As Fi Bows to Peer Pressure

It has been said that it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, but how you played the game.

There is, however, something truly special about doing really well and winning something you had always hoped for whether it be the job that you really wanted, an Olympic medal, or the Worlds. For the latter of these, one of the Oxford A team is a friend from Vienna and while I don’t share his passion for debating, I’ve occasionally followed his progress through other members of the debating community. It’s exciting for me to see him succeed, an interesting feeling in itself, and I know that winning, while not vitally important, was his ultimate goal and to have achieved that is fantastic. Not all are able, or destined, to win but it is important to celebrate and congratulate those that do when they deserve to.

While thinking about this, I got interested in tall poppy syndrome. Wikipedia has some fascinating things to say about this topic and so I thought I’d copy the most interesting bits below:
 
The term originates from accounts in Aristotle’s Politics (Book 5, Chapter 10) and Livy’s History of Rome, Book I. Aristotle wrote: “Periander advised Thrasybulus by cutting the tops of the tallest ears of corn, meaning that he must always put out of the way the citizens who overtop the rest.” In Livy’s account, the tyrannical Roman King, Tarquin the Proud, received a messenger from his son Sextus Tarquinius asking what he should do next in Gabii, since he had become all-powerful there. Rather than answering the messenger, Tarquinius went into his garden, took a stick, and symbolically swept it across his garden, thus cutting off the heads of the tallest poppies that were growing there. The messenger, tired of waiting for an answer, returned to Gabii and told Sextus what he had seen. Sextus realised that his father wished him to put to death all of the most eminent people of Gabii, which he then did.

A very early example of this syndrome is described in an incident from the life of Jesus. Returning to his home town after publicly teaching and miraculously healing others, he is confronted by local residents and the following occurs:

He came to his home town and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? 55 Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” 58 And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith. Matthew, Chapter 13:55-58^[1]

This phenomenon is often interpreted as being based on and resulting from a resentment of others’ success^{[citation needed]}. Those who subscribe, however, see themselves as attacking targets that take themselves too seriously or flaunt their success without due humility.

I’m not entirely sure what to say to finish this little rant off. Winning is always important to the winners, and if they deserve it (as opposed to say drug-enhanced performance at the Olympics), then winning is all that much sweeter. It’s not everything, and should never be treated that way, but recognising the job well done by winners is as important as recognising the effort made by those who do not win.

It’s 20 minutes into the 2nd day of 2008 but I shall ignore that fact and do a reflective post anyway. 2007 was one hell of a year and that’s all I can really say to sum it up.  So where am I at now and where do I want to go?

My name is Fiona McKenzie and I’m a 23 year old Kiwi living in London. I graduated with an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics in December 2007 and am passionate about working to solve the problem of absolute poverty in my lifetime, like so many others. I know this is what God wants me to focus my life on an I know we can make it happen. I am particularly passionate, although many find it a rather weird passion, about the role that States play in improving the welfare of their countries and I am really interested in working in political strategy focused on development in developing countries.

This is a difficult career goal to say the least and I have found it even more difficult to break into the “aid industry” due to my “lack of experience”. I decided to approach it a different way and I am now working for the Church of England, something in between the State and an NGO here in the UK, as a policy assistant in a department that has nothing to do with development and everything to do with old churches. While I lve the job and know the the exerience is what I need, it grinds against me because I know that this is not what I have been called to do. The “policy assistant” title, however, is oddly important on my CV and will hopefully help when it comes to selling myself to future employers in the future. A political strategic consultancy, who I sent my CV off to some months back, have let me know that they are interested but have no current positions and will keep the CV on file. It’s a small hope and another half-way measure but the experience is important and I know God has his hand on everything I am doing.

I have an amazingly supportive family and so many friends that I love and adore. Many friends and family are back in New Zealand and I hate being unable to just see them in the street or do coffee whenever. I am excited at the prospect of close friends moving to this side of the world in 2008. I am really loving having my sister here right now and am thrilled at the thought of spending a bit of Summer with my mum and her best friend. I have realised how important these relationships are to me.

I am equally thankful for the friends I have here in London. For the Passfield postgrads and the entertainment of the lives we all lead and for Neerav. I shall miss having Murray and Verena in London this year but I am glad that both shall be back even just for short bits of time. We’re definitely a family of sorts now and that makes the distance from my real family more bearable.

I love London though, and will happily spend another year of my life here come what may. I will go back to York and enjoy the English-ness of it. I will house-sit in Waresley and enjoy a bit of R & R in North Wales. I will visit Oxford and Cardiff and maybe the south coast somewhere. I will visit Spain and spend more than one afternoon in Paris. I hope to get a chance to visit somewhere in North Africa before the end of the year.

Lastly, but not least, in 2008 I will blog more about the things in life that matter most. What precisely these things are you will have to wait to find out. I suggest popping back here in a couple of days to find out my initial thoughts.