tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4302445742839798200.post3160056819512635695..comments2023-03-20T03:42:27.002+11:00Comments on Apostrophe Now: Life advice from a 16 year old? Thanks, but no thanks.Samantha in Ozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08513872491655217256noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4302445742839798200.post-84517904912911406072010-05-17T09:13:01.554+10:002010-05-17T09:13:01.554+10:00what upsets me most is this notion that "havi...what upsets me most is this notion that "having a dream" and "working hard" is all that it takes, and that this is somehow good.<br /><br />Where is the introspection? Where is the question of right and wrong? The question of valuable, versus self-indulgence?<br /><br />I can respect Jessica Watson's personal achievement for what it is. A personal achievement. <br /><br />But our national "heros" need to be much more than people with a dream. They need to be people with a conscience and a real respect for the environment and its preservation. Ambition (another word for dreams) un-tempered by consideration for the natural world has bought disaster to the ecosystems of the world (think BP, Goldman Sachs, Chernobyl etc).<br /><br />We live in a time where the resources that all 6.9 billion of us rely on are stretched to breaking point. We need people with ambitions that include reducing our population, reducing our consumption, and making sure that life is possible for future generations. Not people who encourage us to continue the mindless consumption of resources based on a personal whim.<br /><br />So, well done Jessica for making it home, now it's time to repay the debt that you owe to the planet for your adventure. I look forward to seeing what you can do with your new found fame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4302445742839798200.post-73750640757706639542010-05-17T09:10:55.137+10:002010-05-17T09:10:55.137+10:00@ tearmunn - I agree! So many things about this wh...@ tearmunn - I agree! So many things about this whole spectacle got up my nose. <br /><br />Aussies just LOVE a "winner". Our Premier Kristina Keneally waxed lyrical about how Jessica "won against the knockers and the doomsayers", etc etc. <br /><br />But I don't remember the Prime Minister or the Premier coming out to celebrate the winning spirit of Andrew McAuley (who sadly died in his 2007 attempt to cross the Tasman in a kayak).<br /><br />Sometimes, the "doomsayers" turn out to be right.Samantha in Ozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08513872491655217256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4302445742839798200.post-10616512107492224032010-05-17T08:25:28.502+10:002010-05-17T08:25:28.502+10:00Thank you for the most rational response to this f...Thank you for the most rational response to this folly so far. I found there was something highly irritating about this whole saga. It's quite unbelievable when journeys like this are compared to epic journeys made in the past (such as Shacleton's journey on the Endurance, a truly fascinating story), considering those people had absolutely no way of letting people at home know where they were, how they were, or indeed if they'd make it back. With today's technologies, there rarely is a way of truly getting away from it all, as this girl was showed, sailing the world with a GPS system, blogging on a nearly daily basis, and telephoning with friends and family (and having your parents fly over you off the southern tip of Argentina - who paid for that I wonder?).<br /><br />It was an achievement, no doubt about that, but apart from taking attention away from more serious happenings in the world, what the hell was it all for? And which parent in their right mind lets their 16 yr old daughter do such a thing? <br /><br />One can only hope that the earnings this adventure will bring along with it, helps the other siblings who no doubt will have made some sacrifices along the way too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com