Category Archives: Uncategorized

by | February 17, 2014 · 6:35 pm

City life versus country life. What is better?

For decades now we have seen a global phenomenon. Hundreds of millions of people are deserting the countryside and moving to the big cities. Its time to take stock. Is life really all that much better in the city? Signs are that indeed a growing number of people are moving back to the rural areas, finding that life out in the backwoods is not so bad after all.

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 Many young people, fed-up at being unemployed in the big Greek, Spanish or Italian cities are finding contentment by moving to grandparents or long-forgotten aunts and uncles in remote rural villages. There they live easy-going lives cultivating vegetables or picking olives. The trend is catching on elsewhere too.

 Even in the much wealthier Germany a growing number of city-slickers are moving to rural communes based on a sustainable and alternative lifestyle. One such village is Sieben Linden http://goo.gl/7LxYxL in a remote part of eastern Germany. The 100 adults and 40 children living there are not bound by any religion or ideology. It is a microcosm of different ideas and people with the common cause to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible, experimenting with natural building materials such as clay and hay or cultivating organic vegetables.

 I moved to a mainly farming village, 76 kilometres, southeast of Hamburg some 18 years ago and have never regretted it. I was simply fed-up with the grumpiness, the anonymity, the noise and the stress level in the big city. Some years ago I was shocked to learn that a retired former colleague of mine was found in his Hamburg apartment. He had been lying dead in his armchair for over a year. The janitor only opened the door after neighbour’s complained of a smell in the building during a hot summer!

 You could say that the downside of country life is that everybody is minding everyone else’s business. But is that really bad? If my 93-year-old neighbour fails to appear before her favourite window for a day, sure enough I would have people asking me, whether I had seen Ilse and if she is still OK. Most children still have the decency to greet adults or to ask strangers looking for directions, if they can be of assistance. I can get fresh milk from the local farmer and have a chat about local politics. If I need someone to feed the cats, there is always someone to help, and we do the same. Its a natural give-and-take. Of course there are disputes between neighbours here too. This is not paradise. But it is nothing like the vicious acrimony I’ve seen between neighbours in the city over petty things such parking space.

 Life in a city, especially in Europe, is exorbitantly expensive. I would not even get a small apartment in Hamburg for the price I paid for my big house and property here. Everything from food, garbage collection to water and electricity costs at least a third more. That adds to the stress to earn enough just to get by.  When you are in your early 20s you enjoy the night life, the concerts, the movies and the many other attractions a city has to offer. But the shine wears off. Quality of life cannot be measured only in material terms and an entertainment agenda. This is the illusion of city life. The truth is that most people in the big cities appear to be in a constant rush and are pretty stressed-out, if you ask me. But I would enjoy your opinion on this?Image 

 

 

 

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by | February 10, 2014 · 9:03 am

A theft and lessons to learn

When my wife Alyce called me on the phone after a function last week, I knew from the tone of her voice that something nasty had happened. She was devastated. Her handbag had been stolen.

The small amount of cash in the bag was not the real problem.  But it was rather more the valuables such as her residence permit in Germany, driver’s license, credit cards and the iPhone with all contact addresses – more worrisome the house and car keys

Any crime victim will attest: Apart from “things” stolen, it is the invasiveness of knowing that persons with evil intentions have taken or have access to some of your most personal belongings, that is the real trauma.

After a sleepless night and making the dog sleep in front of the door to keep away potential burglars, we set about assessing the damage. Just changing the house door and car locks would set us back several hundred euros. Worst of all:  Weeks of bureaucratic time and trouble in getting new documents.

“So what’s this teaching us?” “What have we done to deserve this?” “Couldn’t I have been more careful?” were just some of the questions going through Alyces mind. It took some time to realise that what we teach others we also had to learn: Good decisions come only from a calm mind. Nothing happens without a reason.

First thing was to get a new iPhone because Alyce was scheduled to leave for a business trip to London on Sunday. Only when configurating the new phone it dawned on me. The iPhone data was in the cloud so it should be possible to find its location. Sure enough after a few clicks on Google maps, Alyces iPhone was telling me it was about one kilometre from the crime scene where it was stolen.

While I was still telling Alyce not to get her hopes up to high we started searching the area that the map was showing us. “So we just go up there and knock on the house door of the thief to ask for your things back?” I asked sarcastically. “I know its right there. I can feel it. Its just over the fence right over there…” I heard Alyce saying. While googlemaps was just giving us a rough indication, it would be much more difficult to actually find the gadget. But then Alyce did something quite amazing. “I’m just going to go by my gut feeling. I am going right over the fence there to get my things!”

Sure enough a few minutes later, a victorious and beaming Alyce found her bag behind a bush where it had been thrown by the thieves, who had obviously overlooked the iPhone in one of the pockets in their hurry to find money and credit cards. So what did we learn:Image

  • Nothing beats modern technology combined with gut intelligence
  • Shit happens. So what? Don’t get stuck. Move on.
  • Ground yourself. Keep a calm mind. Sleep over it a night and then make whatever decision you need to make.

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by | February 7, 2014 · 8:45 am

8 Ways to Eat More Plants

Luke Jones / HERO Movement's avatarHealth Room Blog

By Luke Jones. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. 

There are a lot of contradictions in the world of nutrition. Many different experts have many different ideas, and the sheer volume of varying information can be enough to make your head spin if you’re not careful. Hopefully though, there’s one thing we can all agree on:

Whether we’re talking vegan or paleo, high carb or low carb, athletes or the sedentary, healthy or sick:

Everyone could benefit from including lots of whole plant foods in their diet.

There’s a quiet movement happening in the background of our lives. Plant foods are increasingly being recognised for their health benefits, and their role in preventing and even reversing many chronic diseases. People are beginning to wake up and smell the kale.

In terms of micro-nutrients, generally vegetables are the most mineral dense foods available, and fruits are often the most…

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by | February 7, 2014 · 8:42 am

Thoughts of Fast Food Hinder Your Ability to Derive Happiness from Small Pleasures

Its not only unhealthy to the body but also has an effect on our sense of well being

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by | February 5, 2014 · 5:12 pm

Precious Silence

We have the great privilege of living out in the country. It’s winter and the time of the year when there are moments of serene silence. Taking our dog Klara for a walk is a real pleasure. Music to my ears is the odd clump of snow falling from a tree branch, the crunchy sound of my boots on the forest path and nothing else. Even the birds have migrated further to warmer southern Europe with a lonely

Robin or sparrow obviously not wanting to spend Imageenergy chirping against the cold.

When on a trip to the big cities the noise level is by contrast all the more startling. It is a scourge of the modern world that there is virtually no place to find solace. The sirens and other road noise is deafening. Any store you might enter will inevitably bombard you with the vibes of aggressive commercial radio stations. Can you think of any airport or public space without exposure from the electronic media?

Our senses have no time for relief. We are bombarded 24-7 with noise that stresses us at a conscious and subconscious level.

Sometimes I have visitors out here in the country who tell me that they cannot stand the silence. It makes them feel lonely. One person I know even needs the TV switched on all night to be able to sleep. Some kids out there are so addicted to their electronic media that they get aggressive if parents ask them to put the stuff away and to “communicate” . There are so many distractions out there, that there is no room left for contemplation. Alone time becomes “torture” in the same way a drug addict suffers withdrawal symptoms.

Noise stresses the brain and the nervous system on many levels, especially the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) that is also responsible for our ability to connect and to feel empathy with others. Noise and stress is in fact making us less human and can exacerbate psychological disorders such as depression. See this research: http://goo.gl/N7vhSh

The noise pollution caused by human activity is drowning that inner voice of the soul that seeks to tell us what is meaningful in life. Who are we really? What is our destiny at a soul level? Where are we heading in this life?

All the wise teachers throughout the ages recommend taking time out in nature. Natural sounds like bird song, the wind blowing through tree branches, spring water cascading against rock, raindrops falling on dry ground.

