Tag: life

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

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In 2015 I came across an email that was sprucing tickets to an intriguing event called the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.  Being the eternal rebel that I am, it was obvious that I was drawn to the mere concept of this yet unknown event.  With a bit of online research, I uncovered what was soon to be a monumental moment in my thus far, frustratingly constructed life.  The bill for this festival was a melting pot of overarching, ethically debated, boundary pushing global topics that brought me instant spouts of joy as I plugged in my preferences for a festival multi-pack (very well priced, if you were wondering).

I chose sessions that were either close to my jaded heart or high up in my fiery pit of societal passions.  It landed here:

  1. Incarceration – a VICE panel on the broken and shameful business that is, our national prison system.
  2. Big Sugar – a look into the ‘new tobacco’; the industry, the lax government regulation and the frightening health and addictive effects of this tasty, tasty treat.
  3. Ceasefire on Drugs – Johann Hari champions the factual campaign of legalisation and re-engagement programs for illicit drugs in lieu of the 100 year failed drug war.
  4. The New Satirists – a real shits ‘n’ giggles session with some of Australia’s best satirists, easy laughs at serious issues to lighten the often heavy festival tone.
  5. Bad Education – a philosophical view of the perhaps not-fit-for-purpose, modern education system.  Basically all I heard was, “exams are unnecessary”.
  6. Dying Europe – a sneak peak into the global dilemmas and impacts of the European Union.  No, at this point, there wasn’t any forethought that the UK would be exiting!

I booked some cheap flights up to Sydney, stayed in a surprisingly lovely hostel on/at/in (?!) The Rocks and had one of the best educational moments OF.MY.LIFE.

What I listened to and pondered over the next few days, quite simply, blew my world apart. I was fascinated, interested, passionate, and obsessed in a way that I had never been before.  Why didn’t I learn about these things in school?  Why was I finally learning about things that seemed more important than the crap I had been force fed in the media?  My mind had been yearning for a different, more truthful learning experience and at 30 years of age, I had finally found it.  It was these sessions that would grow me as a human being, as a global citizen, and as a person that was not constructed from an outdated manual.  I remembered to think and critique objectively.

Look, anyway, what I’m getting at is that FODI is an amazing experience.  It is back on this year at the amazing Sydney Opera House, a location which really adds to the enormity of the ideas exploding within it.  If you are in the area or can get to Sydney during the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of September, then I implore you to choose some subjects close to you heart or otherwise, put your ego back on the bottom shelf and call yourself to action during and post these sessions.

Some interesting sessions this year include; A.C. Grayling’s ‘Closing the Modern Mind’, India’s Age of Extremism, Open the Borders, Apple vs The FBI, Legalise Drugs in Sport (with Stephen Dank yikes!), The Asian Arms Race, Not Worth Living, Gender Doesn’t Matter, The Bamboo Ceiling, US Politics: Even Worse Than It Looks, Stop Fishing the High Seas, Why Don’t We Want To Talk About The Arts, Break a Rule a Day, I Was A Human Guinea Pig, Why Black Lives Matter, Freaks Like Me…and many, many more!!!

Head to Festival of Dangerous Ideas for information and ticketing.

Your future self thanks you.

 

 

The Concept of Ikigai

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The ‘ikigai’ concept has a lot to love.  It combines individual hopes with world needs and glaring realities.  Let’s explore it, at a very top level, in no particular order.

Modern_Ikigai

Region 1: WHAT YOU LOVE

What an important start. It’s hard to imagine a happy life without imagining a scenario where you are doing something or being somewhere that you love. Some people instinctively know what they love because it brings them joy, happiness and flow. It is the things that you are grateful for today or wish were in your life tomorrow. It could relate to tasks, people, activities or places. Doing this thing, being with these people, completing this activity puts a smile on your face. What were you last doing when you forgot time itself?

Region 2: WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS

Let’s be honest, out of the four regions, this takes last priority for a lot of us. It is for this reason that we see the modern world in disarray. We see a complete mess of global politics, lives still lost in starvation despite food wastage, and increasing layers of depression despite relatively good living conditions in much of the western world. It was JFK who said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Imagine if we modernised that sentiment and as global citizens asked what we could do for our world? Have you ever asked yourself this question? If no, then why not?

Region 3: WHAT CAN YOU BE PAID FOR

Sadly this region dominates most of our lives. We have bills to pay, roofs to put over our heads and food to put on the table. Despite these basic needs being met, we have not stopped there. It is never enough. We are always looking for any opportunity to make more money, often at the expense of our health, or time with our friends and families. Whilst making money is not a shameful thing, not recognising greed in our own lifestyle is. The affects of hedonistic pursuits will only lead to a life of meaningless and unfulfillment as the precious scale of ikigai will be thrown you off balance.

Region 4: WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT

This is obvious for some. You may be particularly intelligent, gifted or trained in a particular area. You have lived your whole life with these talents or you have worked hard to achieve them. It makes sense that these traits or skills will either bring you immense joy or pay you well. If you are well on your pathway of self searching, it may already bring you both – lucky you!

How else could these regions be interpreted? Feel free to leave your positive comments below.

Okinawa’s Longevity Lessons

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This is an excerpt from Blue Zones: Lessons For Living Longer From The People Who’ve Lived The Longest by Dan Buettner.

Embrace an ikigai
Older Okinawans can readily articulate the reason they get up in the morning. Their purpose-imbued lives gives them clear roles of responsibility and feelings of being needed well into their 100s.

Rely on a plant-based diet
Older Okinawans have eaten a plant-based diet most of their lives. Their meals of stir-fried vegetables, sweet potatoes, and tofu are high in nutrients and low in calories. Goya, with its antioxidants and compounds that lower blood sugar, is of particular interest. While centenarian Okinawans do eat some pork, it is traditionally reserved only for infrequent ceremonial occasions and taken only in small amounts.

Get gardening
Almost all Okinawan centenarians grow or once grew a garden. It’s a source of daily physical activity that exercises the body with a wide range of motion and helps reduce stress. It’s also a near-constant source of fresh vegetables.

Eat more soy
The Okinawan diet is rich foods made with soy, like tofu and miso soup. Flavonoids in tofu may help protect the hearts and guard against breast cancer. Fermented soy foods contribute to a healthy intestinal ecology and offer even better nutritional benefits.

Maintain a moai
The Okinawan tradition of forming a moai provides secure social networks. These safety nets lend financial and emotional support in times of need and give all of their members the stress-shedding security of knowing that there is always someone there for them.

Enjoy the sunshine
Vitamin D, produced by the body when it’s exposed on a regular basis to sunlight, promotes stronger bones and healthier bodies. Spending time outside each day allows even senior Okinawans to have optimal vitamin D levels year-round.

Stay active
Older Okinawans are active walkers and gardeners. The Okinawan household has very little furniture; residents take meals and relax sitting on tatami mats on the floor. The fact that old people get up and down off the floor several dozen times daily builds lower body strength and balance, which help protect against dangerous falls.

Plant a medical garden
Mugwort, ginger, and turmeric are all staples of an Okinawan garden, and all have proven medicinal qualities. By consuming these every day, Okinawans may be protecting themselves against illness.

Have an attitude
A hardship-tempered attitude has endowed Okinawans with an affable smugness. They’re able to let difficult early years remain in the past while they enjoy today’s simple pleasures. They’ve learned to be likable and to keep younger people in their company well into their old age.

Further Resource: 
In Dan’s TED talk, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them people spry past age 100. Check it out here – Dan Buettner – How to Live to be 100+