Theme: TIME HOSTAGE

23.04.2021

Time works differently here.

Back home in Amsterdam, when you say you meet at a certain time, you meet at a certain time.

Plus_minus 10 minutes in general.

In Ghana it’s different.

Meeting at a certain time means you call and see where the other’s up to.

At the time.

When I plan to meet up in Amsterdam., I can always make short term changes.

And the other one gets it.

It’s quick communication.

Pivoting of words.

Which sometimes is rendered more difficult because of dodgy WiFi.

And here it is also a language barrier.

Everyone speaks English but I forget that’s often only based on basic schooling and therefore basic.

Just enough to connect to the rest of the world.

And to my untrained Babylon ear.

(My friend Kebra uses the term ‘Babylon’ as a definition of Europe and the Western world, and I think it’s funny)

So arranging a meeting has to be based on simple instructions and independent of time.

Free of time.

Loosely based.

And no big deal.

If it happens, good.

If not, good.

It will happen another time.

It happens when it happens.

This kind of attitude is the way to think here.

No point looking forward to something happening on a certain day, at a certain time, because you will hold yourself hostage to that time..

You will.

Nobody else will here.

And you set yourself up to stress and potential disappointment.

Voluntary time hostage situation.

Without reason.

Hostage time is man made.

It does not exist.

The ‘real time’ (which is Eternity) is always right.

For everything other than stressing.

There is time for inspired action.

There is time to chill.

But never ever time to worry.

There is the key.

As I said before: We only ever worry about something which is in the past (and we cannot change) or in the future (which hasn’t happened yet.)

There is no space for worry in the eternal present.

There is no future or past, but only the now which is eternally present.

And think of it: In this moment, is there worry?

No.

And now?

Nope.

And now?

Nothing.

Feel into the moment feeling.

And not worry.

So.

As I was saying yesterday, I have this really stressful situation on my hands.

I have a tenant in my flat in the UK who owes me four figures in rent and refuses to move out.

It has been the source of sleepless nights and extreme stress of helplessness.

I feel violently held hostage and the feelings gets worse and worse.

I feel like a victim of a bank heist.

Too scared to lift a finger.

Emotionally, I feel like a trapped animal.

In a tight electrified cage.

Every which way I move, it hurts.

Stressed with frustration and anger.

Which makes the cage tighter and tighter.

And a pattern emerges.

With reoccurring elements.

So which elements I am being held / I am holding myself hostage with?

1.TIME

Tim(e)ing… because it’s exactly been a year since this nightmare tenant moved in.

Tim(e)ing… because my daughter is simultaneously being kicked out of her flat now and is potentially homeless because we have a flat we cannot access.

Tim(e)ing… because I have keen potential tenants who are waiting for the flat to become available for viewing and moving in. Happy rent paying tenants.

Tim(e)ing … because this is all going off while I am in Ghana where I can’t make phone calls because this country is not in the sustainable list of my phone provider

Tim(e)ing … because everywhere I turn for help is delaying. And I am constantly delaying action because none of it is inspired and therefore painful. So I shy away from any movement. Otherwise pain is inflicted by electric shock.

Time(e)ing … because I have some money but I can’t access it at the moment

2. MONEY

Money … because my tenant owes me £6k in rent arrears

Money … because I don’t have access to my funds in Amsterdam yet due to the unusual circumstance that I got a new card before I left but they never sent me the information to activate it or online banking.

Money … because my daughter is setting up her own business and has no money to rent anywhere else (it seems)

Money … because in order to get my tenant out, I have to pay at least £1500 in court and solicitors fees (which is exactly 2 months rent more my tenant owes me since I told him to move out)

Money … because Court action will be more money spent with very little to no chance to get any money back, so money down a drain

Money … because I was offered financial backing and there is silence

The hostage situation is unsustainable.

And it’s getting worse and worse.

It feels like rape.

Having been kidnapped, held hostage and being raped.

By Money and Time.

Man made symbols.

So how would I feel if I had Eternity?

Would it matter that my tenant is still in the flat?

No.

And how would I feel if I had unlimited wealth?

I would let the fucker have the flat, who cares!

Or sue his ass for emotional payback, who cares about solicitor fees!

It’s interesting that my current Now being in Ghana is almost completely void of time and money constraints.

I feel free here.

Not caged at all.

But my Now being based on the tenant circumstances in the UK is the complete opposite.

Curious.

This is the big lesson.

The key is to overlay my Ghana Now with the UK Now.

To pretend / presume that time and money is as much of no importance in the UK as it is in Ghana because it’s the same NOW.

MINE.

So I will let go.

Sit still.

Relinquish all responsibility to fight.

To find a way out.

I‘ve been trying frantically for too long now.

Being electrocuted every step along the way.

Maybe it’s been the wrong way.

To go about.

All along.

Peace.

What needs to happen will happen.

Independent of time or money.

It feels good.

I want a win win.

And it will happen.

Maybe that’s what we call, and what I previously identified as, opportunism which is inherent in the Ghanaian_African culture.

When the time is right, you jump.

And only then.

And you will know when it’s the right time.

Because you will be moved to move, to take the opportunity, and it will be the right thing to do.

And we have access to infinite opportunities.

I always said that’s all we need really:

Access to unlimited resources and opportunities.

Not money like we believe.

Money is only a small part of that.

A fun but not only one.

I’m realising this about Ghana.

Its resources are unlimited.

Wealth in commodities of any kind.

And daily opportunities to take.

In every direction.

Yet, we don’t feel abundant.

Because we focus too much on money alone as the only source of wealth.

The only symbol that we are wealthy we believe.

The only symbol to show that we are supported.

Money is a symbol.

A fun one, but not the only one.

So we recognise it as the only symbol.

Look only in one direction.

Ignoring everything else.

Ok, let’s try this out:

1. I think it would be fun to set up a bar in the sewing studio which is located on my parents’ property. I want to play sick music on a loudspeaker and sell special drinks. It will be open from 5pm til 10pm. It will be the hottest place in town to drink, have food, network and hang out. I will play what I believe is the best music by local artists to bump them up. From there connections will be made, collaborations flourish and love distributed.I will also make and customise and sell fashion there. And I will not invest one penny. #prettybossmanager

I know it will happen! I will let you know when I’m there …

Shit, I think there are tiny ants in my laptop.