Go Back Where I Came From, Walk Together Where We Can Move Forward

In Australia, so far, I have never been told off to go back where I came from.

When asked politely where I came from, I often say Epping NSW - and then I get a quiet shock that this cannot be, on the part of the questioner.

There can be this unnerving but not intended to be rude perception that one cannot be from a place outside of stereotyped convention.

While I was back packing through Vietnam, I was approached on several occasions by the locals if I was an overseas returned Vietnamese guy. When I replied that I was from Australia, they winced in half disbelief.

In societies with populations of diverse backgrounds in the 21st century, it is important to recognise the separation between citizenship, residency, ethnicity and nationality - and celebrate the shared humanity in each of us, no matter where we were born.

Malaysians have been told by their own fellow citizens in their own country to go back where they came from, so Trump's remark is not original - and echoes a malaise, paranoia and aggression that some have in not recognising that each of us do have roots from somewhere else, it all depends on how far back one scratches. Usually such blatant attitudes in asking specific groups or individuals to go back and not linger around are based on political agendas and highly lacking in sophistication.

Europeans are a result of the mix of African, Middle Eastern and Central Asian DNA. Indigenous Americans are said to have been arrivals from eastern Asia. Japanese are claimed to be descendents of migratory groups from the Asian mainland. And yes, a long, long time ago.

In all this huha of picking off people to go back to where they came from, an important consideration is missed - where are you and I going forward together?

#yongkevhoughts

What I Miss When Grocery Shopping

Who decides what product to pull off the shelf at our grocery stores?

It can be disappointing to customers, but it looks like as big business grows even larger, there can be a disconnect between what makes a customer happy and the decisions made behind the scenes based on macro factors, artificial intelligent analysis and shareholder returns.

The live local and slow food movement has supply decisions based on a lot of customer interaction, but what we see from huge and impersonal corporate decisions makes me frustrated at how difficult it is to still have access to products I love.

The upside for me is spending less time and purchases at retail stores that are out of sync with what I like to buy. Even contacting directly with the makers of such products can be of no help, as some inform me that they only deal with wholesalers. The relentless push to drive big margins and ever higher returns can be devastating but that is how contemporary capitalism seems to thrive on.

So here is a reflection of what I have missed, since they are no longer produced or so hard to get these days. They may not all be healthy to consume, but there was a sentimental connection. I reluctantly say Adieu to:

1. Red labelled malt Milo beverage powder.

2. Kitchen rolls that have a better strength and texture.

3. Fresh milk without additives and fancy labelling.

4. Red Tractor Oats with Omega 3.

5. Fresh fruits and veg that are irregularly shaped and sized - and have more character and taste than robot like same sized versions.

6. Bread loaves without unnecessary supplements, preservatives and artificial taste.

7. Eggs that are naturally sized and which do not defy nature.

8. Corn chips that still have taste despite not having added sugar and salt.

9. Juices that are not overhyped with promises that cannot be kept.

10. Products with less or unnecessary plastic packaging.

#yongkevthoughts

Our Obsessions and Addictions in Contemporary Society

Significant Addictions on the cusp of 2020

They used to be excessive consumption of grass, alcohol, gambling, sugar and porn. Many remain as issues for many individuals. 

As we approach the third decade of the 21st century, what do you observe and acknowledge as serious manifestations of other significant addictions affecting perhaps yourself, family members, your community and society going forward?

1. Screen addiction. It used to be free with broadcast TV, but binge interaction with cyberspace delivered screens now has a monthly bill, perhaps costing more than getting clean water supply. The effectiveness of smart phone apps, including streaming to watch at any time, to keep anyone hunched over a device for many hours is not to be underestimated.

2. Preoccupation with and overuse of specific obsessions. The art of moderation is increasingly lost, whether with the use of opioids, dependency on manufactured and processed foods or foods that are high in fat but induce a high level of flavours.

3. Sitting down too much, with valid reasons for doing so. This practice does inevitably come with long commutes, work requirements and contemporary lifestyles. The easy access to household equipment has long freed up discretionary hours for many in developed economies.

