Brave New Gadget

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of Aldous Huxley's death. The author of "Brave New World" feared a future where it is the things we love that will undo us.

Unlike the totalitarian society in George Orwell's "1984" Huxley feared a world where information is drowned in a sea of irrelevance, where we are willingly distracted and therefore do not act when our freedom is taken away.

I live in the time when ten percent of the Swedish population say they will vote for a fascist party and our government just started chipping away at the policies of openness that are a cornerstone of democracy.
I have a degree in political science and journalism. I studied human rights, peace and conflict studies and the history of propaganda.
I never thought I would see history re-enact itself in my lifetime. Not in the corner of the world I call home.

And there are protests - but not nearly what there should be. Have we become what Huxley feared 82 years ago?
Are we docile and sedated by our beloved gadgets? Or can we simply not see what our actions or lack thereof will lead to in the long term?

I am an early adopter of technology and I work in the field - I know why I spend so much time staring at screens. But when I look around and see the entire bus doing the same thing I start to wonder what we are doing. Are we choosing the digital soma (the pleasure drug Huxley describes in "Brave New World") instead of participating in the world around us?

German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller illustrates what happened when the Nazis rose to power and began eliminating group after group. And how high the price will be if we choose sloth and not action.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

We are only free as long as we demand to be. Trading freedom for security is a dangerous gamble.

The Guardian has an excellent article on Huxley.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/22/aldous-huxley-prophet-dystopia-cs-lewis

And this comic explains the differences between Orwell's "1984" and Huxley's "Brave New World".
http://cdn.prosebeforehos.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/huxley-versus-orwell-comic.jpg

Dear Attention Whore,

I know it seems like you have the perfect life right now. Women flirt with you, women give you compliments on your body, women want to sleep with you.

And yet there is a piece missing. Why do you put photos of yourself in your underwear on the internet, to be validated by strangers? Why do you chat up every woman who gives you attention?
I know our culture tells us that this is what the best time in your life is supposed to look like. You are desired and you desire. What they didn't tell you is that it's empty.
You are easy and nobody values things that are that easy to get. Your behaviour is hurting others and yourself. Oh but I know you do not see it that way. You're getting laid and women are coming back for more, aren't they?

You are far from the only person I know who acts like this. I know that you are young. In time you will learn and when you know better, you do better.

You don't have to take my word for it. Read Alex James' autobiography "A Bit Of A Blur". He will tell you that he now considers the time he spent hanging out with rock stars, jet-setting and getting laid every night the lowest point in his life.

No dear attention whore, this is not an attempt to change you. Far from it. I doubt you will ever read this and if you do you will not understand what I am saying.
It's not sour grapes.
I am old enough and experienced enough to know that I cannot change another person.
I just hope that one day you will find what you need to change yourself.

Consider this a prayer sent out to the universe. Not just for you but for everyone who is missing the key pieces needed to love and respect yourself.

Grandfather

My maternal grandfather Elo passed away a few weeks ago. He was 90 going on 91 and a stellar guy.

 Dairy engineer at work.

Elo was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1921. He studied to become dairy engineer in an occupied Denmark during WW2 and was a member of the underground resistance. He was stopped at checkpoints in the city with his bag full of underground newspaper Frit Danmark on at least two occasions but was never searched. Possession of the illegal newspaper meant that you were shot right then and there.

Elo's father, the chief of police for Fredriksberg, Copenhagen, was taken as a prisoner of war in 1944* and lost his life in a camp near Dresden.

After the war Elo got a job in Malmö, Sweden where he met my grandmother. They married in 1948 and had two daughters. He travelled the world a few times, won a silver medal for his cumin cheese, was elected president of two Rotary clubs, was involved in local politics and wrote several textbooks.

He was a prankster, musician, athletic and he loved cheese. The desk in his study was full of cows in various forms so that "he'd remember who his actual employer was".

The funeral was held in the same church where he and my grandmother married. The last hymn sung was the one he requested; Altid frejdig, a Danish hymn that was sung by the resistance during WW2.

Rest in peace Morfar.
Mennesker kommer og går, men du vil altid være midt i mit liv.

* Police officers were considered a potential threat since they could handle weapons. German authorities rounded them up and sent them to POW camps in Germany to prevent them from joining up with the resistance.

Here We Go

Today was my first power yoga session in a few weeks. It feels great to start again but it felt a little like this cartoon. Not exactly the smooth(ish) flow I had going on a month or so ago. But that's why I like yoga so much - whatever your body can do that day is enough. And I am recovering from a badass cold.

Word.
 

My homegirl Malin works for a fitness magazine and is always posting post-10k-run-workout photos. So here we go! Just don't expect me to start running as much as she does.
If you need some inspiration to start exercising again then get some workout gear that you feel and look good in. It helps a lot if you like what you see in the mirror, especially if you've been a chocolate-munching couch potato for two weeks.

After yoga.

Behold The Hurricane

It feels like I have spent the last few days standing on the edge of a cliff. Do I jump or do I walk away? Do I call you or do I move on? I came so close to jumping, but I didn't.
You were my friend but you will never be what I need. Even if that jump would mean a thrilling ride I would end up hitting the bottom and get crushed. And you're not worth it.

I realized that I am stronger that this. I can go anywhere and do anything. My choices are not just standing still or jumping. I feel the storm growing around me and it can take me anywhere. So I'll walk away from the edge, away from you, and find someone who deserves me.
Behold the hurricane.

Word

Good Riddance

I've had a lot to do lately. Busy at work, busy with the hepcat store, busy sorting out my own head. And then there's all the little everyday things like groceries to buy, returning library books and remembering where I last saw the car keys.

But I also keep thinking about things and people I thought I had made up my mind about. Questioning my own actions and decisions. Asking that eternal question "what if". Hoping to talk to you. Looking at that photo of us. Wondering what is on your mind and why I care.
Maybe I'm processing. Maybe I just need a vacation.

Time to take Billy Joe's advice... 

So make the best of this test and don't ask why

it's not a question but a lesson learned in time.

My weakness is that I care too much

Raise your hand if you've ever gotten a little drunk and done things you shouldn't. Hey, you too?
Not being perfect simply means we are human.

But we all have to decide what is right for us and what we make room for in our lives. And sometimes I let people into my life who are not what I thought they were. You don't respect me and you don't really care.

It is not for me to judge you or how you live your life. I simply choose not to be a part of it.

Sometimes you just need a reminder

Live right now
Just be yourself
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else