I've just been on local ABC radio talking about the Lord's Prayer in Parliament. I don't normally listen to ABC radio in the morning, but I decided to switch over just to see what was on. The guest this morning was Senator Bob Brown from the Greens. He spoke on a range of issues, mainly the performance of the Greens in the ACT election, but then went on to talk about the Lord's Prayer.
I have to confess I don't know the full background to this story. A quick google search has yielded this from news.com.au - http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24552138-421,00.html?from=public_rss - apparently the Speaker of the House is suggesting we do away with the prayer.
Bob Brown's point was that the time might be better used for a reflection. That people just 'recite' the Lord's prayer and it becomes rote. Indeed, moments after, members are vilifying one another across the chamber!
I rang in to say this:
I support the idea of a time of reflection. I think it would be great if our members of parliament led the reflection. It would give Christian members a chance to say something meaningful. It would give people of all faiths and people of no faith a chance to share the time. People like Bob Brown could say something about why they're there and the business of the day. One of the earlier callers said that 65% of Australians identify as Christians in the census. I said, that while that's true, that means nearly 40% of Australians don't. It would be good to make our parliament truly representative.
If I had known about the proposal to have a Welcome to Land statement I would have supported that strongly too, but I wasn't across all the issues at the time. I think a Welcome to Land is much more relevant for our country at this time in its history than even a time for reflection. After the apology, I'm surprised it's not something we do all the time!
I guess I'm a pluralist at heart. I know that religion isn't that simple. But I believe that there is room for people of all faiths at the table. I believe there are many paths to enlightenment. I have chosen one and I think it's a good one, but the route you choose needn't be any less valid.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Like sands through the hour glass...
It's been quite a while since I said anything here. I know what happened... I went back to work! After twelve months maternity leave I returned to full time work in late January 2008 and what an impact that made. It's a post by itself really.
So, time passes. Like sands through the hour glass.
I spoke to someone about this blog recently and I realised two things:
1) I hadn't updated the blog in AGES.
2) I felt as if I should change my byline! Observing life? Every post here seems to be about death! I think death tells us a lot about life, but death isn't all I'm on about. Of course, the sand has to run out sometime... and it's a reflective process.
I haven't been reflecting about much lately. Just keeping up really - day to day stuff. I didn't want this space to be about that, so I haven't been posting about that either.
I'm hoping to start writing articles again soon.
So, time passes. Like sands through the hour glass.
I spoke to someone about this blog recently and I realised two things:
1) I hadn't updated the blog in AGES.
2) I felt as if I should change my byline! Observing life? Every post here seems to be about death! I think death tells us a lot about life, but death isn't all I'm on about. Of course, the sand has to run out sometime... and it's a reflective process.
I haven't been reflecting about much lately. Just keeping up really - day to day stuff. I didn't want this space to be about that, so I haven't been posting about that either.
I'm hoping to start writing articles again soon.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Are you part of my tribe? The death of Heath Ledger and the tribal mind...
I sat down for a break this morning and watched the morning TV news. Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to do. The lead story was the death of Australian actor Heath Ledger. Ledger was found dead in his New York City apartment Tuesday afternoon (NY local time). An autopsy will be held Wednesday morning to discover the cause of death. Reports are blaming prescription sleeping pills, which were found at the scene, though obviously no one can say yet if this was a suicide or an accidental death. Ledger is reported to have had sleep disturbances caused by one of his latest roles (the Joker in the new Batman movie). Ledger is survived by his two year old daughter, Matilda.
People die every day. Young people (Ledger was only twenty eight years old). Talented people (Ledger was an academy award nominated actor and had won other awards across his career). Fathers. Sons. Across this country families will mourn deaths today that none of us will even hear of, let alone give any thought to.
What is it about the death of an actor that makes us pause? That makes us think of his daughter? That makes us feel as if we have lost someone ourselves?
I've watched Oprah occaisionally lately. One episode screened recently was from early 2007 and themed "America talks to Oprah". One of the topics was celebrity gossip and it brought up a very interesting theory of evolutionary psychology from journalist Carlin Flora.
This from the Oprah website:
Journalist Carlin Flora wrote an article about celebrity obsession in Psychology Today. According to Carlin, an evolutionary psychology theory says people are so interested in celebrities because our brains trick us into thinking we know them personally.
"We're built to view anyone we recognize as an acquaintance," she says. "We think they are in our tribe, so to speak, and so we are interested in gossip about them almost to the same extent we're interested in gossip about our friends and family, because it's important to know what's going on in the tribe."
http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200704/20070406/slide_20070406_284_104.jhtml
There's something in this theory that resonates with me. Obviously, our "tribes" will be different... your tribe might consist of Anime artists, cyclists, scientists, thrash metal guitarists, renaissance painters... you get the idea.
