Real Books
Below are books written by Peter Walder, available for purchase in paperback format:
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Thursday, June 13, 2013
BlueBoard - A Source Of Hope For Those Of Us With Mental Illness
Hello, oh Rambling Masses,
There are more of us than we think whose lives are touched by mental illness. Pass a stranger in the street, and you may perhaps never know that they suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, an eating disorder, bipolar or the like.
The reason for this is that mentally "ill" people are just like everyone else. Everyone has their up times and their down times. The only difference between "normal" people (if that class even exists) and mentally "ill" people is that our ups and downs may be higher or lower than others.
Our moods and disposition exist on a vast spectrum, from soaring high as an eagle to crawling low as the worm.
For those of you who have had tough times with your moods, with your dark thoughts, with your energy levels, with your motivation, I can highly recommend a wonderful site called BlueBoard, run by the Australian National University. It is a forum that allows people to communicate with each other, to nurture and support each other, to laugh and cry and shake their fists at the firmament, and to try to understand how to live a better life with the conditions that we have.
The moderators of this forum are very careful to maintain the safety and anonymity of the users. This allows a wonderful environment to exist, where even the very shy or anxious are able to express themselves with impunity (except for following the forum rules, which rank very highly the quality of showing respect to others).
My name is Silenus,
And I have bipolar.
I am just like you.
Peekaboo!
There are more of us than we think whose lives are touched by mental illness. Pass a stranger in the street, and you may perhaps never know that they suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, an eating disorder, bipolar or the like.
The reason for this is that mentally "ill" people are just like everyone else. Everyone has their up times and their down times. The only difference between "normal" people (if that class even exists) and mentally "ill" people is that our ups and downs may be higher or lower than others.
Our moods and disposition exist on a vast spectrum, from soaring high as an eagle to crawling low as the worm.
For those of you who have had tough times with your moods, with your dark thoughts, with your energy levels, with your motivation, I can highly recommend a wonderful site called BlueBoard, run by the Australian National University. It is a forum that allows people to communicate with each other, to nurture and support each other, to laugh and cry and shake their fists at the firmament, and to try to understand how to live a better life with the conditions that we have.
The moderators of this forum are very careful to maintain the safety and anonymity of the users. This allows a wonderful environment to exist, where even the very shy or anxious are able to express themselves with impunity (except for following the forum rules, which rank very highly the quality of showing respect to others).
My name is Silenus,
And I have bipolar.
I am just like you.
Peekaboo!
Friday, May 3, 2013
My Life As A Fragmented But Congealing Individual
Hello, oh Rambling Masses,
Oh my, hasn't it just been the longest time since my last post? Naughty me. Spank my botty with a birch branch and call me Mary...
I've been very busy, falling apart, then picking the pieces up again, then realising that I didn't really know how to put those pieces back together, then calling the manufacturer... well, strangely for an atheist, he didn't answer, so I have just had to make it up as I go along.
What has ended up happening is that I am reasonably happy with the grand reconstruction project, despite some early teething problems. I am positive, less "ranty" (hey it was a trigger for my depression, so it had to go), have learned more about myself in the past 2 years than I have in the 40 years before that, and feel a new sense of vim and vigour that will hopefully stay with me for some time to come.
Okay, so, because I couldn't contact the manufacturer, and because I was out of warranty, and because I was a novice, a pleb, a noob, a babe in the woods, a rube, a terrible tyro, a naive neophyte, I probably got some things wrong. Certainly, my nose now seems to be where my arse was, or perhaps they now coexist, and that is not exactly the best cohabitation possible. Oh, and my moods are swinging up and down like a yo-yo of yore, but hey, that may just be mild bipolarity manifesting itself. Who knows?
I am happy to be walking the path I have chosen, and to have the amazing and wonderful opportunity to have multiple other paths spread out before me in a grand panoply, so I say that I am one of the many lucky creatures under this radiant, warming sun.
