Month: November 2007

Between Knowing What To Do And Doing It

What is it that stands between us knowing what we’re supposed to do and actually doing it?

In many cases in our everyday lives, whether personal or professional, we find ourselves in a situation where we know what we’re supposed to do to reach a certain goal, to become better, to move forward, but still for some unknown reason we just don’t do it.

We know what is needed to finish off this projet or that… to become better husbands/wives/fathers/children… to move forward in our careers… to ameliorate our incomes… to live happier… to do whatever it is we want to do.

But it stops there, we know, yet we don’t actually take the steps to do.

Why?
Is it just plain old procrastination at work?
But procrastination is the act of putting off things for the future, delaying them, and it’s mainly a psychological mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.
So even though it may apply to a bunch of the projects/actions we have in mind, I don’t think it covers them all.

When you really want to do a certain something like become a better husband/wife/father/child for example; there you’ve got all the good will to do it, you know it’s something that will make you happy in the end, the outcome is positive no matter what, and you know what you have to do; but you’re just not doing it.

Maybe it boils down to something like the difference between theory and practice. You know or learn a lot of things in theory, but you don’t always go on and practice them.
Are we taking some of our decisions in theory but lacking the courage, will or whatever else it is to carry them out in practice?

I found a simple quote by a certain Dr. Robert Anthony that goes as follows: “It is not enough to know what to do, you must do what you know.”
And even though that is clear, and everyone would agree on it, a lot of us are not applying that simple, logical rule.

Unlike procrastination where we can actually come up with sets of different absurd reasons why we’re putting off something, in these cases we ask ourselves and find no answer. We just don’t know why we’re not doing what we have to do; there are no reasons.
So, what is it that stands between us knowing what we’re supposed to do and actually doing it?

First African And Arab Gene Bank In Tunisia

I just came across this interesting bit of news about something that took place in Tunisia this past weekend on the National Tree Day…

Tunisia witnessed the creation of the first African as well Arab Gene’s Bank which aims at preserving biological diversity and genetic resources, boosting scientific research as well as promoting national genetic heritage.

The establishment is equipped with refrigerated rooms capable of hosting 200,000 samples of genetic resources, notably seeds, tissues or pollens as well as research laboratories and scientific units specialised in collecting, conditioning, classifying and grafting tissues.

[Source: allAfrica]

Well that’s good news; with all the genetic engineering and chemicals being used in the agricultural world today, with everything looking better but losing its taste and uniqueness, it’s good that we’re thinking of saving some of our pure seeds to conserve them and extend their existence to future generations.

Tunisia 21: The Fourth Tunisian Satellite TV Channel

Tunisie 21
canal21_logo.gif

Tunisia 21, has now become the fourth Tunisian satellite TV channel, and the second public one, after its recent re-launch.

The channel was originally a terrestrial tv channel called “Canal 21” (Channel 21), which was launched in the 90’s; the name is a reference to the 21st century, emphasizing its target audience: youth.

It started as a channel that was broadcast a few hours a day in the afternoon, on the same frequency that French channel “France 2” was terrestrially transmitted on in Tunisia, thereby over-riding the French youth programming with a local one.

It wasn’t really such a success at the beginning, taking away programming that we had gotten used to and enjoyed and replacing it with a bunch of mediocrely produced shows.

Anyway, with time people got used to it, and when “France 2” re-transmission was cut, Channel 21’s programming was slowly expanded over the years, more shows were added and some of them started getting a better viewership.
Still, the channel was always more or less a sidekick for the main public channel “Tunisia 7”, or at least that’s the way it felt for me.

Now, the channel has been relaunched as a satellite TV channel, becoming a third outlet for Tunisia. Its name and logo have been changed, and it will be more of a general information channel, but it still hangs on to the “21” bit to emphasize its roots and future as a youth-oriented channel.

Personally, I think it’s great whenever a new Tunisian TV channel or radio station goes on air, enriching the audio-visual scene in the country, and in the case of internation satellite tv or radio channels giving the country more exposure and reaching out to people beyond its boundaries.

Hopefully with the channel being relaunched as a satellite channel it will get more resources and that the quality of its broadcast and programming will be ameliorated to really enrich the Tunisian offering in terms of audio-visual material.

My Name Is Earl, Karma & Us

A show I’ve been enjoying a lot recently is NBC’s “My Name Is Earl“.

It’s a light comedy show that takes the main character’s interesting simplistic definition of Karma: “You do good things, and good things happen to you. You do bad things, and bad things happen to you.”, and makes a really cool show out of it.

In order to turn his life around, Earl makes a list of all the bad things he did in his life to try and set them right in order to get on Karma’s good side. A bunch of funny situations and stories follow on from that point on.

Other than it being a really fun and light show to end a full work day with, I also like its simplistic approach to things, I myself am a fan of breaking things down to a simple straight-forward formula; I don’t like all the complicated weaving of words to make something sound sophisticated and well thought out, a great idea/conception is a great one no matter how you say it, in fact it’s even greater if it’s so simple to explain.

Anyway, today while out doing our shopping, a question occurred to me, inspired from the tv show: If I created a list of bad things I did in the past and that I had to set right, how long would the list be? What would be in it?

Fortunately for me, I’ve been a pretty good person in my past, and I still try to be one in my present, but that only means that my list isn’t such a long one, still it does exist. Maybe the things on it aren’t that bad, including stuff like not attending a friend’s wedding when I could, or not calling someone I should have, or other stuff of that caliber; but still if it’s there and I can set things straight in one way or another, maybe I should at least try to.

