Optimistic Predictions. Liam 2080

In 2080 when Liam will have to celebrate his 83^rd birthday he will be still younger than my father is today. When my father was born in 1923 his father tended the field with horses. Tractors, cars, radios, telephones were invented but just began to become common goods. Europe had just finished a horrible war and although everybody had resolved that no such war should ever occur again, the second world war was only 16 years away.

When Liam will be great grandfather, what will the world look like then? It is common knowledge that the rate of change accelerates almost exponentially, predictions over 79 years seem a very bold and presumptuous undertaking. But watching Liam keeping a close eyes on his cars and trucks while he eats breakfast, I couldn’t resist to wonder, if there still will be cars and buses in 2080.

So here we go:

In 2080 the world will finally have transformed entirely to renewable energies, mostly solar. But energy also comes from transformations of waste, foremost human waste. Except for the big cities people live off the grid and create electricity from hydrogen cells which are fueled by the sun. There will be 18 billion people populating the earth, almost 2.5 times what it was when Liam was born. There is little hunger but water had first become a precious commodity before desalination was used so widespread that the water crisis had been overcome.

Nobody seems to eat animals anymore; killing animals for food or even raising animals for food seems barbaric now. Meat like processed food is generated with cell cultures and genetic engineering. Most countries have dissolved and instead large metropolitan conglomerations are governed on their own not so much by parliaments, kings, presidents or mayors but by task forces, councils and numerous ad-hoc assemblies of people that solve a problem and the dissolve. There are few elections but many procedures to vote issues up and down on an almost daily basis.

Most people live in large metro areas but good transportation has become less important since many products can be produced locally or even on the premises with 3D printing, genetic cultures and virtual depictions of faraway places and experiences. Places and people can be encountered as holographic images including touch and smell sensations making distant travel an exotic undertaking for the privileged or very adventurous. There is still fascination with mobility, for sure and car like vehicles are still sought after. They are propelled with solar fuel cells and small electric motors directly in the wheels or small air jets. However, control of these vehicles is almost entirely coordinated by electronic systems that couple individual trips to a kind of train with very high speeds, the orchestration of the movements follows the principles of emergence which is now very well understood and has substituted all mechanical and linear thinking and science. The uncertainty principle just discovered after my father had been born has become the modus operandi of all science, multiverses have been proven to exist and it is generally assumed that universes expand, then contract and then expand again in an endless cycle. Many problems are analysed in far more than four dimensions and each child can understand the idea of nested dimensions and the holographic principle.

Along with these scientific changes religion underwent substantial transformation from teleological and theocratic models to an adoration of phase changes, transformations and emergence, a kind of natural religion in which science and religion are very close and not at odds.

Medicine has entirely changed from the plumbing and cutting approach of the 19^th and 20^th century to one of programming and renewal. Any damaged tissue can be grown back in any part of the body except the brain, but here progress is on the horizon as well. Most babies are not naturally conceived nor are they born by mothers. Women became fully equal to men by having the gestation occur in devices that allow interaction with the growing fetus almost as well as in the woman’s body, except the interaction is now available also to men. The main reason for this development had been less the liberation aspect as more the fact that the heads of the newborns had become larger and larger until birth has become too risky for too many women.  There are always new diseases appearing that have not found a counter program yet, but generally embryos will be genetically coded so that they are immunized against all known defects and with the most desirable features that parents like to see. Worldwide a hybrid race of part Asian, part Indian part African has been most popular, medium dark skin, brown or blue eyes, smooth dark hair. Humans can direct all kinds of devices and tools with their brainwaves without lifting a finger. The attempt to run computers this way as well failed since the humans seem to never be able to concentrate long enough to exact complicated commands via brainwaves, only short and simple ones. But in the reverse, computers can instill brainwaves and initiate direct action this way. Humans seem to be omniscient this way since they have full access to almost all available data in their thought processes to a point that one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between human and device intelligence. Still, there are huge differences how adept people are with their tools and differences in intelligence and success are still as noticeable as ever.

People still die of old age in spite of all attempts to prolong life. Somehow the average life expectancy stalled out around the age of 90 and seems to be stuck there, no matter all scientific progress.

