Value-Added

My Twitter account has all of 23 followers, and  about five of them are real people. If you want to follow me, please do: @maryeffrancis, but I don't really mind if you don't. I have little of any consequence to enlighten you with, especially in 140 characters, though it is fun trying. My Twitter account keeps me up to speed with the accounts I follow and has become a major source of information. So, thank you Twitter, for taking me off to The New Scientist and it's report on the impact of freeing up the web through social media. 

Way-hey! I thought, this'll be good! 

It wasn't.

ONLY a few years ago, "Web 2.0" – a term now as quaint as the "information superhighway" – was considered revolutionary. Rather than relying on the lumbering dinosaurs of big media to get news and entertainment, people could film their own videos and voice their opinions directly via Twitter and YouTube. Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and the Arab Spring showed that people could use social media to organise, mobilise and democratise. Emerging technologies promised a liberating future.

So far, so good. But Alice Marwick's analysis reveals what we already know: 

Rather than activism or even creative pursuits, social media was mostly used to boost popularity and status. I observed that these people were intensely concerned with how many followers they had on Twitter, how many people read their blog and whether they were invited to the events broadcast on Dodgeball (later, Foursquare). As a result, they carefully designed their online interactions to enhance or conceal facets of themselves, creating personas which they imagined would be eagerly consumed by onlookers.

 Of course I know this, because this is exactly what I do myself, and am not particulrly proud of it. Though,'eagerly consumed' is hardly how I would describe the traffic to this blog. Between 200 and 300 views each month, which is hardly viral, but nevertheless, each view is valued - don't stop! 

So what happened to the promise of the internet to change everyone's life for the better? Hugely wealthy corporations control it, repressive governments block it, porographers and juvenile narcissists swamp it -   is there any hope for the gorgeous altruism that once offered the promise of the freedom of exchange of ideas? 

There is, of course. Three weeks ago, I found EdX.org, and I'm already a fan. I shall forego theoretical physics (Harvard) and 'An Introduction to Computer Science and Programming' (MIT) having  plumped for 'Resilience' (Washington) and, starting in September, 'The Art of Poetry' (Boston). All may be audited for free. 

Week Two into Resilience has we, the students, writing down our values and listing a week's worth of behaviours that will have us choosing what we really want to do in the light of who we really want to be. I WAS going to post them here, but, well, there are a few things I have to sort out first. To do with popularity and status... . 

The Cosmic Naughty-Step

Last Week's New Scientist featured The Death of God, though in all honesty it didn't put it QUITE like that, if for no other reason than death presumes erstwhile life. The study under scrutiny will tell you what you already know: that in Western society the majority approach to divinity is 'Who cares?' God has become for many one great irrelevance. We are no longer 'for' or 'agin' religion, we just don't give a tuppeny damn about it.

I say, "we", but that wouldn't be exactly true, because I have something entirely inexplicable that I don't seem quite ready to let go of. 

It seems to me that enlightened faith is a good thing. On balance. I mean, it prompts altruism, offers comfort and gives you an opportunity for a sing-song on a regular basis. But to get to a reasonably enlightened position, you do have to jettison a lot of nasty stuff. All the elements of Jehovah, for example, that are blatently evil: murder and mayhem for starters. Or as one of my tecahers put it:

" You can't have a god who says ,"I have loved you with an everlasting love," whilst at the same time promising that she'll do indelicate things to you with redhot pokers, for all eternity,  if you don't do as you're told. " 

My evangelical friends at the City Mission are convinced that hell exists and awaits everyone who doesn't toe the line in the here and now. As I have long since accepted that I have a very limited capacity for toe-lining, I am in a bit of a quandry. Do I 'fess up and say, "Actually, I think what you believe is barbaric." and get myself drummed out of what is a really splendid organisation, or do I keep mum whilst never assenting to the hell-fire and damnation requirements? 

The gospel according to me is pretty basic. 