What do you think? Have you ever remembered some of the things you’re not so proud of from your past and thought of correcting them? Or do you think that what’s buried in the past should remain that way? Do you believe in karma? Do you believe that what goes around comes around?

The Mafia’s Ten Commandments

Italian police have found what they say is a “Ten Commandments”-style code of behaviour for Mafia members, at the hideout of a captured Mafia boss.

The list of commandments goes as follows:

1. No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.
2. Never look at the wives of friends.
3. Never be seen with cops.
4. Don’t go to pubs and clubs.
5. Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty – even if your wife’s about to give birth.
6. Appointments must absolutely be respected.
7. Wives must be treated with respect.
8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.
10. People who can’t be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn’t hold to moral values.

The list was found during the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, the reputed new boss of the Sicilian Mafia.

Interesting stuff… Next: Chicken soup for the mafioso soul…

[Source: BBC News]

The Simple Life

The simple life…

“The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.”

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

So many people dream of a simple life, or at least that’s what they say. In fact I haven’t met a person yet who doesn’t seem to have this sense of nostalgia for the good old days when life was simple and beautiful, even if they never actually witnessed those days.

But in most people’s cases it’s just talk… They finish the passionate discussion and then they go back to their ever-so-complicated lives, doing their inexplicable detailed jobs, piling up ever more gadgets that are supposed to simplify their lives by complicating them even more, building more stress upon stress from their fast paced lives.

If we just think about it a little bit, we’d see that if a person really wanted to, a switch to a really simple life would be pretty easy. Moving to some place out of the city, and nearer to the country-side, brings a lot of advantages with it: cheaper property prices/rent, cleaner air, calmer environs, beautiful relaxing scenery…etc. And it’s pretty easy to find a good place and move there.
Now for work, it depends what a person is more inclined to do, and what they enjoy the most, it could be fishing, farming, carpentry, or any other activity; they could open up a small shop/atelier for their work in their garage or rent a small place in the town center.
I could go on with more details, but my point is that it’s possible and easy to make such a move if a person really wanted to.

But why don’t we see much people making such moves?
Is it that all the talk about how they would love a simple life and how life was much more beautiful in the old days is nothing but just that: talk?
Or is it that they’ve gotten too used to their hectic everyday lifestyles they don’t think they’ll be able to live a simpler life away from all the rotating bits and pieces around them?
Is it that they feel like the simple life is too hard for them and that they wouldn’t be able to make a living leading a simple life and going back to the basics?
Is it that they have higher standards of living in mind now that living in the country-side wouldn’t give them?

I think it’s a combination of all the above and more, with the complex paradoxal human psyche playing a role in it, having contradictory inclinations towards both sides of the spectrum: the simple basic life and the hectic complicated counterpart; wanting one without having to give up on the other.

I too am guilty of the same contradiction; I believe that simple is beautiful, and that it’s the simpler, more basic things in life that really count and make a life worth living, but I’m still too involved with life in the city and all that revolves around it to disengage and move away. Eventually, one day, I hope I will get to take such a step, but I like to believe that for the time being I still have some personally set objectives to realize in the hectic sphere we live in, and that once I’m done with them, I’ll be free to disappear into a calm relaxed life away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

Tunisia’s Le Belvedere Zoo

Last week, we found ourselves with some free time on our hands and so we thought we’d go ahead and take Adam to the zoo in downtown Tunis, the one in the Le Belvedere area. He seems to like animals, so we thought it’d be really good fun.

The last time I personally visited the zoo prior to last week was about 5 years ago, and it was already heart-breaking then; the images I carried on from my dear childhood memories and the magic of the place were almost all gone.

BearsBut last week was even more painful: so many cages and animal areas were empty, mostly the ones I loved most; the animals that were left looked tired, underfed and depressed; the whole place just seemed like it was stripped of the life, beauty and magic it once had; there were still children there with their families, but not as happy as we used to be, and not as many either; the place had become yet another cheap place for couples to go on their dates; in short, our national zoo is in a sorry state.

Personally, I think it’s a shame that such a historical establishment is doing so bad nowadays, not getting the proper care and funding.
I’ve already written before about the Fish Aquarium in Carthage and how it’s not doing any better.

Entrance fee is around 1/2 Dinar for adults and 300 millimes for kids. You also have to pay another 300 millimes if you want to use a camera.

These low prices show that the zoo is clearly subsidized by the government, because it wouldn’t be able to operate on such low entrance fees. It’s great of the government to take onto its shoulders such institutions, but it’s also obvious and normal that its priorities are elsewhere, and that maybe other ways should be explored to fund such cultural establishments, to keep them going and growing.

Personally, I think a diversified approach should be taken: increasing the entrance fees a bit to help really cover part of the costs; seeking sponsorships, grants, patronage or whatever other form of financial backing by wealthy culture-oriented organizations or funds; building the zoo up as an unforgettable experience and a lasting brand and maybe getting into merchandising…etc.
These are just some ideas off the top of my head, but it’s all to try and say that every possible option should be explored to save the zoo and other important cultural establishments like it that are facing similar problems.

I truly dream of a day when our Zoo is one of the greatest in the region, that future generations of Tunisians and even tourists will cherish as a dear experience and memory they’ll want to relive time and again.