Death - Repair - Live

The world is bound to go to entropy. 
It constantly decays.
Natural elements - Moisture, Damp, Expanding Ice - wear away the material fabric as they break, rot and decompose.
Animals and insects breed, chew, poop.
War sets in between planet earth inhabitants.
Humans make mistakes over and over again 
They also constantly exult aggressive tendencies towards others and themselves

The entropic tendency can be likened to Freud's notion of a death instinct. The concept of the death instincts was initially described in Beyond the Pleasure Principle 1920, where Freud concluded that all instincts fall into one of two major clasesses: life instincts or death instincts. The two classes are believed to be responsible for our behaviour. 

The life instincts, sometimes referred to as sexual instincts, deal with basic survival, pleasure and reproduction. Death instinct emerges because as Freud put it: ''the goal of life is death''. 
There is both an inward and outward expression of those death wishes. Aggression is a good example of an outward death instincts. Suicide, depressive tendencies and self-sabotaging are direct inward towards the subject.

Freud noted that people who experience a traumatic event would often reenact that experience. From this, he concluded that people hold an unconscious desire to die but that the life instincts largely temper this wish.

Some research found that in countries where the homicide rate is low, suicide rates tend to rise. It was interpreted as the belief that humanity has a compelling need to destroy oneself or others (Comer, 2011).

Now that you aware of your innate tendencies, what can you do with it?
Destroy, Repair, Live

Destroy the page with random words, Repair it with a story, Share it.
Destroy the shirt, Repair it with embroidery, Wear it.
Destroy your hair, Let them grow once more, Take a picture each day.
Destroy the bowl, Mend it with the glue of gold, Have a pot a noodle

Time will tell as you mend yourself in the world, howall this is.

Part 3: No Water to Draw with or the Colours of Water

The Cosmic Blink
It was in a blink of an eye that a cosmic change happened.
Something changed.
Something got broken.
A water pipe in their neighbourhood burst, letting out a rainbow of colours.

1,2,3 blink, they wake up, walk like a zombie to the bathroom, no water.
1,2,3 blink, they change their mind, they change the way they see the world, the world has changed
They are now faced with a cosmos of possibilities and uncertainties.
A Rainbow of colours

One by one asks: Do we have water in the cupboard?
One by one walks to the corner shop: Do they still have water?
Blood is boiling inside their vessel as one by one, transparent bottles are travelling out of the store.
Questions spiral out of order in their black box:
How long is it going to last for? Who would help me if things get worse!

1,2,3, blink,  they buy two bottles, they walk up to their neighbour, they stand in front of their door.
1,2,3, blink, they change their mind, they change the way they see the stranger, they are me, I am they.
They can only see one way
A light with no fractal

One by one, they knock on their neighbour door
One by one, they are welcomed with a smile and a thank you.
The water comes back
The world has not collapsed
The relief they feel.

1,2,3, blink, the neighbour brings them some chocolate cake to thank them for their kindness.
1,2,3, blink, What they knew was dead, they changed when reaching out, The Cosmos was reconfigured

in a blink...

When there were no water on Braunstone Frith, 30th July 2018

Part 2: The Colours of Water or No Water to Draw with

Having identified, the colourless, blue, deeper blue, red and green colours of water, let share another shade and tone.

When there is no water to draw, one can see brown. The world turns upside down.

It is exactly what happened when upon going to the toilet to do number two, she realises that there is no water. She thought that having a dried toilet outside would have been good to have right now. But when she talked about it in the past, he thought that this was too unconventional and people would think that they were weirdos. So it was never put in place. As for now, the conversation goes:

W: ''I have a dilemma''
M: ''Which one?''
W: ''I need to go to the toilet to fulfil my needs but there is no water so the brown will not disappear''
M: ''You were right, we shall I built a toilet facility outside''
W: ''Thanks for recognising the value of my third eye for disaster''
M: ''What to do then?''
W: ''We will have a levitating shade of brown until the water comes back''
M: ''if water does come back...'
W: ''Let's hope so, in the meantime, let's build the dry toilet''

When there was no water in Braunstone Frith Leicester on 30th July 2015

Part 4: The Colours of Water or No Water to Draw with

Selah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSPkcpGmflE

Part 1 : No Water to Draw with or the Colours of Water

While relatively small quantities of water appear to be colourless, pure water has a slight blue colour that becomes a deeper blue as the thickness of the observed sample increases. The blue hue of water is an intrinsic property and is caused by selective absorption and scattering of white light.

When there is no water to draw, one can see blood. 
The world turns upside down.

It is exactly what happened when upon getting into the shower, he realises that there is no water. He goes down to the kitchen, no water. He goes up to the sink tap, no water.


