Friday May 05, 2006 6:10 am Lismore NSW

A. Morning Musings

6:10 am Another very cool early morning. From here we can see the early morning fog in the valley below. The gargling of the magpies is a delightful way to begin the day. Now for a cuppa.

Yesterday was the first day in a long while when I didn't engage in any Learning activities. Although the mornings are a bit cool, the weather here is fantastic during the day. Bright sunshine and temperatures in the mid-twenties. Beautiful. We plan to spend much of the day in Ballina: an early morning egg mcmuffin at Macdonalds, a visit to the realtor to check on last minute details, a car wash (both inside and out) and a large cappuccino at Pelican 181.

Learning will be restricted to reading the novel of Napoleon's life. This is a four-volume series, and I am still in the early stages of volume 1.

B. Plan

Chores: visit realtor in Ballina

Literature: continue reading "Napoleon: The Song of Departure"

C. Actual

7:40 am The magpies are fantastic. This is better than going to a concert. The coffee is great - it is a calm feeling to simply watch the steam from the cup. But the magpies do not lend themselves to calm reflection, nor does the Napoleon novel. The French Revolution has begun and Napoleon is a strong supporter of the revolution and the rights of the population.

Napoleon writes an essay for a competition on "What truths and sentiments is it most important to inculcate in men for their happiness?" What a lovely topic. I think that a list of such topics, say one a month, would be a grand exercise for everyone to try. Including me. This looks like it could be a standard exercise for a philosophy course. Napoleon's piece is about freedom and the rights of man and focuses on strength, energy and action. Given the times and the man, this seems about right.

But what about today? What are a few of the big questions of the moment? Globalization and market economies, religion and spirituality, ecology and the future of the planet, democracies and oligarchies, politics, health and education, human diversity and co-oxistence, family, ... Most people, I think, would be happy with a simple life and a few friends, with comfortable food and shelter needs met, and an opportunity to spend some time thinking about life or engaging in improving their expertise with respect to an area of personal interest. The real problem is with another group of people who are ambitious and wish to impose their views on others, be it religious, nationalist, economic or political. Anyone with such aspirations should be automatically disqualified. Leadership should come from the group that will be affected and should not be given to those that want it, but to those that are judged by others to be most wanted. But do I really believe this?? I think so. The current systems do not seem to be working too well. What are the alternatives? How should one address the issue of public good?

It is a rare luxury to have the time to let the mind roam. But how one spends time is also a function of one's personal priorities. I am looking forward to retirement and to having more flexibility to play with time.

Now, back to Napoleon...

D. Reflection