Wednesday, November 08, 2006

BONO inspires US ,but lets make emotion work

Dear BONO My question: What stands in the road of a better future for semiarid Africans?
The glass is certainly more than half full, but if we are going to keep the momentum going ---lets be realistics the glass does have some leaks .
What stands in the road of the future? Sometimes the audience themselves. That means aid agencies and the media don’t even know what they do wrong . I know many many caring people in the system who do not know or see the dangers of misplaced interest in the rural poor in particular. Its their particular economic and environmental homes we should know about ---to care about

Guilt, tokenism , projection, empire building, wannabe well known and racism infiltrate what should be a professional and team effort to tackle something which you rightly and wonderfully say is “Africa----- up to us !” Please do not encourage the Political correct , but the increasingly absent medium of expertise on environmental planning – despite appearances there is a lot of quick fix force talk in the agencies talk --that will hurt real people on the ground .

POINT : poorer countries need professional planning advocates who care closely – EVEN more than they need money

Monday, November 06, 2006

Really caring about committing suicide

The wrong road travelled --looks ok and sounds ok but is it what people need ?

Someone I know quite well was sent a counsellor at maybe $1000 a day because he was on the risk list - he cared about the profession he was being sacked from . He was one of those public servants who should be quietly reminding the medai that all is not well financailly with the house of Bracks .He had to go as he didn't repeat the cuurent logic and wasn't part of the pack.
The point was that real caring is not always bought ; the cool commitment to listen ( only one part of caring, the other being prepared to act for the powerless maybe) made this bloke even more depressed.He enjoyed the fact that this guy really listened but later realised that for all that time he could have done something more - made a few pnone calls; coached him in communication , held a joint meeting ; not just tested his mood. the same thing is true of too many ads and media calls on the subject - OK but only to a point .
Is Bracks funding ads, DHS or Lifeline to do the work ? we must have more secular counsellors? - you mean more contracted caring or just more a confused mix Persoanl means one person responsible as Scott peck insisted d not this grab bag where real people fall through the cracks in the name of secular 9-5 professionalism ?

The deep reality, not yet faced by our bungling brackians, is that mere talk of caring can drive people to "do it" Impersonal or mere talk care can make matters worse .
Bracks is quietly sacking people to fund his meddling . If DHS really cared it would support families and institutions to do ther own caring and not parm it off as they NOW do to an expensive range of 9-5 professionals .

It is no cooincendence that Mr Kennett is leading beyond blue . He didn't care for people who cared ( the nightingale factor) . I wonder if the Bracks governmnet has done anything to restore the nightingale factor or has been dulled by interanl ideology and Political correctness in the public service that kill off the personal and connected rather than contracted ( turn up and talk ) type of care we used to know .Tell me i am wrong; tell the truth....... care!