E:thos...Looking from the inside out

A collection of images from within looking without...the story of a concrete jungle...

Recycle me a planet or two...

Trees... An optical illusion

In the last three or so years I have had various encounters with the 'go green' movement that is aimed at 'saving the planet' from mankind's destructive behaviour! With increasing emphasis and attention on an organisations 'Corporate Social Responsibility', I found myself cast as the 'environmental champion' at work. This role required me to join an environmental sterring group, organise activities and campaigns to highight the issues around how people are damaging the environment and manage our sub contractors in a way that their actions improved our carbon foot print position. I must say however that I do feel somewhat of a fraud because at home I am not so motivated to 'save the planet'. The reason for this is that the systems I have to live within or rely upon for travel and waste disposal all seem to work against the environmentally not so-conscious! 

Travel being the chief culprit in my battle to be green in that public transport is shockingly unreliable and shrouded with inexplicably frequent delays. For one to rely on the bus or train to get to work and around generally, literally means to allow these services to dictate your day. I remember many a Sunday in winter particularly waiting at a train station to get me to church and an hour or hours could go by at times before a train arrived going your way. This coupled with the virtually non existent Sunday bus service was frustrating at the best of times and the lack of buses after 8pm then hindered any socialisation one may want to partake in on an evening. The answer? Buy a car and burn Co2 so you can be on time and have flexibility!

My personal favourite is that of the conundrum that is garbage  / waste disposal! We are encourage to the point of being impressed upon to recycle as much of our waste as possible to the point that our general waste is only collected fortnightly and the bins provided for it are small to limit the amount it will hold whilst we get six different recycling bins of varying sizes. The main deterrent for me when it comes to recycling at home unlike at work is separating everything down to types of plastic, cardboard and glass! I am not really a 'greenie tree huger' type so I only have a measure of motivation which is easily defused when I am expected to separate my household waste into six different bins!!!!! Crazy or what??? In my new neighbourhood the local council expect this to be done or they will punish you by not collecting your trash! The result often is that everything goes into black bags for general waste collection. 

So my petition is thus, many people, (myself included) are not so passionate about saving the plant but are willing to contribute to the effort provided that the process is not time consuming or frustrating... So if the powers that be would make it easier for us to pick 'green' or 'greener' options then we would pick them! That said it is indeed a noble cause to save the plant and where and when we can we should all do more towards preserving our planet for the next generation... 

It is my right to be uncommon

The secret lives of men

To know me is to know that I am not one for conformity, or one to follow a crowd aimlessly in any one direction. To know that I am opinionated and once convinced of something beyond reasonable doubt, my convictions are unmoveable, unshakable and underailable. So as I prepare to explore the concept of being uncommon, as a choice and indeed even a right, it is from a position outside the proverbial box that I begin.

To be common once meant that an individual was an average or standard person upholding the principles of propriety and morality / decency and having a generally honest and 'hard working' ethic and approach to life; down to earth yet lacking in great expectations or ambition. When I considered what it means to be 'uncommon' in today's society in all fairness I struggled a little to conjure a picture. The difficulty lies more in the status quo of the day where there is now so much liberality, hand outs and 'no blame cultures' that allow individuals to make excuses for their failings . There is less and less that is left to the imagination, that entices the mind to enquire further or captures one's interest. If you do not desire to do anything, the state will support your addiction to laziness, if you want to be self destructive the state will label you with a mental illness and tell you it is not your fault. 


Education, achievement and respectability are optional extras to life rather than the rule. There is no longer a sense of looking to moral yard sticks to measure one's life and choices and individuals are encouraged to, 'just do it!'. 'It' being whatever action or activity that will deliver maximum self gratification and satisfaction with the least effort on the part of the individual. 


I arrived at the conclusion that it is in fact uncommon to be common in today's society! Granted this is a syndrome most easily identified in western cultures however elements of it are in all modern day societies. The challenge is therefore two fold for the ambitious, self motivated 'go getter' today in that we are not simply fighting to rise above the 'pay check to pay check' style of life but also this modern culture of 'living by your feelings'. The result is that the strong manage to rise above the current social standards to achieve a 'common' state of life which is commendable in light of the challenges one faces when they have the option to do nothing at all and become a ward of the state. 


Therefore to be 'uncommon' is to be remarkably more, decidedly better and exceedingly more accomplished than the average. One who cannot settle, will not accept circumstances as a barrier and who seek to set or raise the standards rather than fall in line behind those set by others. The imagery of a diamond in the rough comes to mind when we consider the 'uncommon person', yet by sheer determination they gleam bright enough to stand out in the crowd.


I  recall hearing this saying that truly brings the point home; There are three types of people in life; those who see and do nothing; those who see and say someone should do something and those who see and act. I therefore conclude that to be uncommon is a state of mind, a disposition of the soul a decision each individual can make for themselves. The blessing of the modern society is that the barriers to accessing education and opportunities are less than they were in times gone by. So if you are tenacious, focussed and driven you can be whatever and whoever you want to be, the sky is the limit! 

"It is my right to be uncommon. For I do not choose to be a common man, 

If I can, I seek opportunity. 

I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the government look after me. 

I choose to take the calculated risk, to dream, to build, to fail or succeed. 

I choose not to barter incentive for a dole, I prefer the challenges of life to a guaranteed existence, the thrill of fulfillment to the state calm of Utopia. 

I will not trade my freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout.” 

Author Unknown

Shutterday Challenge: Taken from the hip

This image took a little creativity in order to capture the full length of the boat which involved using the view finder and holding my camera low on a cold winter day this year.




For more images 'shot at the hip' visit Shutterday here.