Premier Man

My Fourth of the Month released today is called Premier Man.

If you listen to the songs, btw, or in fact read this blog, you can get both direct to your inbox. It doesn’t cost anything and it is a way of showing support for what I do.

The song today is, in my head, an imaginary journey that Elon Musk takes to the planet Mars. On the journey he discovers his limitations and becomes a mere humble human being.

Alpha One to earth

I’m not getting through

Not getting through

To you or my destination

Alpha One to earth

There’s a butterfly on my screen

A butterfly on my screen

It’s a revelation.

Well, I’m the Premier Man
With my heart rate low
And a golden glow
Nothing gonna stop me now

They say I’m the Premier Man

It’s getting hard to bear

This thinner air

And nothing gonna stop me
Nothing gonna stop me now

Alpha one to earth
I’m a little beaten

Just a little beaten

Like a third world nation

Alpha one to earth

There’s a lump in my throat

A frickin’ lump in my throat

It’s a situation

Well, I’m the Premier Man
With my heart rate low
And a golden glow
There’s nothing gonna stop me now

They say I’m the Premier Man

Well it’s hard to bear

This thinner air

Nothing gonna stop me
Nothing gonna stop me

Nothing gonna stop me

Nothing gonna sto.

Eight

The truth is unpleasant to behold. My default mental state is to want to be somewhere else.

Even my present desire to be present “in the moment” is a part of that restlessness. I am restless here. So I want to be over there where I’m not restless.

You can see how this could drive a fella crazy. You can see why moving from one distraction to the next can seem so appealing.

But why fight it. Because only in accepting the Eight I have in my open hand, which includes the very restlessness I would like to be rid of, is it possible for any lasting peace or new horizons to appear.

Or maybe not.

Because accepting that “Eight” includes the not accepting it as well.

The figure eight is all I have.

Nine.

I didn’t see that coming.

Don’t Dream It’s Over

Now here’s one sweet Sunday song.

Don’t Dream It’s Over

It take particular skills to build a thing. But somethings just need to be torn down. No particular skills required for the tearing down of those walls between us. Just our intention and our willingness.

And even better if we can stop them being built in the first place.

”They come, they come to build a wall between us
We know they won't win”

Far

I once learnt a little bit of Farsi.

It’s a distant memory now. Of a distant place and time. Of a journey we once took to Iran to see friends who I have not now seen or spoken to for the longest time.

But those distant memories are no more distant, in truth, than my memory of making myself a coffee half an hour ago. Both that cup of coffee and our trip to see Hossein, Pooran, Marzi and Vaji two decades ago, are as distant, or as close by, as each other. In my world.

Both happened then, not now. Now they exist only in my conscious mind.

Although even the actual experiences, now I come to mention it, only happened in my conscious mind back then. And both experiences are equally accessible to me now. One can connect me to the other in fact.

To prove the point, my synapses just connected them.

What a remarkable universe exists within each of us.

Smile

Do you remember Nicola Adams, the female boxer who came to prominence in the UK during the London Olympics of 2012?

She punched people. And meanwhile she lit up everything and everyone around with that Smile. Which is the name of the song I wrote about her.

The world can seem like it’s trying to punch the smile right off of our faces. But Nicola was very good at demonstrating that those smiles can have a stronger impact than a knockout punch. I hope she’s still at it!

And we should find a reason too. We should train. We should practise and spar. We should work up a sweat. We should watch and learn from the masters.

But one thing is certain. Our smiles are needed out there in the world, punching the living daylight out of despair and cynicism.

When You Come Fourth

I spoke yesterday about my sense of the impossibility of knowing what somebody else’s experience is really like. This arising because of our completely unique perspectives on the universe. Or our fundamental loneliness, if we choose to look at it or face it in those terms.

But still we try to reach across the divide. And that happens to be, or can become, one of the best qualities of our human lives - these attempts to understand each other.

Because of the many humans who try to do this, I feel I can confidently assert that, for everybody, there is somebody - whether family member, friend, or complete stranger - who cares “When You Come Fourth”. Whatever we may think or feel.

So though we may, in one sense, be completely alone in our little conscious corner of the conscious universe … we are, paradoxically, never alone. And our efforts to lessen somebody else’s sense of suffering are never futile or wasted. In fact those efforts demonstrate the very best of us. However cack-handed our attempts may be.