The division of life into childhood, adolescence, adulthood, of learning, working, retirement has entirely been transformed into a continuum of work, research, learning and enjoyment that begins as young as 10 and ends often only near death.  Very young people often have the best ideas and are fully integrated into the cycle of life including decision making and production of things. Little time is spent on basic sustenance, most issues and problems pertain to organizational matters. Almost everybody enjoys and practices the arts, creative writing and various forms of music. The materialism of the early 21^st century seems very uneducated now and so does the simple pursuit of money. In fact, real money is absent from daily life and even in virtual form it is  rarely used. Instead there is a virtual bartering system in which desirable items are directly obtained as payment.

The creation of alternative realities out of whole cloth in which an individual can readily transpose him or herself is a favorite pastime and reduces the need for travel which is limited to the well to do and the privileged because it is difficult to obtain the necessary mobility tickets for the surface or the air passages, even though large airships transport up to 1000 people at a time in nuclear propelled air vehicles that travel in higher altitudes utilizing gravitational forces once they have reached travel altitudes.

The earth climate had shifted drastically and what appeared to be apocalyptic around the time when Liam was 25 years old. The gulf stream had suddenly tipped and whole climate zones abruptly shifted with terrible flooding in some areas, aridity and freezing conditions in others that had just gotten used to mild climates. But then engineers received the green light to use methods to capture large amounts of carbon and other greenhouse gases in huge ocean algae sinks and a series of large underground graviton accelerations that shifted the earth axis slightly. Thus the climate was finally corrected and now almost resembles conditions in the 18^th century before the industrial revolution.

Due to the failure of making devices write directly from men’s thoughts (due to the lack of concentration already mentioned) pens like the old fashioned pencils became again the standard mode of writing. Just that there is no need for paper and that the pens can complete words and sentences as soon as the writer has established some key words and store the entire message instantly in whatever places are designated including communication receivers in far away places even as far away as Mars where several colonies have been erected for those who are bored by living on earth.

And as so often before, history seems to repeat itself. On Mars unfettered materialism is reported to have led to degradation of the environment and human settlements push ever further west on that planet.

 Liam looks out of the 60^th floor of his New York apartment. Sheer nostalgia brought him back to the place of his childhood. The East River glimmers in the red glow of the sinking sun. The bio-mimicry skin of the building will soon turn the transparent windows into a solid for the night for better insulation. He looks at his wife who is already asleep. Sleep and love are still the two best things in life, even in 2080.

(Initially written on March 15, 2011, slightly modified on 12/8/11)

Philip Andrew Duff. Life's Fragility.

