talk is cheap

So we have started a thing in Footscray called "Jive Talk", which is a social conversation based around different issues that affect us on many different levels. The idea is that we get a guest speaker in each month at our local cafe, "The Dancing Dog" and have them speak for half an hour on the topic of their field, then enter the bar/cafe area after that for conversation. It seems that the project is gaining momentum early in it's life and we hope that it grows.
We are also hopeful that it isn't just a group of middle class people sitting around throwing around ideas and not doing anything about it. I guess it's the tension between action and reflection. It is vital to talk about what's going on in our world. There seems to be an absence of this. Our media throws so much at us that is irrelevant or misleading. I feel that the media machine is a huge contributor to the massive sense of apathy we have in our culture. As a sense of fear grips our country and countries like the US and Britain, we cling to our belongings and make sure we look after number one. Loving our neighbour, let alone loving our enemy becomes virtually impossible. We are all trying to survive, to make it to the next financial year above the line and keeping a loving eye on how our fellow human is doing hasn't any room in this equasion.
SO, back to Jive Talk. Through this process, we are hoping that as we engage with very specific issues like homelessness, addiction, grief and death, peace and nonviolence and others that we can move from dialogue to active participation. It doesn't mean that everyone has to get involved in everything either. We can't do all things and we can't be all things to all people. But we hope that an awakening of the human spirit will occur. That people will stand up and say NO, it's not good enough. Let's let the voice of the people permeate through the streets with the birth pangs of the world. Let's stand with our broken brothers and sisters and cry with them. Let's not pretend that all is roses and that if I am ok, then the world is ok.
I am excited about what is to follow. I am distressed with the state of affairs and know that many others are as well. So let brother and sister, black and white, gay and straight, short and tall, blonde and brunette stand together and celebrate diversity, equality and a voice of love.

I'm back

Well, I had completely forgotten I created this over a year ago, but stumbled across it again. I have been meaning to get back into writing so here goes.

There has been much going on over the last twelve months. Many changes in my own world and the world around us. The US have a new president, our Prime Minister said "sorry" and some people believed it, and others thought is wasn't worth much at all, I have been in a wonderful relationship and happy it is going so well.

One thing that hasn't changed as long as I can remember, and as long as history books go back is the presence of war in our world. The struggle here is multi-faceted. We are at war on so many levels, and most of these levels we are not aware of. We are engaged in personal wars. The little voices in our head that continue to reek havoc. The wars in our own neighbourhoods. These ones are more prominent. The drug war, the gambling war, the consumeristic war. We are told to buy everything, cover our butts and make sure we are comfortable. And yes, forget about the 95% of the world that don't have clean water, basic health care or any kind of stability. It's crazy. I was in my backyard the other day and noticed the most prominent sounds around me was the traffic (I live by a main road), the birds and the occasional siren, which could be ambulance, police or fire. It struck me that we are so fortunate to live in a place where the dominant sounds in the background aren't morter or gunfire.
Imagine if this was the scene where you live. Would you get used to it? Would you become desensitized to it? It scares me to know that there are children in these places who go out to play and come back with severe injuries from finding old landmines or not at all.

We face wars every single day and for the most part, we either ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist. We pretend we don't know that this or that brand is produced in labour camps. We ignore the fact that a great deal of our clothing comes out of sweat shops. Are we too weak to make our own choices or are we too resigned to the face that this is the way it is and we can't do anything about it?

Many questions. I'd like to keep writing and I'm not too fussed if no-one sees what I write. But if you do, and if you have thoughts or complaints or anything.... please share them.