getting desperate for a major lifestyle change.

Born in Australia (NSW), now living in Dunedin and Lawrence, New Zealand, and feeling very isolated. I'm currently a painter of NZ landscapes, architecture, botanical and imaginative social comment Science Fiction themes. I'm also an enthusiastic tree planter to the extent of creating a 26ha forest & bird sanctuary ("Arba Cielo") which I hope will be a permanent feature on the Southland landscape. I sold "Arba Cielo" mainly for economic reasons in October 2007 and moved to a suburban cage in Dunedin at the end of 2007, then on to a slightly better cage in Alexandra in March 2010 before returning to Dunedin in June 2010 (strictly for economic reasons). 2011 trapped in a job from Hell ... managing a gay sex club. A lack of other options led me to buy the club in 2012 with a view to renovating and transforming it into a broader social club (Space4u). Still working on that.

My next tree project started in Lawrence Feb 2008, but it's only 0.5ha and by 2011 it was clear the climate wasn't much better than Southland - autumn foliage colours are little better than on my Ferndale property. In 2013 I have essentially finished the tree planting efforts there and I'm once again unsettled and eager to move on. Part of me still hungers for an opportunity in/near Central Otago or MacKenzie Country but realistically those areas are too expensive. South Canterbury/North Otago are faint possibilities. I'll just have to wait and see what my financial resources are at the time of selling the Lawrence property - a part of me fantasises about a 6 month visit to Canada (May to Nov) to explore the landscape, experience the extreme climate and check out possible artistic opportunities (since Vancouver has become something of a world SF capital I'd like to see if that equates to better art sale opportunities for me than what I've found in NZ & Australia). I also want to visit parts of the USA and southern Europe.

I'm generally a contented loner while acknowledging a committed, affectionate relationship is a desirable but unrealistic ideal for me (nevertheless I have added my profile to www.veggiedate.org). I've been motivated to come to this space by my surviving Utopian sentiments hoping to link with some like minded people. I don't have much time for email exchanges and I'm not looking to create a big "friends" list but if you sincerely feel we have so much in common we might actually be helpful to each other I'd be happy to hear from you.

It's important to lend visibility to good ideas - we need to be seen on the world stage to share valuable learning experiences and ideas. Websites like this can serve a useful function by providing us with an opportunity to do this. As some of my artwork suggests I feel there is hope for the future, despite seeing human civilisation overwhelmed by greed, selfishness, hedonism, cruelty, irrational and psychopathic belief systems and a decline in empathy. I'm confident there are still many people who seek to be a part of a more truly civilised society and such people need to be visible to each other. I advocate the advancement of consciousness and ethics as a positive and achievable life goal for individuals and a civilisation. Initially a web based network might provide the environment for those working towards this goal before it finds a place in the physical world. I have described myself as a vegan humanist and that means I reject the competitive, predatory aspects of my human heritage in favour of cooperative, compassionate, rational and creative values. While I want a life that is healthy, pleasurable & fulfilling I also embrace the need to minimize the harm I do while living it. I strongly support voluntary euthanasia for compassionate and economic reasons. My ultimate loyalty will be reserved for a society that embraces humanist values and makes its primary goal the advancement of consciousness and ethics through practical effort. My websites are Galerio Futurisma for art, http://galeriofuturisma.com/Home.html

Arba Cielo for trees, http://galeriofuturisma.com/ArbaHome.html

Elfwood for art, http://www.elfwood.com/~markmcleod

Flickr for photography, http://www.flickr.com/photos/galerio3/&http://www.flickr.com/photos/galerio4/

Space4u business promotion is evolving at space4udunedin.com