Such “time-out”moments can trigger real joy and a feeling of abundance, especially if we are forced to live in a noisy environment out of necessity. It grounds us and makes us connect back to the earth, the elements and our basic needs. One of the body arts that helps us connect with the above and below – of heaven and earth is Taiji. It was developed by Taoist monks in China thousands of years ago who, in observing the natural flow of movement by the animals, began integrating these movements in martial arts. Today more and more people are discovering for themselves these slow-meditative movements as an ideal way of de-stressing and re-connecting with the natural flow of nature.

How change can positively impact our lives

Noise pollution

WHO guidelines on noise levels

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by | January 27, 2014 · 4:40 pm

Are we all in stress overload?

The fast-paced rhythm of modern life with all its ups and downs, often gives us the feeling that its too much and that we are really stressed-out. Hardly a day goes by at the workplace without people complaining that they have a “stress overload”. But is stress all bad?

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In principle stress the stress reaction in our bodies is part of our survival mechanism that dates back to the dawn of mankind. The early hunter on the plains of Africa meets a predator. A flood of stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol are released, causing an increase in blood pressure, the heart to pound faster, muscles to contract . All senses are put on alert. We are focused completely on confronting the danger ahead. “Where is the next tree? Do I run or use all my additional strength to throw my spear at the predator?”

 We might feel the same kind of “rushed” energy and focused attention when we are busy doing something we enjoy. Time seems of no relevance. We are in flow with what we are doing and the additional adrenalin gives us that extra push. This is the “stage fright” that most actors, singers or sports stars go through before giving an immaculate performance.

 The problem starts when stress gets out of control. When our body is more or less permanently flooded with stress hormones. We are practically confronting a predator for many days, weeks and even years. The long-term health effects are disastrous with every system in the body affected from high blood pressure, poor libido and even rewiring of brain functions that can cause severe fear and depression symptoms.

 Its all about finding the right balance between what we call the yin and yang.

 One part of the Taiji body art principles is finding the balance between muscles contracting and expanding, inhaling and exhaling, vertical and horizontal alignment, internal and external flow. These gentle movements are ideally suited to bring stress under control.

 So when do I know that I have too much stress and need to wind down?

 This differs from person to person. What one person might shake off and forget immediately another person might carry around for days severly stressing him/her emotionally – the worst kind of stress. Much is dependent on the personality. Are you an outgoing, joyful person at heart with a big family and support network? Or are you a pessimist. Can you deal with setbacks? How do you catch yourself again? What gives you strength and energy?

 The “collective burnout syndrome” we are seeing around us in essence means that something is out of balance, that there is too much yang – too much physical energy, thoughts, distractions, over indulgence spent on things that are harming us. We need more yin to bring that in balance such as meditation, stillness, the ability to be completely alone with ourselves, the ability to downsize and to abstain – seeing the beauty and abundance in small things. Now we can’t all go and escape into a monastery. We have family and other obligations. The challenge is to find that balance in our everyday lives. Here are just a few ways of getting quick stress relief:

 Get out into nature: Taking a short break for a walk in the park just listening to the birds and awakening the senses to smell, sight and sound will do a lot. Nearly all great teachers, leaders and philosophers from varied cultures and traditions have been strengthened by alone time in nature.

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 Thought control: Most chronic stress comes from an emotional disconnection from the world outside and our own needs. This, scientists have recently discovered, has a lot to do with the effects of stress on the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Taking a different perspective and just accepting that life has ups- and downs will help. Meditation exercises can really help.

 Physical exercise and nutrition: Even mild regular exercise will release pent-up pressure and tension. Reduce your white sugar and salt intake and feed your body with fresh organic foods with lots of Omega 3 and 6 nutrients. See also my blog on foods.

 

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by | January 18, 2014 · 1:14 pm

Living dangerously

We live close to one of Europe’s biggest rivers, the Elbe. Only six months ago we had an emergency situation here when floodwaters where threatening to flood our town, Bleckede, which is some 80 kilometres, southeast of the northern German port city of Hamburg. For several days thousands of people, some even coming from afar as Scandinavia, helped secure the dykes with sandbags. We were fortunate because the waters eventually broke through the dyke, lower downstream , easing the pressure. Others were not so lucky. Thousands of homes in eastern Germany were flooded, agricultural lands and infra-structure destroyed.

