There is something inherent in human nature that seems to compel most of us to romanticise the past. There are two dilemmas here. To begin with the “good old days” were never as good as we imagined. We seem bound to remember the best and forget the rest! And then secondly the past is not […]

A courtier told Constantine that a mob had broken the head of his statue with stones. The emperor lifted his hands to his head, saying: “It is very surprising, but I don’t feel hurt in the least”. What a wonderful response! In the political correct atmosphere of today he most likely would have taken offense! […]

We have been recently saddened by the passing of Gough Whitlam. I thought this week I would like to share with you some thoughts about his influence and his legacy and how he impacted me personally. We all interpret the world through what I call our “worldview”. Our politics in particular are greatly influenced by […]

I am becoming concerned about the preservation of our essential freedom, particularly as it relates to freedom of speech. It is a phenomenon that has become more obvious as we have struggled to deal with militant Islamism in recent times. It is something not only experienced in Australia, but throughout out the Western world. My […]

If I am to ponder about what I know, which is a very questionable domain, there are few things that I am certain about. But after all these years of life, and contemplating things spiritual, there is one truth of which I am sure. This truth is that the feeling we have that we call […]

If we are to look at Australia’s economic progress over the last thirty years we might conclude that we have done quite well. Australia’s per capita GDP over that period has risen from 14th highest in the world to 7th. This is something that we should feel grateful for – but it doesn’t tell the […]

I have written before about my great concern for indigenous Australians. It cannot be denied that from the time of European settlement in Australia our Aboriginal population has suffered terrible injustice. This injustice, compounded by the well-meaning but largely unsuccessful interventions by Governments of all persuasions, has resulted in an indigenous population suffering severe disadvantage. […]

I was gently chided last week for relating to my readers a story told by Richard Wilhelm. Drawing on his experiences in China he described how a Rainmaker was brought in to bring relief to an area in severe drought. The rainmaker was purportedly able to affect the weather by bringing his own mind into […]

Richard Wilhelm (1873-1930) was a sinologist, theologian and missionary. One of his accomplishments was to translate the Tao Te Ching into German (It was then subsequently translated into other languages). He was a personal friend of Carl Jung. He spent more than twenty years in China becoming fluent in Chinese and was a great champion […]

Having not done so for some months, I thought this week I might return to the subject of politics. There was always the temptation to comment on international affairs but it all seems so depressing. Mind you our politics might not seem much better. Except in politics we have at least one of the greatest […]