I currently realise what I have, am grateful for it, do not fill my life with the meaningless pursuit of "useless" things that only engage me on the surface, but rather go for the real deal, the important stuff. I am learning to appreciate the here and now, instead of pining for the past (or kicking myself for the mistakes that reside there), and also instead of looking ahead with anxiety and fear to a future that I only have a very limited (but modestly tangible) control over.
And so, I take what I can get. I appreciate the "now", and I try to connect with the potential I have to grow, to develop, to evolve, to better myself. I may not have a life free of pain or suffering, but then, who does?
Like Daffy, swinging from that great tree, I go...
Yoiks and away...
[Bang!]
Yo... yoiks and aw... away...
[Bang!]
Yowk 'n awee...
[Bang!]
Yowers...
Oh my, hasn't it just been the longest time since my last post? Naughty me. Spank my botty with a birch branch and call me Mary...
I've been very busy, falling apart, then picking the pieces up again, then realising that I didn't really know how to put those pieces back together, then calling the manufacturer... well, strangely for an atheist, he didn't answer, so I have just had to make it up as I go along.
What has ended up happening is that I am reasonably happy with the grand reconstruction project, despite some early teething problems. I am positive, less "ranty" (hey it was a trigger for my depression, so it had to go), have learned more about myself in the past 2 years than I have in the 40 years before that, and feel a new sense of vim and vigour that will hopefully stay with me for some time to come.
Okay, so, because I couldn't contact the manufacturer, and because I was out of warranty, and because I was a novice, a pleb, a noob, a babe in the woods, a rube, a terrible tyro, a naive neophyte, I probably got some things wrong. Certainly, my nose now seems to be where my arse was, or perhaps they now coexist, and that is not exactly the best cohabitation possible. Oh, and my moods are swinging up and down like a yo-yo of yore, but hey, that may just be mild bipolarity manifesting itself. Who knows?
I am happy to be walking the path I have chosen, and to have the amazing and wonderful opportunity to have multiple other paths spread out before me in a grand panoply, so I say that I am one of the many lucky creatures under this radiant, warming sun.
I currently realise what I have, am grateful for it, do not fill my life with the meaningless pursuit of "useless" things that only engage me on the surface, but rather go for the real deal, the important stuff. I am learning to appreciate the here and now, instead of pining for the past (or kicking myself for the mistakes that reside there), and also instead of looking ahead with anxiety and fear to a future that I only have a very limited (but modestly tangible) control over.
And so, I take what I can get. I appreciate the "now", and I try to connect with the potential I have to grow, to develop, to evolve, to better myself. I may not have a life free of pain or suffering, but then, who does?
Like Daffy, swinging from that great tree, I go...
Yoiks and away...
[Bang!]
Yo... yoiks and aw... away...
[Bang!]
Yowk 'n awee...
[Bang!]
Yowers...
Thursday, May 10, 2012
I Was So Angry At The World
Hello Rambling Masses,
Long time no post. Haven't had a reason to, as this blog used to be about me venting my spleen. I don't do that anymore. It's too soul-destroying. It drags me down into depression. I'd much rather be happy than sad and angry. I look back at all of my angry posts over the years, and I pity the person that I was. So much negativity, so much mis-directed energy, so much eating myself up inside.
I think I am there, where I want to be now. From now on, anything I post will be nothing but positive. We each affect the world by adding to the great pool of energy. I now choose to add positive energy. I want to contribute to the happiness and joy in the world, not rail at things I have no control over.
I have learned much in the past year. I look forward to learning much more.
Stay happy people, and enjoy life. That's what it is there for.
Long time no post. Haven't had a reason to, as this blog used to be about me venting my spleen. I don't do that anymore. It's too soul-destroying. It drags me down into depression. I'd much rather be happy than sad and angry. I look back at all of my angry posts over the years, and I pity the person that I was. So much negativity, so much mis-directed energy, so much eating myself up inside.
