“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!” Sir Walter Scott (no relation of course!) We often attribute deception to those of our own species that have the intelligence and the guile to mislead us. However deception is widely practised by living organisms throughout the world. It no doubt provides […]

We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality. – Seneca the Elder It was interesting to read in the paper the other day that there was some reputable research and loads of anecdotal evidence to suggest outdoor adventure programs are very beneficial to our adolescents. They have […]

I have on a number of occasions referred to the following quote by Anais Nin: “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” It is such an insightful observation about how our minds shape our perception of the world. It suggests poignantly that there is no reality other than what […]

The Italian scholar and poet, Francesca Petrarcha (1304-1374) was known in English as Petrarch. He was a contemporary and friend of Dante and Boccacio. He popularized the works of the Roman poet Cicero. Some of his own poems were later put to music by Franz Liszt. Petrarch is sometimes given the credit for instituting the […]

When I sit down to write my weekly blog essay I often feel a little uncomfortable. I write about disparate things of which I have little knowledge and I suspect I am indulged by a readership who on many occasions is more well-versed in the subject matter than I am. As I get older I […]

During a discussion with one of my friends recently, he related how he had seen a journal (at the airport I think) advertising an article on its front cover titled something to the effect “Does a Gorilla Have a Soul?” This is an intriguing question. It may of course be unanswerable. (Remember my reference in […]

Many of you would remember the nursery rhyme round we used to sing in our school choirs. “Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream.” There are many interpretations of this little verse. It has more depth than we ever imagined when we were merely […]

In my little blog essays I have often talked about world-views. My rusted-on readers would know by now that a “world-view” is essentially a filter through which we view the world. Anais Nin’s famous quote, “We don’t see things they way they are; we see things the way we are,” alludes to this truth. The […]

Australia’s aging population is putting some strains on both our society and our economy. Many of our older workers are leaving the workforce resulting in a diminished tax base and a higher demand for health and welfare services. One of the strategies that both sides of politics is employing is to offer more inducements to […]

In his fabulous little book “Awareness” the Jesuit teacher Anthony de Mello differentiated the subjective self and the self as object by referring to them as “I” and “me” respectively. Not being able to make this differentiation causes us no end of troubles. The issue of dualism and its resolution has been a problem for […]