2025: The personal Year of Kindness

I’ve allocated the theme of kindness to this year 2025.

What it can teach me about what it means to live a good life.

To explore how kindness can show up each day. To be intentional about it: to start the day with what can I do to be kind today? Then review at days end how did kindness show up today? To record in a journal the day to day significant points.

To start conversations about it, invite opinions and listen to stories.

To read and be exposed to teachings on the subject

To express it in my art, in the choice of music to listen to and play on guitar.

To share it on the pavement chalk.

To share the journey with others who care to join me.

To understand how kindness extends from small acts to addressing the broader issues of our times. From the personal to community to national and international? How kindness can extend from people to animals and the natural world and then to the future. The connection to justice and politics.  

 

Why kindness?

Have been thinking about it for some time and see that it is not something treated that seriously. The typical context is small acts of kindness to strangers and being something almost childlike. I’m interested in diving a lot deeper and seeing where it might lead. I’m drawn to it because it is action grounded on compassion and empathy with the concerns of others at the centre. It is also interesting to read of the wise people who say the most important thing in life is to be kind – think Mother Teresa.

 

Reflections thus far:

Intentional kindness can be surprising – it takes me out of my own concerns and towards those of others.

It is good for relationships. People like being around kind people.

Joy and good humour is usually well received.

A small act of kindness is easily done, the bigger acts take more thought and effort.

Kindness is often limited to personal interactions - I want to explore the broader implications for justice and non-human dimensions.

Candle of Kindness

In the darkness of despair, pain and vulnerability

the fear can be overwhelming. 

I’m drawn inwards, my breath audible.

Is this what life will now be like?

I search for a light to illuminate a way forward, an escape.

Maybe it is just a flicker, something, anything.

To give hope that this place is not permanent.

I scan the horizon, turn behind me, waiting. 

And there it is just like that 

the torch of Kindness lands upon me and points in a direction I can step towards. And I take that first step, not a big one but it is enough. 

It is gone just as quickly, but its job is done.

Now the darkness does not weigh so heavy. The veil lifts slightly. 

There is hope and I am grateful.

Another candle of kindness will pass my way 

and I too, when ready will carry my own candle in the night to find you. 

A good Christmas neighbour

Chatting with a friendly dog walker in the park she asked me if I liked Christmas? Yes I love Christmas I said, to which she said but it is so stressful and difficult. Why have we turned this time of hope into a frantic time with heightened expectations and tension? I do reflect upon my Christmas visits to prisons back in the 90s and understand that is a place of sadness, loss and separation at this time. For some the heightened emotions of loss and grief are certainly difficult. Though for most of us it should be a time for resting, reflecting and sharing. A time to be a: a good son/daughter, brother/sister, partner, parent and a good neighbour. 

Christmas is about ... a baby, the simple joy of the miracle of life and hope for what may come for this life.  

Christmas is also about peace, but not the comfortable peace of the privileged or the sappy peace of holiday cards, but peace as wholeness and healing of the seeds of violence.

Christmas is also about justice, and not justice of the powerful with authority over the lowly with righteous license to tear down every group but your own, but justice as compassion enacted in protection for the poor and vulnerable.

Christmas is also about having the heart of kindness – to forgive and reconcile, to reach out and share,  to see the other and be prepared to walk alongside them. 

Christmas is also about being the good witness, bystander and neighbour – and who is my neighbour?

Look to the Samaritan

Who is my neighbour I asked?

Look to the Samaritan I am told. He who had no name and came from another place, who happened to share the same road, who showed compassion to a stranger. 

Look to the Samaritan, the one who knew what it meant to share the same road, the same planet, the same trees, the waterways and the air we breathe. 

Who could speak the language of kindness.

Who would smile and say hello to the fella sleeping rough, 

Who would pick up rubbish in the park when no one is watching, 

Who puts out water for the birds in summer,

Who sees the Judean, the Russian, the Afghani, the young and the old, those on the left and the right, and does it just the same. 

Who knew there is no them just us.

Look to the Samaritan, the signpost of compassion on the road of life.

