No
one really knows, of course, what's going to happen in Europe. All
one can do is list the possibilities and then attach probability
factors to each of these. And then wait on events to see which
possibilities move up or down. As Edward Fitzgerald (with a little help from Omar Khayyam) put it:- 'Tis but a chequerboard of nights and days, wherein Destiny with men for pieces plays. So it is that events this week have increased the probability that Greece will exit the
eurozone. Or so some observers believe. Whereas others possibly
don't. Or say they don't. I hope that's all clear.
As a good example of what I mean - After I wrote the above paragraph I
read in today's Times that:-
Prospects for a Greek exit
from the Euro soared last night when the rising left-wing star of
Greek politics moved to force new elections, which he is expected to
win. And elsewhere I read that:- Greece's
deputy prime minister has said the country will run out of money in
six weeks unless it honours its bitterly-disputed EU bailout deal.
Raising the obvious questions for the EU elite- Which can do we have to kick today? And, How far down the road? And, Will anyone believe what we say?
Occasionally,
one realises that a particular word - possibly an old one, possibly a
new one - has become not just fashionable but almost de rigueur
among certain sections of society. In time, these words become so
common as to be pretty meaningless. Such a word is mindfulness. Here it is appearing in the program of artistic events taking
place in Liverpool next Friday night:- Take a walk under the stars
in the candle-lit labyrinth: this ancient symbol of creativity and
mindfulness. So what the hell is it? Well, a number of
things, apparently:-
-
The trait of staying aware of (paying close attention to) your
responsibilities.
-
A spiritual faculty that
is considered to be of great importance in the path to enlightenment.
-
A concept which refers to a psychological quality that involves
bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience on a
moment-to-moment basis. Or involves:-
-
Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present
moment, and non-judgmentally. Or involves:-
-
A kind of non-laborative, nonjudgmental, present-centered awareness
in which each thought, feeling or sensation that arises in the
attentional field is acknowledged and accepted as it is. Or:-
-
The first component of mindfulness involves
the self-regulation of attention so that it is maintained on
immediate experience, thereby allowing for increased recognition of
mental events in the present moment. The second component involves
adopting a particular orientation toward one’s experiences in the
present moment, an orientation that is characterized by curiosity,
openness, and acceptance.
So,
there you have it. It's been around since the late 70s and will be
with us for a good while, yet. I suspect. You can, of course, buy
dozens of books on the theme of mindfulness. In fact, I'm thinking of
writing one myself. Once I've figured out how to pen 200 pages of
bilge and bullshit.
More here on Pioz, the most indebted village in Spain, and how it attained this
status. I doubt there are many people in Spain not living within
a stone's throw of an empty street or block of flats. I have not one
but two within casting distance. As readers will know, it took six
years (yes, six years!) of noise and dust to construct one of them.
I'd
rather be in Spain than the UK but there are, of course, some
small compensations to living in the Britain. Naturally, they're the
obverse of things that (still) irritate me in Spain. For example:-
1.
In the supermarket, there's always someone at hand for questions
about where things are.
2.
They always know the answer. And they call me Sir.
3.
No one but no one ever asks for my ID card or makes me sign anything
when I pay by debt/credit card.
Crossing
the road to get to my regular café this afternoon, I reached the
other side just as a group of fancy-dressed students was arriving there from the pub up the road, en route to a night out in
town. One of them - a lady with a pint glass in her hand - hailed
me in a friendly manner:-
Hey,
mate. Are you with us?
No.
Why
not?
That's
just what I'm asking myself.
Ah,
British repartee at its very best.
Finally
. . . My daughter, Hannah, told me last night that my bedroom smelled
like a hamster cage. I said it was because of the pot being smoked in
the flat below, She demurred and suggested I open a window
occasionally. I replied that, if I did, she'd lose her house-cat, who
sneaks into my room when she thinks I'm not watching. And, in my
view, is almost certainly responsible for the smell. Unless I have
hamsters under the floorboards. You may scoff but I did have once,
when my hamster and her 15 young escaped from their cage. And, no, I
didn't get them all back. Chelford may now have a colony running into
the millions.
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