I went to a meet the author event at ANU with my friend Daniel. Hugh Mackay, who had written Australia Reimagined, started trotting off all the reasons why things are bad in this country.
Things like:
There's also the idea that compassion is a cool mental decision to treat people kindly and with respect.
One remark that I totally agree with:
The state of the nation depends on us as we can't and won't look to political leaders.
After all, they're the ones often conducting themselves poorly and manufacturing fear. Even with the idea that middle class Australia is doing it tough - we have the ability to change our spending after all.
He mentioned something about this town:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/21/town-cure-illness-community-frome-somerset-isolation
Apparently the things that older people criticise young people for are what will equip them for the uncertain future ahead.
He predicts a return to mutual societies, credit unions and the like, and away from repulsive commericialism. Like what happened when AMP converted from a mutual society.
Part of it was also getting away from institutions that have failed the people. He claims there is an increase in house churches in Australia, in the same style as there are in China.
Interestingly, he says there was frequency analysis done on literature from way back to the century just past and there's a lot more occurrences of I than we nowadays.
Things like:
- 2 million Australians suffer from anxiety
- 1 in 3 Australians will suffer significant mental illness in their lifetime
- 65-75k Australians attempt suicide annually
- Social fragmentation has led to a quarter of households being solo, and in 15 years it'll be a third
- 1 million Australian kids live with only one parent
- Pets are child substitutes - eg a dog named Ian
- ICT promised to bring us together but makes it easier for us to stay apart
There's also the idea that compassion is a cool mental decision to treat people kindly and with respect.
One remark that I totally agree with:
The state of the nation depends on us as we can't and won't look to political leaders.
After all, they're the ones often conducting themselves poorly and manufacturing fear. Even with the idea that middle class Australia is doing it tough - we have the ability to change our spending after all.
He mentioned something about this town:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/21/town-cure-illness-community-frome-somerset-isolation
Apparently the things that older people criticise young people for are what will equip them for the uncertain future ahead.
He predicts a return to mutual societies, credit unions and the like, and away from repulsive commericialism. Like what happened when AMP converted from a mutual society.
Part of it was also getting away from institutions that have failed the people. He claims there is an increase in house churches in Australia, in the same style as there are in China.
Interestingly, he says there was frequency analysis done on literature from way back to the century just past and there's a lot more occurrences of I than we nowadays.
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