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The common tongue (TCT)  On a recent visit to France  when I asked, do you speak english,the reply came ,Do you speak french ! 

Since as for most whose native tongue is not “English” they cannot tell if one is from Ireland ,the US ,Canada ,New Zealand ,Australia or any other Country where English is the common tongue .Such a comment is not ,I believe directed to “us” but to “the English” most of whom do not speak French ,so as in retort ,why should the french speak english .

If the above is true, then in the interest of spreading a common tongue (tct) for the benefit of all ,perhaps a more french friendly term  for “English” as a language would be the common tongue . e.g. So next time before you ask someone if they speak English you could ask they speak the common tongue (tct).   be jensen   c- 2011

Habits —  e.g.  Giving up smoking

If you may want to give up smoking or any other habit one day try counting to 10 or 20 before each cigarette . It doesn’t matter how fast you count .

My theory is that like all habits the repeated behaviour becomes automatic and subconscious to the extent that, often  you are smoking, even before you are aware of it . By placing conscious delay/event before the act of smoking you may break the habit ,eventually.  Its worth a try !!

By delaying the smoking  you may delay long enough to be distracted by something other than the cigarette you were about to have ? You could substitute anything as a delaying act e.g. drink a glass of water .This may be particularly useful before an alcoholic drink for several reasons!!

 

 World Population and sustainability

Paradigms like, growth is good(for business) need to be examined rationally .I believe  many think that unless they are growing ,they are dying ? and there is a fear attached to this ,which when examined rationally can be removed .–See fear and Greed (Post)

I have had concerns since the mid 90s about the imminent exponential rise in production ,consumption and subsequent waste when China and India (one third of the worlds population start to consume at the same rate as the west ).

From 2001 I  started to teach students in Tasmania, that it wasn’t so much our numbers, but our wasteful lifestyle which leads to the idea of ‘overpopulation.’

I showed them this by telling them that the whole worlds population could be put in a column 200 km long by 50km wide  leaving room for population growth to 2050 or so ( the distance from Launceston to Hobart) .I have given similar examples in England 2004 and northern NSW schools in more recent years.The initial calculation was done on the run in the classroom ie in my head so not accurate but  it turns out to be  not bad.

Yes giving each person the same  relative space as a battery hen ,for simplicity 1m x 1m  ( to kill 2 birds with 1 stone-pardon the pun) That could be done and the rest of the world would be empty ! Give them 9 square metres ,even let them build vertically and I think they would all, almost  fit in Tasmania ! Use similar analogies where ever you are ,Tasmania is roughly the  same size as Ireland.

I came up with the above example because a student in the class had previously been given an example of human population which had him very afraid and convinced that our main problem was that there were too many people in the world !

The example was that if every person in China held hands along the equator ,then they would reach all the way around the world.

This exemplifies the problems of statistics and models, they can oversimplify and  be used to support any view one wants to project.

The simplification is necessary because our brains cannot comprehend the reality, in this case the reality of size and number and cause and effect. The current total population of the humans on the earth , given  one square metre each  would have to be 80,000 times greater, for there to be one human being for every square metre of the earths surface. But we wouldn’t be happy living in 1 m² and most of the most of the surface is inhospitable.

This does not mean that sheer numbers aren’t a problem also but it broadens the issue and enables thinking about some solutions other than just numbers .For example until recently ,I think we in the west have used 30 times more energy and matter per person than in China or India !!(this needs to be verified)

We do need to seriously plan our population including ending the senseless urban sprawl and building over prime farming land.

If we continue to live as wastefully as we have been then surely we are doomed, but if we slow down and realise that we are inextricably linked to everything else and that everything we do has an effect on everything else, then we have a chance.

The body  of the above was  a letter sent to Dick Smith over his concerns about population, around 2010.—  b e jensen

 

Over population and population distribution —city people institutionalised

For many years I was perplexed by the apparent lack of awareness of the human connection with nature.

One day I realised that 90% of the problems in world are caused by 90% of people living in cities .

Many of these people have lived in cities all their lives and so have their parents, perhaps  for many generations over hundreds of years ,slowly becoming disconnected from nature . These people in effect have become institutionalised.

Rather than force people out in the country ,I believe we need to bring the country into the city and accelerate the use of rooftop gardens, Community gardens, composting trading of self produced items.

 

 

 

Healthy Eating of sugar and salt

Your taste buds are on the top of your tongue as the old saying goes and your genetic sugar and salt memories are even older .

Many thousands of years ago sugar and salt would have been scarce commodities and not tasted in their pure form often and being important nutrients we would have evolved sensitivity to their presence ie., a very small amount on the tongue was and still is detected when in pure form . Only when masked by other substances do we ingest great quantities.

Therefore as long as there is very little mixed in our food , a generous sprinkling on the outside will give us a good taste sensation with very little salt or sugar intake eg .,sugar on the outside of donuts ,crepes, pancakes or salt on chips, crisps etc.,

Allowing children to have these little luxuries for breakfast before school for example would be far better than allowing them to go to school without eating and not being able to focus until they ate some palatable junk food at recess .An overall balanced diet can then be achieved with other meals .

The psychology of desire and frustration

ALL OF HUMANITY MUST BECOME CONSCIOUS NOW