Strange Ideas and Ideals.

The following was posted on Facebook yesterday - hence my "tirade"!

"When children see animals in a circus, they learn that animals exist for our amusement. Quite apart from the cruelty involved in training and confining these animals, the whole idea that we should enjoy the humiliating spectacle of an elephant or lion made to perform circus tricks shows a lack of respect for the animals as individuals"

— Peter Singer

Sorry that statement is far too broad.

I saw animals in a circus when I was young. I did not come away with the feeling that animals only exist for our amusement. I have never felt that and I never will. I felt privileged that I could be in close proximity to a huge animal and I felt wonder at all the things that made him different. I felt anger when they were chastised with whips – my skin burnt for them. I wept when I saw them in cages and tethered in a minute walking area. But I realised that the world was vast and I was a little girl gazing at a majesty I wouldn't easily see again. I cried for the cruelty but I thanked the animals for allowing me to experience them.

I existed in the Apartheid regime in South Africa. I saw little black children who were not allowed to come to this magical place and I couldn't understand it. I think, even at that stage I was colour blind in one way but ashamed in another way when I realised that they probably thought I was different. I wasn't - I was a little girl.

In our modern society we tend to over think things. YES there are things that we need to get upset about. YES we need to do something about it and YES Facebook seems to be an ideal platform but pick your battles (and your words) carefully – don't sweat the petty stuff and beware of abject generalisations. By all means use Facebook to scream and shout about things that REALLY matter. Cruelty to animals matters. Cruelty to humans matters. Cruelty to nature matters. But be very careful of broad statements like the above.

Surely children have the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad and sensible from silly?

I think we mollycoddle our kids too much now. Why should every trick come with the warning "Don't try this at home"? Have kids lost so much touch with reality that they have lost all logic on the way. When I saw Superman scale a building or fly through space did I really think I could do it? Hell NO! My parents had encouraged me to think before doing things and even my 4 year old self could see the danger. Why is there a difference? How can a modern child shoot another child and expect the child to claw up from underground? We saw the same cartoons! Ajax boxes falling on characters who were perfectly fine in the next frame. What made me able to see the difference? What made my kids see the difference? Are we placing lunatic ideas in our children's minds nowadays?

Who is responsible for guiding young minds so that the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, sensible from silly becomes a firmly grounded principle? Parents? Teachers?

And finally animals are there for our amusement – and our love and our caring. Come on who of you haven't roared with laughter at your animal (cat, dog or whatever) when they do something silly or unpredicted? They are as funny (and serious and loving) as you and your children are.

Let's laugh at, cry with and enjoy life and all the creations that we are blessed to have.

Another extract "Darker before Dawn"

Jasmyn steered her to a corridor on the right of the stairs. The corridor led towards the back of the building and opened out onto a large area – the staff room/canteen. Sharon made a rapid survey of the room before being steered to a series of lockers lining the left wall. Jasmyn pointed out Sharon's locker.

"These are useful for storing anything we will only need once or twice during the day or maybe only when we leave – like our handbags. I usually bring lunch from home – it's cheaper. I seldom keep it in the fridge I rather store it in my locker."

"Oh! Why?"

"Because of Ravenous Roger!"

"Who is he?"

"We wish we knew! Someone on the staff is very fond of raiding the fridge and stocking up on other people's lunch! It's sickening. Because we don't know who it is, we have given the perp the nickname Ravenous Roger. Believe me your food is safest in the locker. I brought a temporary lock for you. If you like it you can have it but if you want to buy your own I will keep it for the next newbie. I won't be offended!"

"Thanks Jasmyn. I will certainly use it for a while at least, to help protect my meagre belongings from Ravenous Roger!"

As they stood by the lockers Jasmyn pointed out the other features of the room.

"The fridge – the table top stove, Microwave, toaster, kettle etc are there next to the sink. That way!" laughed Jasmyn as Sharon scanned the nearest walls.

"Oooh I see you have a coffee maker!"

"Yep the best there is – it helps keep all the creative minds focused! Just remember we clean up after ourselves!"

Sharon's eyes wandered around the room.

"Gee that’s a big balcony!"

Jasmyn led the way to balcony in the outer wall. "Usually the smokers can be found here but as the firm has a strict policy for smokers, the number of people smoking is dwindling. They liked it when they could smoke while they were working. Now they have to take a smoke break. Every smoker has three quarters of an hour for lunch and five minutes for morning tea and ten minutes for afternoon tea. Non smokers get one and a half hours for lunch and fifteen minutes for both tea breaks."

"But isn't that unfair? Don't the smokers complain?"

"No. The conditions were set up in consultation with the smokers and all new employees have to either fill in a non smoking clause (as you did) or sign the smoking conditions of employment form. In the original discussion we set the average number of cigarettes to be ten. So if every cigarette smoked takes ten minutes (to get to the balcony, smoke the cigarette and get back) They are using up one hundred minutes and we are only using up sixty. We should be complaining!"

"But don't most people smoke less in a work day?"

"Yes but they didn't think of that when the original document was drawn up – cigarettes were cheaper then so people smoked more. They soon realised that they were at the short end of the stick and the more enterprising ones decided that smoking was a mugs game and gave it up."

"So it had a positive outcome!" laughed Sharon.

"Oh yes!" said Jasmyn.

She led the way to the balcony. Even though the balcony was on ground floor level it was slightly elevated and there was still an interesting and fairly open view of the Jacaranda trees still in full bloom. Sharon looked across at a quilt of colour ranging form the red of the roof tops to the red, yellow, green of traffic lights all interspersed with the unique jacaranda colour. Sharon could imagine the carpet of flowers on the pavements below the tress.

