Week 51, Day 2

Raining today, and I arrived home sopping wet. I actually got off one stop too early,and rather than fork out W1500 (about R8.00) for a taxi ride home, I figured, well I'm wet anyway (from the walk to catch the bus), so I might as well leg it.
The rain was actually quite warm.

Some interesting classes today. Most are interested and really well behaved, and the lessons are becoming abit more cohesive and tight, but there are about 3 classes where it's a combination of the kids just lacking discipline and also not having much of a clue about English so all they hear is blah blah blah.

Corneli went to the doctor who diagnosed her with a brochial infection, and has put her on antibiotics.

I'm supposed to move tomorrow and am not really ready or packed. I guess I will do it in phases. First bike stuff, then clothes, then books and arb stuff. Looking forward to being done in that department, but not looking forward to the actual process.

The book I am reading now seemed like it would be fairly dull (as SIMPLICITY turned out). It's called THE WORLD IS FLAT and is about some of the interesting consequences of globalisation. What makes it quite an ironic read is that all these changes are poised, but at the same time, it seems with the advent of Peak Oil, globalisation is going to lead reverse changes, conflicts and so on. I think the bible story, the Tower of Babel, is a very powerful cautionary tale about the empire getting too vast, too tall, too topheavy, and finally the diverse mix within it tear it apart (the metaphor of the different languages).

I also wonder whether the pyramids, and Maya temples and civilisation that lie derelict in the jungle should not caution us....that powerful and sophisticated people have existed several times in the earth's history band suddenly, very quickly, been wiped out. I think what wiped them out was subtle and implicit, nothing they expected. I think their success, in each and every case, was part of their doom. Growth in the numbers of people and industry meant that a power supply had to be created, and used, and the Energy eventually could not keep up with the population. Once the energy supply ran out, the result is just squabbling over what is left until the group is eventually decimiated or leaves to go to some other community that is at least able to feed and organise itself.

I had these thoughts when watching where the next Survivor episode will be shot. All that intelligence to build those temples, and yet they could not manage their own greed and industry.

Nature has a way of balancing itself out, and their's no such thing as amnesty in the great Cycle of Life. There is just the pendulum swing, crashing through all the debris we have piled up on her wet hillsides and her dry riverbeds.

I meant to run and swim today...this week needs to be the initiation of training again. The rain's put pay to that. Will see if I can get a swim in tomorrow.

And now for some wine...