I think I am there, where I want to be now. From now on, anything I post will be nothing but positive. We each affect the world by adding to the great pool of energy. I now choose to add positive energy. I want to contribute to the happiness and joy in the world, not rail at things I have no control over.
I have learned much in the past year. I look forward to learning much more.
Stay happy people, and enjoy life. That's what it is there for.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Offbeat Sayings, or the Art of Wisdom by Trial and Error
I'm feeling odd this evening, oh Rambling Masses, in a good kind of way. Time to make up some words of wisdom with a twist?
Hey, I'm starting to see a small book of offbeat sayings in the making here. If you like some of this rambling mess that I've come up with, let me know. If enough of you give megalomaniacal me the positive feedback that I crave, I might just write that book.
- Never forget to take the time to smell the roses. But check for bees first…
- Make hay while the sun shines, but not during bushfire season... and don't forget to wear sunblock and a good hat…
- Be understanding of others' mistakes. Laugh at your own…
- Be elliptical…
- Find something to make you laugh each and every day. If in doubt, use nitrous oxide…
- There are nearly 7 billion people that you don't know, and that know nothing about you. Try to change that…
- When you're walking the path, don't just look straight ahead. There's some really exciting stuff off to the sides…
- Pearls are just oyster tumours. What does that say about pearls of wisdom…
- How you enter this world and how you leave it are certain. Embrace the uncertainty in the middle…
- Every now and then, stare at your toes - they start to look really weird after a while…
- If you are ever bored, find the drill that did it and turn it off…
- If you ever find yourself getting angry, imagine how silly other people think you look when you are trying to put on your best angry face…
- Carpenters who make their own bed must also lie in it…
- If science is really that good, where's my flying car and my holiday trips to the moonbase…
- Why do we walk around like we own the planet, when we are only custodians of its diverse wonders…
- If words don’t come easy, wouldn’t they make great lovers…
- The journey is every bit as important as the destination. Stop to ask for directions once in a while, and don’t be afraid to make a few wrong turns. Watch out for gingerbread houses, though…
- If pain is the realisation of life, pick at the sores every now and then…
- Look far afield and deep within with the same vigour…
- Savour the past, live the now, dream of the future, and plot for world domination…
- If life is too difficult, take some lessons…
- Never be mediocre – aim for fabulous. You score more chicks that way…
- Find someone that inspires you, even if it’s yourself…
- The closer you get to the centre of a turning circle, the slower it’s moving. At the very centre, it’s not moving at all. Whoa…
- If your mind is playing tricks on you – great. Some people pay good money for that…
- Would we still love the story quite so much if it had been a Trojan Warthog…
- Build your beliefs as a house of cards, so that the slightest breeze can knock it down. Then start whistling…
- Backing yourself into a corner is bad. Backing yourself into a sharp spike is worse…
- If you think you’re dreaming, don’t pinch yourself. Get 16 naked nymphettes to do it instead…
- Everyone should make chunky soup at least once in their lives. It’s very satisfying…
- Driving a car gets you places quickly. Too quickly. Try walking instead – you experience so much more of life’s wonders that way… including blisters if your shoes suck…
- If you’re too busy, take the time to do something silly… but don’t take the time to be too busy again, because that would be silly…
- Don’t worry about things you have no control over. This means you have control over whether to worry or not, and that worries me…
- Saying sorry is easy. Meaning it can be harder…
- Happy people are fun to be around. Since you are the one person you can’t escape from, just be happy for the sake of it and enjoy the fun…
- There’s no such thing as a bad kung fu movie…
- If time is an illusion, are we the illusionists…
- Taking yourself too seriously is a serious problem…
- Ask yourself these questions often – who am I and how can I become a better person? Then go and have a beer and forget all about it…
- No matter how good you are at something, there is always someone who is better at it. Except for “being you” – no one is better at being you than you. Except for your evil twin…
- Occupy life…
- Did you know that in Denmark some people still call moisturiser “cow tit cream”? Ah, the good old days…
Hey, I'm starting to see a small book of offbeat sayings in the making here. If you like some of this rambling mess that I've come up with, let me know. If enough of you give megalomaniacal me the positive feedback that I crave, I might just write that book.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Bottoms Up
Forgive me Rambling Masses, for I have sinned.
