Outsider


I grew up in Northern Ireland and have been a teacher and lived in England, Ghana, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malawi, Mexico, Colombia, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

These are my memoirs which are arranged chronologically by year. Much is social commentary.

Aside from narrative recount, the style is often anecdotal, aphoristic and ironical. I try to soften the heavy social commentary with humour. Some friends have said I tend to 'rant' at times. I don't deny it! Perhaps it is the Irish in me. I apologise in advance then, if that is your impression too.

I do not intend to stereotype various nationalities but inevitably I will generalise for dramatic effect.

In a globalised multicultural world there is an urgent need to identify and face up to our national idiosyncracies and shortcomings. Nationalism has always seemed to me to be a bogus substitute for a genuine sense of connectedness and community. It is a highly dangerous concept when manipulated by politicians to get citizens to do things that are unpalatable to them-like going to war for instance.

If we don't begin to see ourselves as others perceive us - and not as we would like to see ourselves, then catastrophe looms.

I contend we can be comfortable with our heritage and still be able to criticize and even laugh at ourselves at the same time.


The two are not mutually exclusive.

Outsiders are in a unique position to show us our shortcomings because we simply cannot see them ourselves.

I believe that no culture has found the ideal 'solutions' to the challenges of life. Every culture I have lived in has both positive and disturbing characteristics.

In which cultures do people appear happiest? (notwithstanding natural and man-made disasters such as war and famine)

What question can be more profound than that?

The results may be surprising. In my experience, the happiest cultures were Ghana, Malawi, Mexico and Colombia. At the bottom of the list would be England, Ireland and Australia.

I think we need to learn from each other-not try to 'teach' each other...there is a big difference.

Please send me an E-mail if you would like to comment on anything.


Outsider


Outsider1952@gmail.com









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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Interlude (33) Blogging is a failure in some respects

The blog has been a failure in some respects.

In fact, it has been counterproductive in some ways!

It has freed the small number of people who were previously on my mailing list from the obigation to reply to my E-mails. (Not tht many of them sent them anyway!)

Maybe they now feel free from the obligation to respond because the blog is not addressed to them personally on an address list. I can only guess why.

Of course,one of the main reasons I took up 'blogging' was precisely to get people to E-mail me their news!

So, it has been a total flop in this respect.

People E-mail me even less than they did before because they now get my news on the blog without having to give me theirs - they don't even have to click in reply!

Nevertheless, I am comforted by the fact that I have got hundreds of 'hits' on my blog from other readers 'out there'.

I have a new audience!

And I love to pontificate anyway!
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