My brain has been itching for something to do recently so I tried out one of the OU's free online courses, Living Without Oil. I had started it when I was off after my op (which I had forgotten) but I finished it this week. It was interesting, at some point in the future humanity may have to live without oil and as we have lived without it for many more years than we have had it, I don't really think it will be a problem. Humans have shown themselves to be incredibly creative when needed and are great problem solvers. The thing is, we could easily cut back our consumption if the will or necessity was there. All houses could be insulated to a much higher standard than they are at present and there is always the option of ground source heat. Public transport could easily be improved too with trams and trains. I'm not losing any sleep over it, we'll adapt when the time comes, I'm sure.
I've now moved on to a Philosophy course, Faking Nature. I have too much on this year to commit to formal study but I think I may have to do something after the summer, my brain needs it.
I've still been reading a lot too. 2 outstanding reads are; The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and Educated by Tara Westover. They are both on similar themes, growing up in highly unstable environments, I would recommend reading The Glass Castle first. You can also watch the movie of it on Netflix, I haven't checked it out yet so I can't comment on what it's like.
Talking about movies, I ventured out to see the new Mary Poppins this week. It started off well enough and was in keeping with the original but then it just went on and on, about 25 minutes too long and there was a bit at the end which didn't make sense. Spoiler Alert! They were racing to turn back the hands on Big Ben and then Mary Poppins flew up with her umbrella and did it. I thought, 'well, why didn't you just do that to start with?' And it's not that I don't enjoy a long movie, I'm actually sitting here at the moment watching one of my all-time favourites, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (today on Channel 5). I actually have a limited edition Directors cut of this on video so when it's good, the longer the better!
I've also just finished Jordan B Peterson's 12 Rules for Life, An Antidote to Chaos. I only recently got to know about Jordan Peterson (again when I was off after the op) by watching videos on Youtube. I am most definitely a fan and he has transformed my thinking and consequently, my life. He is every man I wish I'd ever known, I wish there were more like him. The book was a much more intelligent and spiritual read than I expected and I think listening to him has rekindled the desire in me to get back to study. I'm now re-reading CJ Jung's Memories, Dreams and Reflections since Jung gets quite a few mentions in it.