3.12.2012	12-3-11
Das Auto als tödliche Falle, das musste Jasons Famile erleben, als Jasons Bruder Jeremy nicht mal einen Kilometer vom Elternhaus gegen einen Baum raste und aus dreiwöchigem Koma nicht mehr erwachte. Und das muss nun die Frau von Naynas verstorbenem Bruder Geoffrey erleben. Die Zwillinge, Phillip und John, deren   Vater an Herzversagen starb als sie noch ganz klein waren, und die nun beide stattliche und erfolgreiche junge Studenten sind, waren mit dem Auto unterwegs, John auf dem Beifahrersitz. Auf regennasser Straße verlor Philip die Kontrolle, kam auf die Gegenfahrbahn und prallte auf ein entgegenkommendes Fahrzeug. Nun liegt er schon seit über zwei Wochen auf der Intensivstation und wird künstlich beatmet. Er ist noch immer nicht zu sich gekommen. Nachdem alle betäubenden Medikamente abgesetzt wurden, hat er zwar die Augen geöffnet und wendet sich dem Licht zu, aber Augenkontakt, sprechen, Bewegung oder andere Reaktionen sind nicht möglich.	The car as death trap, an experience Jason’s family had to live through after Jason’s brother Jeremy crashed against a tree only a short distance from his home. He didn’t wake from a three week coma. And now the wife of Nayna’s late brother Geoffrey has to experience this very worst nightmare of a parent as well. Her twins Phillip and John, Philip at the wheel, John in the passenger seat, travelled on Lexington's outer bypass ManO’War   Boulevard. The road was wet and Phillip lost control and veered into   oncoming traffic. While John could get out and call 911 his brother was unconscious and trapped in the car. He has not woken since. He is still in the ICU with all kinds of tubes and a respirator. Even after all sedatives were eliminated, he cannot do much more than open his eyes and turn his head towards the light. Eye contact or any other reaction remain elusive.
Da liegt nun ein sportlicher, intelligenter junger Mann, mitten aus seinem Leben gerissen, und alles was ihn zu einer Person macht, fehlt. Einundzwanzig Jahre Zuwendung, Fürsorge und Entwicklung, alles dahin innerhalb von ein paar Sekunden. Das Wissen um diesen Unfall hat sich lähmend in unser Haus eingeschlichen, selbst wenn der Neffe entfernt von uns in Lexington aufwuchs und relativ wenig Kontakt mit uns hatte. Die Gedanken können sich dieser Tragödie nicht entziehen, haben wir doch selber sechs Kinder.   Diese Unsinnigkeit, die auch soviel über die menschliche Bedingtheit aussagt.  Die Zerbrechlichkeit, Verletzlichkeit und die Vernetzung, die den Rest so unnütz macht wenn der Kopf nicht mehr funktioniert. Philips Familie ist sehr christlich religiös und betet viel, aber Gott hat bisher nichts gehört und was man nun schon als ein Wunder betrachten muss, eine Art von Heilung, es ist noch nicht geschehen. Dann, wie die Hand vom heissen Pfannengriff, schrecken die Gedanken zurück, es ist undenkbar sich in die Trauer der Mutter hereinzuversetzen, die nun erneut vom Schicksal geschlagen wurde. Der ältere Bruder Steven hat sich ein Haus gekauft in Lexington. Heute ist seine Einweihungsfeier. Die wird stattfinden, Nayna ist dort und wird auch daran teilnehmen. Das Leben geht unaufhaltsam weiter, auch dies erscheint undenkbar, und ist doch so unabwendbar.	In the ICU one can see a fit and good looking young man in his best years who was an academic and athletic star up to the second that took everything away that made him a person. Twenty one years of care, affection, raring and development, all gone. The knowledge of this situation has creeped into our house like a dark cloud, no matter the distance and the fact that we had only occasional contact. For parents of six this tragedy is close to home. For humans it sheds a glaring light on our fragility and vulnerability, the whole human condition. A  robust body that is useless if the head doesn’t function well. Philip’s family is very religious and there is much praying. But God did not listen yet and any kind of healing would have to be a miracle at this point. Yet, like hands from a hot skillet do our thoughts shy away. Unthinkable is the morning of the mother, struck once again by cruel fate. Steven, Philip’s older brother recently bought his first house. Today is the house warming party. It will take place. Nayna drove to Lexington and will be there for it. Life keeps going, this, too seems unthinkable yet it is unavoidable.
Wie ich ja selber weiss, im Auge des Sturms ist es seltsam ruhig. Trotz der Turbulenz in unmittelbarer Sichtweite, trotz der unendlich vielen Dinge, die getan werden müssen, trotz ders Alltags, der wie auf einem Bildschirm weiter abläuft. Die unmittelbar Betroffenen sind weitgehend ausgeklinkt, betäubt reihen sie sich  von Zeit zu Zeit als Akteure wieder ein, sich mitbewegend als ob nichts geschehen sei. Auf der Fahrt vom Krankenhaus nach Hause zum Beispiel, inmitten der anderen, die nichts wissen. Aber diese Augenblicke sind kurz, denn schon zu Hause angekommen, ist die klaffende Lücke unübersehbar, die Erschöpfung unleugbar und ein paar Stunden Schlaf sind die einzige Flucht und Rettung. Der winzige Funken Hoffnung erlaubt es den neuen Tag zu beginnen, bis Gewissheit einsetzt. Doch soweit ist es noch nicht, und so bleibt uns nichts als weiter zu hoffen.	As I know from my own experience, it is strangely quiet in the eye of the storm. In spite of the frantic activities which are in clear view. The people directly affected are numb, only occasionally hooked into life that otherwise appears distant like on a TV screen. Only for short moments can they pretend things are normal, like on the drive home from the hospital among all the anonymous people who don’t know. But those moments are short, already upon arrival at home is the gap once again overwhelming, so is the fatigue and a few hours of sleep are the only possible refuge. And the small glimmer of hope fuels another day. Until there is the unwanted certainty. But that day has not come yet and so we all keep hoping.
Philip Andrew Duff.. Geboren am 3.Juli  1990. Verunglückt am 15. November 2011.	Philip Andrew Duff, born 7/3/1990. Crashed on 11/15/2011

  

Man and Nature

If a well nurtured and protected citizen of the East Coast of the United States of America experiences an earthquake and a hurricane in one week, it is time to ponder some bigger questions, such as the relationship of “man” and nature.

·         The universe is supposedly 13.75 billion years old

·         The earth is only about 4.5 billion years old.

