“Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you’ll always find despair.” ― Irvin D. Yalom, When Nietzsche Wept – Lately, I find the world increasingly loud and overwhelming. I flinch as I scroll through my various social news feeds: The faces of the destitute that have been stigmatised as…Continue reading The Table of Life: Despair and Hope
Category: Politics
Celebrating the Birth of the Homeless, Oppressed and Marginalised
“Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.” -G.K. Chesterton – If we had to paint a picture of the Christ that many of us celebrate at Christmas, what would our portrait look like? If the sound bytes that accost us on…Continue reading Celebrating the Birth of the Homeless, Oppressed and Marginalised
Welcoming but not Affirming: Getting to the Slippery Truth
“As a survivor of the gay conversion movement, it feels amazing to know that our experiences are being heard nationally and that there is finally research that confirms the prevalence and damage of the gay conversion movement in Australia… The messaging of the movement that told me that I was “broken” has caused long-term damage…Continue reading Welcoming but not Affirming: Getting to the Slippery Truth
Things I choose to leave behind: God in my Image
“I cannot say for sure when my reliable ideas about God began to slip away, but the big chest I used to keep them in is smaller than a shoebox now. Most of the time, I feel so ashamed about this that I do not own up to it unless someone else mentions it first.…Continue reading Things I choose to leave behind: God in my Image
Voices from the Grave: Frederick Douglass
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” Frederick Douglas We know little of the woman Harriet Bailey. We just know she was the…Continue reading Voices from the Grave: Frederick Douglass
Suffer the little Children
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Nelson Mandela With bated breath I watched the commencement of the rescue of the Thai soccer team stuck in a cave for over two weeks. It would be very hard not to feel any…Continue reading Suffer the little Children
In a World of Blind Privilege and Exclusion – Be a Mama Tammye
“I am on this planet, not for myself, but for the betterment of humanity” – Mamma Tammye (Queer Eye SO2, EO1) It started a few weeks ago. The texts, that is … “Have you started Queer Eye Season 2? OMG!!!” “Ok – STOP what you are doing and watch Queer Eye Season 2, Episode…Continue reading In a World of Blind Privilege and Exclusion – Be a Mama Tammye
Ignore or Silence Dissent At Your Own Peril!
Today I am reposting a blog on dissent – may you stand tall, stay true and speak up. “Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.” Jacob Bronowski Dissenters are a real pest, especially in a nice, neat, and controlled environment. When the mantra…Continue reading Ignore or Silence Dissent At Your Own Peril!
Lessons from the Fockers: The Circle of Trust
“This is the reason I created the circle of trust – so we can discuss these things.” – Jack Byrnes What are your favourite movies? You know, those movies that you’ve watched a hundred times but if someone suggested a night that includes red wine and that movie, you would cancel the meeting with royalty…Continue reading Lessons from the Fockers: The Circle of Trust
Katecia’s Story: Resilience, Courage and Grace
I met Katecia (Teash) a couple of years ago. Over time we began chatting and I had the privilege of listening to some of her story of courage, resilience and quiet grace. Today I would like to thank Teash for making time to share some of her life experience for this BLOG post. I have…Continue reading Katecia’s Story: Resilience, Courage and Grace