Many social commentators are keen to remind us we live in an uncertain world. They are quick to point to our parlous geopolitical situation with the rising influence of antidemocratic forces in China and Russia; the threat to our health and wellbeing of the Covid epidemic and unpredictable outcomes of climate change. Most would have […]

I have explained in previous essays that humankind (because of our consciousness) has unique needs not shared, as far as we know, by other animals. These unique needs are our spiritual needs which compel us to strive to have a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. Elsewhere I have written that humans are […]

Forgive me for my self-indulgence. But just a week or two ago I lost my younger brother, Bruce, to cancer. Although I tried to talk to him every day his end was difficult and I felt inadequate dealing with his pain. I feel I owe him a little more in trying to celebrate his life […]

We live in troubling times. First we’ve had to contend with the coronavirus pandemic. Just as we seemed to be emerging from this threat we have been beset with major flooding in Queensland and New South Wales. But now, the final straw, Russia has invaded Ukraine with the real prospect that Vladimir Putin could trigger […]

As you would likely know by now I have been critical of the response to the Covid pandemic by both state and federal governments. My principal concern has been governments’ unprincipled use of fear to coerce us to abdicate our freedoms. It has been somewhat alarming to me that Australians have capitulated so easily to […]

Adolescence is a comparatively recent social construct. Whilst the ancient Greek philosophers had a little to say about the transition between childhood and adulthood, this phase transition really only became accepted in the nineteenth century. The concept of adolescence has played a critical part in the emergence of “identity politics”. Idealistically, Western society saw a […]

There is an old saying that whoever discovered water, it wasn’t fish. Fish are continually immersed in water and it is so common place to them that they don’t notice it. In Australia we have a similar problem with democracy. Because, like the fish with water, we are immersed in it, we take it for […]

A Parable A prince went to see a famous sage. The dissolute prince complained to the sage that despite all his wealth and privileges he was not happy. “Is there some advice you can give me, that might help me find some joy in my life?” implored the prince. “If you could learn to love […]

The English poet William Wordsworth wrote a poem which he titled The World is Too Much with Us. Many of us today would believe that was a very strange title for a poem. But for me that is not the case. Let me explain why, The essential part of being human is our consciousness. When […]

It seems to me that we in the West have begun to take our democracies for granted. Most of us, particularly our younger citizens, want the freedoms our democracies provide, often abusing them, but without having invested in the maintenance of such freedoms. Only a generation or two ago many young men fought and died […]