a note for everybody who would wish to see people in New Zealand take a step closer to a debt free society.

Choose your battles wisely is a popular phrase in parenting but is equally important in living a contented life. It suggests that life is filled with opportunities to choose between making a big deal out of something or simply letting it go, realising it doesn't really matter. Choosing battles wisely will be far more effective in winning those that are truly important.

Certainly, there will be times when you will want or need to argue, confront or even fight for something you believe in. Many people, however, argue confront and fight over practically anything, turning their lives into a series of battles over relatively small stuff. There is so much frustration in living this type of life that one loses track of what is truly relevant.

The tiniest of disagreements or glitch in your plans can be made into a big deal if your goal  conscious or unconscious is to have absolutely everything work out in your favour. In my book, this is nothing more than a prescription for unhappiness and frustration. 

The truth is, life is never exactly the way we would want it to be and other people often don't act as we would like them to. From moment to moment there are aspects of life that we like and others that we don't. There are always going to be people who disagree with you, people who do things differently and things that don't work out. 

If you fight against this principle you will spend most of your life fighting battles. Is it really important that you prove to your spouse that you are right and she is wrong or that you confront someone simply because it appears as though he or she has made a minor mistake? Does your preference of which restaurant or movie to go to matter enough to argue over it? Does a small scratch on your car really warrant a suit in a small claims court? 

Does the fact that your neighbour won't park his car on a different part of the street have to be discussed at your family dinner table? These and thousands of other small things are what many people spend their lives fighting about. Take a look at your own list. If it's like mine used to be you might want to re-evaluate your priorities. And work at what is really important to you.

If we don't want to be buried in the small stuff it's critical that we choose our battles wisely. And it is here that I see some parallels between the aftermath of Rod Donald dying, and the friendship that has grown between George Bush Snr and Bill Clinton.

You will be familiar with the extraordinary expressions of feeling about Rod Donald, for the man and the way he played the game. For the way he energetically espoused at every opportunity exactly what he stood for. And if he did not win the day the understanding there would always be another day.

Perhaps history will see as one of the strangest phenomena in the beginning of the 21st century the friendship that has cemented between George Bush Snr and Bill Clinton. United in a common cause or two, determined to see them successful, prepared to use their contacts and resources to make it so, and finding along the way that they had got to know each other. And that they were friends. Outstanding. As Albert Einstein so famously never said, 'God doesn't play dice!'

The Executive of the Democrats is particularly active in rebuilding the Party. I invite all those who wish to see social credit principles embodied in the country and its communities, to remember the legacy that Rod Donald leaves. Argue fearlessly and with passion for what can be achieved today, accept what has been gained, and prepare for the fight again tomorrow. 

From Clinton and Bush we learn that any depth of enmity can be subordinated to the achievement of a common good. Any of the small stuff and the personal trivia can be resolved to achieve the large objectives. Know what the ultimate goal is, and be unswerving in its pursuit. Work out what it will look like if it is successful, what sort of evidence there will be when the plan is successful, what we will all see as we look around.

The Democrats for Social Credit seek to enrich the lives of future generations. That's a big call, complex and challenging. It requires us all to rise above the petty, to see the alliances we need to forge within and without. To build resource and above all to support all that seek to achieve our aims There is a need for continuing and deliberate action. 

Do two things this week.

Sing loudly. Proudly tell someone that is not a party member you support social credit. You will be surprised how good it feels.

Be informed. Email naitchison@xtra.co.nz and ask me what activity is taking place in the Party.

Written By: