There is an African parable about a farmer who sells his farm to go searching for diamonds which he never finds meanwhile the man who bought his farm find diamonds on the very farm that the first man sold.
There's a little patch of calm in an ocean of panic
Selling off the family farm our farmer is a tragic
He going on a search for a diamond studded land
When he finds his fortune, won't his life be grand?
Searching high and low will he ever find his treasure?
One day will he know a life of wealth and pleasure?
Trodding up and down on the search for Easy Street
He's a desk jockey and clown, the betting house his beat
Why he sold the farm many thought he was insane
Depressed and without charm, going down the drain
Never found his fortune, he's going off his head
Life never played his tune, and he ended up dead
In an Ocean of panic there's a little patch of calm
Where Farmer Obananic bears the work of his new bought farm
Working hard, tills the field and carries water from the creek
So he gets a good crop yield and just the other week
He was walking in the creek and found a shiny rock
He forgot it for a week because he stored it in his sock
But he showed it to a friend who told him what he found
The farm he bought had acres of diamonds lying round.
So the moral of the story, just stop and look around
You may just have a priceless antique sitting on the ground
And even better you've the brains to do what's in your head
Find your little patch of calm and don't panic or be dead
You've everything you need to create a life of thrival
Or you can look externally and live life in survival
Chasing rainbow ends, find hail and slime on
Or STOP. Look around you're sitting on diamonds.
I heard this story earlier in the week and decided to rewrite it in poetry rhyming couplet form. I have been also contemplating how this story might apply to my life. What diamonds am I sitting on? Rare books? Antiques?
AhHa! My unpublished poetry? My unpublished children’s books like Happy Harry Koala? The Australian Poetry Hall of Fame? All the above and more. Yes it is true, which makes me think “I’d better create some products from my writing and art. I’m sitting on acres of diamonds”
“I am a creator, I am creative, creating is how us creative creators live.
Creative creators live and love to create artistic expressions of beauty that’s great,
Creative creators lift cultures up higher with cultural evolution that they inspire
Creator open our hearts and fill them with love inspired by love and also from above” Thundercloud Repairian Quotes
Thundercloud at Wednesday Words Open Mic night in front of the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame mural by Tony Amaral
I will be the first to admit that I am a creative creator. Whether it is poetry, writing, art, sculpture, cooking or “whatever,” I love doing it. My current BIG creation is the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in Guyra. It is a multifaceted project with a cafe, a Poet’s Hall of Fame, an art gallery, and more. It is like having a giant working studio in a theatre. For example yesterday I wrote a piece of poetry, wrote a blog post, painted some of the mural on the stage, cooked pumpkin soup and bread, did some graphic design. At the end of the day I recorded 54 minutes of poetry to facebook and then uploaded it to Youtube. That reminds me of what this blog post is about…….Creating.
I opened the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in Guyra in March 2020 on the first day of COVID-19 lockdown so I quickly had to reevaluate my business plan which had included many live events. In June 2020, I began the Guyra Farmers and Craft Market at the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame providing an outlet for local artisans and crafty people to sell their wares. I also began weekly, Wednesday Words Open Mic Poetry Night. There were nights during lockdown in 2021 where I was the only one in attendance so I began broadcasting it on Facebook live. My good friend and patron Gladys Wilson has been a major supporter of the open mic night and also the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in general. From Gladys, my first follower, I have grown a group of more than a dozen regular poets attending the open mic night. Now Wednesday Words Open Mic Poetry night has followers all around the world who tune in to the live Facebook broadcast or who catch up once it is uploaded to Youtube.
The most rewarding part of this creation is that I have inspired new people to create, not only poetry but also art and by stocking the only art supplies in Guyra, I am also enabling creators. Gladys Wilson has now written over 12 pieces of poetry, Doug Scott has begun writing and Gabriel Donleavy said that he has now been inspired to write more.
I am grateful. I am grateful for the opportunity to create but also the opportunity to facilitate and inspire other creators. As the economy becomes more and more robotised and mechanised the creative economy grows where people can make a living from their creations and innovations. We need creative people.
Believe what you want. I am nobody to tell you what to believe but be aware that most of what you believe has been told to you by someone else who never questioned the source nor sough any extra information to back up their belief.
