farmdoc's blog post number 153

It’s been a rough week: Stock market crashes. A VOIP hardware crash. Savage winds and tree crashes. A ewe of ours savagely killed by a dog. And advice the Medical Council of Tasmania is escalating its investigation of the complaint against me. All very depressing, really. Pete Seeger sings: ‘Don’t you know it’s darkest before the dawn’. I do, Pete. I’m healthy and fit for my age. I marvel at how wise and strong Sweetheart Vivienne is, and what fine and decent people our children and their partners are. I feel good inside knowing I’m doing my best to live a responsible and ethical life. And at times like this I take heart realising I’m not alone in my perception of the world and my reaction to it. Psychologically I have trouble enough living my life on the Mole Creek stage, so I admire those who live theirs on a larger stage, even a global one, and do it thoughtfully, humbly and well. This week I watched three internet-streamed interviews which I found uplifting – they gave me hope and a strong sense of optimism. The interviewees are Billy Bragg, Amory Lovins and Thomas L Friedman, and the respective links are here: [BB, scroll down], [AL], [TLF]. I recommend them, and also Catherine Deveny’s exceptional piece in last Wednesday’s Age. The coming week? Bring it on.