M: ''I love my water''
W: ''Do you?''
M:''Yes, I like the feel on my skin, I like my big shower, It is like being in Africa right now.''
W: ''We have a bottle of water downstairs, you can brush your teeth with''
M: ''Thanks. Did I take a shower last night? Yes I did!''
W: ''Moving forward, let's buy some water bottles, so we are ok when there is no supply''
M: ''Good idea''
W: ''This gives me one more reason to collect water from our roof plus our greywater, I'll call the plumber today''
M: ''Good idea''
W: ''So the garden stays green when it dries up and your eyes do not turn red when there is no more''
M: ''I like my big shower, the transparent droplet of water on my skin, it gets me calm like the deep blue at sea''.



When there was no water in Braunstone Frith Leicester on 30th July 2015

Bin the bin! Can you? Not yet, Join Footpaths Leicester

Movement of zero waste bloggers, forums of discussion is everywhere to be found. 

They probably multiply faster than the waste in your home.

Why?

Because it is time to take responsibilities for the plastic, fabric and other material resources in our home.

If you do not need those stuff, why have it in the first place? Bin your bin instead.

You cannot yet.

Start easy and follow the 5 Rs. In order:

Refuse what you do not need.

Reduce what you do not need

Reuse by using reusable

Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse

Rot (compost the rest)

and if it is too hard to do it on your own, join others on a journey of self-discovery.

My own journey started with Footpaths, a carbon reduction programme, which allowed me to meet people and get support to reduce my personal footprint. Waste was part of the course and well did I change indeed. Have a look.

Forearm yourself with the Politics of Time and Repair the broken work-centred economy - after reading ''the Refusal of Work'' by David Frayne.

This weekend, I read the Refusal of Work by David Frayne.

In the book, he defines work and exposes critical accounts of different authors on how work is valued and regarded as a morally good behaviour to engage in so that the individual can be financially independent to buy more stuff at the detriments of its own health and wellbeing and the integrity of the natural environment.

He, then, shares the experiences of a number of individuals who refused to work the typical 40 hours a week in favour of working either fewer hours or not at all. The Whys, the Hows and the ongoing tension the participants of the research experience between what is currently seen as an ideal behaviour and their own provide the reader with a mirror to reflect upon their own working or non-working situation.

The work of André Gorz on The Politics of Time punctuates the writing in a beautiful manner and I am thankful to have been introduced to his thoughts.

Finally, He invites us to get ready to open the debate and fix the work-centred economy. He invites everyone to:

• Consider the impact of work centred society on the natural sphere. Look, you may be so consumed with work, you may not be able to self-produce your own needs (cook, repair, clean, educate your children, engage in contemplative activities) and you are spending all your earned income on products and services to fulfil them (take away, new gadgets, household services, nursery, Netflix). What happen to the broken, what happened to the packaged, what happened to the children that do not spend time with their parents?
• Consider the impact of work-centred society on your own health and wellbeing. Look, You may be tired and exhausted, you may be stressed, your back may hurt and your eyes may twitch. People around you and self-help books may ask of you to find a better work-life balance, Maybe you should ask everyone why we do not collectively ask for reduced hours of work.
• Get in touch with those who are already living a life more in tune with their body and their breathing, their surrounding environment and their community.
• Ask yourself why you should be grateful for having a 40hour a week job, with 1-hour commute each way, two days for resting and 5 weeks holidays of work. Question the culture of gratitude and begin a process of entitlement by asking for what you need.
• Give yourself and others the opportunity to dream for different worlds and utopias where you have the freedom and autonomy to design your own life with no structural and social pre-settings.

For more here

Graham & Thrift Out of Order

In the article put forward by Graham & Thrift, he strive to put  forward that repair and maintenance is the central component of the development of economies. and a basis of our survival

there is different way the article canbe quite useful within the thesis.

First, in indicating that repair provide an opportunity for the being to actually learn and develop oneself through a process of innovation, indicating there and then that repair is the premist of innovation, it is when soemthing break that theindividual tend to develop himself by trying to find way to repair the item
Second, that repair processes that happen in citieiss and in everyday life tend to be hidden from mot people who cannot see it happenign by reading report or hearing report when they are actually happening. people can only foresee the item as well when the alter is broken, when it works they cannot actualyy xsee the item but only focus on its function.
there is all the chapter about e-waste at the end that shows the extent to which the lack of engagement of repair create a number of negative externalities.
thereis also the way repairer are perceived by society as low class people.
then we have the all chapter about E-waste

Ackerman design for product care

In the paper by ackerman,  the main intention is to delineate the research project. She decided to look at product care and define the motivation to take care of a range of products. She set her research within the content of the xircular ecinomic since it is put forward that we shall actually they to repair the items first and she put forward that by understand g the user we will be able to actually develop design interventions between the user and the product.

