A long time ago in Emerald, so the Fishers Almanac says, Mary’s boychild, Bruce, was born on a torrid Christmas day. Now, initially there seemed nothing particularly special about Bruce. But being an only child, he was doted on by his mother of course, and greatly loved by his father, Alf. Alf was a keen […]
I vividly remember in my late teens thinking to myself, “Before I die I need to learn about religion.” It seemed to me that there was something important here that I could not avoid confronting. My mother was a non-practising Catholic and my father was an atheist. And I would have to say in our […]
There is no doubt we live in strange times. Those of us who live in Western, liberal democracies are probably enjoying the most congenial circumstances that citizens of this earth have ever experienced. We enjoy representative democracies and elevated standards of living beyond the dreams of our ancestors. Yet, despite these indisputable facts, many are […]
I would like to again take up the theme that I initiated in my previous essay. That essay was an autobiographical journey of my experience as a drinker. Whilst only a few of you responded directly with comments on my blog, quite a number contacted me privately expressing their enjoyment. In retrospect, however, there are […]
An abstainer is a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure. Ambrose Bierce My wonderful daughter often buys me books for my birthdays and other occasions. Although my tastes in reading matter are far from the ordinary, she generally manages to find me something suitably provocative and engaging. I would […]
Discovery, Conquest and Capitulation Mankind and its immediate predecessors have occupied the world for hundreds of thousands of years. Initially that occupation was dominated by tribes of hunter/gatherers of no more than a hundred or so individuals. The initial population of the earth was sourced by the movement out of Africa by hominids and humans […]
It is hard not to despair about indigenous disadvantage. Every week we hear anecdotal evidence of indigenous children being neglected, resulting in high rates of criminal activity, substance abuse and incarceration. Despite a huge expenditure on efforts to improve indigenous welfare we see little concrete evidence of improvement in the more dysfunctional communities. Mind you, […]
When you are a senior executive, it soon becomes apparent that your effectiveness is hugely dependent on your decision making ability. Delivering on the enterprise’s strategic plan, ensuring long term profitability, enhancing productivity and creating and sustaining an appropriate organisational culture, all rely on effective decision making. As humans the two obvious impediments to good […]
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The American Declaration of Independence The American Declaration of Independence is based on the premise that we all have rights […]
As Eric grew older he became aware of how fortunate he was to be the son of Jonas and Helena. Whilst they were reasonably strict parents their unconditional love for him was manifest. Some of his friends lived in dysfunctional families that seemed to oscillate between indulgence of their children and irrational demands. This gave […]