There are four main ways of “knowing. These are: facts, opinions, beliefs and prejudice. Somewhere along the continuum lies “faith” Faith is where we believe something exists without proof. The following 3 pieces of poetry have been written over the past few years as I ponder and meditate on life about beliefs that serve and beliefs that don’t serve.
Facts
I am about to destroy everything that you know
Please read this very carefully and slow
Is it a fact that you tell me, my friend?
Or is it a belief, that serves no proper end?
Is it a scientific factual truth that serves you,
Or preprogrammed belief that isn’t quite true?
How did you come that opinion my friend?
What information brought you to this end?
This belief that you speak about seems to cause grief,
Are you sure your opinion is not just a belief?
Have you researched the truth, critically looked at the fact,
or is this just a belief about how you learnt to react?
Have you researched and analysed all information?
Is this just a belief that’s causing you frustration?
I know that you only know what you know
So I will spell it out carefully and slow
There are things that you know you don’t know
And things that you don’t know that you don’t know
Things that are programmed that you can let go
Beliefs have no facts that you can show
A fact can be verified with real evidence
Providing support for assertion of arguments
Opinions are judgements based on facts
Opinions can be changed on how you interpret the facts
Beliefs are convictions based on personal faith
with no evidence or facts they are based on faith
Prejudices are reflections of narrow minds
having no place in argument at any time
Beliefs are based on values or morality
Cannot be tested with logic or rationality
Prejudices come from friends, family and media
Prejudice is when another plants a seed in ya
Acting on fears and pessimistic predictions
like that you need to get vaccinations
Believing that negative outcomes will get you
so you need to be prepared in case predictions are true
A belief is acceptance of something without proof
without empirical evidence to prove the truth
Is it a fact, opinion, prejudice or belief?
Only facts truely serve us and the rest cause us grief.
Only facts are factual and they are verifiable.
Linguistically this fact is undeniable. “be careful of bad spirits, they could harm you”
This is an example of a belief that’s not true.
Why am I even writing about this stuff?
Because of prejudice and beliefs, I’ve had enough
Beliefs are the foundation of our lives and our habits
Like chocolate eggs come from bunny rabbits
And if you believe in the Lord you’ll have eternal life
Religious beliefs cause much pain, war and strife
Like the prejudice that we need a nationality
is nonfactual and not based in rationality
Belief are for people who want to conform
It takes courage to go against the norm
Now hold your tongue and be careful what you say
Reassess your beliefs and have a lovely day
Please consider just what I have said
And turn the world upside down on its head, DISOBEY
Self affirming beliefs
A belief, and a value, opinion is just that. Beliefs are built in your imagination and not based on fact.
A belief is an explanation made in your brain to justify something you cannot explain
All beliefs are false and made up in your head not by looking at the facts, beliefs are the words that you said.
Made up from your programming fed into your mind, hypnotised by reinforced beliefs all the time.
You could believe in a god that there is no proof exists just because your mum, dad, a preacher and as an old book insist.
But beliefs are just purely abstracted nouns so you can drop all your beliefs and just walk around.
So you take control of your life ask what will I create and you drop your limiting beliefs then plan and then make living in the now and create a new plan to be famous world wide as the unlimited man
There is one more thing, believe in yourself to take control of your life, your destiny and health
I believe there are no beliefs to stop us achieve, every single goal that we write, plan and we believe
I have finished being a limited man and from now I’ll take action to do every dream, goal and plan.
The indoctrinated man
He believed everything the Bible ever said, read it and re-read it ingrained into his head
His beliefs were so outdated and morals very low, when he closed the Bible his mind became free though.
But it was not his fault, his indoctrination because the Christian missionaries colonised his nation.
Once upon a time he supported it, but now he’s homophobic like a hypocrite
If you’re spouting hate and lies, judgement and bigotry, whether Jewish, Christian Muslim, your mind is never free
If you take your cue from and old outdated book, you’d beat your slave and rape your wife, and sacrifice a chook (“chook” is Australian slang for chicken)
And take away the freedom of the people who you love, indoctrinated by an imaginary friend called “God” above
An imaginary God with human traits imposed, if god really existed there’d be no judgement I’d suppose
But you don’t have to keep the faith and blindly believe. Free will is what you have, you have the choice to leave
Behind the lies and fear of religious indoctrination. Think for yourself and change your mind and change the situation.
