Keeping balance (unfinished project)

After I survive this I will live a happy life, I will follow my dream, will read that book, quit smoking, run a startup, start a new life, will do whatever I want.

It doesn’t works like that. Not for me.

I was writing my first book for five long years. I was desperate and was dreaming about the day when I will quit. The day the book was published finally have came but I have`t quit. Not that time. And not the next time either. And the next...

You should learn to live in the mode of an unfinished project. Starting new one before finishing old one.

The real mastery then is to learn how to keep balance. Finishing as many old projects as you start new.    

Direct democracy

Today I have experienced a session of direct democracy.

The inspectors visiting my institution decided to communicate with scholars directly. We gathered in our conference hall. About one hundred persons of different ages and knowledge. The inspectors were polite. However they were not aware what they were asking for.

After half an hour of boring hypocrisy the word took our labor union leader (ye, Ukrainian scholars have a labor union). He was direct and straightforward:

What about our salary? (the Academy pays average scholar one hundred bucks a month)

What about money for research and conferences ? (The Academy does not cover expenses)

What about gerontocracy ? (The re-elected president of the Academy is ninety six ! years old )

Well, after he finished the applauses were loud as hell.

I know that guy. He is rather reliable. Not anti-system type at all. However we all have that shit,  the corrupted stakeholders are feeding us with, enough. And you? What about you?

My action

Few people ask me why have I switched languages? I have been writing the blog in my native Ukrainian for years but in February, 2015 I re-established it in English. Frankly in the first place I did it for my self. Its like a challenge and good practice. However it is still not a private diary but a public blog aiming the same audience, so there is another good reason. All my former students would confirm that among many things I was preaching them again and again there was an appeal to learn English. I know the slogan was not enough. So here is my action. Hope you will like it the same when it was in Ukrainian.

War for freedom

Today I talked to a guy from Russia who lives in Ukraine for a couple of years making business here not there.

When the talk ran into politics, however, he started to venerate Putin like almighty god telling me other bullshit about white Aryans with blue eyes that coming from Russia conquered the world in the second millennium BC and that Budda was actually white.

Well, that sound thick for me. I don`t care about the colour of people skin. I don`t care whom they consider themselves to be Russian or Ukrainian or whatever.

For me this war is not about ethnicity not about nationalism.

For me this war is for freedom.

Ukraine fights not against Russians. Actualy many Russians are fighting on Ukraine's side. We fight for freedom.

I don`t want my children live in the neo-Soviet regime where loyalty to authority is valued the most, where people are like slaves deprived from their basic rights, brainwashed, hopeless and helpless, blindfolded with lies and hypocrisy. For me, it's like never again.

I quit that talk and went home to write this blog. Cause I hope you'll read it. And then stand with us.

 

What's next

It is not difficult to reach a broad audience, to get your fifteen minutes of fame. You don't even have to be good in something. Just right place, right time, with right stuff. Quality doesn’t matter. Creativity doesn’t matter either. It's all about timing, kind of a lottery. And then it passes away. Everything. The fame, the courage, the time. And you ask: What should I do next?

Past recalled

Time have past. You meet a friend who you haven't seen for years. You were close, many talks, many bears. And a new conversation right now running on. Time to go and you know why you haven't talk with each other so long. You just know.

Finally

Many years I have been writing this blog giving advices to my students. Now I don't have students any more. And no more advices either. And finally I begun to live the way I once preached to someone else. Finally.