Tag: Daily Prompt

The Great Divide

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When reading for fun, do you usually choose fiction or non-fiction? Do you have an idea why you prefer one over the other?

I love books. Every bookstore or market I pass, if I have time, I will enter—my favourities are the second hand ones. I love the smell, texture and feel of older books. I also love hunting for the hidden treasures.

My preferred books are non-fiction—self-help, success manuals or cooking books. I love the Dummies series and have many titles in areas that interest me—coaching/mentoring, publishing, computers and psychology—just to name a few.

The authors of some my success manuals include, such great leader and teachers as—Jack Canfield, Anthony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad), John Bradshaw and Spencer Johnson (Who Moved the Cheese).

One of the reasons I prefer non-fiction books is that they match my writing style. My imagination isn’t vivid so I describe things as they are. The more conversational the better, as I do struggle with formal writing. If there is a purpose behind why I want to read it, I will preserve. Otherwise, I will give up and move on to something else that catches my attention.

My preference for non-fiction books definitely helps me, as I complete my book on how eating disorder recovery is possible. I have worked in the field for over 20 years and my book is full of the practical knowledge I have learnt along the way.

Whichever side of the great divide you sit, what is important is that you read for fun. It is the best way to improve your writing.

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Life Is A Juggling Act

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“Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little.” – Edna Ferber

Do you agree with this statement on excess?

Life is a juggling act. You can definitely have too much of everything as well as have too little. It’s a continuum and like with most things the answer lies in the middle—the grey area. To help explain my point, I will use fats as an example. Everyone agrees that you can eat too many fats—most people do. Did you also know that you can also not have enough.

Fats are an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet and are essential for the healthy regulation and management of every function in your body and brain. Dietitians state that the exact amount required will vary with the individual, but 30% of your daily dietary requirements should come from fats. This is healthy.

The problem is that most people eat an excess of fats, some up to twice the recommended amount. Most diets also include trans fats which can lead to medical conditions such as:

  • heart disease
  • obesity
  • cholesterol
  • high blood pressure
  • type 2 diabetes

Fats helps us to absorb vitamins A, D, E  and K and provide the essential fatty acids our body cannot make itself. These essential fatty acids are required to make our brain work and function effectively. Our brain is 60% fat and requires a regular supply of fats to work. Without fats in our body, our brain is unable to think and work properly and can shrink in size—a physical symptom of Anorexia Nervosa. The brain will only return to its regular size and function with weight gain and a regular supply of fats.

Using this example, draw your own continuum for other things can you think of that are as bad in excess as they are if we have too little of them. Remember everything is juggling act and you can find the workable grey area for all things.

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Guoliang Tunnel

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What’s the most surreal experience you’ve ever had?

Up until the early 1970’s, Gouliang village, high in the Taihang mountains, Henan Province in central China had a big problem. They were isolated from the outside world except by climbing down a ‘sky ladder’, which were steep narrow stairs carved into the side of the mountain joining the top of the volcanic cliffs with the valley floor below. There was no road. Anything coming in or going out of the village needed to be carried via the stairs.

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Guoliang Village cut off from the world before the tunnel.

In 1972,the village elders became more and more frustrated with the government as they continued to reject their requests to build a road down the mountain. As a result, the village elders decided that the policy of if you want something done do it yourself was the only way to solve this problem. So the villagers sold everything they could to buy hand tools and selected 13 of their strongest men, who began the arduous task of hand cutting a tunnel through the rock. Below is the entrance to the tunnel and as you step into it, you become overwhelmed by the enormity of the task that the villagers had undertaken and are inspired by the gift the tunnel has given the world.

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Interior view of hand cut tunnel entrance

Building the Guoliang Tunnel took 5 ½ years patience and determination. It is 1.2 kilometres in length, 5 metres high and 4 metres wide. It has been described as the 2nd most scariest road in the world and cost several villagers their lives. Forty years later the legacy of this tunnel—built as a life line to a small village—has become an international tourist attraction.  Guoliang village is now recognised as  China’s number 1 movie and television set,  which make the villagers a lot of money. According to James Packer the next ten years will see the Chinese film industry become bigger than Hollywood.  So as you can see the legacy of the tunnel is bigger than the villagers could have ever dreamed possible and has given them a lot of power.  Now if their requests are not met by the government—they simply shut down access to the tunnel until they get their way as happened in 2011.

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Comparison view. Note size of car compared to tunnel

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Base view of tunnel from the Guoliang village.

This remote part of China is difficult to get to. While it can be done on public transport, we had a guide take us and the journey took all day. It was however an amazing experience and one I would recommend to anyone travelling to central China. The Guoliang Tunnel is an inspiring example of how something planned for one purpose can open doors that were never believed to be possible. What doors do you need to open that seem too difficult—by taking steps in the right direction you never know where it will lead?

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