Coming to you live from a cyclone – this is RPT News! 
In my last post I wrote about the incredible joys of living in a tropical paradise. I forgot to mention the cyclones (that’s a hurricane for our American readers).
This isn’t our first cyclone here, but it seems to be the first where we are right in the “firing line” as it were. We live in Port Vila, that’s the black dot right in the middle of the map.
The cyclone “proper” isn’t expected till tomorrow, but today’s winds did more damage than the last 2 cyclones combined. Huge trees fell around our property. Most of our pawpaw and bananas are gone, but luckily they regrow fast. The mangoes seem fine.
Should you wish to track our cyclone progress, the tracking map is here. Please, do not worry about us. We live in a concrete “castle” built to withstand much worse. The animals are safe. Pity only our trees and the gardening mess we’ll have on the weekend. Well on the bright side I was wanting to move some trees and re-landscape for a permaculture garden. Looks like the digging up part of the job will be done for us!
Apart from the novelty of blogging to you from the eye of the storm, there were a few issues I thought might engage your interest today. My thoughts are:
- that wherever you live, life is about compromise; and
- why I’m not going to mention the cyclone to my family till next week.
Compromise
No matter where you live, life is about compromise. In the wonderful reader comments and debate on my last post, our readers debated and discussed the relative merits of living in the city or escaping to paradise. One reader seemed concerned that by living in paradise we are separating ourselves from our mission.
I would have to disagree. I feel that whatever our calling is, we can live it anywhere, in fact it will probably find us! Of course for this to work, you have to be flexible and dynamic. After all, aren’t those almost synonyms for freedom? If you are rigid in how you perceive your duty (whether it’s spiritual or personal), then paradise isn’t for you. (I’m cheeky enough to add: not in this world, nor the next one!)
Moving to paradise has been a compromise for me. I had to leave my family and friends behind in Melbourne. I miss good coffee (my wonderful Saeco expresso machine died within 2 weeks of arriving here, I have been detoxing for months…). There’s no shopping (saves me a fortune on the wife’s VISA – ssshhh!). Flying anywhere except other tropical islands is a time consuming and relatively expensive exercise. These are compromises. On the other hand, well I think I’ve told you, life here is heaven.
On a spiritual level, I am convinced that your purpose finds you, and compromise lets you live your life where you feel most connected and at one. Vanuatu is sacred to me personally on many levels, and I know without a doubt that I can fulfil my purpose(s) here just as well as anywhere. That’s largely thanks to the internet of course which means that I can still learn, and help people, from here.
Family
I thought the family angle was an interesting one to open up for discussion. I mentioned that I’m not telling my family about the cyclone till next week. That’s because they have a history of massively over-reacting to things. HEre’s some anecdotes to illustrate my point.
During the last cyclone (a few weeks ago), I sent my dad email updates twice a day to say we were fine, and I gave him the all clear when it had passed. About 5 days later I sent an email about the piglets born in my garden (mother and bubs are doing well thanks), and my dad wrote back “what are you doing birthing piglets in the middle of a cyclone?”. Five days after the all-clear was given to him, and he had the website tracking map to monitor it and everything.
My conclusion was that parents (for all I know this is all parents) go into a panic when there is a perceived threat to their child and they don’t know how to restore that panic level to zero. The part of the brain that should hear “I’m fine” switches off, and panic mode remains well after it’s due time. Merely being told “it’s fine now” doesn’t do it. I don’t seriously think I would be any different with my own kids… are you
My dad has always been like this, but I thought that sending him the meteorology website link would empower him to reassure himself that I’m fine. Apparently not.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that parents mean well (most parents, most of the time). I’m just not going to feed it. I think there’s too much of the gene for drama in my family at the best of times.
So this time, I’m not going to tell dad about the cyclone till it’s passed. Why make him worry?
(In case you are thinking “what if someone in Simon’s family reads his blog today,” all I can say is “it hasn’t happened yet my friends!”)
Your comments please
Let’s keep the discussions going. What do you think about compromise, especially in relation to where you live and living your purpose. Have you ever been in a cyclone? What’s your views on family and worry? Do you hide things from your family to manage their emotions? Whose responsibility is it really if they stress?
A reminder again that your comments are your way of “paying” for content on this blog, if you find it interesting, educational or just a good way to pass the time. If you read this blog, please take 3 minutes to leave a comment about what you like or don’t like, agree with or disagree with, like to see more/less of. Comments can be anonymous.
blessings
Simon
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WendyB 
Renee Hawkins 
Gerhard Maier 
Simon, I fully agree with your position. There’s such a “joke” – “We learn how to speak for the first three years of our life, to study how to keep silence for the rest of it.” Sometimes it’s more useful to simply keep silence then to tell people anything that could make them worry. Especially if there’s no danger for themselves.
It’s your personsl right, freedom and responsibility to keep silence when you like to. You don’t need to be accountable – it’s very low state with zero responsibility.
The one and really powerful reason to keep silence in this situation is that worries of parents couldn’t help you anyway, but their thoughts about danger can (and will at least partially) matherialize it. And damage from cyclone could become much stronger then it could be without that thoughts. Also any of such thoughts never help them be more healthy.
So telling them about cyclone is quite irresponsible, for there’s no obvious positive results but a lots of problems instead.
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