Perspective.

For a large part of my life, I considered 'money' a dirty word.

I was an ideas person. Something as mundane and tangible as money or earthly possessions didn't seem worthy of my interest.

In the meantime I've come to understand that this attitude could only sprout and thrive in soil that was a) there and b) fertile. In other words: I grew up in the privileged situation where I could afford to deprecate money.

I come from an average, middle-class background. We were never rich by any stretch of the imagination, but our basic and important needs were met and my siblings and I got a good education. That alone puts me in the top quartile of richest people in the world – a gift I never acknowledged.

These last few years, through research my husband is doing, I've come to look at money in a different way: as a representation and carrier of human energy. Money, like energy, is a means to an end, neither good nor bad until it's put to a purpose.

Once I got past my aversion to the world of banking, finance and global economics, new and exciting layers of understanding opened up. This has given me a new perspective on history, human interaction and, above all, on personal responsibility.

Underneath all this, my inner hippie is still very much alive; often enough she rears her wild-haired head. But her job description has evolved. She still gets to rule my dreams, fuel my writing and inspire my choices. However, in the other realms I dwell in, I listen to my other advisers.

Tied in with the topic of this post and in honour of my inner hippie, I wanted to share this:

When thinking about a concept as vast as money, it's easy to lose perspective. The 'Global Rich List' is one of those tools that helps me keep it.

Give it a try. It only takes a few seconds and you might be surprised!


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Image: design by: whatshername13 @ deviantart. Text by: unknown.

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Innovating to Zero.

© 2009, Andrea Kirkby

With the recent earthquake in Japan and the subsequent problems in their nuclear power plants, nuclear energy and its alternatives - or lack thereof - are all over the news.

Our energy consumption is a complicated issue, one that provokes discussion, well-meaning but often badly informed opinions, hope and despair.

Many of us feel like we have lost control of our energy production. The feeling is justified. After all, we are no longer dealing with human energy, with our own ability to act, live and produce. A long time ago, we have chosen to use other, more concentrated fuel sources, in order to achieve more, faster and bigger results.

That decision has its advantages: look at how far we've come, look at our lifestyles and the possibilities we have to travel and look beyond our local communities, be it for food, news or entertainment.

But there are downsides too: we have to go through extreme measures to find or extract that energy, many of which might end up killing us. And as the population continues to grow, our energy demands might soon exceed the supply.

Related to this topic, I wanted to share a TED talk with you, given by Bill Gates in February 2010, in which he deals with energy, CO2, responsibility, a global vision on energy, and possible solutions for the future.

In this 28 minute video, 'Innovating to Zero', Bill Gates sketches a clear and orderly overview of our current energy situation, with its problems and possibilities. He doesn't paint a rosy picture, but shows there is hope. A lot of smart people are investing in and looking for alternative energy sources and solutions to existing problems.

Still, let us not forget it's not just their responsibility. It's ours too. The least we can do is be informed; that's where ideas and possible solutions can be born from.

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Photo 'Nuclear' by Andrea Kirkby, available under a creative commons license. © 2009, Andrea Kirkby. 

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Listen-to-Your-Heart Week.

Photo credit: Seyed Mostafa Zamani



Earlier today, I read an article about the book 'The Heart Speaks' by cardiologist Mimi Guarneri. It deals with the effect of our emotional state on our heart's health. Coming from a family in which heart disease is quite common, heart health is a big topic for me.

More and more scientific discoveries confirm what we instinctively already know and feel: anger, anxiety, grief and stress aren't good for us. Negative feelings trigger stress hormones that cause changes in our heart rhythm. They create a chaotic pattern that has a negative effect on our entire body.

In a similar way, positive emotions such as love and appreciation can make our heartbeat more stable and regular, which helps other organs function better.

So, for many reasons, I pronounce this my 'Listen-to-my-heart week'. For the next 7 days, I am going to take extra care of my heart, in its entirety.

I plan to concentrate on all that is good and positive in my life. There is so much to be grateful for! I will focus on hope, serenity, beauty and abundance. I pledge to love, laugh, treasure and enjoy. I promise to create, build, share and... write.

Are you with me? VC53HJQ52JP7

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Sound Health in 8 Steps and 15 Minutes.

Sound affects our lives, all the time. It is a constant stimulus, whether we are aware of it or not. As such, it has an effect on our brain and on our mental health, both positive and negative.

