Find a way or fade away

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio version of this blog story click here.]

'Why try to be somebody you're not?'

That epigraph has been brought to you by the soft drink, Sprite. OK, the brand wasn't the first to use it, but I do recall its TV advert — commercial if you prefer — from the early noughties where it was the central theme (watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjEHEKhwnEo). And by attributing it to Sprite here maybe they'll reward me for the mention (financially that is — I'm not a fan of such saccharine soft drinks).

The way may not be clear and appear long but it does end for us all, one way or the other.

'Who am I?'

Marketing matters aside, it's sound advice. Trying to be somebody you're not, not being true to yourself, is unlikely to lead to any lasting, meaningful contentment or fulfilment.

The key lies in finding out who you are meant to be. Or at least in finding a version of yourself that accentuates as many of your positive attributes as possible. Like most things, this is easier pointed out than carried out.

Some of us may have more of an idea of who we're not, nay what we don't want in life, more so than what we want or who we ought to be.

What's more, in an imperfect, ever-changing world, we have to be willing to mould ourselves to suit. This isn't to say we should abandon our values or stop defending what we believe to be true, it's just we may need to adopt a different approach to our modus operandi to achieve desired outcomes.

However, this has to be done, to come back to the motif here, in congruence with ourselves.

From a job perspective, I've expressed before how I'm not the best at working for people. I prefer to work with people, i.e. having the same level of input as possible and practical in whatever we're undertaking. Partners, basically.

It's why I found the marketing agency model particularly toxic — doing somebody else's tedious dirty work, often having to be economical with the truth in the process and getting very little credit for it.

Work's out?

Indeed, on the whole, the wage-slave system is anathema to me. There are, though, some gigs, at least on paper, for which I'd give up the relative independence that I currently enjoy. (Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, is showing fierce pigheadedness in not approaching me about that vacant The Late Late Show host position.)

My many concerns about today's Digital Revolution notwithstanding, one hope is that it will provide more opportunities for people to throw off the wage-slave shackles, addressing a societal ill that became particularly acute in the Industrial Revolution.

A world freed from "wage slavery" was one aspiration expressed by the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, at a forum in Bogotá in November 2022.

'It could be that your true calling, the skill that you do better than most, simply isn't deemed worthy enough of recompense.'

While I haven't had the opportunity to read Yunus' book, A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions, going by his Bogotá talk, one element to zero unemployment is creating the conditions for self-employment. It certainly sounds appealing; making it an effective reality is another matter.

One passage from Yunus' tome, which I found in an online review, only serves to highlight, so I believe, the difficulties of ditching the current system:

'When you become an adult, you offer yourself to the scrutiny of the job market. A job is your destiny. If you miss it, you show up in the bread line. Nobody tells young people that they are nature-built to become entrepreneurs rather than waiting in line to get hired.'

Any chance of a grant, Muhammad?

The way I see it, nature tells us we must always have subordinates, in one form or another. 

However, unlike an ant colony or a beehive, humanity can aspire to allow such types to advance, should they want to. Serve your time, learn and move on. Some will say this is already the case. I say it's mostly so in theory rather than in practice.

Now, if you do escape from or manage to shun altogether the wage-slave system, there's the difficulty of getting adequately remunerated for whatever your contribution to society happens to be. (If only IQuiz and my musings published here actually paid me well, eh?! As the days pass, a subsistence existence at one with nature gets more appealing!)

It could be that your true calling, the skill that you do better than most, simply isn't deemed worthy enough of recompense. Or you might have a decent idea, it's just the wrong time. Thus, to survive economically, alternatives are required.

You may actually have to try to be somebody you're really not. (I am, of course, referring to those of us who haven't a wealthy family to fall back on and/or haven't been the recipients of a generous inheritance.)

'Many of us may simply become surplus to requirements from an employment perspective.'

The retort from those of a certain vintage would most likely be along the lines of, 'Well, welcome to the real world, kiddo!' Or, 'Shock! Horror! Man dislikes his job.' Indeed.

I think it's safe to assume that most people earn a living from work that isn't quite their preference, spending a large proportion of their time doing it, to boot.