Now, more than ever, we should not stop trying to reach across those lonely divides.

Have Your Cake And Eat It

The saying goes “You can’t Have Your Cake And Eat It too”.

I beg to differ. I’ve got life, I’m constantly eating it, yet life remains.

It keeps reproducing itself. What a cake!

Today it reproduced a sixth grandchild for myself and Ineke. A baby boy. Mother, Baby…..and Dad (!) all doing, exhaustedly, well.

We haven’t been informed of the name yet. But I’ve been calling the wee fella Om in the proceeding months. So a very happy Birth day Om!

Enjoy your cake.

And don’t believe everything you hear. You can have it and eat it too.

Hidden

My daughter in law, Tharushi, is on the verge of giving birth.

The experience she is having is not only one that is happening many miles away, in Aberdeen. It is also happening many metaphorical miles away from an experience I can ever (please excuse the pun) conceive of having. An experience which is completely unknown to me, and always will be, as a man.

But although woman who have given birth can identify with what Tharushi is going through, both my wife, who is just arriving in Aberdeen on the bus as I write, and my other daughter in law, Susanna, both of whom have given birth to five children, can only unlock that experience via their foggy memory banks. And even then it won’t have been the same.

Only Tharushi gets to actually experience this one.

And, in terms of our own life experiences, that is true for all of us. Everybody else’s perspective, however empathetic we may be, is Hidden from us if truth be told.

We all get a completely unique perspective on the universe. This is our blessing and our curse.

When Your Mind’s Made Up.

Sunday Song is by Glen Hansard - When Your Mind’s Made Up

As far as fellas with an acoustic guitar go, this fella is as close as I can find to “the kind of thing I do” in regard to performing style. Mixing up the soft with the intense.

Except that he just does it better. Now I’m not into living in the shadow of unsatisfactory comparison anymore. It’s not helpful. But that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge a difference in quality between something I do, and something someone else does. This guy knows what he’s doing.

So, yeah, Glen, although I’ve never seen him live, is an inspiration and an aspiration in that respect. The link above is showing me (allowing for those differences that make me, uniquely me) how to do it.

Last Song Standing

What to sing?

What would be my Last Song Standing?

Where to plant my flag?

When faced with the choice to live (because life always tries to cling to life) or to die (because to live would or could make life worse for others, or compromise my own precious integrity) what would be the rock that I would chose to stand upon from which I would make that decision.

I don’t think I will know that until, when or if, the moment comes.

But to be sure of making a good choice in that circumstance, I am undoubtedly going to need to learn to make good choices today.

-Is this a morbid or depressing thought? No. Well, a little bit perhaps. But people are having to make those kind of choices all the time in parts of the world where peace hasn’t prevailed. And my time for those choices, it would be stupid to believe otherwise, might come too. I’m just being practical.

In Another World

It can be a distraction. It can take us away from dark or painful moments. It can help us to dream too. And to imagine things becoming better.

When we place ourselves, by the power of imagination In Another World, we demonstrate our capacity and potential as humans. A capacity and potential that has made us the peoples and the cultures that we are today.

But sometimes that dream world is simply a way of avoiding and dealing with now. In my personal experience, more often than not, it’s been a way of avoiding now.

So I’m finding it more helpful to keep those dreams of other worlds and distant planets quite vague. Less of an immediate escape. More a general direction for travel.

I try to merely glance up and see other landscapes and other possibilities. Things that move my heart and cause me to want to move.

And then I return to now and give all my attention to the next step. One that will take me in roughly the right direction.

There’s always a distance between There and Here.

But the truth is that we are always, and always will be, only and forever, Here.

Turn Off The Noise (Again)

Turn Off The Noise has been a recent blog title, because It’s the last recording that I released.

Nearly half a year ago I started using most of the song titles in the archive of my monthly releases as the jumping off point for these daily blogs. It’s been a good creative process for me and, as a bonus, has provided an excuse for linking to my songs.

In fact, it’s been so helpful that tomorrow I’m simply going to go back to the beginning again, and see what new thoughts can be provoked by the same song titles. I hope this doesn’t get dull for you. :-)

Routines have been great for me. But it’s certainly important to find ways to keep things fresh. For instance, in the past I’ve spoken about doing my monthly song recording, all things being equal, until I drop. But on that one I’ve had a rethink.