There is a few thing that i can take from it first the way she presented the liner ecinomic in my introduction.
Then the way she actually put forward the definition of product care. It will Help me to define appropriately how i differentiate my research from her.
I will definitely have to put her research within repair as a strategy as well as design interventions to repair.
There is also an elements within my discussion that i need to put forward in relation to design for sustainable behaviour that we shall not only look at the interaction between the user and the product bit also consider within the development of our solution, the interaction within a set community.

Let's live together

Most families around the world live in communities. 

In the western world, this concept has been replaced by a single-family household. Yet, the latter struggle to meet their needs through the ages. With a young family, parents are overstretched with family and work commitment. The olds struggle with illnesses and social isolation. 

What can possibly be done? Well, let's live together. 

Look up co-housing and specifically retrofit co-housing so we can start where we are to build the community that we dream of.

Leicester Fixers focuses on feeling successful and invite others to do the same - A wink to Eric Barker Book - Barking up The Wrong Tree.

Recently, I was on BBC Radio Leicester on behalf of Leicester Fixers to make a call out to communities across Leicestershire. We have plans to support them with setting up their own repair events and be as successful as we. Thanks to Ben Jackson and its team for inviting us on the show to share our voice. You can catch me on iPlayer at this link from 1hr42mins to 1hr50mins into the programme.  

With 26 events under our belt and our successes in changing people perspectives,
a supporter asks me after listening to the show,
why we are not getting paid for what we do?

Yes, the return on investment in monetary term is currently elusive. Hopefully, there are other ways to measure success.

I came across Eric Barker book - Barking up The Wrong Tree - where he goes through tonnes of social sciences articles and books to identify measures of success.

He suggests focussing on the feelings of being successful because it could take a while, a long time before one reaches the financial goals he set for himself.

One study of a group of researchers who conducted 60 interviews with high-achieving professionals and surveyed 90 high-level executives support his argument on why we shall focus on to feel successful.

Through the study, the researchers tried to identify what prevented them to be successful. After combining the data, they identified four areas of focus to feel successful.

Achievement

Legacy

Significance 

Happiness

Let me illustrate how Leicester Fixers feel successful every single day.

Achievement - We feel like we WINNING. 

At every event, we repair an item that would otherwise end up in a landfill. We give people a new experience. We get wonder in their eyes and we always succeed to make them smile. The Restart Project provides us with a tool to record all our repair and this generates some stats as evidence of our achievements. We have many pictures as testimonies of our successes too.

Legacy - We feel like we are INFLUENCING others in a positive way. 

Trough conversations at events, on the radio, at a stall in the Riverside Festival in Leicester, we share why we repair. We repair for connection and education - the basis of a healthy social and economic system - not solely for environmental reasons. When people get it, it feels good!  Also, our volunteers improve their repair skills overtime because they keep on coming to our events. It feels good too.

Significance - We feel like we NEEDED. 

Waste is an issue. Every year, 1 million tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment in England alone find their way in landfills. The impacts of electrical and electronic equipment are tremendous both environmentally and on humans quality of life here and elsewhere. 

Social isolation is also an issue. If people do not feel like they can turn to other humans when they have a problem and prefer buying something new to quickly fix their despair. It is not a sustainable solution in the long run. Waste will come to haunt them eventually. When someone sends us a message on Facebook for help and advice, it feels good to be needed and to be connected.

Happiness - We feel like we are ENJOYING life. 

Our repair events are a party. We have people. We have cake, fruit and juice. We have the tools to play with and broken items. We have pictures taken to remind us we had a good time. Time flies, we cannot feel it. When the sun comes down and we go back home after the event, we smile inside - it was a good day. We are happy to have filled it and to feel it wholeheartedly.

Can you see how successful we are? 

Coming back to money answering the question of our supporter; we will achieve financial returns eventually. 

It is a matter of making YOU in Leicester and across the UK believe FIRST that repair matters and that what we do matters too. Money and its exchange are based on a social agreement between two parties. Believe that we matter and reward us accordingly with your time, money or other resources  > We will grow and support more people across Leicestershire. Don't believe in us, we will remain an ephemeral phenomenon in the memories of humankind. 

So what can you do to support Leicester Fixers ! Get in touch NOW, donate, volunteer.

Use the tool too to identify your own success ;) and listen to Eric Barker here

The call out - leicester fixers

Leicester Fixers - The plan 2018-2019

The plan.

Sharing is a social responsibility

It is a social responsibility to share.
If we want this planet to be a better place, we need to share our gifts.
Our gifts were given to us because they were to be shared not to be stored away.
It is not about being humble, it is not about being arrogant, it is about being brave.
If it is hard for you as it is hard for me, we have to let it go.. let go of the fear and embrace one's dream.

