Chatting recently with my dearest friend Maris from Estonia, I discovered a very interesting action that took place last week in this lovely country. So interesting, that in my mind it was translated and accommodated as a "light of hope". BBC has a video reportage about it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7382489.stm.
It's not only the collection of tones of garbage, which as indisputably a noble act. It's not only the overall coordination which included Google maps, photos uploading, GPS and more, which can not be imitated even from the most sophisticated management systems in large corporations. It's not only that more than 50000 people came together as one, which is a revolution in its own. It's a shift in the minds of the people; a realization of their power and of their responsibility; a deep comprehension that change is possible and an understanding that we, people, are the carriers and purveyors of it!
With the hope that more minds will shift.
A European/World spring cleaning day is what comes to my mind now; may the organizers have the strength, the will and the courage to go about it. I am with them.
Start from your self.
S.
"Societies will start to self organize themselves once nobody can do it better for them".
Thursday 8 May 2008
Wednesday 7 May 2008
Has something changed?
It was the best present for my birthday. A book, very delicate and carefully illustrated, highly readable and attractive. I made this present to my self, simply by buying the newspaper that included it!
In its pages I read about this incident dated back in January 1968: The Minister of Education of France was visiting a university. On his way out, he was stopped by a red haired student just to be said "I read the White Paper on Youth, Mr. Minister. In 300 pages there is not even a single word mentioned about the sexual problems of young people"...
This recurring thought in my mind pushed me to read our "generation's" White Paper on Youth. I did it long ago. Good time for refreshment. I am quite informed about its contents. Actually, it's part of my work. But I would read 100 pages simply to see if any of the words and phrases such as sexual, sex, sexuality, sexual health, sexual problems are anywhere mentioned; moreover if they are meaningfully mentioned.
100 pages read...
Yes, they are! Happily, they are!
The same guy, in his most recent book, mentions an anecdote: "As a vice mayor, I was promoting social integration for immigrants. A man, deeply religious, Catholic, right winked and very sympathetic turns back to me and tells me that I am excellent but I don't understand one thing: the problem is not migration, the problem is that some religions do not recognize equality between men and women and that's the basis for democracy". Something has changed; back in the sixties no person sharing characteristics such as his would even think about this value, the value of equality. Something has changed and yes, May '68 was successful...
Sexual and all its derivatives are included in "our" White Paper on Youth. In my humble opinion, this is another indicator that May '68 was successful. But the main success of those events with regards to this Paper is far beyond the inclusion of sexuality; it is that it was young people that shaped it; that young people was consulted, asked and questioned; that young people suggested, proposed and highlighted. A document that "leads" and informs youth policies around EU since 2001. Nothing is criticism - free, but its importance to our lives as young people is indisputable.
Something has changed, indeed.
S.
PS. The stories above and the translation is quite "free style" given. I was not interested in having a detailed reproduction but to give the essence of it. I hope I managed. I don't specify names and places, deliberately. Hint: the "student" is alive and kicking, member of the European Parliament nowadays. A weekend in my summer tent for free for those who guess!
In its pages I read about this incident dated back in January 1968: The Minister of Education of France was visiting a university. On his way out, he was stopped by a red haired student just to be said "I read the White Paper on Youth, Mr. Minister. In 300 pages there is not even a single word mentioned about the sexual problems of young people"...
This recurring thought in my mind pushed me to read our "generation's" White Paper on Youth. I did it long ago. Good time for refreshment. I am quite informed about its contents. Actually, it's part of my work. But I would read 100 pages simply to see if any of the words and phrases such as sexual, sex, sexuality, sexual health, sexual problems are anywhere mentioned; moreover if they are meaningfully mentioned.
100 pages read...
Yes, they are! Happily, they are!
The same guy, in his most recent book, mentions an anecdote: "As a vice mayor, I was promoting social integration for immigrants. A man, deeply religious, Catholic, right winked and very sympathetic turns back to me and tells me that I am excellent but I don't understand one thing: the problem is not migration, the problem is that some religions do not recognize equality between men and women and that's the basis for democracy". Something has changed; back in the sixties no person sharing characteristics such as his would even think about this value, the value of equality. Something has changed and yes, May '68 was successful...
Sexual and all its derivatives are included in "our" White Paper on Youth. In my humble opinion, this is another indicator that May '68 was successful. But the main success of those events with regards to this Paper is far beyond the inclusion of sexuality; it is that it was young people that shaped it; that young people was consulted, asked and questioned; that young people suggested, proposed and highlighted. A document that "leads" and informs youth policies around EU since 2001. Nothing is criticism - free, but its importance to our lives as young people is indisputable.
Something has changed, indeed.
S.
PS. The stories above and the translation is quite "free style" given. I was not interested in having a detailed reproduction but to give the essence of it. I hope I managed. I don't specify names and places, deliberately. Hint: the "student" is alive and kicking, member of the European Parliament nowadays. A weekend in my summer tent for free for those who guess!
Hiatus
It's been a long time since I last posted something. Well, I want to believe that this "silence" has helped me to clarify things about how I would like that my blog looks like, what it should contain and how I can make it more meaningful. It's for sure that from now on the posts will be more related to my "professional" rather than my "personal" one; although the former involves and includes a lot of the latter. Posts will be short, brief, concise, up-to-date and informative; longer posts, "deep" ideas unfolding and analysis, will have their place too, but not too often. The content will most usually be around the triptych Europe - Youth - Training. But whenever I feel that these or any other sort of restrictions, block me, I will break them! I am also working on techniques to improve readability and to have the blog enhanced with more media and interesting "web programming" stuff. Ideas, are more than welcome.
Thanks a million to some people whose wish to read my writings has been the main push to start blogging again. It is from those and beyond that their comments are expected!
Long live the alphabet!
S.
Thanks a million to some people whose wish to read my writings has been the main push to start blogging again. It is from those and beyond that their comments are expected!
Long live the alphabet!
S.
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