I wanted to share two videos by Julian Treasure, who is - besides a man with a great name - a sound adviser by trade. He is also an author and blogs at Sound Business.

The first video is a 7 minute talk about the effects of sound on our health.

If you are hooked by now and have another 6 minutes to spare, I can also recommend this presentation:

Now, go find a place with lots of WWB. It's good for you!

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Dark Elves, Confessionals and Games for Change.

It's time to come clean: I have a secret life. Apart from writing and hanging out in weird places with people who like to dress up, I also have a regular job.

Fortunately it's a really cool one. By day I get to teach about computer games to future game developers. That might not seem like an obvious career choice for a writer-at-heart, but it was for me. I've always been fascinated by technology, and especially by computer games. My favourite ones are fantasy and science fiction roleplaying games. It's a genre that's strongly driven by story, so there's your connection.

Dark Elf enchanter in Everquest® whose virtual body
I may or may not have inhabited in the past.

In my job, I try to make people aware of the 'other side' of games.
There are definitely social issues around computer games that I'm not trying to deny. But there is also the huge potential that we're currently not tapping into. In games, people acquire skills, knowledge, friends, confidence and so much more. Games are learning tools. Players challenge themselves over and over again, spending time and energy doing the impossible, to overcome the problems that are thrown in their general direction.

Unfortunately, most of what is learnt in games is currently only used, valued and respected in those virtual worlds. We need to find ways to bring the different realms closer together and - who knows - they might even merge.
Most of all: we should be brave enough to ask ourselves not just what so-called real world knowledge or skills we can bring to games, but also what our material world can learn from its virtual siblings.

This morning I was watching a TED video, and the omnipresent and omniscient Right Column suggested I would also like Jane McGonigal's presentation 'Gaming can make a better world'. I believed I would. I've seen her talk a couple of times at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and she's managed to entertain and inspire me every time.

Jane is a game researcher and game designer at the Institute for the Future in California, and the brain behind the Top Secret Dance Off. Here's her talk:

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Manage your body weight - the green way - part four: the list!

Continued from part three.

Now let's look at a few more green, sensible and meaningful ways to get rid of those energy reserves. I'm offering a long list here, not because I think you should do them all, but to make sure that there are at least a few suggestions in there for everyone. It's by no means comprehensive, so feel free to add any ideas you have in the comments below.

- If you have one, walk your dog more often. He/she will love you for it. (Don't try this with cats. It simply doesn't work.)

- If you have kids, play active games with them: tag, ball games, limbo dancing, lifting them in the air and pretending they're aeroplanes, and whatever you can think of that requires muscle activity. If you don't have kids, borrow your sister's, brother's, neighbour's, ...

(c) T.M.O.F. - cc

- Instead of dumping it in the dryer, hang your laundry outside. Consider this valid exercise. As a bonus: you'll have to take it back in afterwards. Double exercise points!

- When unloading groceries: don't pile up shopping bags or boxes to carry them inside in one go. Instead: walk a few times back and forth. Much better for your back, and every extra step counts. (Although I have to admit: piling them up and balancing isn't bad either, as it counts as weight training)

- Try to combine walking or working out with grocery shopping. Instead of driving your car to the supermarket and then going for a walk, jog or workout afterwards, consider walking or jogging to the baker's or the neighbourhood store.

- Bring a packed lunch to work, take it to a nearby park or public garden, go for a walk, and have lunch al fresco.

- Wash your car by hand (with a spunge and a bucket of water and just a little bit of soap) instead of driving to the carwash. There's no need for lots of hose action if you apply "the force", i.e. muscle power. If you have kids or a playful spouse or friend, get them involved.



(c) Daniel McCullum - cc

- Two words: snowball fight. In the absence of snow, water balloons will do.

- Use the commercial breaks during your favourite television programmes to get up, stretch a bit, do a silly dance to one of your favourite songs, or get a couple of minutes of house work done.

- Wiggle your toes any chance you get. Don't forget to enjoy it.

- Make love as often as you can. Sex is a great way to get your heart pumping and your whole body moving. (If you're under the legal age in your country, or a sex addict: please ignore this advice. Silly dances are fun too)

- Instead of going out to eat, with a partner or with friends, prepare a picnic basket, go for a walk and have a fun or romantic picnic in a beautiful setting.

