Apart from a gap of 18 years, when I was travelling, studying, or couldn't afford it (sometimes all three!) I have been a glider pilot since I was 15. Yesterday, Sunday 05 April, I had my first thermal cross country flight in the UK this year and it struck me yet again how gliding is a physical manifestation of the ups and downs of life in general.
Sometimes in gliding - and in life - you make a wrong decision and get away with it, convincing yourself that it was actually your own skill that got you out of the hole, when in fact it was an external force (eg you stumbled into a thermal). Other times, you make the right decision, but neverthesless it all goes pear shaped and you wonder what on earth you have to do for the gods to treat you fairly.
Similarly, when you are up at cloud base and can see for ever, the world is your oyster and the future is full of unlimited possibilities. Experience tells me you need to enjoy this view, since one or two small changes means you can suddenly find yourself grovelling low down over unlandable terrain wondering how it all happened.
What to do under such circumstances? For most of us in gliding, it is possibly dealing with this challenge that is part of the addiction. If you are in the proverbial shit, its best not to keep wriggling. Tell yourself to keep calm and deal with it. Focus on getting out of the shit rather than blaming yourself, or the gods, for dumping you in it. If you fail, at least you are in a better state of mind for dealing with the inevitable landing. If you get out of it, you can reasonably congratulate yourself for not losing the plot. And when you get back up to cloud base, the view is even better!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
G20 and its impact
So, world leaders have agreed on tighter regulation and a trillion dollar programme of funding to help economic recovery. The US and UK seem to prefer injecting vast funds to encourage lending, investment and spending. Germany and France prefer to restrict spending and strengthen regulation - a more conservative approach which the Anglo-Saxon countries consider will restrict growth and 'competitiveness'.
One question this raises is to what extent the affluent countries need additional growth? Of course, there are large numbers of poor people in rich countries and the rich can never get enough, but do we really need to keep growing our economies?
When is enough enough? Even lower income groups in the UK have a far higher standard of living than a large proportion of people in developing countries. I realise I am fortunate in having a decent home, a car and many luxuries that others are denied through no fault of their own. However, as a result, I have limited needs to keep spending on more things simply because I feel I have enough and am convinced that many others in the UK are in a similar position. Surely, now is a good time to take stock, ask what constitutes an adequate standard of living and how we can focus efforts on realising such benefits for a far larger proportion of the human family.
Another side of the coin is that many people seem to have far more than they know what to do with. As a result, redistribution through progressive taxation seems to deserve a higher priority than growth, especially given the impact we are collectively having on the environment. So, I agree with the German and French approach to tighten the regulatory controls over banks rather than trying to spend our way out of the crisis. The primary focus of expenditure and investment should be on boosting energy efficient technology and a massive home insulation programme. What do you think?
One question this raises is to what extent the affluent countries need additional growth? Of course, there are large numbers of poor people in rich countries and the rich can never get enough, but do we really need to keep growing our economies?
When is enough enough? Even lower income groups in the UK have a far higher standard of living than a large proportion of people in developing countries. I realise I am fortunate in having a decent home, a car and many luxuries that others are denied through no fault of their own. However, as a result, I have limited needs to keep spending on more things simply because I feel I have enough and am convinced that many others in the UK are in a similar position. Surely, now is a good time to take stock, ask what constitutes an adequate standard of living and how we can focus efforts on realising such benefits for a far larger proportion of the human family.
Another side of the coin is that many people seem to have far more than they know what to do with. As a result, redistribution through progressive taxation seems to deserve a higher priority than growth, especially given the impact we are collectively having on the environment. So, I agree with the German and French approach to tighten the regulatory controls over banks rather than trying to spend our way out of the crisis. The primary focus of expenditure and investment should be on boosting energy efficient technology and a massive home insulation programme. What do you think?
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