It has been over a year since my last ramble.
Do you know the wonderful thing about hitting rock bottom? It's quite liberating, and in a strange way, a very positive experience, albeit a painful one. I recommend it to everyone to try at least once in their lives. You learn a lot about yourself and about those closest to you. As long as it doesn't break you, you come out the other side a wiser and stronger person.
You also realise a great truth when you are sitting on your bottom on the bottom - there is only one way from here, and that's up.
Another thing that I always kind of knew but which I now feel deep within my gut is that life, and the world around us, does not exist as an absolute reality. It is all just layers of perception. For many years now, I have raged and railed at the world of humans for not living up to the great potential that lurks in the wings. I have been offended to the core of my being at the petty injustices and lack of reason. I have hated mankind as a species because I felt that we are a blight on this world.
I have expended emotional and intellectual energy to try and change that which I now see I have no power at all to change, except in minute increments on a local scale. And yet, I have continued to put my happiness in jeopardy by continuing this fight that can never be won, much to my own detriment. Impotent rage has no other path than to eventually turn inward.
My rock-bottom epiphany has begun a positive change within me. One of my favourite sayings has always been "do not worry about those things you have no control over", but I have never truly accepted that ideal until now. As I said before, life is all about perception - primarily our own perception. So now, I will worry about the things that I DO have control over. What happens to us in life is often beyond our control or outside the sphere of our influence. What we can control is how we perceive it.
As far as life-changing epiphanies go, it's a very simple one. But those simple truths are often the most important and the most overlooked. I have it within me to change my outlook on life and the way it affects me by making a shift in my perceptions.
So, bottoms up to you, dear Rambling Masses. Look for the positives - they are much easier to find if you stop focusing on the negatives all the time.
Of course, this won't get in the way of a good old fashioned rant from yours truly every now and then. Helps to clear the bile out once in a while, don't you know.
Stay beautiful, people.
It has been over a year since my last ramble.
Do you know the wonderful thing about hitting rock bottom? It's quite liberating, and in a strange way, a very positive experience, albeit a painful one. I recommend it to everyone to try at least once in their lives. You learn a lot about yourself and about those closest to you. As long as it doesn't break you, you come out the other side a wiser and stronger person.
You also realise a great truth when you are sitting on your bottom on the bottom - there is only one way from here, and that's up.
Another thing that I always kind of knew but which I now feel deep within my gut is that life, and the world around us, does not exist as an absolute reality. It is all just layers of perception. For many years now, I have raged and railed at the world of humans for not living up to the great potential that lurks in the wings. I have been offended to the core of my being at the petty injustices and lack of reason. I have hated mankind as a species because I felt that we are a blight on this world.
I have expended emotional and intellectual energy to try and change that which I now see I have no power at all to change, except in minute increments on a local scale. And yet, I have continued to put my happiness in jeopardy by continuing this fight that can never be won, much to my own detriment. Impotent rage has no other path than to eventually turn inward.
My rock-bottom epiphany has begun a positive change within me. One of my favourite sayings has always been "do not worry about those things you have no control over", but I have never truly accepted that ideal until now. As I said before, life is all about perception - primarily our own perception. So now, I will worry about the things that I DO have control over. What happens to us in life is often beyond our control or outside the sphere of our influence. What we can control is how we perceive it.
As far as life-changing epiphanies go, it's a very simple one. But those simple truths are often the most important and the most overlooked. I have it within me to change my outlook on life and the way it affects me by making a shift in my perceptions.
So, bottoms up to you, dear Rambling Masses. Look for the positives - they are much easier to find if you stop focusing on the negatives all the time.
Of course, this won't get in the way of a good old fashioned rant from yours truly every now and then. Helps to clear the bile out once in a while, don't you know.
Stay beautiful, people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)