You are completely and unconditionally loved

You are of infinite worth

Whoever you are, whatever you do, is none of my business

You're better off being kind and doing good, because you're hardwired to benefit from it

All of the above are God in me reaching out to God in you, (whoever he is) as an equal.

No angels or demons, no heaven or hell, no cosmic naughty-step, just this wonderful life on a beautiful planet with a consciousness capable of reaching beyond the stars to adventure, wholeness, and, with a bit of effort, peace. 

Tthe Starfish Project

I am beginning to draw back a veil and peer into a  very  painful part of my life: the time I had a breakdown which led to my retirement from teaching five years ago, at the fabulously early age of fifty-eight.  

What I am appreciating now that I no longer have anger and resentment to deal with, is the amazing support certain individuals gave. There was Ray, who suffered alongside me with infinite patience, my daughters, whose love also sustained me, and Carol who made a lovely memory book for me, which I was looking at yesterday, and which prompted this post. Thank you Carol!  (She reads this!) 

Some events around that time were pure grace. Islands of normality in a sea of pain. One such was a Study Visit organised by The League of Commonwealth Teachers to the Western Cape in South Africa.

Alongside the educational engagements, there were trips to a winery, a penguin colony and the Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens - wangled by me, the eternal flower freak.  I may have some photos to post somewhere ... 

Jan Isaac, our party leader, gave me a gift that day, a beaded magnet shaped like a starfish. She knew how I was leaving my profession with a deep sense of failure, and reminded me of the starfish story:

A boy walks along the beach and encounters thousands of stranded starfish. He begins to throw them one by one back into the sea. A passer-by, taking in the enormity of the task remarks:

"That's not going to make much difference"

"It will to HIM ," replies the boy, tossing the next one into the waves. 

Making a difference to one, then another one, then another one. Perhaps as a teacher, I did. I'd certainly like to think so.

The starfish is attached to the fridge, and reminds me that failure isn't always the right word for when the world comes crashing down. Certainly in my case: I have had at least four years paid leave that I wouldn't have had, and good ones at that. What seemed like disaster at the time, now has a very different aspect.

All of the above is preamble to following-up on The Life Of Brian. 

My do-gooding with Gloucester City Mission is a consequence of my precipitate departure from the work force. Helping others is a great way to get over yourself and other assorted calamities, and I would credit the Missioners, and the Salvation Army volunteers too, with playing a large part in my healing. 

When beginning volunteering in any field, I guess you're given advice about not getting  too involved ... But Brian just seems so helpable. So I threw all caution to the winds and set about to make a difference. 

Brian is now working for us using his considerable talents gained as an estate manager before his meltdown. Just a couple of hours a week at minimum wage with meals and advice, resources and opportunities to start his own business. 

I don't know how this intervention will end: as long as Brian isn't adversely affected, it doesn't matter. I guess once you've thrown the starfish back into the sea, the rest is up to him. 

:) 

Medical Myths

I have been keeping an eye on the advice the health pundits are heaping on me, and have noticed something recently. Some powerful,messages are being challenged by newer and better research. As contemplation of my extinction has been much on my mind recently, I am relieved to doscover some of the more sensational exits are not so clearly marked as was once supposed. Here's three bits of re-information I came across today:

1.Stress is bad for you:

 Well, only if you think it is:

https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend?utm_source=t.co&awesm=on.ted.com_ppvh&utm_content=awesm-publisher&utm_medium=on.ted.com-twitter&utm_campaign=

2. Fat people are unhealthy:

Not so. Overweight patients with heart disease have better survival rates than thin ones. Same goes for type 2 diabetes and kidney diease. 

Samantha Murphy: New Scientist 2 May 2014

3. Mammeograms save lives:

Very few. Contributes to many unnecessary operations. 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390444246904577573181463638846

Smoking though, is still terrible for you, so keep away from the fags. I probably won't do drugs either, as my addicted acquaintencies aren't looking good, and I'll be careful with the booze too. Most other health advice looks to be taken with a pinch of salt. No more than that, obviously ...