·         Humans are 2.5 million years around and in their current edition only 200,000 years

Only in the last 50 years or so are we talking about nature being threatened by humans. Before it was always humans threatened by nature. So when we consider our relationship to nature and our desire to conquer rather than nurture, we better keep in mind how deeply ingrained our instinct is to see nature as a threat. Of course, one might object that different cultures had quite different approaches to nature and that the conquest notion is occidental and Christian in particular. True, but this western view unfortunately holds sway over most of the world now.

So when nature comes through and rattles your burg, your nerves get rattled quite a bit. The whole place shaking? Didn’t I just hear a rumbling. Too? Everybody is out of their seats in an instant, staring at each other in disbelief the brain quickly scanning through all available and plausible options that might have caused everything to rattle like this. The thoughts were still tumbling through the frontal lobe when the senses picked up on that rumbling noise and more and stronger shaking. Now the brain shifted and activated flight response: Sequences of nerve cell firings and release of chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol into our bloodstream. Our bodies underwent a series of very dramatic changes. We breathed faster, our blood was shunted away from our digestive tracts and directed into our muscles and limbs for running. Our pupils dilated. Our awareness intensified. Our sight sharpened. My employees saw the fire escape I saw the interior stairway as the best flightpath. When we met out in the street and all was calm, we felt stupid.

Within seconds we green people who want to protect nature from human damage turned into fleeing mammals who were terrified by nature. And then, not quite as fast, we calmed down and checked out humanities greatest accomplishment, the internet to find out what happened. Alarmingly, the quickest and most comprehensive confirmation that, indeed, we had just experienced a 5.8 Richter scale earthquake came from the good old office radio and not from the computer.

Very few would say that an earthquake is the result of human action (except some Christian fundamentalists who see it as god’s penalty for specific sins). For the immediately following calamity, the hurricane deceivingly peacefully named Irene, this could not be said. Many speculated about how these type storms get more frequent, stronger and larger because of global warming. Yet, when the rain pours like from buckets and the winds blow over longstanding trees, the sense of powerlessness is here yet again. Nature out there, still a threat. While the tremors underfoot challenge deeply ingrained notions of the terra firma and stir up quite deep seated fears, the darkness from power outage and the floods following the rains still threaten our sense of security and our expectation of control and predictability.

A week later the last power lines got reconnected and our sense of “can do” is heightened again while we cut up the remaining fallen trees. Left is a tangle of feelings about nature, the 21^st century confusion between awe, condescendence and impotence. From it, one might hope, eventually arises an adequate response that combines both the urgency for prot

Dancing on the Volcano

If the good people downstream from the Mississippi Morganza spillway who had been evacuated to see their farms and small towns being sacrificed for the safety of the big cities Baton Rouge and New Orleans, if those Louisiana citizens would take refuge in the Big Easy they would have been quite surprised. Here in "Nawlins" it was party time as usual. The red old time trolley operating 9' or so below the waterline is jammed, a freight train winds its way through downtown blowing its horn and the  architects of the AIA convention worry about their continuing credits and hurry from seminar to seminar in the cavernous convention center right alongside the mighty river.    

The barkers bark on Bourbon street, the girls wiggle their assets, a small marching band followed by party revelers squeeze through the gawking masses. Barges ply downstream a lot faster than upstream and the ferry crosses to Algiers a bit more loopy to account for the brown cross-current rich with timber flotsam poking out of the swift waters here and there. In Algiers long time resident Jack, 75 like some of his neighbors  surveying the river on top of the levy looking down on the flooded assembly of shacks and picnic benches in front of the levy which constitute in dryer times some sort of village exhibit. A sign still claims it to be "open". 

Still, even here where Katrina has flooded the historic small wood houses, as Jack reminisces, apparently glad to find in me somebody who listened to him with some level of attention most residents just tend their yard, talk in their beautiful porches or get a late cup of Joe in the local cafe. The yuppified firmer country store is now wifi enabled and tends to hippies and Yuppies and some folks who come here because there isn't much else to go to. It is 11am when the pub is just starting to air out the stale air from last night. The sky is bright blue, a stiff northerly breeze keeps the usual Gulf moisture away and makes New Orleans crisply feel rather like Portland, Maine. 

The spillway evacuee turning tourist would find that his fellow citizens, New Orleans and  tourist from around the world conduct business as usual, distracted neither by concern nor compassion. 