But I would have to go out of my way, be inconvenienced, might be late, might be out of pocket, might get nothing in return, not even a thank you for my trouble. 

Yes it might just be that way, but I did ask the question who is my neighbor?

So what do I do now that I know?

Gaza – how to change the narrative?

An ongoing unease or simmering internal anger is the destruction of Gaza and our response. The helplessness of not being able to influence proceedings can remain as despair so the question is how do I show up authentically with this? How can the active hope approach help? 

Firstly let my gratitude extend to the supporters of the people of Gaza such as MSF and locally the WA Friends of Palestine and then my friends who are using social media to share content. There are many positive stories that encourage inspiration. 

It is sobering to follow MSF’s reporting of what is happening on the ground in Gaza: 

For those who have managed to survive the relentless onslaught of bomb blasts, shelling and gunfire in Gaza, staying alive has meant moving continually from place to place with whatever basic items they can manage to carry. However, testimonies from MSF staff and patients, collected over the past nine months, clearly show that nowhere is safe in Gaza. MSF 10 July 2024.

At what point do we say enough is enough? How can 40 000 fatalities not be enough? All the words calling for restraint have been ignored. The Labor Government refuses to criticize Israel’s actions at the risk of taking sides. Incredibly the Australian Zionist lodging a complaint with the Human Rights Commission accusing the former SBS broadcaster Mary Kostakidis of breaching racial discrimination laws by posting criticisms of the Israeli government. Dutton calls for a ban on Palestinian refugees and a poll shows that the majority support this. Sigh.

The US response is even more disheartening. Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in the US Congress received 58 standing ovations .where even Kamala Harris strongly supports Israel. Though her deputy Tim Waltz at least has called them into account.

There is little to cheer about for the near future and any intervention from Iran will force the US to an even more hard line solution. 

So where to head to for wisdom in the search for hope? Looking for inspiration I find the following wisdom: 

Most of us feel completely powerless in the face of the ruthless suffering that is happening in Palestine and Israel. But the yogi desires not to gain power over the outside world, but rather to raise their own inner power and act as a saint first before a warrior. To feel powerlessness gives one an opportunity to grow in consciousness so that we do not create so much pain and suffering in the future. We can ask ourselves, what is my role here in what is unfolding? What power do I have to influence a positive change for the future? https://kundaliniresearchinstitute.org/en/the-gaza-israel-war-unfolding-wisdom-grace-compassion/

Let us not forget: The Palestinians in Gaza are our permanent neighbors, and we are theirs… One of the dreams of Zionism was to be a bridge. Instead, we are creating exclusion between the East and the West instead of creating bridges; we are contributing to the conflict between East and West by our stupid desire to have more. A. B. Yehoshua

I am taking the side of Peace whose name has barely been spoken in this winnerless war.…don’t ask me to wave a flag today unless it is the flag of Peace. Don’t ask me to sing an anthem unless it is a song of Peace. Don’t ask me to take sides unless it is the side of Peace. Rabbi Irwin Keller via Jack Kornfield https://jackkornfield.com/taking-a-stand-a-response-to-the-ongoing-conflicts-in-the-world/

And this that I’m now learning on the guitar from Yusuf (then Cat Stevens)

Now I've been crying lately / Thinkin' about the world as it is / Why must we go on hating? / Why can't we live in bliss? 'Cause out on the edge of darkness / There rides a peace train / Oh, peace train take this country /Come take me home again Peace Train, 

So in the Active Hope context: 

Gratitude: I’m very grateful for the action of those on the ground in Gaza supporting people to survive under oppression. Thinking of MSF who continue to be present despite the odds.

Honouring the Pain: I acknowledge the trauma of those in Gaza and the hurt felt around the globe. Also the Israelis who are living under heightened tension and anxiety.

Seeing with new eyes: To try and be open to different points of view.  

Going Forth: I commit to having conversations with others and thinking creatively to express my concerns. To play and sing Peace Train while sending loving thoughts to Gaza. To write to my local MP.

Photo: One creative approach to gather attention in the neighbourhood. 