I’ve decided that I’m going to stop!

But only when I get to 366. (Groan!). One for every day of the year AND a leap year bonus song. If I live that long. And if I write enough new songs that tick my boxes.

In fact I will only manage this modest achievement if I carry on carrying on until I’m Seventy Six years old. It’s below the UK average life span, so you never know. But then I’ll give it a rest as far as my fourth of every month releases go.

Well, you heard it here first folks. I’m sure the news will go viral soon. But this has been in my head a while, and I am mentioning it, as usual, just for the record.

And that record will keep on spinning a while.

But the noise will eventually turn off, I promise.





Eventually!

Ai

Latest factoid - Ai, as you probably already know, also stands for Alien Invaders. It’s probably just a coincidence… but it’s true.

And in other true news ….

… Truth is a mountain that looks different from every angle. Yep. And it will look different from wherever we happen to be standing on the mountain.

On the other hand, whatever the angle, the lens we are looking through, and the way we look, will make a huge difference. We can choose to look through a microscope. Or with a particular set of blinkers. Or through binoculars. Or a pair of reading glasses.

And whoever we are, whichever way we choose, and from wherever we stand, we will all be gazing upon Truth Mountain.

However, I’m going to put it out there - though we can only ever see it our way, it’s true, the more “aids” to viewing that we discard, the more that we might perhaps more clearly see. And maybe the mountain is something that, beyond anything else, we need to experience with all of our senses. And perhaps sometimes we need to lie down upon that dang mountain, and simply rest a while.

Make of all this what you like. But ain’t that my truth.

I’m A Dinosaur

You’ve heard about the asteroid that’s orbiting the earth. It’s due to pass very close to and possibly even hit our planet in seven years time. Potentially causing a lot of damage.

It’s alright though. The good folks at NASA (other space programmes are available) have got it all in hand. We should be OK. And anyway, it’s only got a one in forty five chance of hitting us. Those are good odds.

If I’m A Dinosaur, sixty six million years ago, I wouldn’t have the luxury of all this. I would have been blissfully unaware of the meteorite that was about to arrive, putting an end to my existence, and to that of all my dinosaur buddies, give or take the odd flying relative.

I’m not a dinosaur though. And I’m aware of a whole lot more than he or she was ever capable of knowing.

But, for the vast majority of the time, in our information overload world, I might possibly be better off making like a dinosaur. Because the vast majority of that “knowledge”, which I keep dipping into (it’s hard not to) doesn’t change a dang thing.

Except that it contributes to me becoming a more anxious, fearful and reactive human being. The sort who is less likely to act and do good in the actual domain where I can make a difference.

Global awareness is potentially going to be a very positive thing in the future. But I have to ask myself if it actually leads to me personally leading a better life today. All the online evidence, and the evidence inside my head, and in my day to day experience, suggests not.

So though my own way might not be very T-Rex, I’m still inclined to aim, like the big fella, for keeping things simple.

Peace of mind and daily attempts to be kind. Here, where I am.

That, for me at least, is often a big enough challenge.

What We’re Here For

We could perhaps imagine somebody who doesn’t seem to have any self awareness. A kind of blessing to some degree. Someone who acts without thought or care for consequences. A person who doesn’t worry what anybody thinks about them, because they spend all their time thinking only about themselves and their own needs and desires. A person who we might describe as shallow, impulsive and narcissistic.

Maybe you’ve got someone in mind.

Such a person we almost certainly don’t want to think of as a role model.

And of the many things that such a person probably doesn’t give a single moment deeply pondering, one of those will be that little old chestnut we call:

“ What We’re Here For. “

But in that one area of ignorance and unconcern, they could have, inadvertently, hit the nail right on the head. We could even possibly learn something from them.

Because when it comes to our “raison d’etre” …

…it really doesn’t matter.

Or, at the very least, it really doesn’t help wondering.

Well to get more specific, it definitely never helped me. :-)

No. 2 Colliery

This Sunday Song I found randomly, just after discovering about my Tin miner ancestors, on two sides, from down in Cornwall. Yeah, we are doing our family tree. Well Ineke is. She’s always had a bit of the private detective about her. Missed her vocation there I think.