4. The rising utilisation of unhealthy ingredients and dangerous chemicals to earn more fast bucks by businesses. This is linked to another significant trend by manufacturers, the intended under disclosure or omission of details on labelling.

5. The taking up of more extreme and intransigent views by politicians and social groups. After a period of relative political correctness and liberal democratic thoughts, human society is evolving once more in how they organise themselves. Herd following in thought and politics seems to have increased despite the attraction of independent thinking.

6. There is a rise in expectations for operational autonomy in more aspects of our daily routine. In the process, we rely more on unseen software and reckon we have a higher level of personal independence. In reality, each of us can be more subject to hidden forces, uncontrolled authority, more risks and much less privacy.
Driverless transport, drone enabled delivery, robotic relationships and audioless communication all look exciting but do exert a hidden cost.

7. The shortsightedness in governance of many nations, cities, companies and communities has become too obvious, especially in several so called democratic nations. The emphasised focus on short term planning, rewards, returns and performance, to the detriment of other things, is a significant requirement by shareholders, voters and stakeholders.

8. There is a lowering of personal patience, a rise in the need for quick personal gratification and a rise in the levels of attention deficit. You can see this easily manifested in social media, road outrage, behaviour on public transport, attacks on health personnel and drug addiction.

9. There is a continued rise in misuse of both financial and non-financial resources by individuals and groups in positions of authority. Power begets more power and access to act more boldly, that is the sad mindset of human beings at its worst.

10. The argument that offenders can be excused for reasons of poor mental health is often used in the courts. What more balanced attention can we offer more to victims of crime instead?

#yongkevthoughts

Key Risks for Australia's Security

What do you reckon are the key threats to Australian security as a nation?

In the mist of walking through the hype of different agendas of different factions, let us examine some realities.

1. Why countries were invaded in history includes diversion away from the internal problems facing the leaders of invading armies. Will Australia play into the hands of such ploys?

2 Interference in the internal affairs of foreign nations. The penchant of western societies to criticise other countries for alleged and real breaches in human rights and democratic practices can trigger flashpoints in international relations.

3. Significant decreases in the technological, military and economic power of Australia. Unlike post World War 2, competition stakes have shot up. The largest buyers of arms in the world are all in Asia, a region which the largest island nation is located so close to. Australia is increasingly seen as a place to dig out unprocessed raw materials. It has not sufficiently developed its futuristic sectors to be on the leading edge, unlike the USA, China, Germany, Israel and Japan.

4. Socio-political drivers and religious expansion from other cultures can be a two edged sword for Australia, depending on whose views you ask for.

Western colonisation from the 16th to the 20th centuries was driven by powerful trade, religious and political interplay. The relatively generous migration opportunity offered by Australia to diverse races and religions is a remarkable contrast to relatively closed immigration policies of other nations.
When small South Pacific nations face issues on sea level rise, lack of infrastructure and maintaining their economic growth, Australia no longer holds the monopoly for influence. The Pacific is bordered by other nations like Canada, China, New Zealand and Japan. 

5. Loss of leadership and influence by Australia for neighbouring nations.

South-east Asia is a complex tapestry of religious, political and economic competition. Australian troops sacrificed to stop the tide of Communism there but that has been mostly forgotten in the countries so saved.

6. The temptation to invade Australia to exploit its natural resources. The Imperial Japanese army invaded China and south east Asia last century to expand access to natural and food resources, apart from acquiring territory for a pan Asiatic empire.

7. Climate deterioration in Australia, including drought, loss of arable land and increased vulnerability to inclement weather. Such a scenario adds to the stable of threats within Australia, instead of the usual harping of threats from outside the country.

8. The lack of a viable core population to defend Australia's vast borders. The continuing focus on protecting more of Australia's southern states, instead of its northern coastline, can be due to climatic, population and economic factors, but strategic reality cannot be denied.

9. Burgeoning populations of nearby countries, especially when their cultural make up is so different and Australia is such an empty land with a total current population less than for greater Jakarta.

