Self Esteem and I

I am female: but not a Barbie,don't wear high heels, my best buddies are men, but thanks I'd rather a wife

Self esteem plays a crucial part in a human beings life. Like the hub to a wheel on a bicycle, holding the spokes to the rim allowing the wheel to turn effortlessly.

As the wheels of life turn and distance in life gained, if flowing with ease a sense of competence, achievement is reached. Self – respect is developed and the most stable source of self-esteem is genuine accomplishment rather than public acclaim and praise.

The public arena is like a court of law, what you think and feel is irrelevant, the fact is....

News stands, shops, the local petrol station are swamped with magazines portraying beautiful woman, beautiful men with beautiful clothes a flawless representation of human beings. Media advertising bombard the human mind of how to aspire to being a reflection of the magazines glossy pictures. The intention is to display excellence in design, quality, the achievements of the designers and artisans. Is it you?

It is like a split personality of information, some react with diminishing self esteem not being able to be like the picture on the glossy page, or use cosmetics that would alter their appearance to what is supposed to ' beautify” and a social expectation.

Or those by ways and means can, those being graced by genes are able to do so: seem not to care: enough is not enough where self esteem in a false manner is achieved by the constant chase and purchase a mixture of 'glossy page items' an array of assorted commodities.

Instead of being someone start being yourself.  What does this mean?

Someone is the psyche in you and what one absorbs and chooses to adapt into the personality which is you.

Somebody is the physical representation of those actions.

The expression of “ to be washed clean to restore the self- esteem “ has been used for hundreds of years.

A humble representation of this is the invention in 1885 by two brothers William and James Lever instead of using tallow used palm oil and glycerine to create a wonderful free-lathering soap.

One of which was called Sunlight to bring a sense of satisfaction and achievement of well being to woman doing the household laundry. A bundle of fresh clothes oozing a fragrance of cleanliness .

A bar of Sunlight could be used for multi domestic purposes, later the brothers added Pears for the ultimate bath accessories.

Soap was supplied to soldiers for the same reasons, to give ,when opportunity could be taken, a soldier would bathe, be refreshed, wash away the horror of war, refresh the mind spirit and body to lift the self esteem.

The Lever brothers invented Dove Soap with moisturising properties to care for the skin especially dry skin the after use leaving a comfortable aroma.

The humble tablet of soap or the special use of choosing Dove soap for a soldier in the field, or for a refreshing wash in the river, off grid shower operated by solar, or in the urban districts to the best hotels in the world, standing naked any-one is someone and some-body.

Stepping from that, it is the focus on the contribution the individual gives to their society or social fabric irrespective of any chosen career path of labour.

Self esteem is you and you matter. Start with the humble bar of soap and wash away someone and somebody ,step naked and refreshed and start being you.

The fact is you are you and I am I.

I am female: but not a Barbie and don't wear high heels, my best buddies are men, and thanks I'd rather a wife.

                                      Thinking: Hot shower with Dove, a bird on the wing.  

The Essential Responsive Man

The essential responsive man decades ago was the mail man who despite conditions 'the mail must get through'

Living in a rural district in isolated parts of New Zealand being disconnected for today's expectation for banking, business, writing for a living, and other essentials an IT, Internet Technician, man becomes the essential responsive man.

Like diamonds in the sand dune these men seem rare. Even rarer is the man who enters into ones rural framework that brings the consumer S.P.I.C.E. Simplicity, progress, Information/integrity, connection, explanation plus excellence in service.

Responds to the consumers requirements and like the trusty mail man of decades ago will turn up when expected and not forget you. The responsive man for the IT world with hands on approach who pauses at the gate way of the global world , irrespective of rural or city , belaying the myths and mystery of the electronic world is not only the diamond in the sand dune: but the true essence of the essential responsive man.

One such hero or essential responsive man, armed with a bag of tools, as the mail man carried his bag of mail is mike@computerman.co.nz who took time to stop at this gate.

Talking to You

Whatever it takes .......... communication matters

Is it a dying art? People read yet do not see, people listen yet do not hear,people speak and say nothing.

People send messages that seemingly float into empty spaces: empty places of eyes that read but did not see. Ears that heard but did not hear, the result seem as no response returned to be seen or heard.