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In April this year a groundbreaking TV series on the experiences and personal stories of people whose lives have been touched by climate change will be aired.  Years Of Living Dangerously is an eight-part series produced by famous film-makers James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Weintraub. It is all about how climate change is affecting people everywhere here and now.

Here is the trailer: http://vimeo.com/78162825

 Lets hope that this storytelling-series will serve as a wake-up call! It is not something we cannot change. Global warming is a result of human actions – the burning of fossil fuels, the destruction of carbon sinks such as rainforests and swamps. For almost two centuries, coinciding with the industrial revolution, the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased dramatically.

Pre-industrial levels of carbon dioxide were about 280 parts per million (ppm), reflecting a long-term balance between natural processes that emit and that absorb carbon dioxide. This natural balance has been seriously upset. Currently the levels are at about 390 ppm and rising faster, despite efforts to bring the levels down to 1990 levels of about 350 ppm. Many people and governments out there are still in denial about climate change.

 Some very strange arguments are being put out on the Internet – that it is all fear-mongering by green activists or sunspot activity. Serious climate scientists are being attacked viciously by media sponsored by those who have most to lose, if we take the necessary steps in replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. The “war” on climate scientists is vividly portrayed by a leading climate scientist Michael Mann in the book: “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars.”

 We are indeed living dangerously. According to climatologists we have less than 15 years, if that, to bring carbon dioxide levels down to below 350 ppm. And that is only to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

I see many correlations between the climate debate and personal health issues. All the information is out there. We know that we are destroying the environment for future generations. We know that if we lead a certain lifestyle that we will most likely fall ill. So why aren’t we changing our habits? Why are we so much in denial about those things that seem so starkly obvious to the normal intelligent mind?

Maybe it is just part of human-instinct to avoid imagining the worst. “So what! I’m still around and enjoying life, so stop rocking the boat and disturbing me with your bad news.” The sad thing about both issues, is that we very often don’t see the catastrophe happening. It is a very slow process. Lung cancer doesn’t come overnight and after only smoking one cigarette. It is a result of many years of heavy smoking, stress and other factors.

 When the floodwaters came to Bleckede there were also people out there, initially doubting the situation. But when the floods were actually there, when the first homes were flooded and we could actually see with our own eyes kilometres of land under water, nearly everyone was stirred into action and wanted to do something. Lets hope that the positive human spirit will prevail.

 We are just a part of the bigger whole in the unity of things. It is comparable to the different salts found in blood and body tissue which correspond exactly to the 84 elements found in salt water. How we treat our planet and its fellow inhabitants is a reflection on how we are treating ourselves.

 

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by | January 8, 2014 · 3:08 pm

Achieve Your Goals in 2014 — Here’s Research That Can Help

Interesting thoughts on why some people can motivate themselves very well while others hold themselves back

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by | January 4, 2014 · 3:45 pm

Self Love – the trick to a lasting New Year resolution

How often have we started the New Year with a resolution to make some lifestyle change? Be it the will to do more exercise, stop smoking or spending less valuable life-time watching meaningless TV shows, most New Year resolutions seldom last through the first month of the year.

Very few of us seem to have the strength and the willpower to change habits that we know from a rational point are doing us harm. We then end up being frustrated and angry at ourselves for not making the change we feel is really necessary.

In principle most of us find it pretty safe to stay in a “comfort zone” because making a change requires effort and energy. Sometimes we are even afraid that the changes we implement might rock the boat too much, requiring even more energy and input. We fail to realise that such a “comfort zone” has actually become pretty uncomfortable or even painful for a long, long time.

 Experts at the Harvard Medical School believe that the chances of making lifestyle changes succeed are much greater if they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time based. I would add that the factor loving self-care is just as important. The more we care for ourselves, the more this will manifest itself in our habits and dealings with our immediate surroundings.

