Reflecting the past

It's interesting to note the sorts of issues that have occupied the likes of me in the last few months.

• the building of a house over the road
• the saga of drug smugglers chief amongst them Ms Corby
• the many vagaries of our Federal government
• the state of the Anglican Church, worldwide and in Adelaide
• the hunt for a new Bishop
• the delights of family life and the sheer pleasure of the brashness of my daughters
• my changing life and the tiny little struggles that I delight in and/or which infuriate me
• the issue of capital punishment
• prejudice against homosexuals
• Australian xenophobia
  
• the demise of political debate
• the sadness of terrorism
• the crassness of huge sectors of the media
• ...and of course..Unintelligent thinking about intelligent design

There is much to amuse the idle mind, do I yet qualify to be a dilettante?

The [false] securities of life

I'm not a very tidy person! It is obvious that some people I associate with find this deeply offensive, indeed the way they talk about it would seem to suggest that they think that untidiness is the deepest moral failing a person can exhibit. Personally I doubt this!
One gentleman in particular obviously talks about me behind my back, even taking pictures of my untidiness. In the greater scheme of things I could care less. Though, living at least in semi-public view, there are times when this form of unwarranted scrutiny is just hurtful.
It is, by & large, true to say that people's criticisms of others say as much about the criticiser as they do about the criticisee!
It would be good if I could live today without trying to be too critical.[though it may herald the end of weblogs if everyone stopped criticising]

Heard in the kitchen

During the news tonight the comment was made:
"John Howard said that Australians wouldn't expect him to not play cricket on the day Van Nguyen is executed"

A voice, not mine, cried out "Yes we would!!"!!

Playing hangman

Singapore's 74-year-old hangman has been retired.(seemingly for talking to the press). Is this a face-saving device in the face of strident criticism about the forthcoming hanging of convicted heroin smuggler Van Nguyen? We shall have to wait and see if they use this as an excuse to shift attention from this offensive situation. But maybe there is another hangman waiting in the wings...

Bali

The sadness of the people of Bali continues. This week the popular Air Paradise, one of the carriers of Australian tourists went through the hoop. Their Australian runs already halved, petrol increasing, the numbers of tourists plummeting, what else could be expected. That two of our family were about to wend their way to Bali again for a very brief visit, and got caught up in this is a bit sad, but the sadness of the people of Bali is appalling,

It is beyond most of us to understand what these mad bombers think they are doing, or who they are hurting, but one thing is clear and that is that, as usual, the most vulnerable will continue to be most vulnerable! The people who will really pay the price are not the suicide bombers, or the opulent tourists, it is not the government in Jakarta, it will be the woman who has two jobs and two small children.
This woman, who is not postulation, but someone I actually talked to in a restaurant, lives in a small inn with her parents; she gets up in the morning to do her duties in the inn, get her kids off to school, and prepare meals for the evening. At 2 p.m. she gets on her 250 cc motorbike and drives into Legian where she works in a restaurant until 11 p.m. and then drives home for the 45 minutes it takes to get her to her bed; and then it all starts over again. She thought my daughters were beautiful. (I do too), but I shuddered because she admired their white skin. She too, was a fine looking woman, I was rather surprised by the reverse racism... If that is not too harsh a word.

I gave her 50,000 rupiah (less than 7 dollars) as a tip, seemingly generous, but pathetically so.

Does she still have a job? Or does she survive on half an income? Who really suffers?

Reactive policy

What spooks me most about politics is what might be generally called reactive policy. That is, a party that has no particular policy but rather seeks to determine public opinion and responds mainly or only to that. Prime Minister Howard is a master of this. But he is certainly not the only one. The worst example of this is pandering to the electorate's sense of xenophobia, and thus setting up an auction with the Opposition about which party can terrify the electorate the most about the presence of non-native born Australians in our midst.

What I want is not reactive policy, but proactive policy. Visionary stuff! Where our leaders offer us some sense of vision instead of pandering to what will get them elected. I doubt that we will ever see this again.

What is even worse is reactive opposition. Where Opposition's are told by their advisers to distinguish themselves from the government in order that choice might be able to be made, when people go to the polls.
It doesn't seem to matter much what the truth of the matter is, as long as a choice can be made!
So we see that now the South Australian Opposition is against trams. Now, I am not particularly in favour of what seems to be a bizarre waste of money (albeit an interesting tourist diversion), but surely there are better things to spend your money on from the government's point of view, and more important things to address:

• the state of roads
• the education system
• the health system
• · and so on!

To be fair to my local Liberal member, and now Deputy Leader, that is what he seems to be saying. It is, though, totally reactive. But where is the vision?

Christmas cheer

Yikes! It is almost upon us. I already have diary entries up to September next year. The net effect of having Christmas Day on a Sunday means that we seem to run a week short. It can't be true of course, but the end of the year is frighteningly, paranoically, hysterically close!

