Philosophers over the ages have debated the question, “What does it mean to be human?” My answer would be that it is the special nature of our consciousness that makes us human. Not only can we think but we are aware of our thoughts. Not only are we aware but we are aware of […]
Religious scholars tell us that the notion of heaven or paradise is a relatively recent human idea. Heaven was largely unknown to the characters of the Old Testament. They did not seem to aspire to eternal life in a paradise with God, but in a rather early acknowledgement of Richard Dawkins and “The Selfish Gene” […]
The French geneticist and Buddhist monk, Matthieu Ricard has been the French translator for the Dalai Lama and has written extensively and convincingly about altruism. Ricard quotes the Dalai Lama as stating, “My religion is kindness. And the essence of my teaching is that every sentient being, even my enemy, fears suffering as I do […]
I write this essay with a sense of some sadness. In it I will relate how the Australian Labor Party has lost its way. You see, even though as you have detected from reading my essays, I have some conservative views, I come from a family that have largely been Labor supporters. My father was […]
Trigger Warning: This essay, among other things, discusses trigger warnings in a way (somewhat intentionally) that may offend some poor sensitive souls. It does so not to intentionally offend them but to engage them more realistically with the world! _______________________________________________ It is easy to be impressed with the constant march of technological progress. We all […]
I was ensconced in my office, (which is really my den,) on this particular Sunday evening. My well-being was at a particularly high point. I had just partaken of a magnificent curry and was indulging myself with a wee dram (as is my wont) whilst listening to a glorious Mozart piano concerto. Then all of […]
Often when we are absorbed in meeting the exigencies of everyday life we lose our broader perspective. We “can’t see the wood for the trees”! Consequently we fall into the trap of feeling insecure and convincing ourselves that our lives are somehow threatened by modernity. I suppose reading the newspaper doesn’t help. Bad news dominates […]
It is an admirable thing that people assume responsibility for their own well-being. Heaven knows there are so many who want to take on the mantle of victims or expect the state to provide the largesse or the escape mechanism to extract them from their misery. But even those with the praiseworthy ambition to deal […]
There is a tape running in my head of a song I remember from my youth. As I recall the words exhorted us to “accentuate the positive; eliminate the negative.” It is certainly in our nature to strive for happiness and avoid pain, discomfiture and negative emotions. But in this essay I want to convince […]
There is a lot happening in the world, and this week, instead of devoting my essay to a specific topic I am going to indulge myself by making a few comments about current issues. Let me first make a comment on the Recognition Referendum debate. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition joined this […]