Anyway, I didn’t know the artist, Adam Baldwin. But the song is lovely and poignant. Definitely worth a Sunday listen. Preferably in bed with a cup of tea.

No. 2 Colliery

Jenny Wren

A Haiku

Jenny Wren declared,
“I’m bigger than John Lennon!”
”Jesus wept”, said John.

What’s The World Coming To?

What’s The World Coming To?

I think you have to reach a certain age to start asking this question. It’s a tired kind of question. But I have found myself asking it for sure. It’s there whispering in the dark corners of my mind sometimes. Hence the song.

And it is, of course, a question which cannot be answered. (Though some people are sure that they are the ones who do have the answer.) But for many of us, when it is asked, it is expressing a slightly sad sense of care-worn worry:

“Things are looking worse than I imagined they should or could be when I was younger”.

I believe, however, that the question can exist in our minds without allowing it to lead, on the one hand, to a resigned shrug of the shoulders or, on the other, to depression. Because that “World” we are referring to is, in reality, not something we ever can, could or should carry on our shoulders. It is simply not in our capacity, and it never was, to change the world. Even if we happened to have been so inclined to try. Which personally, being a conscientious and worthy sort, I was.

So now I am, inevitably, older. And my two antidotes to becoming weighed down, which might constitute the closest I’ll ever come to a kind of wisdom, are, consistently, still these:

- Firstly to accept this moment for what it is. That’s all I ever have. And you know what, it’s Ok. At the very least, even on a bad day, it’s Ok. That doesn’t sound like much. But it’s enough.

- Secondly, today I can try and move something, somebody, myself, anything, in a good direction. My own definition of good being - “the overall reduction of suffering”. There are so many opportunities to do that.

And that too, is enough.

But here’s an additional something … in the midst of all of this seeming dull and uninspiring “managing expectations” I regularly get the bonus surprises of - laughter!, giggles!, amazement!, and exhilaration! As well as some good old satisfaction and contentment. There is even the occasional glimpse of that rare beast known as “Joy”.

So what’s the world coming to?

It’s a glorious mystery, mate.

To The End Of The Earth

To The End.

Like every human expression it means something. In day to day life it helps us. I know that this little bit of writing will come to the end. Even if I wished it otherwise. Or even, far less likely, if you wished it otherwise. But the end will come, I promise.

And then we move on to new beginnings with new ends.

But maybe that’s where the concept starts to fall apart. Our beginnings and ends are constructs. Helpful constructs but still constructs. The full stop I’ve just typed didn’t end anything. It was just a bridge to the next sentence. And the next sentence to the next paragraph.

So when I sing “To The End Of The Earth” I’m just speaking about a bridge really. To whatever comes next.

And maybe looking at things that way, might help to take a little bit of the sadness from the the endings we fear, and which we will also experience.

The End.

And now for something completely continuous…

Let’s Not Fight

We do fight.

And that’s just a fact of life.

Yet scratch beneath the surface of … all of us? … most of us? … well at least some of us… and there is a very definite desire to shout out loud…

Let’s Not Fight

I’ve done my own share of fighting, scratching, and scrabbling in the dirt over the years. Despite the fact that I generally have a fundamental wish to run away and hide from conflict. At least from conflict with those people who I’m afraid of to some degree. Or sometimes those people I like who, in my head, I’m scared might reject me if I think differently to them. I can be a bit of a wus.

But actually some conflict and disagreement is unavoidable. In fact it is necessary and good if we want to live in a stable and resilient peace with each other.

That constructive kind of conflict though, even if sometimes unpleasant, is to my mind very different from fighting. Fighting is about trying to come out on top. To defeat our opponent. Sometimes, sadly, to literally kill them. There are definite winners and losers. Which, sadly, can also be necessary when we or our loved ones are under unprovoked attack.

But, when push comes to shove, we are all made of the same stardust. We do all share the same blood, the same humanity. The same planet. All those cliches are true. Our underlying connection is far greater, stronger, and more profound than any perceived difference.

And that is a good reason to first of all attempt to build bridges and find reconciliation before we ever consider taking up arms against each other.

Or even before we simply try, consciously or unconsciously, to put another human being down.