Hiding in the Shire

One big shift for me to become a true Soutie is getting used to the seasons. I grew up in Durban where Winters are warm enough for beach weather, and Summers are boiling. The seasons here on Mud Island are distinct, and there are very much four of them. Gardens that disappear completely and burst into life. Particularly where Gem and I have set up home in the Shire. Straight out of the story books, there are hobbits everywhere gardening and farming. Endless Summers have their appeal, but I love the changing character of this corner of the globe that makes weather so topical. It has strengthened its hold on my heart during the Covid Lockdown, when we are all cut off from each other. By ocean, border, or car being immaterial. The lessons of Autumn and Winter seem apt. Unlearning and stillness. Creative destruction. Reskilling. Survival. Time to reflect on what truly matters and what is permanent. Moments when we can’t do anything, because there is nothing to be done. Moments to acknowledge those who have to do, because they have no other choice. Moments to be grateful for our ability to survive challenges and connect seasons. Till we can hold each other once again.

Gem Sketches the Shire

Foundational Space

The marriage between income and expenses is an unhappy one. Incentives matter. I can see the crude rationale behind a superficial meritocracy where spending more is a signal of success. A lack of breathing space is a fundamental flaw in this idea. If you spend everything that comes in, there is no capacity to pause. There is no space for seasonality. Periods of unlearning. Periods of re-engaging with the core of what is important to us. Periods of creation. Periods of appreciation. If we define ourselves by our labour, it becomes all about us. Us and a pay-check that almost lasts. Normally. Unless there are unexpected bumps. We have no vested interest in the complex relationship of stakeholders and institutions that empower wealth creation. We are not owners. We are work takers. There is a better way. If we all build Capital. Capital is connection to a world that works. If we all create interconnected breathing space. Inhaling and exhaling trial and error as we iterate towards a world with more endurance, resilience, and creativity. Together.

Creating Space for a Solid Foundation

Strength Matches Gravity

“Always On” is fragile. The most important factors in meaning and wealth creation, are time and compounding. Building incrementally on what was created before, over the very long term. That requires seasonality, redundancy, and excess capacity. Running hot focuses on creativity at the expense of endurance and resilience. Creativity gets the credit, but endurance and resilience have to be the priority. Sustainable Growth beats headline makers because of the reduced risk of ruin. Sustainable Growth means building the capacity to pause. To reflect. To unlearn. To relearn. You see it in those beautiful moments with dancers. Where their strength matches gravity, and they pause. Seeming to defy the laws of physics. That is true control. Real autonomy. Where complete acceptance of the way things are allows you to see deep enough for time and space to slow down. To go still. Then to emerge from the stillness renewed.

Poncianinho - Mojuba Capoeira London

Creating Space

A consequence of the 2008 Crisis was an increased focus on Stress Testing and Capital Adequacy requirements for banks. We learn from mistakes. Trial and Error. If we survive. One of the advantages of being conscious humans is we don’t have to make the mistakes ourselves, if we pay attention. Attention is available to those who aren’t too busy. Those who create space. The 2020 Crisis has highlighted the dangers of living in a hand-to-mouth world where the majority of people and businesses have insufficient Capital to pause. If the show doesn’t go on, and there is no buffer, we suffer. However we finance it, the need for a Universal Basic Income and sufficient Capital for individuals and businesses to survive stress is self-evident. Yes, we should work for the things we want. We should also build a world with a strong enough foundation to take a deep breath and count to ten. A strong enough foundation for our creativity to survive, adapt, adjust, and accommodate to a volatile world.

Creating the Space to Pause

Through the Seasons

I am a Soutie. One foot in South Africa and one foot in the UK. I grew up in Durban where winters are warm, summers are hot, and it is mostly green all year round. I married an English Rose and now live in the middle of the Shire, where I am learning the ways of the Hobbit (slowly). The seasons are distinct. From short days to long. From leafless trees and bare gardens to overflow. “Endless Summers” have their appeal, but the idea of seasons as a foundation for growth makes a lot of sense. Creative Destruction requires broad framing. Busyness is a form of laziness. We need to step back and identify what is really important. Unlearn the distractions. Invest in the foundations. See the connections that matter, and prune cross branches and sucker growth. Sustainable Growth isn’t always up. Tough times will come repeatedly. The key is making sure the winters don’t kill the roots, and tending potential. Springs come repeatedly too.

Growth Rings

If you want to learn about learning, it depends which angle you are coming from. If you want the low hanging fruit, Tim Ferriss is your man. Author of “The 4-Hour Workweek”, he is all about hacking life to its bare essentials through self-experimentation. Finding entry points. Planting seeds. Variety and quantity unafraid of mistakes. Often the barriers to good enough to get 80% of the juice are quite superficial. If you want mastery, learning is about unlearning. Then Josh Waitzkin’s “The Art of Learning” is my bible. Stripping back. Finding out what is unnecessary. Simplifying. He calls it “making smaller circles”. Embodying knowledge requires autumns and winters. Periods of difficulty that show us what really matters. That allow the essential qualities to add another ring to mark another period survived. An essential part of endurance is the experience of having endured.