"And over there in the middle of the room are seats, couches, bean bag chairs – anything you need to relax during your breaks." Jasmyn's voice interrupted Sharon's thoughts as her imagination peopled the city below her. "We also have a sort of park, more like gardens really. It has a lake with ducks and various other flora and fauna. Come now!  Time to move on!"

By the end of a rapid but extensive tour, Sharon was taken to the editorial department. She would spend a few days here learning what happened to the Manuscripts that were sent in by hopeful writers.

 
Jasmyn beckoned to one of the harassed looking men who seemed to be immersed in paper. "Hi Reuben! I've brought Sharon to help out here for a few days. She needs to understand how our publishing house works and Mr Bezuidenhout knew that you were the best person for the job. When you are ready to move her on could you or Eric please take her to the publicity department? 'Bye for now Sharon. I know you are going to enjoy it here! See you round and about - if not see you on the Christmas tree!"

Extract from "Darkest before Dawn"

After all the forms had been filled in Mr Bezuidenhout took Sharon to the HR department.

"I'm sure you remember Ms Munien Sharon?"

"Oh yes! Hi! It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise!" said Ms Munien as she stood up and reached across the desk to shake Sharon's hand.

"We've filled in all the forms," said Mr Bezuidenhout. "Would you mind helping Sharon become orientated? Oh and would you bring her back to me when you are finished?"

"Not a problem!" Ms Munien took the forms from Mr Bezuidenhout's outstretched hand. "let me take a few minutes to check to see that it is all filled in and that we have all your necessary information. Please take a seat I won't be long."

This little wait gave Sharon time to take stock of her surroundings. In her mind she went over the route she had followed this morning.

Entrance – front desk – chairs and tables in a sort of reception area. She wondered why the area had been painted and decorated in various shades of blue. Loads of offices spanned out from the reception area. Mr Bezuidenhout's was the … First? Second? On the left? Oh for heaven's sake! She was lost already! And how did they get to this office?

Sharon looked up and saw Ms Munien watching her with a smile darting across her lips.

"And what was that worried face for?"

"I was trying to remember how to get to the few places I have been this morning!" Sharon sighed with exasperation.

Ms Munien laughed. "Here is your Orientation folder and if you open it you will see that there is a floor plan on top! I remember how confused I was when I first arrived so when I was given the job of updating the Orientation file I made sure that we included a floor plan. Page one is ground floor, Pages two and three are first and second floors and the last page is the basement."

"Surely I won't need the basement?" A picture of broken tennis racquets, a snooker table, bags, trunks and valises as well as moths, rats, spiders and roaches formed in her mind. She gave a little shiver as she thought of all these "animal" pet hates.

"You'd be surprised! You will probably clatter down there at least once a day!"

"Eeeeew!"

s Munien laughed. "Let me get rid of those fears! Let's make that our first stop."

Ms Munien led Sharon to the stairs leading to the basement. "By the way, please stop calling me Ms Munien – My name is Jasmyne"

"What a beautiful name! I'm going to love using it."

Jasmyne led the way down the broad staircase. She stopped halfway down and extended her left arm to the left.

"These are the smaller machines that do small print runs. And on the right are the big machines that are used to do the big print runs. If you go through the door at the back you may find your dust and roaches. It houses our archives. Fortunately we seldom need to go there! Everything we need is normally stored digitally. And no self respecting roach would be seen among these machines they wouldn't survive a second!"

"Wow it is so noisy! Down there."

"Yes you'd think a digital press would be a lot quieter. So on with the tour!" said Jasmyne. 

Suddenly Jasmyne grabbed Sharon's right wrist to stop her climbing the stairs.

"You know, I've just thought of something!"

"What?" asked Sharon.

"There are probably no roaches and spiders in the archives – they'd have been eaten buy the Parktown Prawns!"

"What's that?" asked Sharon.

"Oh it's like a mutant cockroach!" said Jasmine flippantly.

"WHAT?" shrieked Sharon. "You're kidding me!"

"Shh!" laughed Jasmine. "I kid you not! Make it your first Google search when you have settled in your office."

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Walt Disney

What a man! What an Empire! A talented artist with the ability to peer into a child's mind and see the magic and then to employ people who could see his vision and expand on it.

When I was quite young my parents took me to the cinema to see Fantasia. I had been brought up with classical music surrounding our house so Fantasia was a trip along known territory but enhanced by the imagination of the Disney studios animators. "The dance of the hours" will always bring a Hippo in a tutu to my mind. And who cannot love the "Sorcerers Apprentice"? If you love classical music and have never seen Fantasia do yourself a favour buy a copy and invite some friends around and see if you can get some converts!

So why am I blabbing on about Disney? I recently bought Fantasia 2000 and watched it tonight. It didn't disappoint me. "The Pomp and Circumstance March" helped all the animals get onto the ark with the help of Donald and Daisy Duck. The rousing end was accompanied by the dove with the leaf in his beak.

Lovely melodies beautifully brought to life by the world of Disney.

After the movie we had a stroll through the making of… and met many of the Disney artists and illustrators. Fascinating history unfolded.

Disney had his detractors who accused him of many things. I don't know whether any of the accusations had some truth but I can still admire the work and insight of the man. He gave us the gift of eternal childhood should we want to take it.

I love Disney movies. They are perfect fodder for an escapist. Life is good, life is fun – it does have its moments of fear or sadness but for an hour or so we can escape into a perfect existence.