- When you take the bus or tram to work: get off a couple of stops before or after your regular one. That way you have a short walk that helps you to be fully awake for work, or that can refresh your buzzing mind afterwards. It's also a great way to see more of your surroundings, to meet people in a different environment or to get inspired for other activities: you might see posters for a concert, an art exhibition or a museum you haven't been to. Also: vary! On a bright sunny day, be brave and go for more stops; if it's cold, go for a brisker walk.


(c) Manjith Kainickara - cc

 - Grow a garden. Don't let it die. If you have a piece of land, however small it is: cultivate your own fruit, veggies & herbs, and take care of them. If you don't have the space, be creative: get pots for your balcony or window sill, look for allotments or communal garden projects in your area, or talk to an elderly neighbour with a plot of land. They might love to get some help or let you use it, in return for a small share of the harvest. Herbs especially are great, because they're easy to grow, and they really spice up your meals with their gorgeous scents and vibrant shades of green, yellow, red, purple, ....

- Have a housecleaning competition with your partner, roommate or children. Assign each competitor a room, or part of a room, and the first one to get their side spotless, wins the prize! This is by far my least favourite tip, regardless of the prize.

- Get to know the area or city where you live. Challenge yourself by hanging up a map, putting pins where you've already been, and give yourself a week, a month, ... to fill up the empty spaces.

- Volunteer in a soup kitchen, animal shelter, community building or after-school project. Most of the work includes physical activity and it's a great way to give back the energy you've been storing.

- Mind your posture. It's not just better for you physically (it takes more muscle effort so you'll burn more calories), it also helps to boost your confidence and makes you feel better about yourself.

(c) Jean-Pierre Dalbera - cc

- Dance. At parties, weddings, in clubs or on your own. Take dance classes. There are so many genres to choose from: bellydancing, African, hip-hop, flamenco, salsa, swing, jazz, Bollywood, Indian temple dancing, tap dance, ballroom, capoeira, disco, medieval, you name it. There's a style for everyone!

- Visit interesting places. Travel, explore and discover parts of your country, continent, planet, galaxy, that you haven't been to before. Few things are more inspiring than being in a new environment.

- Play an instrument. Any one will do, but the heavier the better. Percussion comes highly recommended.

- Organise birthday parties for your kids, family or friends. Look for fun and creative themes and make the decorations, toys and games yourself, on your own or with friends, family or other parents.

- Walk around when you're on the phone (works significantly better with mobile phones)

- Move your scanner, printer, ... further away from your desk so you have to get up every time you need to use it. Don't get annoyed about it. Consider it exercise and praise yourself.

- When you drive to work, park your car further away. Even if it's just on the other side of the carpark, or a couple of blocks away, every extra step counts.

- Take the stairs whenever you can. If you start off in a really bad shape, take the elevator to 1 or 2 floors below where you have to be, and walk the rest.

- Take massage classes with a friend or partner. Practice often on the people around you. Be sure to get their permission first.

- Stretch, swing and shake! Whatever you're doing, whether it's cooking, reading, typing or slouching. Stretch in all directions, swing your arms and legs, wiggle your shoulders and shake that bootie.


These are just ideas. I hope you've found a few you like, and most importantly: I hope they've inspired you to come up with your own, which - by the way - I would love to hear.

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Manage your body weight - the green way - part three. Exercise!

In the first article in this series, I had a look at a few underlying principles of managing your body weight, and tried to frame it in a more ecological and holistic context.

In the second, I explored the food side of weight management, with the underlying principles and a bunch of tips and tricks to consume fewer calories while still maintaining your quality of life.

And the same principle applies to exercise: any type of weight management that's going to work in the long run, shouldn't impose on your quality of life. It might itch a little here and there, but that'll be generously compensated in many other areas, feeling like an overall win.

Even though it makes more sense not to consume more than you need, the reality is that many of us don't want to resist or avoid high-calorie foods all the time. Or give up chocolate and stop going to cocktail parties. Does that mean we're doomed?

(c) Capt Kodak - cc



Not in the least. It's perfectly possible to manage your weight and still enjoy the good things in life. I know I do, and have done so for years now. You just need to be aware that it's a balancing act, and it requires making informed decisions. Fortunately, there's no such thing as failure. There's just learning, improving your strategies and moving forward.

First, let us get back to the 'green' basics.

When we consume too many calories, what we basically do is take in more energy than we need. That energy comes from somewhere. In life, there's no such thing as a free lunch, literally.

