November 17th 2025 Replicating outcomes Replicating outcomes How easily do we fall into the trap of thinking we can replicate an outcome someone else achieved by following a sequence of steps that they followed? Rivers teach us this story. You cannot step into the same river twice. We must start with the conditions we have, the ground conditions. They will never be the same as the ground conditions of those we seek to replicate. To do this, do a whole systems account – a Synergistic Account –...
2 days ago • 1 min read
November 16th 2025 From killingry to livingry From killingry to livingry My mentor, R.Buckminster Fuller, introduced the terms killingry and livingry nearly 100 years ago. As a naval cadet, he was trained in ballistics. He determined that the precessional effects – the effects at 90 degrees to the goal – of making weapons to kill – killingry – would advantage living – livingry. When people are oppressed, starved and bombed, they either capitulate or they become extraordinarily creative. They...
3 days ago • 1 min read
November 15th 2025 Call it by name Call it by name When the elites of capital and politics repeatedly get away with crime, corruption, rape, pedophilia and cruelty, we, the people, have many ways to respond. Here are three possibilities. 1. At the very least, to name it with precision. The mainstream media are not doing this, for they are part of the elite. Not underage women, but girls and children. Truth spoken with precision is the first step toward change. Remove all extraneous words....
4 days ago • 2 min read
November 14th 2025 Rules, compliance and the authority to apply common sense Rules, compliance and the authority to apply common sense Travelling with surfboards is not easy. They are not heavy, but they are long. This is now our fourth trip overseas with surfboards. We have learned a lot. Contact the airline first. Even then, record the conversation. Do not rely on AI to tell you what airlines will or will not do. The AI has been dead wrong twice out of two attempts. If you find a good...
5 days ago • 1 min read
November 13th 2025 Empire to fall Empire to fall Departures and endings. Leaving and completing. There is a step into the liminal. One door is closing. No going back. It is simply the scale of the ending that matters; each night we end, and each morning we begin again. Many years ago, I realised that life is wonderful because of the highs and lows. The rollercoaster ride must have the dip to get the rush. But how we resist the lows, the difficult, the challenges. The pearl knows the value of...
6 days ago • 1 min read
November 12th 2025 Maintaining identity is a fiction Maintaining identity is a fiction Okinawa is uniquely itself. Not fully Japan. The indigenous inhabitants, the Ryukyuans, traded with China, and for a time, Okinawa was a vassal state to both China and Japan. It was forced to become a Japanese colony in 1879, and much of its culture, traditions, and language were suppressed by the Meiji government. After World War 11, the islands were occupied by the United States up until 1972. The US...
7 days ago • 2 min read
November 11th 2025 Off the beaten track Off the beaten track I am writing from the island of Zamami, in the Keramas group of islands, off the main island of Okinawa. There is an expression, Keramus Blue, for the colour of the water. It is true, it is a type of blue that has you weep with the beauty of it. We spent 90 minutes snorkelling off a smaller island, just the two of us. It was spectacular. There was a patch that was completely covered in blue-tipped stag horn coral, like a giant...
8 days ago • 2 min read
November 9th 2025 To be shaped by forces not in our control To be shaped by forces not in our control I have been thinking about the word influencer. To be an influencer. In 2025, this word is a status symbol, an actual title people use to define their work. The job of influencing people to do something. It is a sanctioned form of propaganda, mind manipulation and seduction. As an influencer, the role is often to make people feel bad or ashamed for not being as pretty, curvy, sexy, or cool....
10 days ago • 2 min read
November 8th 2025 The Growth Humanity Needs The growth humanity needs It is a beautiful day. The perfect temperature. A slight breeze. There is a saxophone piece playing in the background – “Have yourself a very merry Christmas.” Okinawa is a little like Hawaii. And it has that vibe. Very laid back, even though it is a city like Honolulu. Rather than surfing, it has diving. Where we are staying is right beside the largest US Air Force base outside of the US. Which means we see many service...
11 days ago • 2 min read