So I have appreciated the extraordinary gift of having a week retreat for three nights in the last week. An unusual form of retreat, perhaps what is often called "a retreat in daily life", Monday Wednesday and Friday evenings in the week before Advent just being quiet. The group which organised it, Affirming Catholicism, called it "waiting before the waiting begins". It seemed a quirky title. But I have appreciated having time before hurtling down hill begins.
The retreat director, Philip Carter, as always offered piercing insights. Chief among them for me this time was that God is giving us in these few short hours,' time back'. I desperately need it!
Rigorous diet, losing lots of weight, and just an exhausting schedule... Including the demolition of the Parish Hall, and a whole lot of reshuffling around the Parish ... Mean that this early Christmas seems desperately upon us...upon me. I am glad I got some of the time back!

The incredible lightness of blogging

I never quite got back into the rhythm of weblogging after our mid year holiday to Bali. It takes something of an effort and those who manage daily entries are to be commended.
Most are helpful and insightful....well actually that is a ridiculous comment .....there are millions of blogs so it is impossible to offer any meaningful assessment, but I can say that I am struck by the thoughtfulness of those I stumble across.
If you go here then Blogger. com always gives a random selection of blogs which will give you some idea of the variety and quality. Or if you go here you will find a selection of Anglican-Episcopalian weblogs which for those of us who belong to that stream of life will demonstrate something of its legendary comprehesniveness.
Anyway to get back to my original point it is hard work keeping up the regular blogging, though I think well worth it. Some (eg. My sister) found only energy to do three entries.
Others just go out of business at exam time or, like me, when they go on holidays.

What will history make of this latest literary fad. We shall have to wait and see. Any way it is now one minute after midnight...and I am determined that I shall keep up with the task, and try to be more faithful.....as the Bishop said to the actress.

Death sentence

I don't know quite how you get to the point where you can, as a judge or other legal officer, pass a death sentence. The unfortunate Van Nguyen seems to be not only the victim of the inhumanity of the Singaporean government, but also of the failure of the media to expose this execution until it is too late, and of the failure of governmental nerve and initiative on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia.
There would seem little doubt that Nguyen is guilty, but that has not stopped the media before. The frenzy over Corby and more recently, Leslie (who is now free) both found guilty was bizarre in the extreme. Nguyen has been in custody for over three years! One can only speculate where the media has chosen to not expose this tragedy until the last six months.
Is it good enough, too, for the Commonwealth to simply sit back and say we will not interfere with the sovereign processes, no matter how unjust or inhumane, of another country. This did not actually apply to our involvement in Iraq!
Personally, I would want an Australian government to say.."We actually believe that execution is wrong, barbaric, and cruel" And then to use its influence to do what it can. It is not apparent that this is the case. But that may not be so. Downer seems genuinely pained (in my opinion) when discussing his inability to act.
This highlights, once again, how despite our desires we still live in a world which, at least in parts, easily retreats to the hideous cruelty of a bygone age.

Death be not proud

Various commentators have expressed their view about the forthcoming hanging of 25 year old Van Nguyen in Singapore for heroin trafficking.(see here for the latest confusion on this issue). We would be foolish to think that he is going to be granted clemency, and I am sure that the big-mouthed shock-jocks in the eastern states, and probably Adelaide's own, Mr Bib and Bob Francis, have shouted in their self-righteous indignation that it serves him right.
More measured commentators like The Bulletin's Tony Wright say such things..Most Australians are opposed to the death sentence... The usually accurate Wright is dead wrong here!
Most research shows that we hover aroound the 50-50 mark. These issues can be easily swayed by the shock jocks like the Lawes and the Joneses of this world (I think most people see through the blustering of a bully boy like Francis---see for example the saga outlined on Media Watch in recent weeks)
To my mind the most telling comments are not that anyone thinks the Nguyens or the Bali 9 should get off for what loooks like the sheer stupidity of trafficking drugs in or through Asia, but those who say "What if it was your own son or daughter?"
Indeed we asked ourselves that question last night. The absolute cruelty of Nguyen's mother receiving the news by letter unwarned, uannounced beggars our sense of fair play.
My opposition to the death penalty is much stronger than this. It is just plain wrong. It may assuage the unresolved psyche's of the media-hungry bully boys, but it is of no social use what so ever.
Quite the contrary.
We want to believe, I think, that humanity is more human than all this....but we are frighteningly shocked when it lands on our own doorstep. Particularly when we see the death penalty not as an application of justice (however deluded) but a crude appeal to a base political sense more designed to keep ambitious men in office than to address problems. That this analysis can be laid particularly at the feet of the rulers of the most powerful nations of the world shoudl scare the pants off us.

Nice one!