How do we become a more loving just and sustainable world?

 

I have been reflecting on how to bring about a new consciousness needed to awaken a more loving, just and sustainable world. This is partly in response to my ongoing concern at the electoral support for Trump and Dutton and their slogans to make people feel more secure and protect their way of life. I have been reading the Quarterly Essay on Peter Dutton which chronicles his journey to his current position as leader of the opposition. We grew up close by and at a similar time so I have some extra curiosity. Growing up at a similar time and location is no recipe for common values it seems.

That support comes from many Christians makes me quite perplexed as my understanding of the Christian message is one of love, hope and inclusion not fear and division. The most often use phrase in the bible is ‘be not afraid’ yet leaders are using fear to adopt policies of exclusion under the mantra tough on crime and keeping borders secure. The fear of losing something runs deep and goes with a philosophy of scarcity thinking rather than abundance.

Back to the Christian side of things Jesus was pretty clear on this subject – the parable of the loaves and fishes was a strong message of abundance – there is enough for all if we share! A total of one-third of food produced is wasted and the fact that we have kids going hungry is a blight on society. Aside from the Sermon on the Mount one of my favourite parables is the lost sheep – the shepherd left their 99 sheep to go and find the one lost sheep because all are important. We are all worthy in contrast to Dutton’s and the Christian right who judge who should be excluded.  

But HOW do we bring about change? In the writings of Richard Rohr the meditative contemplative reflective mind is required to bring forward a new consciousness. Personally a bushwalk is one of my ways to turn off the brain chatter and tune in to the depths of the natural world to see what new ways of thinking might emerge. The Courage and Renewal retreats that I’ve been lucky enough to go have also been opportunities to go that bit extra deeper as well. Bringing a daily discipline is hard and I recall Neville Watson’s view of an hour a day a day a week for contemplation. Easier said than done though.

Wisdom from the elders:

A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members. Mahatma Ghandi.

No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. Albert Einstein

And a recent favourite from Brian McLaren below who shares his dream of a harmonious earth (refer his podcast on ‘learning how to see’).

So in the Active Hope context:

Gratitude: I’m very grateful for the wisdom from cultures and elders who understand the importance of inclusion for a more just and loving community. I’m also grateful for the youth who have enthusiasm for making the world more sustainable.

Honouring the Pain: I acknowledge that many are lost and may be feeling unloved and left out of their families and communities.

Seeing with new eyes: To create the space to allow for new ways of thinking – thinking sideways and upwards (see photo below).

Going Forth: I commit to adopting a regular contemplative space and to be striving to be a source of healing and not judgement.

Dreaming of a Harmonious Earth - Brian McLaren 

This is my dream, and perhaps it is your dream, and our dream, together: that in this time of turbulence when worlds are falling apart, all of us with willing hearts can come together … together with one another, poor and rich, whatever our race or gender, wherever we live, whatever our religion or education. I dream that some of us, maybe even enough of us, will come together not only in a circle of shared humanity, but in a sphere as big as the whole Earth, to rediscover ourselves as Earth’s multi-colored multi-cultured children, members of Team Earth.  

I dream that the wisdom of Indigenous people, the wisdom of St. Francis and St. Clare and the Buddha and Jesus, the wisdom of climate scientists and ecologists and spiritual visionaries from all faiths could be welcomed into every heart. Then, we would look across this planet and see not economic resources, but our sacred relations … brother dolphin and sister humpback whale, swimming in our majestic indigo oceans, with sister gull and brother frigate bird soaring above them beneath the blue sky. We would see all land as holy land, and walk reverently in the presence of sister meadow and brother forest, feeling our kinship with brother bald eagle and sister box turtle, sister song sparrow and brother swallowtail butterfly, all our relations.  

