De-mothballing the detention centre at Manus Island heralds a revisit to some of the darker aspects of Australia’s recent history on refugee policy. In the foreseeable future, our government’s intransigent insistence on off-shore processing of asylum seeker assessment will polarise the Australian population even further as we discuss “them”. The genius of off-shore processing keeps us fromContinue reading “Asylum Seekers: Back to the Future…”
Category Archives: Personal
The power of cartooning
I recall my peers’ high-school cartooning of unpopular teachers, particularly those that sought to wield what seemed like over-abundant power on our free time. The power of cartooning became more apparent to me during my seminary years as I teamed with a colleague to make cartoon commentary on our community life. The weekly ‘FLIT’ cartoonContinue reading “The power of cartooning”
Manipulating words
With Osama Bin Laden’s death, the battle for minds shifts. Do we join the cheering crowds at Ground Zero or shake our heads in lament at the sure perpetuation of a never ending cycle of violence? Social networking sites are full of debate with new alignments amongst hawks, doves and the in-betweens. Indeed, some areContinue reading “Manipulating words”
Time out
Clayton’s blog today (the blog you post when not writing a blog)! This spot’s only a 15 minute drive from home, It’s Point Resolution on the Swan River at Claremont. Great place to roam around, read a few books and meditate – especially on a balmy autumn day. Might go back a few more timesContinue reading “Time out”
Melancholy optimist
In early adulthood I was fascinated with the work of Victor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of “Man’s Search for Meaning” and logotherapy. His psychiatric practice was based on observations of those with whom he was interned in the concentration camps. Given similar opportunities to survive, some succumbed to the horrendous conditions and died ofContinue reading “Melancholy optimist”
Clowning around
I am told that my stated childhood ambition was “to be a clown in a circus.” Upon my ordination, my mother said “I see you’ve achieved your ambition.” A devout salt-of-the-earth sort of Christian, she knew how to keep her boy from taking on airs and graces. Today is “Holy Humo[u]r Sunday”, Risus Paschalis, God’sContinue reading “Clowning around”
Wisdom from the North
“Freedom from fear” could be said to sum up the whole philosophy of human rights. Dag Hammarskjold Another Scandinavian whose aphorisms helped mold my aspirations. Such a simple statement which, if applied to today’s bogey-monsters – asylum seekers, burqua-wearers, anyone who’s different from us – might save us millions of dollars in so-called security measures and angst.Continue reading “Wisdom from the North”
A 5 year old philosopher…
Not long after I came on the scene, the comic strip Dennis the Menace was launched and the song with the same title hit the top 40, mortifying my mother, who then wished she’d named me something else. The TV series followed, along with some memorable aphorisms, such as the one climaxing this exchange between Dennis andContinue reading “A 5 year old philosopher…”
Experience vs wisdom
Mahatma Ghandi was one of the first great philosophers to influence me. I was all of eight years old at the time. Another that had my adolescent brain ticking over was Søren Kierkegaard. Today’s aphorism comes courtesy of him, and though I don’t recall hearing this way back then, it resonates with a long held comprehensionContinue reading “Experience vs wisdom”
An aphorism a day keeps postaday okay…
… at least while I’m setting up a bank of vacation posts. So let’s try… …to accomplish great things, you must not only act but also dream, not only dream but also believe. I can say okay to this one. It’s reverse is also true – from belief, one dreams and then acts to bringContinue reading “An aphorism a day keeps postaday okay…”
Wondering Pilgrim 