 90% of the lifetime of this state? Internally there must be something we hate about ourselves. Nobody put a gun to my head to take out a mortgage I can’t afford – I decided that myself. If we continue to blame FF & banks it means we continue to put our destiny in somebody else’s hands. If anybody believes that FG/Lab will end cronyism they are deluding themselves – they came to power in the 90s on this basis and nothing changed.

So vote for change. A return to the FG/Lab is a return to cronyism. A coalition that were in power from 94 – 97, a fact that they went to great strides to underline during the boom years and have since gone silent over. John Bruton ‘…we’re no angels…’ Alan Dukes (former leader of FG – Chairman of Anglo) Rabitte, Gilmore, Burton, Richard Bruton (wannabee and failed leadership candidate), Mc Manus & Noonan all around since the 80s and before and will form our next government = NO CHANGE & MORE NONSENSE and it will continue until we start to look inside and take responsibility for ourselves!

If we are real about doing things differently we must look inside…are you ready?