Love vs Fear

The Essential Phil Harker Some weeks ago I published a tribute to Phil Harker. I thought it might be useful to outline some of his key beliefs. As we travelled on this journey of discovery together, his philosophical understandings and psychological insights had a beneficial effect on my life. It is likely they might be […]

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Australia’s Looming Electricity Catastrophe

The overwhelming victory by Labor in the recent Federal Election will have many flow-on effects. One of the more disastrous will be Labor doubling down on its renewable energy policy. Chris Bowen is already claiming the victory as a mandate to continue his reckless pursuit of renewable energy. It is an assertion that is pretty […]

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A Last Salute to the Good Dr Phil

  My friend of 40 years has now departed this earth. Dr Phil Harker my long-time associate and mentor has left his body and gone to a better place. The world is diminished with his passing. I first met Phil sometime around 1986 when he was part of a selection panel assessing applicants to be […]

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The Creation of History

My long suffering readers will be aware of my fascination with time. It seems indisputable that, no matter how you construe time, the only reality is “now”. No sentient being is able to access any time other than the present. In essence we reconstruct the past and we imagine the future. Mind you some of […]

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Let Me Ask Again, “Who Has Got The Problem?”


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! […]

November 1, 2014

Remembering Gough


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 […]

October 25, 2014

Speaking Our Minds


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 […]

October 18, 2014

Getting Beyond I


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 […]

October 11, 2014

Going Down the Gurgler


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 […]

October 4, 2014

The Recognition Referendum


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. […]

September 27, 2014

Form and Substance


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 […]

September 20, 2014

Putting Things in Order


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 […]

September 13, 2014

An Abbott Anniversary


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 […]

September 6, 2014

Unconventional Thinking


Years ago I stayed at a pub in Melbourne. I went down to the bar and had a drink while I was waiting for a colleague to join me for dinner. I ordered a beer at the bar and took a sip whilst looking around familiarising myself. All seemed to be pretty standard until I […]

August 30, 2014