There is also the thinking that we shouldn't define ourselves by our work, by our careers. I understand that perspective. Nonetheless, we are judged by others in terms of our words, our actions and how we contribute — or not — to society. In a capitalist world, our work plays a large part in that. 'What do you do?' is, after all, one of the most common ice-breaker questions.

Be that as it may, no one can say with any certainty what the state of humanity will be in a generation or so. The Digital Revolution and artificial intelligence certainly look set to bring about significant changes in how — and how often — we work.

Many of us may simply become surplus to requirements from an employment perspective. It could be a case of being paid to exist (whilst trying to be a net positive for society and the planet in the process): a universal basic income.

Should, though, the more damaging predictions of the effects of climate change come to pass — perhaps coupled with some other major disasters — then many may be forced into that subsistence existence at one with nature I mentioned above. It just most likely won't be as idyllic as it might sound.

In such a scenario, worrying about "being somebody you're not" becomes largely irrelevant.

When our survival instincts kick in, we either find a way or fade away forever.
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Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast here.

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Chasing Zetaquirá's waterfalls — from hot to cold

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio version of this blog story click here.]

A thermal waterfall runs gently into a fast-flowing, shallow river. Close to the bank, where the hot and cool waters fuse, a natural spa presents itself. It's of sufficient size to bathe in, fully outstretched. You're alone, surrounded by nothing but forest and its feathered inhabitants. The only sounds are those provided by nature; birds chirping, flowing water and the light rain falling all around.

Thermal waters that could have been terminal!

Rebel river

Sounds idyllic, doesn't it? And for a time, I had that very experience at what is reputedly Colombia's tallest thermal waterfall (for the record, it's 16 metres high), a 30-minute downhill walk from the Boyacá town of Zetaquirá.

Nothing, though, is perfect in this world. While the mystical waters put me in a sort of tranquil trance, it was nature itself that gave me the not-so-gentle nudge to get moving.

My natural spa started to get colder, quickly. The what-had-been rather easily crossed-on-foot river was becoming wilder as the rain intensified. With my boots left on the other bank and with no bridge in sight, I wasn't in the best position to search for an alternative, safer route back.

Slightly panicking, I noticed a cable spanning the water. I figured this thin piece of intertwined wire was there for such a circumstance, to aid people across the river when it's in a more boisterous state.

'It could be said it all adds to the adventure but after struggling to find Miralindo until meeting Moisés Castélblanco — yes, it was "Moses" who led me to the promised waterfall — I didn't want to find myself miles from my hotel with dusk not far off.'

From a river that had been no more than knee-deep, it was now around my waist, thankfully just beyond the reach of my small knapsack, in which my mobile phone and wallet were tucked away. With the loosely fixed cable as my somewhat questionable support, I undertook the roughly 10-metre crossing.

Doubts about the cable's credentials for this task notwithstanding, I'm fairly sure that without it, I wouldn't have made it. Perhaps it was more in the mind, but I do think it helped me keep my balance on more than one occasion.

Later that day, safely back in the town and recounting my experience to a Zetaquirá councillor in a local tienda, he told me that the cable is used to zip wire water across the river. It isn't there as a support for crossing. Be that as it may, I'm certainly glad that it stood up to the task that I gave it.

Supercable aside, the thermal waterfall is one of the most interesting sights I've seen of late. That my visit to Zetaquirá coincided with dull, rainy weather, probably made this natural wonder all the better. I imagine it would be less refreshing with the sun beating down — at an altitude of just under 1,700 metres, it gets hot in these parts on a sunny day.

A sign failure

Of all the Boyacá towns I've visited — and there have been many — Zetaquirá, at least superficially, is more tourist-ready than most.

Outside of calling itself the 'tourist capital of the Lengupá valley', its main square has prominent signs, in both Spanish and surprisingly not badly translated English, with information about the main attractions in the area (it also has a tourist office, but on the only occasion I wandered in, there was no one at home).

Pretty park: Zetaquirá's main square/plaza.

The snag with these signs is that — in a bid to be helpful, no doubt — the distances and estimated trekking times to the various sights are off by quite a bit. It appears they were made to be displayed in places other than the main square. The only one that's close to correct is for the hike up to the Virgin Mary overlooking the town, simply because the "official" start point is actually near the town centre.