The energy comes from other life forms (the plants and animals that we've eaten, and indirectly from the sun), and we consume that life to continue our own.

When we take in more energy than we need for our normal activities, our well-functioning bodies store it as fat, unless (or until) we use it up. Until we do, it also means we are taking more from this world (in the form of food) than we are giving back (in the form of activity). That doesn't make us bad people, and we don't need to feel guilty about that. It's part of being human, but so is the ability to be aware.  


(c) sparktography - cc

Don't give in to guilt. It's generally not useful in a healthy weight management plan. Instead, we risk using it an excuse.  

Guilt makes us feel bad about ourselves, and often powerless, which then becomes another reason to remain sitting on the couch, wallowing in self-pity or self-reproach. 

Instead, what we really need is the courage to face the facts. Then we can start looking for useful ways to burn our excess energy. Giving back to where it came from. Look at your fat as potential, waiting for you to devote it to a worthy cause.

There's a huge difference between being overweight, and being someone who has been "storing energy up till now." That difference is made by what you decide to do, right now. You are not a victim. You have more control over your life than anyone else. It might not always feel that way, but it is true.

So let us look at ways to transform that stored energy back into meaningful activity. It has come from the world, it is now time to give it back. You have the insights, the energy reserves, and the motivation. You might not have the perfect knees, back or metabolism, but we can all work with what we've got. 


I want to make clear that I am not pleading against fitness or workouts. If you enjoy running on a treadmill and it makes you feel good about yourself, keeps you motivated, gives you energy and strength for other projects: great! Your health and well-being are what matters most.

(c) Ulf Liljankoski - cc



But if you're not getting much out of it, and you're just dragging yourself to the gym purely to lose weight, it might be time to find an activity that feels useful, that motivates you to go on, that makes you happy to be alive, that makes you feel part of the greater clockwork. 



Personally, I am a great fan of weight training (workouts with free weights). Yes, the heavy ones. Yes, like the guys in the gym, and no, it won't make you look like a body builder. (Lots of great information about that on http://www.stumptuous.com/).

Why weight training, and why it doesn't feel meaningless to me? Plenty of reasons:

• It's great willpower training (everyone who's tried it knows how great it feels when you squeeze out that last rep)
• It's a very efficient way to become stronger, which is useful for many other daily activities, from carrying groceries (or children), gardening or house work, helping friends move house to defending yourself or getting out of an emergency situation
• It's something you can do at home, with basic and inexpensive equipment.
• It doesn't take hours a day to build it up or maintain it.
• You can start off slowly with a few simple exercises, two or three ten minute sessions per week, and build it up from there, together with your physical abilities and your confidence. .

But any other increase in physical activity will make a difference. It's important to take your starting situation into account, and build it up from there in a way that increases your overall health and joy in life. Step by step, changing and adapting along the way.

Don't forget: every time you wiggle your toes in joy or wave at a friend or neighbour, you are making your muscles work and you're spending energy. Every extra step you take, you're burning off calories. And if you've enjoyed that step and on top it has benefited friends, family, your community or the world at large, it pays off times ten!

Up next: a list of green and meaningful exercise tips & tricks.

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So Your Partner's a Rational Creature ... - Part Three.

Continued from: Rational creature - part 1 and Rational creature - part 2.

Fundamental difference #2:

Rational people process (nearly) everything in their head first.

On top of that, the rational part of our brain is significantly slower to respond than our emotions.

This means that, when confronted with new information or an unfamiliar situation, a rational creature will usually do nothing. At least, that's what it will look like, while their brain is working like crazy. On the inside, they're looking for similarities to known situations, considering different responses, looking for the appropriate way to react, etc. On the outside, we see ... nothing.

Of slippery slopes and minefields:

Feelers often misinterpret that lack of immediate response as not caring. We tend to consider Thinkers cold fish, and this can cause quite a few conflicts, especially in romantic relationships.
(For more info on the Jungian or MBTI terminology 'thinkers' and 'feelers', have a look here.)

The rationale behind this suspended reaction is that, by a certain age, thinkers have already learnt that their first response to a situation, especially one that is emotionally charged, is a bad idea.

When dealing with feelings, logic's usually not the way to go. For someone who bases their decisions on logic and observable data, emotional situations are minefields. They don't have enough information to go by. They have no idea how to respond, because the observable data are limited to: 'she's acting strange,' or 'he seems upset.'