When he left behind the outdated book of fear, started being kind and admitted being Queer,
Poor little Rael was messed up in the head, believing that he would go to hell after he was dead. There is one more thing, “Be here now” and a photo for the Hindus of a big sacred cow.
Some memories last a lifetime. Like happy memories. My childhood was blessed and I was surrounded with happy people. My parents, grandparents and my parents’ friends. We used to go bushwalking in the Grampians in Victoria. I was only 2 or 3 years old and I would run off up ahead along the track alone. I would watch the birds flitting in and out of the small shrubs and admire all the wild flowers that blossomed everywhere. Then I would run back to where the walking party was coming. Sometimes I would crouch down behind a tree and jump out and surprise everyone who was walking towards me. They would all act surprised and I would laugh because I thought that it was funny. I knew not to stray from the path because I could get lost. I never did get lost and I have never lost these happy memories.
I am the little boy in the photo below and holding me is a friend of my parents’, Laurie O’Brien. I always remember Laurie as a happy man and he still is. Today is his birthday and I couldn’t think of a better way to thank him for the memories than to write a happy birthday poem for him.
Memories of the Grampians
Happy Birthday it is true, Happy Birthday just for you
Happy Birthday, you are great. We love the way that you act 8.
Happy Birthday with lots of money. You know I’m just being funny
Wishing you this birthday wish, I hope you get a sloppy kiss
From your darling loving wife. Who has stuck with you all your life
Happy Birthday dear Laurie. You never seem to ever worry
I wrote this poem just for you. Read it when you’re in the loo
Happy Birthday Laurence O’Brien. I hope you have a wonderful time.
My Grandfather
Another fond memory that has never left me is that of my grandfather. He was killed in a car accident when I was only 4 years old. However the memories that I have of him are only positive. While my parents were working I would go a stay with my grandmother for the day. I used to arrive early and watch him shave before work. He would put shaving soap on my face and then pretend to shave it off. We would drive to the airport sometimes and as we would approach and overpassing bridge he say, “no more bridges” then as we went under the bridge he would tap me on the head with a rolled up newspaper and I would laugh. He would laugh. We’d both laugh together. I loved him and he loved me.
I have been fortunate in my life to have had happy and kind men around me when I was young. My father is one of those men. He never hit or smacked me and was always measured in his discipline preferring to use his words than any form of violence. For this I am grateful and this has been reflected in my peaceful non-violent attitude to life. I have never attacked anyone and only ever stepped in between people who were about to fight in order to protect them.
One year I was in West End in Brisbane and there was a drunk guy who was causing trouble. Five other guys were ushering him away and he was getting increasingly aggressive and agitated and starting to swing punches at them. I didn’t want to see him or them get hurt so I walked over, took off my shirt held up my arms and said, “if you want to hit someone hit me.” He punched into my stomach which was tensed and I felt his wrist crack. He then took a swing at my head and I ducked backwards. He just grazed my forehead and then stopped. I looked him square in the eye and said, “Is that it? Have you had enough?” His friend walked over and said to him, “I think you’d better go” He left. Nobody was hurt, except perhaps for his pride and fractured wrist.”
After I studied Environmental Science at university I worked for Greenpeace. The Cold War ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and then the START-Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on the 31st of July 1991 and the break up of the USSR 26th of December 1991. So by the time I worked for Greenpeace the Cold War was over. The only problem was that the USA had so much money invested in the war machine and arms production that they were addicted to profits and then had to create conflicts in through lies and deceit by dehumanising muslim people.
Now in 2021 we are in one of the most peaceful times in human history. If we get rid of armies and weapons we can truely create abundance, wealth, security and peace on Earth for all people.
We can finally thrive together, care for on another and live in peace on Earth. I wrote the “Legend of the Bombagun” as a post war vision of the world that I would like to see in the future. Below is Part 1 and the rest is available in the second of my “in Nimbin” books, Lust in Nimbin available on Amazon.
My grandfather served in the ADF in WWII and I have always honoured him and the ANZACS for the sacrifices that they made. My belief is that one day the only armies that exist will be responsible for planting trees and vegetable gardens so we can all have freely available healthy nourishing food world wide and live in peace and war will only be a memory. Thank you to all the peaceful men in my life.
Thundercloud Repairian 