In a lot of ways I am not talking about Independence to take a stab at capitalism because fundamentally trade and the ability to produce products gives us greater cooperation where we can say I think the price for X is justifiable for my want or need. It is just where large amounts of money that are the profits of a company can justifiably go become more limited as it is out of the larger community. That is why as consumers we need to think carefully where our cash goes because once we have done the trade a company may hoard away its fortune for itself and investors where ideally we need companies to think about the greater good. The greater good could be investing in clean technology and the investors also need to be mindful of bigger projects that can mean once the trade is completed what can be of greatest benefit? This really is the problem with governments shying away from public spending who can we really rely on? Ourselves.

Had a dream I was in Redfern with ChuckD and one of my friends, I was talking to Chuck about video encoding formats on open source software. I was thinking I have an answer to your problem. ChuckD had a training centre in Redfern where there physical as well as communal training grounds where people were using open source technology and martial arts as well as graffiti to create community related activities. My friend had made a small booklet of my graffiti and shown Chuck, the works had been collaborated on by indigenous artists and I just didn’t want this dream to end. The booklet was pretty cool but the facilities were great and Redfern wasn’t just some place for yuppies to take over but it had a strong community spirit. I realised how influential Public Enemy were on my thought and that I would love to see more Indigenous mural projects.

To seek independence or independent thought is probably the goal of Aboriginal communities. I used to wonder why there were large communities in some way isolated from cultural centres, but really these communities are cultural centres. They are not as heavily reliant on corporate or government mandates and to intervene is to take away this independence. What does it mean though to be independent? Is it in some way above the law or below the radar? When you were solely an independent society you would want to get back to that state, rather than be a subject of another society. In some way Indigenous societies are meant to be independent but can you really get back to that state? In some ways these struggles are relevant to everyone because we all need to find some independence from corporate and government agendas, to free ourselves. We need to come together to do that and be mindful that we can’t rely on business or economics to show us the way forward. It isn’t that business is the bad guy but the idea of competition which in a lot of ways is a construct of marketing doesn’t lead to cooperative and independent thought but the amassing of capital and financial independence which isn’t a community oriented activity but something separate and individually accumulative. We have stepped backwards following economic rationalism to something more related to genetic inheritance where families become political candidates or power brokers in a world more fractured because of a lack of independence and free thought. We need not rely on corporate agendas but find our own ways forward and we have to keep that in the front of our minds.

Firstly they can point their satellite dishes at Earth and find some intelligent life here. Probably too tough a job.

My daughter asked me why there are not many left handers and as a lazy lurch like father I googled it like I would technical issues with a web design based issue. The answer I came across spoke of cooperation and competition. The study in question found that over 5000 years the rate of left handers to right handers had remained constant at 9:1. This they deduced was due to the need for cooperation, say for example someone makes a tool so it needs to be able to be used by anyone in theory. Probably not the best example but due to cooperative needs things we make or have need to favour most people so right handers are pretty common (90%). There was supposed to be heavy math to back this up but due to the general nature of the article it left that out and then went into the other part of the study that found in competitive sports there was a higher ratio of left handers ie 50% so competition changed the ratio considerably. Being me I pondered over a few days thinking of all the things I dislike such as reality TV (competitive cooking shows especially) and how they create cringeworthy drama. Then I thought of things I like such as clothing, shoes, shopping in general and that made me think how much I dislike conservative politics, elitism, then I stumbled back on couch surfing, ice pipe loving centrelink form avoiding schemers. So many stereotypes but what I was really focused on was cooperation, sweet sweet cooperation. I remember when I was a borderline bad boy and what always annoyed me was the lack of cooperation, guys were always rorting each other there was a lack of consistency. Someone saw you had something and wanted it, my first tag for example in graffiti was almost staunched off me by a local hooligan. The guys brain couldn’t even think up a name to use so he was trying to steal mine. Where I lived guys would break into my house and we had a black and white TV in the colour TV era and all they did was raid the fridge and leave some dirty footprints. People were breaking into the local shops, leaving graffiti plastered on everything, breaking windows vandalising bus stops smashing phone boxes. Not cooperation, it was about popping tills trying to get quick money where did it all end up. Maybe a handful became career criminals, other guys I see have settled down and people do their art as well but what is missing now and was missing then was cooperation, sweet sweet cooperation. Thats it, we don’t really compete with others generally, we simply try to find where we fit and that is quite neat. It can become an issue though if you don’t fit anywhere but really there are places for all types and usually some services too. In reality though people go on about being competitive but they are speaking on behalf of those that put up with them, in reality they are towing the line for certain groups. Being competitive lends itself to being cooperatively competitive but that is the bit we actually need to hear, the obvious bit.

“It doesn’t have to be so obvious that it looks somewhat real it just needs to be quick and lack calculation. It is the coordination of the eye and hand that needs to be obvious but it isn’t necessarily looking for a particular result. It is difficult to let something be imperfect but it is necessary and in the flow of lines and mist there emerges something abstract and misunderstood. Sometimes being misunderstood is the only way to be understood, it is a place to inhabit like a building. Buildings need people but sometimes they need ghosts and graffiti.”

I have been writing away, just trying to get that spontaneous painting thing across, it isn’t all like this I also try and make a point that graffiti isn’t meant to be everywhere, it isn’t meant to make decay but can follow it. It depends on your perspective, even when I was doing illegal work I normally would be drawn to certain sites and as I got older I just got kind of stupid and would do unnecessary spots. Thats really when you loose it, you need to be able to choose it correctly. The world changes though and I think I lost the touch thats why I don’t want to go into some kind of macho man pose and be wandering the streets with my head up my …….

It is hard sometimes taking stock of your life not that it is negative but I can see a situation and know the solution but feel now isn’t the right time to solve it. The solution is ideal but I want to live  the life I want to lead. There are fluffy agendas that probably need to be met but I realise that these are not really solutions. The problems I am focusing on are external or so they seem but really they are in myself. Also most likely there is no problem and I just need to enjoy myself but life isn’t always about enjoyment. There are goals, there are needs and wants. At the moment my needs are rather simple so I need to think of those, just little things like clothing or a haircut. Then I think of making a bigger decision even though it is against what I believe in. It isn’t very tempting anyway or I would be there already. Every now and then I like to question my own actions, what I am doing what I believe in or think is suspect. At the same time I can put things off, but really never the important things. Sometimes it is difficult just to let yourself be who you are but there comes a time when you realise change is inevitable. It isn’t the time just yet but I really need to think about what I really want. What is it I want to do now and in the years ahead? Some things are surfacing anyway and I am not really trying to make them happen. I have always been a believer in the right time, it isn’t about stars aligning or anything but just when you have other options to take. In some ways things are really overdue but I can see new things coming and I don’t want to wait. But I am going to be patient because I don’t want to start thinking the pain is over when I still have to bear a bit more.