Maybe he be best visit the Casino at the foot of Poytras Street, 200 from the river but without a view and try his luck against his better knowledge. He would likely lose again, but at least he would have a chance. Upstream his home and land get slowly swallowed by waters that the Corps of Engineers very deliberately directed there so that New Orleans can escape another catastrophe.

 The Mississippi leaking out to Lake Pontchartrain

 Flooding in Algiers

 Partying on Canal Street

Lake Pontchartrain is muddied by the sediment rich river waters spilling into it from the mighty river.

In My Father’s Armchair

(4/17/11)

When on a gray February morning a truck with a 20’ shipping container backed up at Paul Klee Strasse 21 in Heidenheim it was not yet clear that the brown leather armchair with its narrow hardwood legs would make it on to the truck. Neither the armchair with the small hint of “ears” nor the compendium loveseat sofa had the yellow stickers on them that Bodo, Dirk and I had applied to furniture earlier in January when we had set out together to check on the inventory and get the family house ready for sale. Yellow stickers meant pick-up by Hasenkamp, the Shipper Dirk had found on the Internet who had proven to be a lot cheaper than the local Hartmann mover who’s company logo is still adorning one of the model trucks I had already taken from my parent’s attic at a much earlier time.

I sat in the back of Dirk and Wesley’s rented Mercedes on the way to Heidenheim. There we met Bodo who came separately with Waltraud so they could also visit her parents. Bodo still has his other Heidenheim connection. Mine has much diminished with Opa Karl barely being at his house anymore, Inge’s grave abandoned and Babette dead. This trip was, in fact, almost like the nail in the coffin. The three brothers gathering around a table for a quick lunch in the Niko the Greek’s urban restaurant next to City Hall. The city seemed dull and an outpost. Was this our minds playing tricks on us to make it easier to lose this adopted hometown as a destination port? Or a realistic comparison with the vibrant Stuttgart or the medieval half timbered cuteness of Herrenberg?   

Pulling up Paul Klee Strasse between the concrete garage boxes and dirty snow piles one last time in front of the white bungalow with the pine trim and the dark weathered concrete roof tiles the feeling of good riddance got even stronger. We still had the key that has fit the front door since the house was originally built and finished in 1971, just when I had left for college. Now it was rather cold inside and in the state of half abandonment. There was still plenty of furniture for sure, but already nobody had lived there for almost two months. Christmas and New Year had passed without a single light going on or off inside, without any bed being warmed by family. We kept ourselves busy with shipping logistics and cataloging what should go where. This way emotions couldn’t  creep in too much among the three of us, each unsure who would be most attached to this place and each in the Philipsen manner ready to fight off these sentiments in favor of  some better future.  As the father had expressed it when he had stood with Bodo in the attic in front of TV cameras for this TV documentary about old people moving into assisted living. He battled emotion one could see it when his eyes turned stern and he pronounced that it was necessary to look forward. This is what we kids had learned from him and that is what we employed here in January and before we had seen the documentary. His words and views were long burnt into our brains, we didn’t need TV to remind us.

Now in March and thousands of miles further west, the season still rather cool and wintery, I sit in his armchair in front of the wood stove with its comforting flames flickering and heating our Blacksburg cabin. I had taken the cardboard box from our monthly storage facility and pushed into the back of the station wagon. It was the first item to be freed from its wrapping. This one piece transformed the rustic simplicity of cabin and added elegance where there had been only plainness. Added the somewhat uncertain English den style that he had selected for the room sometime after it had completed its service as guestroom and had become his study, his refuge. Squarish and simple in its lines but with the unpretentious, conservative elegance that comes with a price and from careful craftsmanship and careful material selection. Nothing I would have chosen for my study and even less for the cabin. But now fate had brought it here because the shipping container had still space left after all stickered items had been loaded. The B list got a chance.

 Now, sitting in it and trying to find a comfortable position in it’s not so ergonomic shape I feel that these items from the added items list might have been maybe the most important ones, the ones from his refuge away his wife’s relentless television. This chair was where he sat and read his magazines, his newspapers and books. I felt satisfaction and accomplishment to have brought it here at considerable cost and up the cabin steps even with some physical exertion.

But I also feel guilty of sitting in this chair, having pilfered it and taken it from an abandoned house that seemed like it was waiting for the return of his owners. And I felt a foreshadowing of the time when I wouldn’t have my father anymore but just his chair. This mixture of accomplishment,  guilt, obligation and some sadness is well known to the son for most of his life.

