Category Archives: Personal

Hereafter – Film Review

The unknown matter of death continues to fascinate us, whether or not we form our view from a religious, spiritual or nihilist perspective. This film, directed by Clint Eastwood, weaves together the disparate stories of three characters, all intimately touched by death in different ways. Rising French career journalist, Marie Le Lay, survives the 2004Continue reading “Hereafter – Film Review”

Compassion – a “spiritual technology”…

Krista Tippett: Reconnecting with compassion | Video on TED.com. Compassion has become a cliché through overuse and overexposure, contends journalist Krista Tippett. With story and lateral thinking, she explores new ways to reclaim and implement a sorely needed collective value. By linking it with everyday expressions such as “kindness,” “curiosity without assumption” and “beauty”, she invitesContinue reading “Compassion – a “spiritual technology”…”

Turning the other cheek is not for sissies

Yep – it’s up for preachin’ this Sunday (Matthew 5:28-38) Turn the the other cheek to the one who strikes you, give your cloak also to the one who sues you for your coat, go the extra mile. What’s the rationale? According to Walter Wink: Turn your cheek, thus indicating to the one who backhandsContinue reading “Turning the other cheek is not for sissies”

It’s now three years since saying sorry…

What has it meant? If it has been a grudging acknowledgement in order to relieve the pressure of a collective nagging and vague sense of guilt, not much at all. If it has been an empty vocalisation in order to finally silence, irritating and scolding voices we’d rather not hear – then zilch. If itContinue reading “It’s now three years since saying sorry…”

Celebrating the Unthanks

Festivals of arts always give us the opportunity to dip into a smorgasbord of genres we may not otherwise take the trouble to encounter. Jenny and I celebrated belatedly her birthday by having a night out with the Unthanks, a unique folk group blending traditional and contemporary music from the north east of England –Continue reading “Celebrating the Unthanks”

Singing for flood relief

I often grab a snack in this food court and have thought how well it might lend itself to a “flash mob” performance. Well, now it has! And it’s for flood disaster relief. http://www.youtube.com/user/StorytellerMedia (For some reason I’m unable to directly embed the video here.) Edit: Ahh – good reason – it’s on a pageContinue reading “Singing for flood relief”

Saying sorry – the continuing journey

The third anniversary of the Australian government’s Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is rapidly approaching (13th February). What of substance has occurred since then? A bi-partisan response to the audit presented to federal parliament this week, Closing the Gap, revealed some challenges, unfulfilled intentions and a degree of frustration on all sides.Continue reading “Saying sorry – the continuing journey”

What Would Jesus Cut?

There will be considerable angst in Australia’s Federal Parliament today as a minority government seeks the support of the cross-benches to pass a flood tax levy. The Opposition prefers that post-flood reconstruction be funded by budget cuts, targeting a range of so-called “soft” options such as our commitment to overseas aid. Our friends across theContinue reading “What Would Jesus Cut?”