FLOURISH, FLOURISH NOT, FLOURISH, FLOURISH NOT...)
Modern life is propelling us forward at an ever-increasing pace, but are we truly happier? As individuals, communities, and societies across the world, what is our current state of well-being? The Global Flourishing Study offers some valuable insights.*
Reflexions on:
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“Life at 60+”
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“La Vie Domestique”
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“Modern Male Masculinity”
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“Early adverse childhood events”
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“Male/Female interactions”
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“The Importance of letting go”
These are the things I reflected on for a while in the hope to find my way towards a new level of maturity. Why? well because, the world of our parents is different than ours, so of course we see the world differently and therefore interact with it differently. I am not like my parents and I am even less like my grand-parents. So how am going to live this? Well this is the reason for my time off... To think and create own my way.
* You can find this article in Nature Mental Health online journal. It is open access which means that you can access it for free.
THE FLOWERS
Each flower unit, represents an individual. The space is slowly getting populated with more. Nature moves that way.
As I progress with my reflections, items will appear and be presented so to engage the public but only Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 20:00 to 22:00, weather permitting and and when free.
This is my way of life and is far from a way of life or The way of life. To preserve Humanity, what is needed, is not more of the same but many different ways of life so that in moments of need, we have a stock of ways of life to draw upon to find a resolve.
The white plastic continues to come from the Kennington Park Café. Thank you.
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“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”
James Williams
The flowers are mere leitmotiv in the background and fulfil no purpose to my reflections other than enhance our environment with colours and scent. Two flowers that continuously resonated throughout my childhood. One is the Magnolia and the other flower was the daisy.
We had a magnolia tree in the front of the house. It was my duty to clear its mess. There is shedding, shedding and shedding and more shedding throughout the year. A big thank you to some magnolia tree owners on Fentiman Road. Their scent in spring is unique and so uplifting.
The common daisy (Bellis perennis) you could find in meadows or fields became special on mother's day, I always got up at dawn to pick a really big bunch of them for the breakfast table.
The flower here is a Magnolia/daisy hybrid.
THE SHADES
In addition to the flowers, another constant will be the the balls with some party lights. The shade is my own design. Made from recycled plastic, This shade is versatile in the household. You can have it on your bed, sofa or on a stand. The outside looks rugged but when the light is on, a flower patterns from the overlapping piece is revealed. I am introducing more gender neutral shapes in household designs that all can love equally. These shades represent my clubbing days. I loved clubbing and dancing all night.
To get first experiences right is worth the effort as you will always remember them, they are your baseline in your life. The first night out without my parents and without having to sneak out, was a La Cote d'Azur near St Tropez during the summer holidays under a tent on the beach... so French!
There was one aspect in the Clubs that I was curious and fascinated about. I was working in the Hotel business then so rarely had weekends off. Tuesday was my night out and I went clubbing. I got fascinated by being surrounded by people, moving and never ever was touched or pushed. During the week you had mostly people working in the arts. I wanted to move like them. So I went to Pineapple Studio for some classes. Dancing was a second birth. Being alive means extending to all corners of body... then you ready for more. That was my first big life lesson that I learn all by myself.
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VUE 60
VUE 60 – So I turned 60 and this is the first light I put together with components from the recycling bins – my Throne to be. The drama that can at times overflow and distort reality is a bad habit of ours, isn’t? Still, I don’t understand the obsession of younger generations in wanting to put you on the shelf and out of sight. Elders have always played a crucial role in communities around the world, why should modern western society be so dismissing of their elders. I had a simple question; how does a man approach a VUE 60? And claiming a rite of passage that is informed and prepared rather than having to “just get on with it”. The years to come will be what I am calling my “halfway-to-heaven” years and the first years will be spend on planning in how to best spend these years.
VUE 18
VUE 18 - This was me before the age of 18. Bones and skin, shinning little and when giving directions on whether to go left or right, my body gave both directions in the hope that one will cover it. Even late into my life, I could not cope in dissociating instantly between left and right. I had to make a conscious effort to do so. And I was led to believe that I was inadequate. I was born with a left-hand dominance diagnosed then as an unacceptable social standard. Re-education was forced upon me at the age of six and it traumatised me. For no reason given, the cane struck on my left hand whenever I wanted to use it to pick a pen for writing. Without talking about all the entertainment, I provided and the sentiments of limitations that build up around this, the domain I really wanted to master and could not where mathematics. Here I am leading you towards the other lamp.
DU JAMAIS VUE
DU JAMAIS VUE - You see, what I wanted to go space and be an astronaut. I had begun a scholar path focused on engineering but that became more and more difficult after each year. Keeping track of items in mathematical functions became ma “bête noire” to the point I lost all my confidence in ever being able to entertain a career involving extend studies. The lamp is composed of the “death star light pendant” placed on the base of what used to be a coat hanger. Reaching space was taken away from me by Society. Now who will be man enough to accept responsibility of wrongdoing and abuse towards me? The worse to cope with is my parents’ willingness to accept this treatment, stood aside and offered no support. And here is the bottom line, my parents were not educated, and their worldview was just different. Also, they were not driven to pursue knowledge or engage in personal development. Ignorance has only one outcome, mediocrity. Education is key. I don’t recommend “New-Age” parents.
Halfway
to
Heaven
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J ' ACCUSE
Delays, restrictions, lack of transparency, or mandatory re-education can result in missed opportunities for societal progress and discoveries. Allowing explorers, inventors, and creators to work freely may lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. After moving to England, I gradually regained confidence and direction, enabling me to pursue extended university studies.
Brain and Lung Scientist I was
BOT BOT MICROSCOPIST
Hello!
They say that the relationships you develop within your core family unit (parents and siblings) are the deepest and most meaningful bonds you can develop as a human. However, our society is determined to fuck that up too. WAR and FAMINE took many mothers including mine. I was in an emotional lock down for far too long.
(robot microscopist)
