Thursday, April 28, 2016

My egalitarian scene


What do you think about the “commune”? Do you really understand it? Do you appreciate it?

Many years ago I became aware of how 1970s communes lived in the Waikato area in New Zealand when I went to visit a friend. She loved where she was, but at that stage that one didn’t really get to me. It was a little bit later, in the 80s, when we found the closest living in a sort of commune was living with my family in my motor home. We met many other people who had a wonderful life living like this. We drove all around the North Island, stopping at any place we liked. I worked for companies and my husband got a job as security and we both cleaned the places where we were staying.

Later, I lived with my kids for many years in a small house, and, after moving to Australia, lived with my second husband in rather larger houses and met a lot of friends. Falling apart happened over the next few years, and after my brain aneurysm I found myself entirely alone. Except for my dogs. I know I did not intend to be alone, especially without a workplace.

My life had become a long story, and I needed to find something where I could finish my future. Very recently I went to have a look at a farm resident’s place, and I fell in love with it. This place, which I think of as “home”, is the get-together of a small group of retired people and, for me, comes under a couple of commune descriptions – “co-operative” and “egalitarian”. It isn’t a real commune, but however I wish to make it for me is entirely up to my own mind. Perhaps I can name my own cabin – “Reibus”!

“Egalitarian” means a whole lot to me. In a CPD (Centre of Policy Development) website Fred Argy wrote in 2005:
An egalitarian society can be defined as one which looks after its poor and treats them with dignity, actively discourages all forms of discrimination, widely shares the benefits of rising national productivity, allows its workers an adequate say in the workplace on matters affecting their wellbeing, and strives hard to achieve 'equality of starting opportunity' (i.e. where income and quality of life differentials in the market place are due overwhelmingly to differences in personal capacities, skills, attitudes to risk, motivation – rather than to low parental family income, inadequate education, poor location or inadequate access to affordable public services).”

If this is what you agree with, go into the link and read it in full. It is definitely reality for me. Egalitarian communities should look after the disabled, even those like me who don’t even think that of ourselves. Egalitarian workplaces should replace many hierarchical employers which, in the last few years, enjoy their own income but will not pass that on to their employees other than base wages or lower. Fighting for a feminist right to equal pay actually cost me my job… at least, that’s partly how I look at it. I lost my job for two very different reasons – my argument over what I saw as not exactly legal training to be conducted by a person I did not agree with and, later, with my brain aneurysm CT two months before I got kicked out. (Two days before my CT I received a very good salary increase, 21%, and yet very recently I read that my ex-employer said that my qualification was not the reason, just my argument. Very weird.)

Anyway, I mentioned earlier about how my life had become a long story, and I needed to find something where I could finish my future. When I found this farm and my friend and I visited, it dug into my still-recovering brain. After falling in love with it, I made a decision that it would be my new home.

I gave notice to my landlord two days before I got my QIRC decision (very different than I had expected… it’s mentioned at the end of my new book, “Aneurysms with Aphorisms”, sold on Kindle for $6.47AUD – click on the link and buy it!). I’ve had a couple more drives up to it with my small car loaded with stuff for my cabin and will head up, permanently with the rest of my furniture, early next week.
 

Egalitarians return to egalitarian homes. This place is definitely egalitarian! I think I agree with Michael Moorcock, a famous science fiction and fantasy writer. Yes, definitely!


Monday, April 11, 2016

The Decision

Not too long ago I was introduced to a quote which was acknowledged to Asher Roth:

“Do your thing. Do it unapologetically. Don’t be discouraged by criticism. You probably already know what they’re going to say. Pay no mind to the fear of failure. It’s far more valuable than success. Take ownership, take chances, and have fun. And no matter what, don’t ever stop doing your thing.”

If you’ve seen this, then let me know if this works for you. For me? Yes, it does. It’s on my desktop screen – has been there since the day I saw it, but I didn’t have the name on this yet. 

I went into Google and came up with Asher Roth. Roth is a hip hop musician. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him (I just don’t listen to hip hop), but I had to look through the images, many of which were using his name.

I went back into Google and put in his name and ended up in Wikipaedia for a write up. Seems like he’s certainly well known. 

But none of that meant anything to me. What certainly did just mean anything was that quote up there. This prepared me for my QIRC decision.

“How long before you get QIRC court decisions?” I asked Google, and found this info on the QIRC website:

The Commission Member's Decision

A decision will only be handed down at the end of the hearing in cases that are clear cut.

The Commission will generally reserve its decision. This ensures full consideration of the matters presented by both parties and the production of a written decision. This can take a few days or weeks to complete, depending on the complexity of the issues.

Really? So mine, it seems, is not “clear cut”. But it sure didn’t get presented in “a few days or weeks”. I’m still waiting. It has been 10 months and 27 days (and a few hours, give or take). On the 14th of this month it rolls over to the 11th month and I’m expected to have a decision this month. In 19 days. By the end of the month. I can feel my mood shuffling around, going up, going down, causing me to get very… very… angry/upset/depressed/happy/not sleepy/sleepy and not even living in a “normal world”.
 
I went to QIRC just over a year after I had my surgery, not even a year after I got out of hospital, and I wasn’t “fully” recovered then. I appreciated how the Commissioner accepted some of the stuff I said when I couldn’t really get my brain around that. He seemed to be very good, but I didn’t hear from him. I wrote to his assistant. I found out, within a month, that I was asking a silly question. I was told 3 to 6 months.

I don’t need to repeat this because I’ve already written a blog about my frustration… not too long ago. I haven’t found anything in QIRC that has dragged this decision out for me. I am – apparently – not just waiting for my own decision, but there are/were people before me. I feel extremely frustrated for all the people after me who are probably waiting just like me.

So, how reasonable is 11 months or 12 months or longer?

I separated from my ex-husband in January 2013 – 3 years, 3 months and however many days I don’t remember, but I still don’t have my divorce. I had passed my Grad Dip in June 2013 but after I lost my job in September 2013 it’s been 2 years, 7 months and 6 days since I could use that degree – probably never again. When I was diagnosed with brain aneurysm I waited 293 days – 9 months and 19 days – for my surgery. That seemed far too long, but there was more. My stroke ended my “normal” life – it has taken 720 days – 1 year, 11 months and 19 days - to get me to where I am and where I’ll possibly always now be.

Sounds weird that I’m keeping days, months and years inside my head? Well hey, just have some thoughts for me – I don’t know what else to do. Except sometimes I swear, and you should fucking well let me!!

So, do I have to be patient? Are you patient? Does anything hold you up for, oh, let’s say - 10 months and 27 days? If any of you can answer affirm to this, I should take my hat off to you. Except I’m not even wearing one.

So, right now, before my decision – and I have no real idea when it will come – I am supporting the quote that was acknowledged to Asher Roth. Part of it:

You probably already know what they’re going to say. Pay no mind to the fear of failure. It’s far more valuable than success.”

Yep, I can make a stupid promise. Sometimes.