 So lets take the idea of getting more exercise because we know from all the information out there that it improves our health on all mental and physical levels. First of all I would choose a physical activity which appeals to me and sounds like fun. If it is running, then start choosing a place where you would have fun going for a run. It should be measurable, achievable and realistic. Find a realistic time commitment which you know will have a realistic chance of working . So why not start off by going for a short run of say ten or 15 minutes with a slow walk included so that you don’t over-exert. You can always extend your routine a little as you go along.

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Better still: Find a friend or partner who shares your commitment or resolution. You could motivate each other and discuss a reward you would give each other for keeping at it for say two weeks, like spending a day at a spa. Keeping up a regular exercise or diet routine over 40 days has a much more lasting effect. If you have managed to keep at it for 40 days you will definitely feel a lot healthier physically and mentally. Friends or colleagues may start commenting positively on the visible change they see in you which is an additional motivation to keep up with your training programme.

 More importantly: You will notice yourself how much the quality of your life has improved. You would not want to go back to the situation most people in the industrialized world currently find themselves – an uncomfortable “inbetween-state” of not really being healthy nor really ill.

Falling into positive health habits impacts our lives more than we realize. It is enormously liberating to know that we have the freedom of choice in order to live a healthy life by looking closely at such factors as exercise, sleep, food, emotional stress factors, addictions and time management. Genes are only a small part of our destiny. Making necessary lifestyle changes has a major impact on obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many of our modern-age scourges, according to many recent studies:

Genes are not destiny – Harvard School of Public Health

Lifestyle and cancer incidence in men

The 40-day path to health

 My Book: Yield and Overcome

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by | December 10, 2013 · 7:43 pm

World yearns for leaders with Mandela qualities

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Today the world took farewell of Nelson Mandela. As a boy he herded cattle near his home in a remote rural area of South Africa to grow into one of the greatest leaders of our age, epitomising values that have become rare indeed.

Why is the world so fascinated by Mandela? When he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 nine out of ten South Africans at the time probably wanted him hanged, seeing him only as a dangerous “terrorist”. For many years only a handful of people kept his memory alive. His writings were banned in South Africa. His first years of hard labour on Robben Island were especially harsh and would have broken most other people. One of the things that sustained him was the poem by William Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

When he came out prison 27 years later, he was indeed unbowed, having sacrificed everything for a common good, knowing instinctively that some day destiny would call him to duty. During my early years as a newspaper reporter in South Africa I met one of the police officers who actually arrested him outside Howick, near Pietermaritzburg in 1962. The Afrikaner policeman became very reflective when asked about Mandela. It was obvious that the man had somehow been deeply affected by this African liberator during the interrogation, for the Afrikaners too had fought a struggle against British imperialism.

Many years later I met Mandela for the first time in his home in Soweto in 1990, some months after his release. His mere presence was magical. It was not only his physical presence but something that comes from a heart or soul level. Mandela saw himself as a servant of his people, for a higher goal and destiny – he epitomised the concept of Ubuntu (humanity to others). He set an example to politicians and leaders at every level. Here are some of them:

  • An amazing self-deprecating humour that kept him grounded as a human being
  • He was everything but a leader on a godly throne, admitting that he made mistakes and was not a saint.
  • He was a mentor and mediator, bringing together disparate groups for a common goal
  • He was very disciplined. His comrades, who spent years in prison cells next to him, were woken in the morning at 5 a.m. by his skipping exercise routine. At times he could get very impatient with people around him who came late for appointments.
  • He exuded a dignity that so impressed his white prison guards that they soon resorted to calling him Mr Mandela instead of the derogatory term “kaffir”
  • He confronted his fears, strengths and weaknesses with much self-reflection
  • At the same time he was humble and down to earth. People, especially children always felt at ease around him.

Our world has a leadership problem. Whether we look at business, politics or many other levels of society. Where are the managers, CEO’s, teachers, political party leaders, heads of government with UBUNTU qualities?

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