Mobile Phone, Joy & Pain

Relying on one single device AKA phone to do multiple tasks is at first appealing:

Calling texting, messaging, twitting, facebooking, youtubing, whatsapping, deezering...

But it can be also a real source of frustation and suffering AKA Pain

First, your phone cannot stop fidgeting and tweeting like a bird...
It is not in a tree doing so.
It is on your lap and all it wants is to be soothed.
What a great source of distraction to be all the time connected to this devil child.

The other thing, it bugs and freezes when it decides to reject your attention. What a chocolate?
I found myself starting an application, the latter closed as if my phone did not want to speak to me.

One day, I decided to remove Facebook. My phone started to misbehave.

I decided to remove it because I do not like the idea that they can log what I am browsing online through my device  (read carefully details when updating the app on your phone, you will be surprised).

When disablong the app, a message appeared  saying that some applications will misbehave if I disable facebook as it is an inbuilt app of my phone.

I felt trapped by facebook and android as a whole.

So to avoid any such pain, sing for yourself, connect with people for real and get a phone that just call and text, it will reduce the suffering :p

Objectifying the environmentalist. Is it bullying?

I love sharing information and stories with people.
I have a dislike for small talks and banters as they are not constructive in creating connection between people.
I favour active listening, debating and action planning. It is me and I am clear that we are all of the same. I care for the people and the world we live in. Some will choose to call me environmentalist without really understanding exactly what this means for me. They are not conscious at time that what they say is a form of bullying. Let me tell you a story for you to understand what I mean.

There will be at times a discussion about the world, its politics and its mechanisms. A person will come along and will feel uncomfortable with the discussion at hand. Instead of voicing their concerns and feelings, they will dismiss the conversation entirely by objectifying the individuals by calling them ''environmentalists'', ''green'', ''lefties'' or worst ''emotional''. The tactic is well worked out. The person will listen, smile to hide their embarrassment and blurt out 'you are one of those people, an environmentalist, that's why you are having this conversation'' and chuckle. From there, the point of the conversation we were having is being lost and the focus is on this object, ''us as environmentalists''.

The tendency to objectify individuals to dismiss their voice occurs in all circle. I found myself being dismissed because I am black, mixed race, a woman, an environmentalist, a married kind, an academic, a geek, etc.. It cuts out any opportunity for a shift in the paradigm we live in. Through this form of bullying, we become more polarised, destroying in turn all the bridges for empathy. The human journey towards enlightenment slow down dramatically.

What can we do about it? Nip it in the bud.
Explain that objectifying people is inappropriate. It misses the point of any constructive conversation and ultimately dismiss the fact that we are all human-being with feelings, fear and love.
Encourage individuals to express their feelings and the reasons why they are feeling uncomfortable with discussions about the world we live in. There is nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable. This should be expressed and welcomed. It will create more connections between you and I and help us all to be one.

http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/12/tone-policing-and-privilege/

RADIO : Zero waste week

Recorded at BBC Radio Leicester

It is Zero Waste Week between 4-8 September 2017. Today, Tuesday it is trashless tuesday an opportunity for everyone to re-think their relationships with waste and packaging products. Ultimately it is about refusing packaged items, reducing our dependence on them, reusing what we have.

When tools are not functioning

Frustration, annoyance, anxiety.
A wish that you did not have them in the first place.
Off they go, I'll be happy if they go in the bin...
And the other voices saying, you can repair them, you know you can. Argh...

Product retention - the seed of innovativeness

They do not like to throw things away they say. They'd rather keep it even if it is not working, Transform it to give it a new lease of life. 

They can see in the object form something unspoken, a gift of the present moment. 

True materialist they are. 

They do not accumulate for the sake of it, we could not call them hoarders. 

They are retainers, protectors of the instant whilst everything else keep changing, they stand still. Here lay the seed of innovativeness, remaining still and grounded, using creativity to shield the world whilst everything else seems to be in turmoil

When two worlds collide - documentary

My newest found passion for spanish pushed me to scan through all the spanish language movie on Netflix. I would diligently repeat words and sentences as I see able to.

Yesterday, I chose - When two worlds collide -

In this feature documentary, we follow Alberto Pizango in Peru, environmental activist who brings the plea of his indigenous native community to the government and at the time president Alan Garcia to protect the rainforest from corporate interests. As the government ignores their demands, violence erupts. The documentary take us on the frontline of the conflict and we can feel the anger, grieve of the different parties involved.

The sight of the environmental destruction caused by natural resources exploitation and the harm, us, human, can cause to one another had its own significance for me, it will have its own for you too. Have a go and brush up some of this spanish.