In my dream, the reverence we feel when we enter the most beautiful cathedral we would feel equally among mountains in autumn, beside marshes in spring, surrounded by snow-covered prairies in winter, and along meandering streams in summer. In my dream, even in our cities, we would look up in wonder at the sky, and a marriage between science and spirit would allow us to marvel at the sacredness of sunlight, the wonder of wind, the refreshment of rain, the rhythm of seasons. At each meal, we would feel deep connection to the fields and orchards and rivers and farms where our food was grown, and we would feel deep connection to the farmers and farmworkers whose hands tended soil so we could eat this day with gratitude and joy.  

In my dream, our life-giving connection to each other and to the living Earth would be fundamental, central, and sacred … and everything else, from economies to governments to schools to religions … would be renegotiated to flow from that fundamental connection. In my dream, we would know God not as separate from creation, but as the living light and holy energy we encounter in and through creation: embodied, incarnated, in the current and flow of past, present, and future, known most intimately in the energy of love.  

Photo: A new way of seeing - looking up rather than down.

The shifting landscapes of reconciliation

 

Sorry Day 26 May and Reconciliation Week has arrived carrying the theme Now More Than Ever. The theme is clever, timely and so relevant to our times. The term ‘Reconciliation’ has been part of the vernacular since the 1990s and has defined efforts to bring First Nations and the rest of us together. Yet post-referendum many are questioning what reconciliation stands for and maybe it is time for new directions. This presents a challenge to Reconciliation Australia and Reconciliation WA.  So I’ve been watching and listening to voices to understand how the landscape may be shifting

At the Danjoo Koorliny festival in March I attended a circle breakout session led by three young Noongar artists. They spoke of the loss of the referendum as deeply hurtful and are now emerging with a new sense of purpose. One said she is finished with doing art sessions for corporates and community events and will now only work with kids and Noongars. Another said she is not sure what she will do but she knows she will not go back to what she had been doing – applying for grants and being in the wajela way of being. There was a sense of support amongst themselves and excitement of the unknown path ahead. They all agreed they want to do things their own way where ever that may lead. My role? Allow them the space and offer support when the time comes.

Other voices also speak in terms of self-determining ways of being and advised us wajelas to be listening and supporting their approaches and to stop dictating how they should be. Rather than them attending our events and our RAP efforts, they wanted us to turn up to their events – which is what Danjoo Koorliny represents. Today I went to the Fremantle Arts Centre to see Revealed – an exhibition featuring new and emerging artists celebrating ‘the diversity, talent and passion of contemporary Aboriginal Art practice in Western Australia’.

The Allies for Uluru dialog has heard from emerging First Nation voices urging us to remain committed to the Uluru process for Truth Telling Voice and Treaty despite the Voice element being hit on the head in the Federal context.

Personally so many times I’ve thought of good ideas and expected others to agree – ‘what if we had a reconciliation labyrinth on the river and get Noongar leaders to talk about the significance of the place’ or my judgemental assessments of indigenous art and thinking how I can be inspired to recreate my own interpretations.

The fundamentals of the Reconciliation process remain – to establish relationships and make connections, recognise and acknowledge history and cultural wisdom, and to make reparations for healing. Many times I’ve been advised that we have lots of work to do on our side and we should allow Noongar leaders to do what they need to do themselves.

There are voices that have moved to truth-telling as a needed process and I can understand how that acknowledgement still does not extend through our communities. I agree that what is more important than truth telling is truth LISTENING as so much has already been told the problem is on the listening side!

The call for healing remains and is certainly needed Now More Than Ever. The healing is on many levels – individually, communally and for country including our lands, waters and sky. So my byline for this week is ‘Be a part of the healing of country and community’.

So in the Active Hope context:

Gratitude: I’m very grateful to the elders who hold the wisdom people who have been resilient. 

Honouring the Pain: I acknowledge the dents in hopes for the voice, and more broadly the failure to listen and acknowledge the shortcomings of our western approaches.

Seeing with new eyes: There are so many ways to tap into different ways of seeing the world. Trevor Ryan (ECU) described today the need to tune into the vibrations and I admit that I’m a long way from that level of connection.

Going Forth: I commit to listening to voices and country and specifically to learning more noongar words to try and understand Noongar ways of framing our world. As Cass Lynch says how to be ‘living a good life on Noongar country’. 

