Tag: politics
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Patriotic, Not Nationalistic
Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you? I’m patriotic, but I’m not nationalistic. Nationalism, as I understand it, is loyalty sharpened into superiority. It needs an “us” that feels threatened, and it often looks for a “them” to blame. Patriotism is different. Patriotism is love of home—paired with responsibility. It isn’t blind.…
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I Don’t Fit the Box Anymore
How have your political views changed over time? When I was younger, my politics were simple. Not because I lacked conviction, but because I hadn’t yet needed to question it. My family leaned conservative, so I did too. It felt like the default setting. But growing up rearranged the furniture. Somewhere along the way I…
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Free as a Brat
For many, the announcement of a “Word of the Year” might feel trivial, especially when the chosen word is “brat.” It’s not about war, policy, climate crisis, or scientific breakthroughs. It’s a cultural blip—mildly amusing at best, eye-roll-inducing at worst. The redefinition of “brat”—from spoiled child to a blend of chaotic confidence, hedonism, and emotional…
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What Would I Change About Modern Society?
Not everything that matters can be measured. Not generosity.Not endurance.Not the quiet resilience of a young man who studies through grief,or the kindness of a woman who smiles even when she misses her mother’s funeral. In my eight years as principal of a university college, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside students who arrived…
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Politics Is Personal
A Poem for Ali France In 2011, Ali France and her younger son were at a shopping centre when an elderly driver lost control of his car and ran into them. She pushed her son in his stroller out of the way but was seriously injured and had her leg amputated as a result. In…
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A Way of Being in the World
There is a kind of public influence that disturbs the soul. It cloaks itself in authority, but what it reveals—again and again—is a profound betrayal of moral responsibility. It is not simply a matter of disagreeing with policies or positions. What is at stake is something deeper: a way of being in the world. This…
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Make Australia Nate Again
A nod to the local bloke who ran for a seat that doesn’t exist Nate Newell, local mechanic and owner of Star Garage, made headlines this week—not for a scandal, not for a policy gaffe, but for throwing his hat in the ring for a federal seat that technically doesn’t exist. That seat? Mona Vale…
The Afterword 