Was Heath part of my tribe? Yes, I think he was... not in a big way, but I know of his work and followed some of it. The latest being Brokeback Mountain. I knew he met his partner Michelle on that movie and that they had a baby girl called Matilda. I knew they'd recently split up. I didn't know he plays the Joker. I also didn't know that he starred with Cate Blanchett in the Bob Dylan movie ("I'm not there"), but that's all being mentioned today.
I didn't *know* Heath Ledger, but it's true... I could recognise him as an acquaintance. The idea that he was one of "us" feels authentic. This tribal idea really interests me.
This post is really about that personal connection. On a more 'abstract' level, it's true we have lost one of our best. Heath Ledger was an award winning Australian actor who took on the most challenging roles when he could have made plenty of money playing the heart throb. He seemed to have integrity and passion - things that are worth celebrating.
My heart goes out to his small daughter. To lose your father is one thing, but it's another when the whole world claims him as their own.
Reports:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/23/2144369.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/23/wledger223.xml
Tributes, including from PM Kevin Rudd:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23095733-661,00.html
IMDB entry:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/
People die every day. Young people (Ledger was only twenty eight years old). Talented people (Ledger was an academy award nominated actor and had won other awards across his career). Fathers. Sons. Across this country families will mourn deaths today that none of us will even hear of, let alone give any thought to.
What is it about the death of an actor that makes us pause? That makes us think of his daughter? That makes us feel as if we have lost someone ourselves?
I've watched Oprah occaisionally lately. One episode screened recently was from early 2007 and themed "America talks to Oprah". One of the topics was celebrity gossip and it brought up a very interesting theory of evolutionary psychology from journalist Carlin Flora.
This from the Oprah website:
Journalist Carlin Flora wrote an article about celebrity obsession in Psychology Today. According to Carlin, an evolutionary psychology theory says people are so interested in celebrities because our brains trick us into thinking we know them personally.
"We're built to view anyone we recognize as an acquaintance," she says. "We think they are in our tribe, so to speak, and so we are interested in gossip about them almost to the same extent we're interested in gossip about our friends and family, because it's important to know what's going on in the tribe."
http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200704/20070406/slide_20070406_284_104.jhtml
There's something in this theory that resonates with me. Obviously, our "tribes" will be different... your tribe might consist of Anime artists, cyclists, scientists, thrash metal guitarists, renaissance painters... you get the idea.
Was Heath part of my tribe? Yes, I think he was... not in a big way, but I know of his work and followed some of it. The latest being Brokeback Mountain. I knew he met his partner Michelle on that movie and that they had a baby girl called Matilda. I knew they'd recently split up. I didn't know he plays the Joker. I also didn't know that he starred with Cate Blanchett in the Bob Dylan movie ("I'm not there"), but that's all being mentioned today.
I didn't *know* Heath Ledger, but it's true... I could recognise him as an acquaintance. The idea that he was one of "us" feels authentic. This tribal idea really interests me.
This post is really about that personal connection. On a more 'abstract' level, it's true we have lost one of our best. Heath Ledger was an award winning Australian actor who took on the most challenging roles when he could have made plenty of money playing the heart throb. He seemed to have integrity and passion - things that are worth celebrating.
My heart goes out to his small daughter. To lose your father is one thing, but it's another when the whole world claims him as their own.
Reports:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/23/2144369.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/23/wledger223.xml
Tributes, including from PM Kevin Rudd:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23095733-661,00.html
IMDB entry:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Rampant: how a city stopped a plague
You know when you change the channel and there's a program on that you know nothing about, but it captures your attention so completely that you have to watch the whole thing? That's what happened to me on Monday December 3, 2007, when the ABC screened the documentary "Rampant: How a city stopped a plague".
From the ABC program website:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200712/programs/ZY9056A001D3122007T203000.htm
Rampant is the story of AIDS in Australia, and how our response to the disease - so radically different to that in the USA and other countries with conservative governments - made us world leaders in controlling the virus, which had the potential to become a plague.
The documentary was so well put together. The key players from the time were interviewed. People like the Federal Health Minister, Neal Blewett and his key policy adviser. The opposition health spokesperson, Peter Baume. Members of the gay commumity who have lived to tell the tale. A spokeswoman from the Prostitutes collective. An activist from the drug scene. Doctors, nurses, nuns.
It was compelling viewing. The documentary comes on the 25th anniversary of the first diagnosis of AIDS in Australia. The first case was a gay man visiting from New York. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that within six months of his diagnosis, this man was dead.
The documentary takes a chronological approach and shows how the disease emerged and how measures to combat the spread were developed. It's absolutely fascinating to see the Health Minister talk about how funding was given directly to gay groups to develop their own advertising, recognising that the bureaucrats did not speak "their" language.
