Lottery

Coming from very poor circumstances and after a lifetime of dealing with the financial vicissitudes of life, I’ve often wished I could win Lotto. In my wishful state, I envisage the money would buy me a home, a new car and services that would ‘see me out’. Families also stand to benefit.

How to manage the funds residual beyond immediate needs presents a quandary which fails so many lottery winners. Difficulties arise from inability to think through the issues to plan how best to apply the funds, avoid demands and divisiveness to make the most of the privilege. Many revert to their “wishful” state all too soon as funds dissipate. In the autobiographical book, The Three Burials of Lotty Kneen, winning the lottery enabled the family to move to a property in central western Queensland to create papier mache dragons for an exhibition which failed to win patronage. Funds were soon drained. Stories of similar windfalls too often result in similar outcomes. Be careful what you wish for.

COVID

Don’t we all wish to be free of COVID-19 constraints that ever increase as the inner authoritarian is alighted in so many? Stupidity rather than science prevails. No longer is it sufficient to be vaccinated, masked, sanitised and isolated, we must also be locked down, whatever the cost to mental health, education and business viability. All perspective has been lost over something we have to learn to live with. Fear must be dampened. Public re-education about how to live with the reality of COVID, reinforced with vaccination and earliest treatment with mono-clonal antibodies, needs to be marshalled for speediest recovery if we wish to reclaim freedoms. Yet with freedoms come responsibilities that many have cheerfully shirked in thrall to possible death. Be careful what you wish for.

Those who have read my book Becoming will recall that choice and responsibility are key elements of maturity, as illustrated in my Maturity Model. Making decisions in our best interests and accepting responsibility for the decisions made is more fulfilling than merely wishing. At least we remain in healthy charge of our life.

“Renewables”

Many are not only wishing for, but are politically active in promoting 100% renewables under the global “Great Reset” amid fearful imperative of climate catastrophism. Fear of catastrophe is a powerful driver to motivate acolytes, money, power and virtue.

Whereas lottery winners may be remiss in failing to handle the fallout of the win, so do others. For instance, thinking through to achievement of the much wished for 100% “renewable” energy, reveals devastation much worse than the release of Australia’s 1.3% of the 4% global carbon dioxide load in the atmosphere essential to plant growth. Fact is that industrialisation made possible by coal-fired energy has brought billions out of poverty over the last 200 years. Developing countries are yet to benefit. Holding up the Adani coal mine in Queensland for nine years prevented 300 million disadvantaged Indians from improving health and amenity in their short lives of around 40 years as they cook burning dung. Bloody marvellous! Virtuous! Honourable! I’m sure poor Indians are grateful to local virtuous!

Were the wishful able to think through the business case for “renewables” or be alert to the broader aim of de-growth, de-industrialisation of western capitalist society like ours, their wishes would be abandoned to facts and good sense. Facts are: “renewables” are entirely dependent on much despised mining and Chinese manufacture; they are located remote from existing transmission grids (energy is lost over distance); have a short life span; and most importantly, presently have no known process for recycling or disposal. Wishing for 100% renewables may result in the biggest waste issue of our time. Not to mention de-industrialisation at taxpayer expense as precursor to socialism. Good sense would avoid reliance on unreliable weather to generate energy. Careful what you wish for.

Relationships

Over time, many relationships in family and work are soured by bullying, violence, threats and over the top expectations unlikely to be met while under-resourced and unsupported. Sometimes relationships become stale when partners fail to grow together as the years pass or businesses fail to grow on to the next stage. The natural tendency when change cannot be affected is to wish the offender would leave (the decent thing to do), wish you could leave, or just leave. Wishing freedom from turmoil doesn’t solve what comes next, which, like disposing of “renewables”, needs more thought.

A couple of women I know recently departed well established marriages to decent blokes who loved and supported them and their families. While it’s always difficult to read other people’s intimate relationships, seems to me each experienced a classic mid-life crisis in which blame for normal turmoil within was projected against the husband, instead of addressing the interior challenge of resetting a platform for living out the rest of their life. (More understanding of midlife crises can be found in Chapter 6 of my book Becoming). In time, with assertive action, turmoil passes as wished for, except family relationships are forever fractured and the path forward may not bring enlightenment and relief envisaged. Be careful what you wish for.

Joe Biden

Three times over near 50 years in the Senate, pedestrian Washington swamp dweller Joe Biden tried to become President of the United States. Eventually he was successful after ‘campaigning’ from his basement, confident that the Democratic Party machine, main stream media and big Tech would win victory for him. Biden’s career-long wish was attained.

By contrast, Biden’s feisty opponent, Donald Trump, was a business man, not a swamp dweller. Trump ran on the MAGA doctrine, Make America Great Again, placing what was best for America at the forefront of any policy initiative. Much was achieved: taxes were reduced, businesses thrived, more people of all categories were employed; America became energy self-sufficient for the first time; borders were firmed. Blacks benefited from the One Step program releasing from prison those with long term non-violent offences and guaranteed funding for black colleges. Under the Abraham Accords, economic relationships flourished between Israel and four Middle Eastern nations, breaking the hold that Palestine had over ME politics. Trade agreements with China and NAFTA were renegotiated and countries benefiting from US military support (South Korea, Taiwan, NATO) were asked to stump up more in payments. Until COVID struck.

Yes Orange Man was abrasive, prone to exaggeration, tweeted too much and often un-presidential. He was President, not Pastor. Who could blame Trump when he was constantly assailed by false allegations, three impeachment attempts that clouded any good he did and faced weaponised operatives in agencies like the DEA, CIA and FBI. Media trashing, supported by Big Tech, just wanted Trump gone.

Well, by getting rid of Trump the people got what they wished for. Buyers’ remorse must be setting in, as, in a mere eight months into Biden’s presidency, the southern border has collapsed as 1.3 million people from around the world flooded in with no sign of stopping, despite the Supreme Court ruling against open borders; an unnecessarily ignominious departure from Afghanistan has been completed with the deaths of 13 defence personnel that could have been avoided; loss of energy self-sufficiency with the closure of the Keystone pipeline first day in office and stopping of fracking, leading to Biden pleading OPEC to increase oil production; prices of gas have gone up and inflation is soaring.

$Trillions is being spent on the Green New Deal socialist frolic in repayment to contributors to the Democratic campaign funds from organisations such as the Teachers’ Unions, who haven’t fronted up for in-class learning. Not to mention the Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, Cancel Culture and other indoctrination traded for education. Rule of Law is constantly flouted with inconsistent treatment of offenders: catch and release; no charges for rioting, burning and looting.

Unlike Trump who set about to Make America Great Again, each of Biden’s policy directives weakens the USA, democracy, capitalism, history and the Judeo-Christian traditions on which western countries have thrived. Capture of the media and (other people’s) children are first principles of Communism. So too is destruction of legal systems affecting crime and property, whether treatment of offenders, rezoning of districts, preventing eviction from non-payment of rents all break down reliable institutional systems. Loss of free speech, history and tradition furthers the socialist cause.

Repercussions for us are coming too. Should Biden (that feckless, dementia ridden piece of crap as described by the mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan) manufacture USA decline so that China takes over as the dominant global culture and currency, much of western civilization will decline and Australia’s value will sink with it.

Be careful what you wish for.