Why beating on our political representatives might backfire

President's message for our community newsletter (Spring 11)

Inevitably, when Fox 45 polls their viewers about speed or red light cameras, a majority will oppose them. When individuals are interviewed, they talk about government getting too intrusive, and the cameras just being a money grab. Listening to that one would never know that we, the people, elect our council representatives and our state lawmakers in free elections,or that our laws are made in an open process of weighing pros and cons until a solution that benefits a majority is found. One would never know that revenues from traffic fines are used in the general fund for public purposes, or that people here and even around the world have agreed that a red traffic light should mean stop, and that speeding in school zones was not conducive to the safety of our children.

As one who grew up in Germany, I find the tirades against democratically elected representatives, against the democratic process of debate, and against the inherent messiness of compromise and give and take to be alarming. Germany once traded a messy democracy for what became the worst dictatorship in human history, and the world came to regret it.

300 million Americans cannot meet on the Mall to decide the course of action for the thousands of issues that need resolution. Nor can 5.7 million Marylanders convene in Annapolis, or 800,000 Baltimore County residents meet in Towson to discuss the budget or every law. Even our County District One needs a representative whom we choose and then can trust to take a prudent course of action pertaining to all the problems facing the Southwest County, or we will vote him out of office.

This brings us to our community of Westerlee. Even on the smallest of all political units, the neighborhood, we do not manage to bring all 165 households or 350 some residents together in one place to discuss how we should govern ourselves. We will see 30 to 40 residents at our annual meeting, and many things remain to be done during the year. So the community has a board of volunteers who do their best to deal with whatever presents itself in the community of Westerlee: Broken water mains, code violations, keeping residents informed, and generally making sure we can live here safely, orderly and in peace.

In April Westerlee will conduct the Annual Meeting and I hope that many of you will attend. You will learn what we, Westerlee, Inc., your covenant mandated homeowners association and your neighborhood association, have done last year and plan to do this year. The Board will introduce the newly elected First District Councilman Tom Quirk to the residents of Westerlee. The Board and your Councilman will hear from you, from everybody present, what is on your mind, and what you would like to see done in the future. Your councilman and all your board members are eager to hear from you. Show that you care, that democracy in America is alive and well, and make grass roots activity and a representational model can work well together.

Remember that we are “the system”, and let’s use it. The alternatives have proven to be much worse. All democracy is local, and it can’t get any more local than right here, on the level of our street, our community of Westerlee.

Rants of the Tribe

From one of those mass mailings you wished you never had seen it, but it came from somebody I knew, so I wasted some time on a short response (see bottom). This exchange might be interesting in a few years to show how hysterical people have become and what passes as discourse these days:

If this seems really unusual to you, it is because we have lacked leadership so badly for so long, it is hard to recognize! Australia says NO - Second Time she has done this!
She's done it again. She sure isn't backing down on her hard line stance and one has to appreciate her belief in the rights of her native countrymen. A breath of fresh air to see someone lead. I wish some leaders would step up in Canada & USA .

Australian Prime Minister does it again!!

This woman should be appointed Queen of the World. Truer words have never been spoken.

It took a lot of courage for this woman to speak what she had to say for the world to hear. The retribution could be phenomenal, but at least she was willing to take a stand on her and Australia 'S beliefs.

The whole world needs a leader like this!

Prime Minister Julia Gillard - Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks..


Separately, Gillard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying she supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote:

'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It.

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. '

'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'

'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society. Learn the language!'

'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'

'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'

'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'


My response:

It is NOT Leadership to tell people exactly what they want to hear and have believed for decades. This is also NOT a “breath of fresh air”, nor is it “rare”. It is rather the very common stale air of old standbys like “love it or leave it” already worn out in the 50ties.

Demographic change is occurring worldwide. Some just accept it later than others. Visit some other countries, learn other languages and study other cultures, stay open minded, use the best of each culture, expand your vision, that is what a true leader should say. Insisting that everything remain as it was, is stagnant and provincial and leads to decline.

The world has become a village of 7 billion people and growing. Everybody has become a neighbor. If we learn to deal with it, the world could actually become a better place in which others are not any more fought solely because they look, speak or believe differently. The fact that we are born in a privileged spot of the earth isn’t an achievement in itself nor does it give us the right to declare a whole continent or country to be our own private backyard, no matter if it is Australia or the USA.