Photo: my pavement art, 26 May 2024.

What more do we need?

My colleague gave a presentation following his attendance at COP28 on an update of the climate. It was a summary of a report he co-authored for IPCC that detailed the changes over the 2011-20 decade compared to previous in terms of temperatures (air and ocean), sea level, rainfall, ice cover and extreme events. It was headlined  ‘accelerating changes’ and some takeaways include:

Temperature: The rise in global air and sea temperatures is accelerating - the global graph says it all. 2023 was the hottest year since records started and 1.18°C above the 20th century average. I remember when 1998 was regarded as an anomaly it being so much hotter than previous records and now it looks benign. How will 2023 be regarded in another 25 years I wonder?

For sea levels the decadal rise was 4.5mm/year – doesn’t sound like much but if you consider the next 100 years that equates to almost half a metre and the trend is increasing so it is likely a lot more. Many coastal areas won’t cope with 0.5m rise.

Rainfall - a story of floods and droughts. Santiago had lower rain than normal for the entire decade and the South African drought 2015-17 put Cape Town’s water supply under great threat. Interestingly the heavy rain over the Sahel region has long term consequences for Lake Victoria and flows along the Nile that takes years to respond.

Ice cover: Antarctica lost nearly 75% more ice in 2011-20 than 2001-10 especially over west Antarctica. There has been dramatic ice loss over water since 2016 but there is higher uncertainty of ice estimates over the land mass. Glaciers are all retreating though there have been some local short term increases.

I was scientifically impressed with the amount of rigour and effort that went into the data. What stood out is the studies on attribution of extreme events - what are the reasons causing the changes? In the vast majority climate change is a strong contributing factor to the extreme events. In some cases the data is not available to prove one way or another.

This is of course no surprise and nor is should the general public claim ignorance. The term global heating is also beginning to usurp climate change as well which is something I hope takes general acceptance.         

Of course the data is one thing – and experiences of floods, droughts and bushfires permeate communities everywhere. What is missing is how that translates to behaviour change and policy changes. What can we do and what is stopping us from doing it?

At a neighbourhood Christmas party which touched on the recent heat, one neighbour chimed in that his grandchildren will probably want to guillotine him for all the emissions he was responsible for and possibly for his generation too. Yet he said it in a semi-jovial way that went with the attitude but I’m of course not going to change and went on to describe their international holiday intentions and expected confirmation this was socially admirable.

Sonja Geiger, an environmental psychologist has studied behavioural change and says that information alone does not change our behaviour. As someone who knows he could lose a few kg for a few years but still eats to not lose it I can resonate with that. Sonja noted the one thing that most influences is the ‘social norm’ factor. We change when everyone else (ours social peers at least) is doing it. Less people smoke now because less people smoke! It helps to become a vegetarian if you are married to one. Of course establishing the social norm is not easy and takes leadership on multiple levels.

Some point the finger and expect governments to do the work but I’m channelling the spirit of Franciscan priest Richard Rohr in saying it is all – me you, local government, state government, all governments, UN, small business to large corporations, schools, Unis – EVERYONE everywhere has a responsibility to change to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. And being neutral is not good enough we must work to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations not merely maintain them.  We should all be accountable of our carbon footprint – using the data to make our assessments. See Carbon calculator: https://wwf.org.au/get-involved/ecological-footprint-calculator/

I think that is something we need to think deeply on and deserves its own post.

At COP28 the report card is bleak reading. One standout positive is the status of the ozone hole – it continues to improve. A showcase to all that if we collectively agree to act on the science (Montreal protocol to curb CFC emissions) then progress can be made. So there is hope!

As I write Trump is about to win the first of the US primary election ballots in Iowa - the state where I spent a year as an exchange student now 40 years ago. I wonder how information there can win out over rhetoric but I digress…

So in the Active Hope context:

Gratitude: I’m very grateful to the people who have provided us with such deep knowledge of this world across the millennia. 

Honouring the Pain: I acknowledge the ongoing suffering and the negative legacies we are leaving the next generations with respect to a hotter world.