Back to Angela and Bob:

Angela and Bob are talking about an article she's been reading, about how microwaving your food is bad for you.
Bob, being his rational self, points out - quite sharply - that microwaves don't do anything but make water molecules in food vibrate rapidly, thus creating friction and therefore heat, and in that sense microwaving isn't all that different from other forms of cooking.

Angela, unable to detect a caring tone in his voice - probably because there wasn't one - feels like he's calling her stupid. He discards what she said based solely on factual arguments that she can't counter with facts of her own. This feels very unfair and disrespectful of who she is as a person. (For a Feeler, nearly everything is about people because that's what we're focusing on.) As a result, Angela gets angry and, because she doesn't want to start a fight, she shuts up.

Bob notices her change in behaviour, but has no idea what happened. After all: he was just correcting an incorrect assumption. It wasn't personal. He asks Angela if something's wrong, but she denies.
Shortly after, Bob goes to watch TV, only to notice that there's significantly more rattling and smashing of pots and pans than usual.

(Again, pardon the gender stereotyping, I'm going for maximum recognisability here. Please adapt names, characters and situations at will.)

Bob now has every reason to suspect something's wrong, but he sees no way of finding out what. Until he gets more information, he does nothing, hoping it will pass.

In the meantime, Angela is still angry and winding herself up to boiling point. Bob can be such an uncaring arsehole sometimes. She bottles those emotions up on top of everything else, and we've got great potential for future self-combustion.

In the meantime it should be quite clear what the basis for this conflict is, and that there's no point in trying to blame either one of them. Each person reacts in their own way, and the conflict doesn't come from either one of the individuals, it comes from the mutual misunderstanding of the other person's social language.
In so many people's everyday lives, a lot of energy is wasted in situations like this one, energy that we could spend on something that's actually fun!

Now, let's look at what we can do to avoid this in our own lives:


For the Emotional Creature:

- Be aware that lack of feedback or response doesn't equal that your partner doesn't care.

- Your partner is not a mind reader. Try and express yourself as clearly as you can, especially when strong emotions hit you.

- When a particular feeling comes up, it's usually triggered by something. Every feeling is a valid response, you're not being silly (most of the time, anyway). It means there's an issue that needs to be dealt with.

- Don't waste mental energy blaming the people around you for not understanding. You are not a victim. Once you've calmed down, as you always will, analyse what has happened and talk about it.


For the Rational Creature:

- Be aware that a feeling is often difficult to analyse, especially for the person who's experiencing it (and while they're still feeling it.) It's an automatic response coming from an old part of our brain, pointing out that something's not right.

- Know that, when you notice in the feelers around you that something's off, you're probably right. However tempting it might seem to ignoring the situation, in the long run that's not a good idea, as it will keep coming back. The longer you wait, the bigger the fallout - and the damage.

- We all function in a social context. Roughly 50% of people are Feelers. That means you can't avoid them no matter how hard you try. And believe it or not, it would seriously reduce the quality of your life if you could.

- However unjustified or unintelligible you think emotions are, don't belittle them or treat them as unimportant.  While the feeling is 'active', it's very real and extremely important to that person.

- It's important to be there to listen, consider and offer comfort. If you don't know what to say, that's okay. You don't have to say anything, just be there.

- Even if your partner repeatedly tells you they're fine, if you have sufficient clues that that's not true, don't believe them. Feelers tend to put up a brave face. Don't pressure the matter either, just let them know you're there, and plan a joint activity for the (very!) near future. Chances are by then the feeling will have gone through its first processing rounds, and your partner might be ready to talk about it.

- Make use of Feeler friends and relatives. They can often help you to translate. Be careful with delicate topics, though, your partner might not like other people to know the specifics!


To keep in mind:

Once the strong emotional response has cooled down, conversation is possible again. It's important to find out what triggered the problem. Usually it's some form of misunderstanding related to how a message was communicated.
Thinkers have a way of giving factual information in a very cool way, deprived of emotion. Because to them it's about the facts.
Feelers read a lack of emotion as coldness, and tend to associate it with disrespect, disdain, disagreement, etc. Mainly because when they try to keep emotion out of what they say, it usually means they don't agree or don't approve and try to spare the other person's feelings.

We're really not that different on the inside, but we do speak a different social language. In order to understand each other, we need to learn to translate.

[Might be continued in the future.]

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Image: 'Close Up of The Thinker' by Todd Martin, available under a creative commons license. © 2005, Todd Martin.

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