Despite a previous whinge about the endless stream of terror reports on the news(here), today we go to the opposite extreme.
"31 year old drought broken.....Australia into the finals of the Soccer World Cup"(see the lead story here)
While the ABC has usually withstood the commercial demand to focus on sports stories...today both the 8 a.m. news and morning news program AM capitulated completely. To be fair to the latter they did begin their morning program by noting that in Damascus some Australian women had been questioned...but they came back to that story after the soccer.
This, on a day when Secretary Rumsfeld is in town! On a day when no one will be allowed to walk in front of the Adelaide Town Hall or on the western side of Kaiser Wilhelm's Strasse....sorry King William Street...(forgot which country I was in for a moment) for 3 blocks while Herr Rumsfeld...sorry forgot again...Mr Rumsfeld is here.
What does it all mean?

Any way we had a nice clergy conference for two and half days in the Barossa...and we invented a new vaudeville joke for Chad's benefit.....Who was that lady I saw you with in the spa? That was no lady that was........ah well, those who were there will know the meaning and end of it.

Have a nice day today.

Time marches on

Apart from being the edge of the "silly season" I am at that time in my life when rites of passage are happening all over the place.
My niece's engagement, my great-niece's baptism, my godson's wedding, earlier in the year my eldest's 21st...and so it goes on.
Saturday we went to a 21st of the 2nd son of my best man, Peter. We have been friends for 35 years and kept generally in touch. What impressed me was to see, as you do on these occasions, the gathered family.
Peter was one of two sons, his brother died. Like it or lump it there is a deep vein of sadness in that family to this day about that eventwhich happened long before we met. But Saturday night the family was gathered and the patriarch and matriarch, both looking the same as they have always done....but ready to go home by 8.30, were able to see Peter and his four sons. One daughter in law, and one fiancee. And the pride and joy one great grandson...who looks exactly like the four boys did!!
I could not help but think that despite the unspoken sadness of a lost son, there is much to be thankful for.
Lest we think this is a soppy paeon to family life, let me also say that this family is totally whacky. With the birthday boy best known for break-dancing and backwards-somersaults.
None of them are quite where we thought they would be...and thank goodness for that.

Terror.

A recent new program began with words: "Today's program is dominated by stories of terrorists and terrorism"
I felt myself groan within.
By contrast, rock guitarist-singer Courtney Taylor (pictured right) during a serious moment on a comedy-news show was asked----"What is the message of your angry songs?" or words to that effect. Taylor's answer was quizzical and a serious look descended on him, "Oh, I think it's just that you should turn off CNN."
It seemed to me trivial were it not for the fact that, as in the instance above, I have often longed to do just what Taylor suggests; and most of us have.
It is of course no solution and we should not do it. Terrorism will only be defeated if we address it thoroughly and comprehensively. We may long for it to disappear, but the terrorists don't and won't. However easy it is for a Dandy Warhol to dismiss the world. Or for you and me to do just that too, we live a privileged life which gives us that freedom but which does not solve the problem.

No rubbish

It should at the very least be noted that the completion of the previous entry (see here) was that after two days of ghastly weather; when there was not only a great pile of hard rubbish but we had also had constant rain for 48 hours...the most for many years...at 6 a.m. the small band of dedicated workers arrived and within ten minutes the "detritus" had all been despatched. And well-despatched too, not a tiny little of unpleasant residue left or anything...but all cleaned up. We take the work of these humble servants so much for granted.

Lest we forget

At 11 a.m.
did i imagine that
we all stood still

the radio went quiet

and the computer didn't type

even the cars that drove passed my window

were fewer

and drove at attention

head bowed

over the bayoneted rifle

i did not forget Charlie

who loved the Bible

and who taught me at Sunday School

and who went to the Somme

and Ypres

thereafter he travelled only to his work

by foot

the quiet grocer

a smile on his face

only because he would sing

what a friend he had

No, I did not forget him.

the detritus of our lives

Each year our very excellent Council has an "hard rubbish collection". It requires ratepayers to put their hard rubbish out on the pavement and some time during that week it will be picked up.
This works quite well, though there is rather a lot of it this year....a variety of reasons for this....and it has some drawbacks.
People pick it over. Although this is technically illegal there are scavengers who carefully scrutinise (with an intense scrute.....a quote from Milligan, I think, though it now appears to have a life of its own!!!) and then pillage.
We even tried to place our rubbish out so that if people wanted to take it then it would be quite accessible, but people who ravage rubbish tend not to worry about restacking it. So the longer it stays the messier it becomes.
My father-in-law told me that their neighbour had carefully packed all their hard rubbish in two wooden tea chests; some so and so came and tipped all the rubbish on the lawn and took the chests!!
I placed two very old speakers and an unrepairable DVD player which didn't work on the curb, within 5 minutes they had gone.
Then there is the phenomenon of hard rubbish reproduction. There is now a garden fountain and high chair and an old ironing board. Curious offspring of the breeding habits of this pile of rubbish.
There is much to lament about all this.
But bless the fellas who'll come along at some hour and make it disappear. What a world!!