Seeing with new eyes: I observe myself making life choices that differ from previously and also how hard it is and how long it can take. I read of inspirational people doing things differently.

Going Forth: The need to have conversations everywhere, promote a low emissions lifestyle and restore our planet’s health. Rethinking consumption choices to tread more lightly. Being carbon negative (climate positive) as a conscious choice. So much to do …                                                                                    

Photo: Global temperatures. https://berkeleyearth.org/global-temperature-report-for-2023/

The voice – hope for unity

I’m experiencing mixed  emotions in the lead up to the Voice to Parliamement referendum. Hopeful to realise a step forward for all of us in recognising the First Nations people and their value to our nation; concern for their well-being and what the future may hold should the vote not get up, and wonder as I hear the spectrum of viewpoints across society. 

I’ve been trying to dig behind the No people’s concerns and see what approaches might change their hearts and minds. 

As I sat listening to a relative and her husband go through the list of NO perspectives I was challenged to reply with confidence, respect and find the ‘hook’ that might get them to sit back and reflect on another way, rather than just be argumentative. It wasn’t easy and I realised (again) that when values are so different it is difficult to reach people, no matter how pleasant they may be. To a point I understand as my education also lacked empathy and insights into First Nations people, their cultures and wisdoms. Even though in hindsight I was school friends with some, their identity was denied so it was never even a consideration except when some were labelled with being a ‘black bastard’. My journey has been blessed with opportunities for understanding and knowledge. Through friendships, reading and listening, and experiences of connection with Country that has shown a pathway to recognising the traditional wisdoms.

Now we are being asked whether we want to approve what First Nations people are asking for. I reflect upon the recent journey towards this point in time:

In December 2015 The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten appointed a 16 person Referendum Council on constitutional recognition led by Pat Dodson and Mark Liebler. The brief was to conduct a national consultation process on how Australians think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be recognised in the Constitution.  The indigenous sub-committee oversaw 12 indigenous-led dialogues attended by 1200 people to seek input on a way forward. This culminated in the Uluru conference in March 2017 where the Uluru Statement from the Heart was agreed by 250 delegates. 

In June 2017 the Referendum Council released their report to Government. Unfortunately the political timing was wrong as Malcolm Turnbull was under great pressure from the right wing and sadly the government quickly dismissed the report. Roll the clock forward and the Albanese government came to power with a commitment to the Uluru Statement so here we are months before the referendum with polls showing the result is on a knife edge.

Are we prepared as a community to listen to what First Nations people have asked for? Or do we just keep on making decisions for them,` thinking we know better?

 Independent Kate Chaney offered this “The Uluru statement is a generous invitation to invest the time in listening and understanding. It’s an acknowledgement that we are in the season of makuru, the season of fertility. We have the ideas, but we’re not yet ready to implement them. Through the voice, let’s invest in building relationships and respect. Let’s invest in listening and learning. Let’s commit, in our constitution, to continuing to try to get it right together.”

Amanda Vanstone noted “A loss would set back by a decade, probably more, the opportunity to move forward together as a nation in both coming to terms with our past and building a better future. It would do a great disservice to indigenous Australians.”

So in the Active Hope context: 

Gratitude: I’m very grateful to the wisdom within the Uluru Statement from the Heart and to the many  elders and contributors in the process that led us to this point

Honouring the Pain: the history of Australia since 1788 is based upon the foundation of British dominance over the First Nations people. The colonial history was at the expense of their cultures and people. Ignorance and self-interest crushed generations. Now they are in the spotlight increasing vulnerability.

Seeing with new eyes: It is important to understand the concerns from all sides. The First Nations people who don’t see how a voice will make a difference to their lives and want a treaty instead to those who think it will just divide the nation by having one group have something special that others don’t. How can we bring people together to walk forwards.  

Going Forth: The sense of urgency to basically convince the majority to vote YES in October. The ongoing truthtelling and education imperative to reach our young people primarily who will shape our future as those older generations are swept away.                                                

This is a time for activating our hope!

Photo: Advocating for the YES.