It's chilling to see the emergence of the disease in the blood supply and to hear that babies were dying due to infected blood. It's frightening to see the backlash against the gay community over this.
It's fascinating to see the role the prostitutes played in promoting safe sex.
It's enlightening to see Ita Buttrose speak about the health promotion and to see the development of the grim reaper ad. (The Australian says that nearly everyone over the age of thirty remembers the grim reaper ads. I certainly do... though I wonder if that's from them being talked about so much since. I certainly don't remember the lead up to the crisis (the blood supply issues etc). I was too young).
I think one of the things that tells the story best is the 'slogans' (or themes) from Mardi Gras. I understand that the theme for the 1983 Mardi Gras parade was ‘On our way to Freedom’, while by 1985 it was 'Fighting for our Lives’.
It's sobering when you realise that the doctors who were working in the field were originally working with hunches. They felt that the virus was sexually transmitted and that condoms would make a difference so they started promoting that. They left the verification of those hunches until later and saved countless lives in the process.
Neal Blewett was the right man in the right place at the right time. He trod a fine line to do what was best for public health, even if that meant breaking the law. His sexuality (entirely irrelevant!) and reputation was questioned.
I feel so proud at our very Australian response to this. Through the leadership of those such as Neal Blewett and those in the medical community we were able to put so-called 'morality' aside and focus on the fact that this was (and continues to be) a public health issue. Actions that were illegal (such as needle exchange programs) were tolerated (and eventually sanctioned) as it was clear they were preventing the spread of the disease.
If you get the chance to see this documentary I whole heartedly recommend it. It's really worth watching.
Related links:
A personal reflection:
http://ninglundecember.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/rampant-how-a-city-stopped-a-plague/
Includes comments from the filmmakers:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/courage-on-the-streets-kept-aids-in-check/2007/12/02/1196530481821.html
Public Health angle:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22844588-23289,00.html
Review:
http://mcv.e-p.net.au/television/rampant-how-a-city-stopped-a-plague.html
Study guide:
http://www.enhancetv.com.au/shop/product.php?productid=106458&cat=313&page=5
From the ABC program website:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200712/programs/ZY9056A001D3122007T203000.htm
Rampant is the story of AIDS in Australia, and how our response to the disease - so radically different to that in the USA and other countries with conservative governments - made us world leaders in controlling the virus, which had the potential to become a plague.
The documentary was so well put together. The key players from the time were interviewed. People like the Federal Health Minister, Neal Blewett and his key policy adviser. The opposition health spokesperson, Peter Baume. Members of the gay commumity who have lived to tell the tale. A spokeswoman from the Prostitutes collective. An activist from the drug scene. Doctors, nurses, nuns.
It was compelling viewing. The documentary comes on the 25th anniversary of the first diagnosis of AIDS in Australia. The first case was a gay man visiting from New York. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that within six months of his diagnosis, this man was dead.
The documentary takes a chronological approach and shows how the disease emerged and how measures to combat the spread were developed. It's absolutely fascinating to see the Health Minister talk about how funding was given directly to gay groups to develop their own advertising, recognising that the bureaucrats did not speak "their" language.
It's chilling to see the emergence of the disease in the blood supply and to hear that babies were dying due to infected blood. It's frightening to see the backlash against the gay community over this.
It's fascinating to see the role the prostitutes played in promoting safe sex.
It's enlightening to see Ita Buttrose speak about the health promotion and to see the development of the grim reaper ad. (The Australian says that nearly everyone over the age of thirty remembers the grim reaper ads. I certainly do... though I wonder if that's from them being talked about so much since. I certainly don't remember the lead up to the crisis (the blood supply issues etc). I was too young).
I think one of the things that tells the story best is the 'slogans' (or themes) from Mardi Gras. I understand that the theme for the 1983 Mardi Gras parade was ‘On our way to Freedom’, while by 1985 it was 'Fighting for our Lives’.
It's sobering when you realise that the doctors who were working in the field were originally working with hunches. They felt that the virus was sexually transmitted and that condoms would make a difference so they started promoting that. They left the verification of those hunches until later and saved countless lives in the process.
Neal Blewett was the right man in the right place at the right time. He trod a fine line to do what was best for public health, even if that meant breaking the law. His sexuality (entirely irrelevant!) and reputation was questioned.
I feel so proud at our very Australian response to this. Through the leadership of those such as Neal Blewett and those in the medical community we were able to put so-called 'morality' aside and focus on the fact that this was (and continues to be) a public health issue. Actions that were illegal (such as needle exchange programs) were tolerated (and eventually sanctioned) as it was clear they were preventing the spread of the disease.
If you get the chance to see this documentary I whole heartedly recommend it. It's really worth watching.
