The Stavic

Oh my goodness. This is indubitably the ugliest car on the market at the moment. And all the Leyland P76 fans can rejoice, nobody will make fun of a P76's aesthetics once they see the Stavic. Have a look at http://www.smotor.com/en/showroom/rodius/main.jsp and have a laugh. I will admit I wasn't a fan of Chris Bangle's work at BMW, but compared to the Stavic, they are works of art.

The Motor Show

Yesterday I attended the Sydney International Motor show, and while there I was caught up in the great hype and excitement of it all. The Aston Martin Vantage V8 being a standout car. But afterwards I couldn't help but feel saddened that we in the developed world continue to spend exorbitant amounts of money on what is just a device to go from A to B. Realistic standout cars for me were the VW Polo TDI and VW Golf TDI. They are economical and have all the room I need. Sure the Aston looks nice, but I wonder if I had that sort of money what good I could do giving it to UNICEF instead of buying that car.

Also have a look at http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ and then decide whether you really want an uneconomical car.

The Ellipsis Protection Society?

I once read that there was a semicolon protection society, well now it is time to form the Ellipsis Protection Society. Now my dear reader may ask what is an ellipsis? Well it is a series of three dots used to denote something is missing, e.g. "Tom walked into the club and saw ..."

Unfortunately with e-mail the ellipsis has become abused beyond belief. Help me set this right. Send $5,000 (in small bills) to the Ellipsis Protection Society and save the humble ellipsis from abuse.

Lament from the Left

What has happened to this country I love so much? Why on earth do we keep electing that worm John Howard? His followers call him a visionary, a man of the people. Ha what a joke. Howard is nothing but a populist, but not in a good sense. If anything he is the antithesis of a visionary. If he thought he could win an election by streaking through parliament he would. He is indubitably a brilliant politician, one of the best, with a canny knack of reading the populace but that does not mean he is a great leader. If anything he is a follower. If his party believes vehemently in a policy Howard will reverse it if he might look like losing. Where are your principles Mr. Howard?

He is a master of wedge politics as both he and the Labor Party struggle for the "middle ground". It disgusts me that Howard will be remembered as one of the great Australian PMs. I remember in the 1980's what laughable character he was. He has simply driven to the fore the idea that the individual is all that matters. Where is the community spirit? Howard thinks community spirit is reflected by the full grandstands at cricket grounds.

And don’t get me started on him blindly following the US into Iraq. Thanks for that one John.

Oh how I wish for a charismatic left wing leader who would blast this conservative leader into the dust.

My Journey

One of the greatest journeys I have ever undertaken was to become a Freemason, and on top of that a Co-Freemason. Yet it is quite hard to explain, to the uninitiated, what is great about it. This is because they are indeed the uninitiated. This is not meant disrespectfully but it is the key to understanding. To the seeker who may be reading this rant I say this: it does not matter what you read about Freemasonry (you can find all the secrets on the Web), but until you experience the rituals (and the secrets therein) for yourself you will never understand the appeal.

And therein lies the challenge for initiatic societies in this modern world: how do you promote something that cannot be truly promoted? Advertisements always sound hollow and people think you are full of it when you say, “You need to experience it.” But the fact remains that the experience is what it is all about. Read all you can but then embark on the experience for yourself. If afterwards it wasn’t for you that is fine, but unless you undergo the experience you will never know.

That said, Freemasonry is not for the merely curious, Masonic orders will weed those people out. It is for those who seek light, and light is what shall be found. And for those caught up with the rantings of fundamentalists, Freemasonry is not a religion, but it certainly supports a seeker’s religion.

I like to think of this quote from Revenge of the Sith, “… if one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects…”. So search for as many paths as you can find, because greater Light is found in a variety of places.

One place your Masonic journey could begin at is the order of International Co-Freemasonry (Le Droit Humain). This is a Masonic order spread across the world that aceepts men and women equally. Read about them at: http://www.droit-humain.org/

Here We Go

Well I must say I have no idea how this will develop. I perceive this blog becoming a hive of intelligent thought on left wing politics and progressive religions, not to mention some discussion about co-freemasonry. But in reality there is a fair chance it will just be irrational rantings. Time will tell.