The distance mentioned to the nice-but-not-amazing Miralindo waterfall, for example, is a mere 1.5 km with a projected walking time of 30 minutes — its altitude is over 300 metres higher than the town. In reality, it must be at least a 10 kilometre trek from the town.

This misleading information meant that, due to my limited time there, I missed out on the supposedly more impressive Las Tinajas ('The Tanks') waterfalls. Considering the sign in the town said they're 3.5 km away, a 90-minute walk, using the Miralindo experience as a guide they're probably at least a 20 kilometre wander.

One could say it all adds to the adventure but after struggling to find Miralindo until meeting Moisés Castélblanco — yes, it was "Moses" who led me to the promised waterfall — I didn't want to find myself miles from my hotel with dusk not far off.

Virgin territory: Just don't always believe what the signs tell you!

What's more, after the entrancing and, what was for me, novel thermal waterfall, seeing just another normal one wasn't a big priority.

A case for the return

This point in the story would be an apt moment to say 'next time'. The thing is, I rarely if ever return to these getaway towns.

I could make an exception for Zetaquirá, seeing as it does at least inform visitors, misleadingly albeit, of its various attractions (there are also a couple of lakes in the vicinity that are photogenic — they may not be quite as pretty seeing them for real, as is the case with many things in life!). A visit to the neighbouring town of Miraflores, about 20 km to the south, could also be included in any return trip.

One minor drawback is that it's another one of those awkward enough places to reach (similar to La Palma and Pauna). While its distance from Bogotá's Terminal Norte is only 181 km, it's a five-hour bus spin. This is to be expected when navigating the Andes and its stretches of unpaved roads.

That aside, another pull factor is Hotel Chibchacum (no, it's not one of "those" hotels; in Spanish, the name doesn't have the same eyebrow-raising, um, ring to it as it may have in English for some of you).

At 25,000 COP per night for a well-kept, cosy en suite room with a nice view, hot water (often a rarity in such towns and far from essential for me), good WiFi and a friendly, helpful owner, it would be hard to find something better for the price and quality.

Heck, if the town sorted out the tourist information signs, one would be left with few significant grievances. (It even scores well on the coffee front, although it's far from being a culinary capital.)

Just don't get too lost in the moment when bathing in those thermal waters.
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Tourism cancer

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio version of this blog story click here.]

Sustainable tourism. Measured by how most travel to a tourist spot — saying nothing of where they stay, what they do and eat — and using carbon neutral as the measure, the term sustainable tourism is really an oxymoron.

Is sustainable tourism practically unachievable? (Click here for info on the photo.)

Like many concepts — or labels, if you will — it can, all the same, make both buyer and seller feel good about themselves. 'Oh this is sustainable, we're actually boosting biodiversity.' (Eh, sorry, but simply by your very existence as another human being you're most likely a net negative for the planet.)

Walk the walk

It's similar to those e-scooter users who seem to think that this mode of transport is particularly green, thus they're doing wonders for the environment. Try walking or using a standard push-bike, guys.

Indeed, if we all had to use our own energy to get to where we want to go, then we would be closer to something more sustainable, in carbon footprint terms in any case. (How we fuel our bodies would also play its part, of course.)

Tourism as we know it would effectively cease to exist in such a scenario, as would many other industries. This may please some save-the-planet activists, although they might just realise that the way the world currently operates gives them many comforts without which life becomes quite a struggle. They'd quickly see how much they've benefitted from these comforts.

"It's not only about environmental concerns that there is the expression, 'tourism's greatest cancer is tourism.'"

The rather unrealistic radicals aside, there are those of us who are concerned about many of humanity's harmful habits yet understand that we can't just stop all polluting practices forthwith and expect utopia to follow.

At a tourism trade expo in Bogotá recently, Colombian President Gustavo Petro spoke about the industry's negative impact, stating how it currently operates is unsustainable. Nonetheless, he also acknowledged that it wasn't going to disappear anytime soon. (Although, he only went as far as referring to its short- to medium-term future. In fairness, looking too far ahead is generally a futile exercise, for politician and layperson alike.)

