26 articles
I borrowed this title from an article in The Atlantic that a friend sent to me. I was drawn to the use of the comparative – why quieter? Why not simply a “quiet” ego? Before even reading the article what came to mind is gone are the days where we self-deny and state that the self does not […]
Increasingly, I’m becoming convinced that showing up is an act of resistance; that the presence of our bodies filling places and spaces is a blessing. In a world where many daily activities are being automised, replaced by computers and machines, how beautiful is the gift of simply showing up? How delightful is it to hear […]
Nostalgia for a disappearing world. Recently I read an article in the news about Sydney’s iconic cinemas that are in danger of completely disappearing. Cinemas had their heyday in the 1920s when going to the cinema on a Sunday “outstripped church attendance” at the time. In the 1950s and 60s with the emergence of TV, videos and […]
I’m well into writing my book about transcendent experiences. I am enjoying it immensely. However it is also becoming challenging to define what I mean by transcendence. The more I try, the more the word seems to slip through my fingers. And the more ridiculous I sound. As I was doing some research I came […]
At a recent writers festival author Richard Flanagan spoke about the inspiration behind his new book Question Seven. He shared that one day a friend of his had an accident which ripped the side of his mouth quite badly. His friend took a photo of it and sent it to Flanagan who gasped at how horrendous it […]
Six-word memoirs and our life stages. I recently came across a website called Six Word Memoirs. The challenge as the title suggests, is to summarise your life’s story in six words. On the one hand I baulked and wondered the superficial, instant noodle, TikTok culture we are to try to summarise our lives in six words. […]
What exactly is a transcendent experience? If I had to describe this kind of experience I’d say that it is a moment or moments when you step outside of yourself and it’s as though something from beyond “speaks” to you. You might get a clear message or just a feeling. The impact is that you […]
Tell me more… Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by what lies beyond us, beyond what we can see and imagine. Who or what is bigger than the universe? Who or what contains the universe in the palm of their hand? You could call this power or being God or god, […]
It feels like there is a sense of powerlessness in the air. Today in the face of overwhelming violence, madness and triviality a lot of people are either burying their heads in the sand or signing up to altruistic causes in an attempt to better our world. In my little bubble, both actions don’t seem […]
It’s a bold statement to make that someone or something saved you. I was listening to a friend talk about how at one stage of her life the faith that she grew up with no longer fit her. It had become like a weighted jacket that made her feel heavy and constrained. Instead of pointing to freedom […]
Becoming students in bleak times “In a dark time, the eye begins to see” wrote poet Theodore Roethke. If this is true, then our hope is that new creative ways of seeing and behaving might open up to us in these troubled times. At Easter my faith tradition weaves threads of hope within the story […]
Comments from a young girl and an older man “I wish I wasn’t so sensitive” said a young girl. So many thoughts went through my mind. Our society has made her feel like sensitivity is a weakness that will stop her from getting ahead in life. She’s heard words like “Don’t be so sensitive” and […]
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