Fornication, Celibacy, and chastity

Well the title may grab your attention!
A respondent to a former entry about celibacy (see here) asks why I assert that Christians are called to be chaste!
Let me try to begin some discussion on this.
Language
It needs to be said that language is in a state of constant change, and the formerly infrequently used words "chastity" and "celibacy" (particularly the latter) have in latter times taken on a life in popular culture which a decade ago they didn't have.
Celibacy, a word, until recently, almost exclusively reserved for the world of religion is now used to address the lives of young people who choose, to refrain from having sex.
It is now in popular usage, and probably popular culture is more engaged with this group of people than with the issue of whether or not certain religious officials are required to remain unmarried.
In previous usage I would have thought this decision to abstain was actually what we call "chastity".
This word, too, in my mind, has had a change of meaning.
It used to refer to single people choosing to abstain from sex, but now has a wider meaning (see here for example) as per this definition: " not having had sex, or only having a sexual relationship with the person whom you are married to".
In this latter sense I responded that married people are called to be chaste, but obviously they are not celibate, and they may and do have sex!
My point is not so much to narrowly define the words but to recognise that the language of relationship is fluid and changing. We can talk about relationships with gay abandon! But even that innocent expression means something different now than it meant to my father who died over 20 years ago
Chastity
"Can you explain," my respondent asked,"why we are called to be chaste?"
This is, of course, a good question and it deserves proper attention.My short answer is:
......

there is a complex of influences that need to be brought to bear on such issues, these include:
the scriptural witness
the tradition and teaching of the church
personal experience
and individual conscience.

To rely on just one of these is to ask for problems and distortion...

I sense a treatise coming on......
There would seem to me little doubt that the Judaeo-Christian tradition, drawn from the Bible and as put into practice by Christians for 2000 years understands that the proper place for sex is in committed one-to-one relationships. [I don't wish to get into same-sex relationships here, but it seems to me that this possibility is not discussed by the scriptures...but same sex immorality is condemned, as indeed different sex immorality is too!]
There is no doubt that this is a high standard and we struggle with it. At times we fail spectacularly...those Borgia Popes you know!....
What I also note is that my personal experience is congruent with this. And I suggest that most Christians would agree with that. In the end, sex is an important thing, it is not neutral or meaningless it is, in fact, charged with meaning and powerfully influential.
You do not have sex with someone as though it is "recreation" and then walk away as though we have not been affected.
Much of our media portray sex in this sort of way, but I think it is just not true. I actually think a case could be made to suggest that "casual sex" is a myth put about by men...who do not understand that women are not from Mars...nor do they think that sex is "casual".
My experience tells me that sex is important, and never without consequence.
This is, I think, quite consistent with the traditional scriptural teaching about chastity and the understanding and teaching of the church.
Conscience
Finally, in the end our consciences must inform what we do. The great theologian, Thomas Aquinas, tells us that "The one who acts against their conscience always sins".
Let us not think we are given a rule book and told to go out and obey the rules. In one sense that is the very opposite of Christianity.
We are adults destined to exercise free-will.
St Paul tells us

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1)

This is, for me, the core of the work of Christ. But so often we like to be treated as though we are less than this, and/or to treat others without the respect that this grants them.
Like all, complex issues, conscience and freedom require that we grapple with the difficulty of these issues for ourselves.....and not merely conform to the rule book.
What, I guess, I have offered you is some of my grappling with this issue.

Religious claims

A correspondent in the Adelaide Advertiser today notes that PM Howard et al, in their treatment of refugees lack of compassion. The last knife (an apparent religious slur) notes that Howard declares himself to be "a faithful Christian". Here's a reply (which they probably won't publish) .....

Your correspondent Allan Nield (The Advertiser 4/11/05) rightly criticises the PM's lack of compassion in the so-called "Pacific solution". He draws a long bow when he also adds: "He(Howard) claims to be a Christian".

Two salient points need to be made. Many, many refugee advocates are Christians also, and are driven by their Christianity to work for justice and compassion. My experience working in a Christian community is that most, if not all, of my fellow-parishioners are appalled by our(and I use the term "our" advisedly) government's brutality with respect to genuine refugees.

Second, the bland statement of a person's religion is not a guide to how they construct the working out of their faith. What ever faith, individual adherents will arrive at seemingly contradictory social positions. Atheists and agnostics are not free from this phenomenon either. It is imperative, in particular, that we understand that Moslem does not equal terrorist, and not use religion as a slur against anyone.

Better aesthetics

Of course (see the previous entry)what ever mess we make of the environment there is always the single bird call, and the simple beauty of the magpie which reminds us that we are not the ones who know best.