Planet puppets

Thus, we must continue to strive to engage in the most environmentally friendly tourism and travel available. For some in the comfortable classes, many of whom talk a great biodiversity game but don't necessarily play it very well, this may mean travelling less often, particularly in aeroplanes.

Some tourism hotspots would be doing themselves a favour, perhaps not economically in the short term but for their longer-term prospects in general, in reducing visitor numbers.

It's not only about environmental concerns that there is the expression, 'tourism's greatest cancer is tourism.' I don't know too many people who enjoy going to places that are constantly crowded with visitors. Less can indeed be more in this context.

As with all the great potentially existential crises we face as a species, the hope is that we find the most sustainable, environmentally beneficial way of going about our business.

Of course, while some may think otherwise, we are but puppets on this planet. We shall succumb to it and the universe at large, not the other way around.

Be that as it may, we can at least try to be less self-absorbed as we expend the energy that makes up our current physical form.
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Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast here.

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Agents of short-change

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio version of this blog story click here.]

Almost all of us have felt this frustration at some stage. You get what you think is a good deal at the time but later you discover it could have been so much better.

'You do the work, we'll take the majority of the pay.' 'Great!'

In most cases, brooding over it is of little help. What's done is done and all that. Take whatever learnings there are from it and move on. Nonetheless, it's often difficult not to think about what could have been.

Now, if the loss was clearly due to one's lack of diligence, there's usually little sympathy for the "victim". For example, when you buy a product in one shop only to see it at a cheaper price in another. The additional costs incurred here are simply down to the purchaser not shopping around.

Fair pay?

There are occasions, though, when at least the appearance of something more sinister is at play, when we believe, or indeed realise, we've been had, been taken advantage of.

One party acts in good faith and expects the other to do likewise. In Rewarding the reckless, I wrote about the risks I take in lending money to some barrio buddies. I have to take them at their word that they'll pay me back. They could just renege and I'd have practically no legal route to get the money back.

Here, it's not a case of money lent but rather somebody else taking more than their fair share of pay for what can loosely be described as teamwork.

And it's back to the business we call show for this latest, um, episode. Yep, I'm still being lured by that siren call.

This time, it's not the actual production team that has raised my ire. It's those third parties, the necessary evils that are the agencies. Well, I say 'necessary' as for somebody in my position, a very occasional "super extra", they seem practically unavoidable.

'This agency took over 60 per cent of the pay the production company forked out for my character.'

These agencies do, of course, serve a purpose. Production companies are happy to outsource the finding of suitable extras and the like, particularly when we're talking about films/series that shoot at various locations and require many additional bodies in scenes.

Thus, like any middleman, agencies take their cut of the pay, a finder's fee. There's nothing shocking about that.

What has shocked me, however, is the extent of that finder's fee at one particular agency I worked with a few weeks back. This crowd took over 60 per cent of the pay the production company forked out for my character. The breakdown: I got 750,000 pesos; the production company paid the agency 2,000,000 pesos.

Now, it must be said, I did agree with the agency to do the work for 800,000 pesos, a fine day's wages in Colombia, just a few hundred-thousand pesos off the monthly minimum wage (my getting just 750,000 was due to taxes, so I was informed. I found this odd as other agencies have always told me what the net-pay figure will be).

Sign and move on

So, I can't really have any complaints. What's more, it was in a somewhat strange manner that I found out about the agency's exorbitant finder's fee.

Had I not received a contract to sign — after I'd done and got paid for the work, I hasten to add — I would have never known that my role was priced at 2,000,000 pesos.

I think it's the first time I've been pressured into signing a contract after I both did and got paid for the work in question. Does one not normally sign a contract before engaging in employment? That the agency was very anxious that I signed suggests its payment from the production company depended on my signature.

Ignorance would have been bliss for me in all this. As stated, I was relatively happy with the initial payment offered to me. The casus belli was seeing what the production company was actually paying for my character.

The lesson to be learnt here is to ask for a contract before anything is agreed upon, particularly if it's not payment in cash on the day. In my experience, having the latter arrangement is usually less hassle.

As for the contract in question here, did I sign it? Call me a softy, but considering I'd been paid and the likelihood of getting more was near zero, I did. In fact, the agency in question is still putting me forward for work, for now in any case.

Sometimes it's just better to cut the losses and focus on the gains.
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