There is a quote by Augustine of Hippo who lived in the 4th century that “The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” Recent events show that nearly 1700 years later, this still applies. The Twitter files,...
Those old enough to remember the 1970’s will recall that society looked different. Those too young can look at pictures of groups of people from that era. Aside from the fashions (although they will no doubt have a resurgence one day) and the architecture, the most...
It is hard to believe that another year is about to end. Almost everyone you talk to, regardless of age, seems to wonder where the time has gone. Aside from anything else, this should remind us to make the most of each day we have and as much as possible live in the...
The term gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as manipulating someone so as to make them question their own reality. The term apparently derives from the title of the 1944 film Gaslight, though the term did not gain popular currency in English until the...
Last month saw the passing of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96. For many (myself included) she was on the throne before we were born and is the only British monarch we have ever known. It is estimated that only 14% of the current Australian population was alive when she...
Imagine sitting at a table where there is a breakfast buffet. It is already a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. Then a voice starts singing. More voices join in. The song is familiar but somehow not the familiar arrangement. More voices join and the harmonies are...
There is a tendency in western medicine to have a reductionist approach. Everything can be reduced to a single cause, or at least a predominant one. In turn this approach lends itself to a single treatment – usually a pharmaceutical agent. This is a variation of the...
Recently I went to a talk given by Ant Middleton, the former SAS officer who has become famous through his role on SAS – Who Dares Wins and SAS Australia. Regular readers will recall that I have written about my fascination with what human beings are able to do...
Even before Covid, mental health issues were on the rise accompanied by significant increases in spending and in use of medications. Despite this, the problems continued to increase. The advent of lockdowns in response to Covid has made the situation worse, in...
Most readers will be old enough to remember “two weeks to flatten the curve”. This was over two years ago. Finally, most of the world is actually living with Covid. Even Anthony Fauci has had to (grudgingly) concede that the pandemic phase is ending, and we are in the...
