“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
We’re suffering a pile-on of problems at the moment – in New Zealand and in the world. The old ways of thinking aren’t going to cut it anymore!
I’ve read/heard several Americans recently, talking about the pandemic ‘waning’ in their country but Omicron has reached us much later so it’s racing through NZ right now. And you’ve probably heard about the awful situation we had in Wellington with ‘convoy’ and other protesters camped out at Parliament for 22 days and the appalling behaviour from the day they arrived. Their numbers eventually declined to some degree, partly because Covid was rapidly spreading through the ranks, and finally the police moved in on Wednesday and cleared them out of the grounds. These ‘peaceful’ protesters employed violent rhetoric, violent actions, Trump flags, Nazi symbols, yellow stars, nooses, and a desire to conduct ‘Nuremberg trials’ on many democratically elected politicians – and anyone else who displeases them like certain prominent epidemiologists and members of the press.
The cones in the image below appeared to me to be ‘weeping’ .. entirely appropriate, I thought.
‘Crying Cones’ was taken yesterday at Lake Roxburgh Village. Central Otago, New Zealand.
For anyone who likes to see a few numbers, I copied these from an article dated 03 March courtesy of waateanews.com : [link]
Ms Ardern said 600 police officers and 50 firefighters were involved in yesterday’s action, and 40 were injured.
There were 23,183 new community cases of Covid-19 reported today and 503 cases in hospital.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says 30 to 40 of the hospital cases are Delta, with the rest Omicron.
Text and photo by Liz; Exploring Colour (2022)
Exploring Colour 
I’m weeping with you, Liz, and only hope that we as humanity will come to our senses, even if I doubt it. 😢
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So many challenges.. it’s all very confronting!
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I had not heard and I’m very sorry to read this. New Zealand has been the envy of much of the world during the pandemic and I would exchange your government’s actions for ours in a heartbeat.
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Thanks Susan. It’s been tough reading about what’s been going on in the UK. Take care xx
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Good grief! It is disturbing that those protesters should behave so very badly. I hadn’t heard about it because the news here is so much dominated by the war in Ukraine. It’s very evident that you are completely right when you say that the old ways of thinking won’t cut it these days. We need to learn new ways of thinking – but you could say some – those protesters – just need to learn to think!
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Many of them hate Jacinda and just want to overthrow the Govt, that’s what they ultimately want.
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That’s a shame – she seems good. (Which I can’t say of our present government, but they do seem to respond to being nagged and shamed – eventually!)
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Jacinda is a brilliant PM and we’re blessed to have her but the level of misogyny is unbelievable. And NZ’s always bad for tall poppy syndrome anyway. Ugh!
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I hope she has plenty of good supporters!
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I believe she does.. just as well!
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I’m so sorry you are experiencing this in NZ. I can understand how you are feeling because it happened here in Canada and caused so much turmoil across the country we only just cleared them out. Then Putin’s attack on Ukraine came which shows the reality of people losing their freedom. Canada has many people of Ukrainian descent (the 2nd largest number in the world after Ukraine/Russia. My province,Manitoba, has 180, 000 or so. My late mother was Ukrainian.
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Thanks for responding and sharing about your own connections with the Ukraine Louella. I had no idea so many Ukrainians live in Canada. Things seem so fraught at the moment. I really feel for you; these events hit very close to home within your context. Take care. At least Spring is getting closer by the day, one small mercy, conversely we’re noticeably heading into autumn which I’m not quite so pleased about!
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It’s all rather overwhelming, Liz, and on so many fronts. There is a lot of weeping going on along with those cones. I hadn’t seen you were having an omicron surge; I’m just not keeping up with the news.
That is an interesting capture, and so well titled.
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Thanks Ellen! Omicron was first picked up at quarantine on 10 Dec last year. Quarantine kept on picking up heaps thereafter and we all knew that sooner or later it’d get into the community. They blocked it for as long as they could to allow max people possible to get boosted. Eventually it got out and now we’re right in peak surge – not helped by all these loony protesters.
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We sure have learned a lot about the level of ignorance and gullibility of our fellow man, Liz. And that some folks just don’t have enough to do. Ugg.
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May everything be okay to all of you.
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Thank you!
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Wow. That is disturbing and sad news, Liz. It is, unfortunately, not surprising to hear of these reckless, irresponsible actors–it seems that their radical ideology is not limited by borders.
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There’s a media org here – Counterspin Media – operating from the Steve Bannon platform. A lot of what you’re already familiar with in the US has poured into our country – hence the very American manifestations of that ideology, mixed in with our own symbols. A very toxic brew.
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I wish we could put a ban on those kinds of exports–it makes for the “toxic brew” that you so aptly described.
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It is very troubling, Liz. Take care.
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Thanks Tracy, you too.
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