Philosophy

Are you lost or incomplete?
Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece? - Coldplay, talk

In a confused state here are my thoughts …
"Good and evil, reward and punishment, are the only motives to a rational creature: these are the spur and reins whereby all mankind are set on work, and guided." (Locke.)
“Man is essentially good, a "noble savage" when in the "state of nature" and good people are made unhappy and corrupted by their experiences in society.” Society is "artificial" and "corrupt" and that the furthering of society results in the continuing unhappiness of man. (Rousseau)
Man is not the creature of circumstances, circumstances are the creatures of men.We are free agents, and man is more powerful than matter. (Benjamin Disraeli)
Man is made both good and evil, corrupted or corrected by a society formed by these ‘men’ who create a capitalistic society full of laws, rules and regulation, as a way to control and to keep man good and ‘normal’ as part of the social contract yet we have the right to control these circumstances within our society through the choices we make.
I would like to say I agree with both sides because we live in a society full of good and evil with rules and regulations. It is within this society that we sit quietly enjoying the comfort of being like or the same as everybody else however we loose the opportunity to be individuals but reduce the risk of tyranny. Having never tried living without society I can’t say which I prefer or that I understand. It is commonly said that money is the root of all evil and perhaps there is truth to that statement. Natives lived in relative peace trading in things they needed for thousands of years prior to modern ‘settlement’.
So perhaps the question shouldn't be, man good or evil but perhaps, the society in which man exists, good or evil?

Some more photos

I got some great news yesturday just two weeks today until i satrt work at Aquatic Explorers and begin my traineeship.
Although I have a long way to go, I noticed for the first time my pictures actually improving slightly from when I started. In my album of dive photos I have had processed and looking back to last years photos and to ones from yesterday and today and there is actually colour in the more recent ones not just various shades of green. A strobe is something very useful for underwater photography which one day I will acquire all with time and finance. here are some photos from this weekend please understand the visibility was terrible and the fact that colour at depth fades needing a flash to restore colour similar to using a torch to see the true colour of objects at depth. The flash (without a strobe) also lights up the scatter and causes problems where a strobe causes cross lighting and reduces or eliminates the scatter problem.
Click picture to view a larger image.

night dive

An EEl
nudibranch
A very rare sight a frog fish
some random peice of coral
Rock cod?

Night diving is my newest addiction, lately I have done numerous night dives and just love the extra challenges and the far better photography opportunities. Tonight there were two of us diving and both of us had cameras so it was a wonderfully slow dive at Ship Rock Lilli Pilli. (I took just over 70 photos) Another advantage of night diving is the longer bottom times because it seems only more experienced people dive at night :-P
I'm also being presented an award on Tuesday night at the dive club dinner, for all the diving I have done. Even though it is just another certification card in a little box, it might motivate some people to order their cards or to dive more to earn a new certification level (level 5 S.S.I.) so next stop Dive Control Specialist, then instructor here I come.

I start my new job in little over two weeks and am becoming increasingly enthusiastic about it. Although today was good fun setting up a trade show stand the first time I've worked a whole day with my brother and we haven't had a big argument, times are changing or we're maturing hmm... but the stand was up in record time which meant early finish for me wahoo.
Anyhow have a gooder.

Wrapping up summer

(the pics above are a cuttle fish and a eastern blue groper taken at Magic point N.S.W.)

Well now all is returning back to the ‘normal’ sort of life I have had some time to reflect, to ponder and to plan. In the reflecting it can be both advantageous and of disadvantage to look back. To look back and learn is one thing, but to look back and wonder what if, can send you in a downward spiral. So in learning without wondering what if… I have learned not go into something so blind and without direction. Family and friends (are the family we choose for ourselves) can and are a great help to learn from and spend time with, negligently I failed to do this over summer as I was blinded chasing another dream. So whilst I regret not spending as much time as was possible with Mack and my family while they were here I was overwhelmed that that they took the time to visit and really enjoyed seeing them. It is amazing that a simple calendar can wake me to the fact something isn’t right “I’d love to go out with you, but my favourite commercial is on TV.” Similar to something I heard recently which suggests that I must be a bore and painful to spend time with, when TV becomes more important than friends. Admittedly we had just been for a drink and wasn’t the most striking of conversations happening.In pondering through random thoughts in my head not much there (what can you expect from an air head) just a few loose ends to tie up with the changing of jobs etc. Thus being much the same as planning looking forward to this course starting soon and working at Aquatic Explorers should be great fun being able to share the experience of scuba diving with people and watching their expressions I’m anticipating will be a great thing. Then the opportunity to travel to some of the most beautiful places on earth and work there will be fantastic.

I would also like to encourage everybody to go and watch the new shark documentary called shark water I believe it will be good and remove some of the misconceptions people have of sharks and hopefully change peoples minds to not fearing sharks. No I am not suggesting that all sharks are tame friendly creatures they are a wild animal with wild instincts, occasionally “shit happens” and someone or something gets eaten by a shark, this isn’t a reason to go out killing every shark in the ocean because of one shark attack it is like suggesting when a plane crashes that nobody should fly anymore…

The weekend that was

After another full on weekend I ind myself exhausted and feeling of little accomplishment. Sure I had loads of fun friday in the city was good caught up with a mate that I hadn't hung out with for a good while. So stoked for the guy a big congrats on your achievements (even helping IKEA every spare minute of his day) but always has time for a chat and some great advice when needed.
Saturday was indiffernt as I hadn't been home on friday and my head hurt, I went straight to the Dive Store from the city hired the snorkelling gear and went back to Clovelly. The weather was average and about 1/2 the people showed up that said they would but never the less relaxed and enjoyable way to get over a hang over.
Today was good on the boat didn't see the Grey Nurse Sharks which was the intention of the first dive but as things go it ws enjoyable. dives 111 and 112 now done which is good considering I only need to have done 100 to be and instructor (along with the academic training ... still to come.)
The decision was made about other areas of life and that has proven to be fruitful moved on to chase dreams and achieve more.