10. Australia not maturing to a stand independent from allied nations in the past.  

Risks grow when previous strong allies have shown a remarkable record of utilising Australia and its forces for proxy wars.

#yongkevthoughts

Heading Into the Year 2020

As the world hurls to 2020, what are the significant impact matters that can churn the economy, cause social grief and affect key things in our life that we may have taken for granted so far?
History has always been an account of tensions and conflict between conservatives and progressives, between the haves and have nots and between those with superior technology and those without.
Wars have been fought in the name of religion, control of financial interests, ideological beliefs and the alliance of manipulative politics.
The greater movement of populations, the increased power of captured analytical information, more powerful military means and a shift in world power patterns have however changed the strategic game.
Yet our world is still divided into nations, a system perhaps outdated by commercial expansion, technology dominance and heightened means of mobility.
Cultural imperatives continue to complicate the progress of mankind to cooperate on a holistic platform instead of on the usual competitive tribal basis. Such cultural factors range across strongly held views on wealth dominance, political structures, racial silos and social order.
Some hotspots arise from historical dilemmas. Others are rooted in rising or changed expectations. Yet some issues arise because of significant wealth redistributions and therefore real shifts of power held. The hold of Western dominance has changed - but at the same time deep historical conflicts have not been resolved.
The world has not weaned off its insatiable appetite for petroleum.
Nations may not be fully prepared for the consequences of over utilising other Earthly resources in the quest for ever increasing economic and population growth. Decimation of non-human species continues relentlessly with deforestation, spread of falsity in communication and misuse of technology.
My list of suggested most risky features for the world include:
1. The inability to optimally manage aging societies in places like Europe, Japan, China, Australia, the USA and
Singapore.
2. The continuing denial and lack of sufficient action by the powers that be of mankind's significant negative impact on Mothership Earth.
3. The misuse of evolving new techology for greater control of and enhancing greater addiction by the masses.
4. Religious, cultural and tribal conflicts that continue to create havoc, economic slowdowns and lower quality of life for the people and lands inflicted by such malaise.
4. The pain of adjustments and changes to the current pattern of political systems and control.
5. The multiracial and diverse populations of several countries can pose both opportunity or conflict.
6. Nations that do not transform their economies in a brave new world are going to be left behind.
7. Conflicts can now be conducted between nations on many fronts. They can be far from just battling warships, aircraft and landed troops.
8. After a period of liberalisation, several nations increasingly begin to look inward for strengthened political, economic and cultural resilience.
Brexit, continuing corruption, political bullying, rising nationalism, carbon footprints left by increased air travel, racism, increased sea levels, rising impersonalisation, tariff wars, engineered elections and negative air pollution are just examples of the symptoms.
What is the world collectively doing about the causes of its major problems? What can you, as an individual, help to mitigate them?
#yongkevthoughts

Still Thankful For

The grass has obviously dried up.Lamb prices have shot up, perhaps more than the costs of commercial child care, aged care and vet services.  Retail is not selling as much as before, the roads are more traffic congested and inflation as usual bites more in reality than as reported.Loading speeds for the internet are uncompetitive. Near monopolies exist for key service providers on many fronts in Australia. Public infrastructure has to be renewed.So what is going right?
1. There are more choices in supermarket products and prices.
2. There is more activity after dark in city centres and specific suburbs across Australia.
3. The sky is still blue and the beaches clean all over this vast island nation.
4. The variety of cuisines available in a country of such diverse populations is so unmatched.
5. The wisdom of our town planners cannot be under appreciated when they ensured green space, outdoor venues and public transport for our communities.
6. Medicare has sustained the quality of public health care for common ailments.
7. The right to express one's opinions is still enough, although challenges and threats have arisen in this space.
8. Safety levels for individuals for the most part have been maintained, although we recognise indents made, especially in road driving conditions, after hours and in breaches of privacy.
9. It is so easy to communicate, only the unwillingness to do so is the barrier.
10. We have learned to be more cynical and not so trusting, but in a wise way. This has been a good outcome against scams, fake news, over the top marketing, double speak by politicians and the lack of regulation.
#yongkevthoughts