AVAAZ – 4 Principles for 2020 – A Hopeful Pledge:
I just received an email from the AVAAZ team with a message that really resonated with me; an attempt to remove the poison from our dialog on the Internet with a pledge to become more respectful in future. I welcomed this intervention and indorsed the pledge by submitting my own personal comment. You might also wish to add this to your New Year Resolutions by supporting this AVAAZ Pledge.
Although this might at first seem to have little to do with restoring the integrity of our democracy by investigating the possibility of rigged elections; on the contrary, the focus of this initiative champions the same important objectives. The propaganda lies and fake news smears warped public opinion and helped sabotage our pragmatic decision-making at a crucial juncture. The disastrous outcome of this latest vote will sorely test our capacity for polite discourse and moderation in the near future. In consideration of this harsh reality I wanted to share with you the comment that I submitted on the AVAAZ Website.
As a self-confessed Disruptive Innovator/inventor my critical thinking and radical maverick ideas have led to harsh ramifications; I have been targeted as a whistleblower on both sides of the Atlantic with devastating consequences. However, I genuinely welcome objective criticism as the robust challenges of this vital input always serve to strengthen the formulation of my most viable concepts and help perfect the parameters of my creative designs.
I resist the instant gratification of twitters, tweets and other rapid fire quips on the Internet as they can so often encourage cruel and mindless anonymous attacks that cause deep hurt and offence. I declare my full name, or at least a compacted version of my name: Kim Sa-Fi. This serves to remind me to behave as if I am face to face with the person I reply to in a comment; it insures that I maintain respectful dialog even with those whom I might vehemently disagree. I immediately disengage with openly insulting comments in order to truncate the ramping-up of venomous tit for tat exchanges.
Despite travelling a lot less now than I used to, as someone who has lived, worked and been welcomed by people of all ethnic groups, races and religions, rich and poor, in countries all over the world, I would still categorize myself an “Eco-Nomad.” I consider those that so many now disparagingly refer to as “Migrants” as people who share all of the same personal goals and noble objectives of my earlier nomadic lifestyle; prejudice is unfounded as we have nothing to fear from these eco-nomads.
I have crafted a set of proposals to fully democratize freedom of movement for the universal benefit of all, young and old, not just the wealthy and powerful but the poor and disadvantaged too; this concept of “Collaborative Circular Migration” is designed to enhance cooperation and global equality.
The rise of toxic nationalism is a horrific infection that now grips so many nations around the world; it serves no one but the greedy billionaires and corporations bent on enshrining neo-liberal exploitation. I am not at all proud of the conquests of our once mighty empire, our proxy wars arming foreign despots or our many jingoistic forays overseas.
I combat assaults on the strength of my personal support for the defence of our British national identity by declaring that I remain a “Peaceful Patriot of the Planet,” dedicated to protecting our common humanity, especially the persecuted and most vulnerable. I do this while mindful of our increasingly precarious environment with a mandate to protect the world we share with all of the precious species that inhabit the earth: “There is no Planet B.”
The motto of my 93/94 Whitbread Round-the-World-Race sailing team was: “A healthy body and mind on a healthy peaceful planet.” Sadly, this optimistic message was not inspiring enough for Team Pro-Maxi to gain the sponsorship we needed for our diverse International group of professional female sailors to compete in that race, but this stirring sentiment remains a hopeful course towards a brighter future.
We must proactively strive to create a positive alternative narrative that is capable of totally disarming the hateful rhetoric of nationalism and the myopic unwarranted “them and us” mentality designed to divide and scapegoat the weakest in our society.
I truly abhor the divisive term “British Values,” as if only the British maintain a common set of values: this is ludicrous poison targeted to dope the masses. I propose an alternative: the collaborative creation of a set of Universal Human Values. Somewhere high up on that list would be “The Courage to say I am Sorry.” This would go a long way towards peace building throughout the world,
Peaceful Patriot of the Planet, Kim Sanders-Fisher: (PPP – Kim Sa-Fi)