[pf] deadlines, order, degrees of chaos

· This will be rambling; my ideas aren't yet clear (the 9 items below are
my notes for the rest), but I think the general theme is that to be fully
human, a certain level of uncertainty, even of chaos is necessary (perhaps
to allow innate creativity to emerge - perhaps for some other reason).

· By the way; I would _not_ have the mental freedom that enables me to pull
together disparate threads like this if I had lots to do and was usually busy.

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· Solomon Is. Malaita Eagle Force, Issatabu Freedom Fighters - handing in
weapons
· University essay deadline: one person: produces something less, on time,
another: a 24-hour extension - a much better essay.
· Bandit in India, Raj Kumar screen idol, overpopulation, traffic. India's
got it right
· Florida deadline for "deciding" on The Vote
· Fiji: no (or un-firm) deadlines, little killing, goes on for months, but
eventually sorted out
· I've been asked to reduce my objections to photo drivers lic. by wife; a
deadline of 2 years from when the one the government made to expire early,
expires. (The other three living here bought a 1992 car yesterday.)
· "Dreamfall" by Joan D. Vinge (ISBN 0-446-51627-9) contrasts an old-style
city with its chaos, rapes, illness, and death, with the Corporate-owned
cities where the visible order (clean, peaceful) is enforced by Corporate
Security. No elections; the people are all employees.
· Suburban neatness and order.
· I'm valuing routine, predictability in daily life, more as I get older.
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<[#1: ]>
· For a long time I've wondered about university essays with a deadlines
(recently my wife and daughter were both caught up in this): one person
works most of the night, produces something less than they could easily
achieve with a little more time, but gets it in by the deadline, while
another begs and gets a 24-hour extension and hands in a much better essay.
  Which satisfies the purpose of the course better?

<[#2: ]>
· This morning's news, here in the south-west Pacific, includes the passing
of the handing-in-weapons "deadline" after the low-level battle in the
Solomon Islands between the Malaita Eagle Force and the Issatabu Freedom
Fighters. (Immigrants from the island of Malaita had been "taking the jobs
of" the people on Guadalcanal to the west and were being intimidated into
going back, then were defended by the Malaita Eagle Force, producing the
Issatabu Freedom Fighters in response.)
  The respected person organising the return of weapons (initially to each
group's commanders, then to this man, and eventually to locked storage),
was heard to say that the process would be finished by the end of the
weekend. A somewhat flexible deadline, but in this way the goal would be
achieved.

<[#3: ]>
· In Florida I heard that the counting had to stop, then it had to stop by
a later time-and-day, then ...  The idea seemed to be that it was
intolerable that the ability of the US Government to exist-and-to-act be
restricted by low-level-people in County Halls. Getting citizens to accept
that "The Election" had been "decided" has over-riding importance. With
only a little comment on the question of what would be required for real
demo-cracy to exist in the USA. I hope someone will make a movie about the
farce that is the US elections.

<[#4: ]>
· In the most recent Fiji coup attempt, many people in "developed" nations
including New Zealand believed (and maybe still do) that Australia should
send in The Marines and "finish" the coup when Speight, his followers and
the hostages were holed-up in the Parliament Buildings. Not negotiate,
litigate, leave room for 6 highly armed élite-force members (some of
Speight's defenders) to escape into the countryside, and last night: have
the present "interim government" arrangements called illegal by the High
Court. (To be appealed by the military.)
  The way Pacific Islands people work things out takes time, a lot of time,
and is messy. But in the end, a better result, IMO.

<[#5: ]>
· In this morning's news, in India Raj Kumar (75 now, but still a screen
idol), was released by a bandit (who didn't get what he demanded: Kumar had
been held captive for many months). Our family's lived in India (1988) and
we're well aware of the stresses and strains there: the overpopulation, the
traffic, the sectarian tension, the disjunction between city and country
(and tribal) people. However, I think India's doing a moderately good job,
in a historical sense: I see a much more alive democratic strength there
than in places that appear to be "well-governed". And a certain aliveness,
a ferment, which augurs well for their chances of dealing with the awful
population and lack-of-water problems facing them in the next few years.

<[#6: ]>
· Later today I have a job to do that I very much don't-want-to. I've been
asked by my wife to reduce my objections to getting a photo drivers licence
(the noun; license is the verb), and actually do it. I won't attempt to
explain those objections (was: "lifetime" licence; poss. ID-card). In this
context I'm commenting on the deadline of 2 years from the time the earlier
licence expires. I would prefer to let the situation drag on, using my old
licence until I turn 72 (re-test needed) or until I get arrested for
driving without "a licence". My wife says she's not willing to be driven in
a car where that might happen with her in it, so, under protest, I have
agreed to apply for one of these plastic cards. (The other three living
here bought a 1992 Honda yesterday, to replace the 1986 Honda Civic that
was crashed.)

<[#7: ]>
· "Dreamfall" by Joan D. Vinge (ISBN 0-446-51627-9) contrasts an old-style
city with its "OldCity" section (chaos, rapes, illness, death) with the
Corporate-owned cities where the visible order (clean and peaceful) is
enforced by Corporate Security, using arrests on the slightest pretext,
e.g. for spitting on the sidewalk or littering, followed by harsh treatment
"out-of-the-light-of-day". No "foreigners" are allowed except under close
escort; "foreign" thoughts are at least frowned-on (keiretsu is the ethos),
and anything that might conceivably threaten the existence of total
Corporate control is expunged before it's known about. _Of_course_ no
democracy.

<[#8: ]>
· I find I'm valuing routine, predictability in daily life, more as I get
older. On the decreasing occasions each year when I'm forced to climb out
of the rut I've made for myself, I find that I haven't lost all the
creativity I have valued all my life. I have to admit that there is a
certain minimum level of stress (varying by the hour, day and month) below
which I would be no better than a couch potato - someone who's taking up
space and resources needed by someone else. 

<[#9: ]>
· I haven't followed the "Suburban Values" thread beyond Nan's and Jill's
at the beginning, but my present view is that one of the reasons why
civilization in the USA is no longer increasing, and IMO is diminishing in
the last couple of decades (or more) is the sameness and security of life
in the suburbs. There's little stimulus of the sort needed by humans to be
fully human. I'm sure I'm not the first to say such things.

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David.
(David MacClement) davd@ihug.co.nz 
http://www.geocities.com/davdd.geo/index.html#top
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