Related links:
A personal reflection:
http://ninglundecember.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/rampant-how-a-city-stopped-a-plague/
Includes comments from the filmmakers:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/courage-on-the-streets-kept-aids-in-check/2007/12/02/1196530481821.html
Public Health angle:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22844588-23289,00.html
Review:
http://mcv.e-p.net.au/television/rampant-how-a-city-stopped-a-plague.html
Study guide:
http://www.enhancetv.com.au/shop/product.php?productid=106458&cat=313&page=5
Friday, January 11, 2008
A lonely death, a lonely life?
Yesterday's Sydney newspapers reported the case of a man, Jorge Chambers, whose body has been found dead in his apartment. Officials estimate, from banking records, that Mr Chambers could have been dead for up to a year.
Questions are being raised about how we can better care for our elderly who live alone. A spokesperson from Carers ACT was featured on the radio news at 10am this morning. She said that, among other things, elderly people in the ACT had duress alarms fitted in their apartments which can call for help - if they fall for example. This is good, but it wouldn't have helped this man. According to the report in the Daily Telegraph (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23029203-5001021,00.html) the man was found dressed and lying on his bed. There doesn't appear to have been any "duress" here.
When this man died, no one noticed. His pension was paid directly into his bank accont, and his rent was automatically deducted. The mailbox was overflowing, but neither the postie or the neighbours thought anything of it. What I'm wondering, is why did a neighbour call the authorities now? What is about this week that made him think, "Where's Jorge?".
The electricity was cut off six months ago.
We live in an age where things are done by computer. Accounts are managed from a central HQ, in your capital city, interstate or overseas. It used to be that the person you spoke to on the phone about your bills was someone you walked past in the street. But not anymore.
I don't know how we make "real" connections in this day of "electronic" connectedness. We are fooling ourselves if we think that texting, email and (heaven forbid!) blogs make up for one to one human contact.
And I don't know where we draw the line either. I bet Mr Chambers was a very private man, a man who valued his privacy. How do we balance making sure these people are OK, while respecting their rights and their privacy?
When my mother lived alone we were very grateful for the upstairs neighbour who took it upon himself to look after the oldies in their block of flats. But after a while... I found him to be grating. He seemed to always be around at Mums place... or just around. He had a finger in everything that went on at that block of flats. Little things disappeared from Mums place. Now, in all likelihood, Mum gave them away, but there was a question mark about trust. How do you find someone who you trust to check on your elderly relatives, particularly when the live a long way away from you? And how much more difficult when families are estranged from one another?
As usual, more questions than answers. We need a way for technology to build real communities. I haven't found it yet, but it's something I feel really passionate about.
Related links:
Interesting to see this reported internationally:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/10/ap/strange/main3694866.shtml
Questions are being raised about how we can better care for our elderly who live alone. A spokesperson from Carers ACT was featured on the radio news at 10am this morning. She said that, among other things, elderly people in the ACT had duress alarms fitted in their apartments which can call for help - if they fall for example. This is good, but it wouldn't have helped this man. According to the report in the Daily Telegraph (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23029203-5001021,00.html) the man was found dressed and lying on his bed. There doesn't appear to have been any "duress" here.
When this man died, no one noticed. His pension was paid directly into his bank accont, and his rent was automatically deducted. The mailbox was overflowing, but neither the postie or the neighbours thought anything of it. What I'm wondering, is why did a neighbour call the authorities now? What is about this week that made him think, "Where's Jorge?".
The electricity was cut off six months ago.
We live in an age where things are done by computer. Accounts are managed from a central HQ, in your capital city, interstate or overseas. It used to be that the person you spoke to on the phone about your bills was someone you walked past in the street. But not anymore.
I don't know how we make "real" connections in this day of "electronic" connectedness. We are fooling ourselves if we think that texting, email and (heaven forbid!) blogs make up for one to one human contact.
And I don't know where we draw the line either. I bet Mr Chambers was a very private man, a man who valued his privacy. How do we balance making sure these people are OK, while respecting their rights and their privacy?
When my mother lived alone we were very grateful for the upstairs neighbour who took it upon himself to look after the oldies in their block of flats. But after a while... I found him to be grating. He seemed to always be around at Mums place... or just around. He had a finger in everything that went on at that block of flats. Little things disappeared from Mums place. Now, in all likelihood, Mum gave them away, but there was a question mark about trust. How do you find someone who you trust to check on your elderly relatives, particularly when the live a long way away from you? And how much more difficult when families are estranged from one another?
As usual, more questions than answers. We need a way for technology to build real communities. I haven't found it yet, but it's something I feel really passionate about.
Related links:
Interesting to see this reported internationally:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/10/ap/strange/main3694866.shtml
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