People ask for help or a helping hand the offer is always there but nothing is lifted least the helping hand.

For example, the head of a corporation busy at his desk shuffling papers, glancing at the laptop... to type in something, talking to employee across the desk and when the employee said, “I have just thrown two thousand dollars in your rubbish bin, in cash” he did not flinch, continues the conversation, a disjointed one, the employee says “ I have taken the two thousand dollars in cash out of your rubbish bin and it is in my pocket.” the head of the corporation just agrees.

So he heard but did not hear. How can one hear if so busy, attention diverted and talking at the same time. What value of input of conversation does one miss with the diversion of attention.?

The response to an enquiry, or request, the value of that is good business and what a difference it can make in a humans life, it is saying to some-one, you are of value, I recognize and acknowledge you.

Irrespective of technology the question is: has the global communication through internet and other means bought the human race closer or fragmented the social fabric and made the human race more distant from each other, desensitize us to the importance of good conversation and reality of life in our back yard.?

COME TALK TO ME

Get Out of the Box

In Flanders Field Painting by Willie Werner

Get out of the box, … A Roman soldier from Ceaser’s Legion lay next to a French soldier from Napoleons’ Waterloo, who lay next to a German soldier of the 1st World War, embraced by a British soldier whose hand lay gently on the shoulder of a Russian soldier of the 2nd World War.

The US Marine lay quietly beside with a book in his hand Titled the US Civil War North and South , an airman from New Zealand sat in his bi-plane, wing tipped to the Fokker, the Spitfire facing the de Havilland Gnome, sitting by the wheel a Polish airman, the Italian soldier crouched by the Scottish soldier holding his bagpipes.

A 1st World War German soldier hands held a cross, lightly on the chest of the Jewish boy soldier from Britain, whose father lay in desert sands next to warriors of Great Arab Nations, the French Foreign Legionnaire hands by his side, the Egyptian soldier lay beside him holding a Turkish sword with a quiver of the Romans.

Knights on the chessboard with the Knights armour resting in Mongolian tents where lay a soldier from Greece holding Plato’s writing , within the depths lay the Navy Captain of the Japanese Navy with the Russian seaman, beside the airman from Japan with the Australian soldier of the 2nd World War, like a folded rose petal over the Cossack from St Petersburg holding sheet music of Tea by Tchaikovsky (Chinese Dance) the pilgrim next to the Indian lay, beside the Bombay Grenadier, quietly by the Chiefs of the Pacific, the Spanish soldier with the Cuban revolutionary who lay beside the Portuguese, the fleets tall masted ships anchored below the waves of the sea, the jeeps quiet as red poppies grow.

White crosses criss - cross the lands of Europe, deep in Asia the Chinese Boxer Army, still , stone Chinese stone photograph stand quiet in line beneath the land, the great China Wall has crossed, dusty layers trickle down the shoulders of the Korean soldier brushing the South African Boar War soldier peaceful beside the Zulu warrior who sat beside the pilgrim, holding out a book to the sleeping Palestine soldier sitting beside the soldier from Israel holding the helmet of red plume of the Roman soldier, whose hand stretched out to the gentle Gurkha , whose curved sword embraced the soldier of Iraq, who lay shoulder to shoulder to the soldier from Iran, whispering to the ghosts of Hiroshima looking East above the ground the silence of Chernobyl city.

To bury the metal in great caves underground for thousands of years what soldier has a mind, who lay next to the soldier with sticks and stones of the 4th World War beside the airman of the 3rd World War, melted white crosses and red poppies grow, the Irish soldier with his fiddle lay still on the rock , beside the sailor and airman interlocked, all good men, all race colour and creed lay, still families bleed, soldiers lay still on a thin veil of transparency poised to become dust to dust.

Heads of Nations who can show a blind man colours, or make a deaf man hear when in a box.

New Beginings

When the dust settles.








the manatthecoal face can also be found on :

http://hazledinebarber.com/ or http://www.instablogs.com/

Poetical Leadership and this 'manatthecoalface' page and the ones to follow will be for philosophy, thoughts to ponder, along the road of life as the soldier on the left seems to represent.