Now

Music can move us in unexpected ways.

I enjoy a fairly wide variety of music, with the notable exception being most 80s music. I remember hearing Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the early 90s for the first time, and how I welcomed that change in musical style.

Nearly two decades later Pearl Jam have released another album, Backspacer, which I have been listening to quite a lot. One song I can't seem to get enough of is 'Just Breathe'. The lyrics of this song anticipate the future, and yet are also firmly grounded in the present.

"Yes I understand that every life must end
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go

I'm a lucky man to count on both hands
the ones I love

Some folks just have one, others they got none..."

Much of our thought and speech seems to anticipate the future, or be stuck in the past. So many of us struggle to fully appreciate and remain in the 'now' moment. Life is full of distractions and it is all too easy to waste. We don't usually like to think about it, but one day our time on this amazing planet will end.

Remaining present with those we love is important, even if its not always easy. I readily admit that I have much to learn about being present with others.

I strongly identify with the sense of gratitude the above lyrics express concerning loved ones, for I know this is not everyone's experience. This song has certainly prompted me to really think about who I love, and who loves me. It has challenged me to consider how, and with whom, I want to spend my time. And it also begs the question, 'Who do I want to become?'

The Holiday

I recently saw an episode of Seinfeld (The Butter Shave) which begins with Jerry and George sitting in the cafe with fake a moustaches.

Jerry (picking at his moustache): You know I cannot stand this thing anymore... I told you, we should have taken some kind of vacation.
George: Well, why didn't we?
Jerry: Because you said this would be better. Remember? A vacation from ourselves; that's what you said!

It's a funny idea. Impossible, yet strangely appealing - having a break from yourself; your responsibilities and concerns.

Malkanthi and I are on holidays for a few weeks now, getting some much needed rest. Far from a holiday from ourselves, but a holiday none-the-less. The responsibility and rewards of parenthood remain. And our thoughts are also still with those suffering around the world, for whom there will be no holiday nor immediate relief.

As we look at and consider our beautiful yet suffering world, much of the problem seems to reside with the reality that too many people are on permanent vacation from caring (or at least meaningfully acting) about the suffering of others.

Is this a fundamental flaw of our human nature, or a habit we can overcome? I don't know. Hopefully the latter, and hopefully we have reasonable grounds to hope we can become more humane (human) than we are at present, both individually and collectively.

Hope & Joy

Hope is an amazing thing!

Malkanthi and I had the joy of dedicating our beautiful daughter, Anjali, this Sunday. Most of our friends and family were present to celebrate the occasion, with well wishes sent from those who couldn't be there.

The dedication brought into sharp focus the hopes and dreams we have for Anjali. Simple hopes for a happy life, full of love.

To hope your child's life is full of love and joy comes naturally and is universal (although sadly not everyone's experience).

It was encouraging to see so many people at Anjali's dedication, affirming Anjali, Malkanthi and I, and our desire that Anjali would sense the presence and love of God and others throughout her life.

Life is so precious and fragile though, and hope so tiny and seemingly impotent in the towering shadow of reality. Yet we still hope!
Hope is the unjustifiable expectation of joy. It is in our DNA. It amplifies our suffering, and yet we still hope.

And we hope that our hope does not dissappoint us, even though we know it may.

As a husband and parent, I have learnt to hope for the happiness of those 'other' to myself, especially Malkanthi and Anjali, more than my own happiness. While my words and actions may not always reflect this truth, the truth remains.

Hope and joy. Future and present, reaching out to each other.
How precious hope is!

Hope, Suffering & The Kingdom of God

Buddha broadly defined suffering as not getting what one wants.

In a consumer culture, this has led to a culture of suffering. When we hope to receive what we do not, we suffer. Sadly, it is our desire to have what we do not need that causes others suffering too.

When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God, he was refering to both a present reality and a future hope. Amidst the suffering we feel when the Kingdom of God is not experienced in our lives and our hope for an eternal life free from suffering, we live; suffering and hoping.

Engaging this reality is the Christian task.

Teamwork

There's no 'I' in 'Team' (although there is an 'M' and an 'E')!? ;)

While a team is made up of individuals, a good team is more than the sum of it's parts. I remember learning this the hard way in my early twenties.

I was part of a talented group of other young men who formed a basketball team. We joined a local B grade competition with every expectation we would win the championship. While we made it to the finals, we did not win. In fact, we lost our first three finals.


As dissappointing as this was at the time, as I look back now I can see how character building it was for us all. We continued to improve as a team, eventually winning the B grade, then A grade championships. The following year we moved on to a better competion to win a couple of championships there too.

Understanding our role in a team is vital. While I don't play a lot of basketball anymore, I still appreciate the value of teamwork, and benefit from applying the principles I learned on that basketball team to other areas of my life.

Be it at work, sport, church or home, the team dynamics we find ourselves in create opportunities for ourselves and others to grow, succeed and belong.

I thank God for the privilege of being part of some great teams in my life.

Coat of Arms

I was recently doing a bit of personal research into the family name and was interested to learn a bit about the name's history.

It is a 'habitational' name, generally denoting the place/s we came from, while the first element in the name (walh) was variously Old English for ‘foreigner’. As Salvo Officers who move around, I thought this was quite apt.

The Walton coat of arms dates back several centuries, with variations (as many coat of arms do). I have since modified the colour and borrowed a slogan from a less familar Walton coat of arms. While retaining the original overall design, I've finished up with an original coat of arms for our lttle family too.

The slogan reads 'Omnia Vincit Amor'. Latin, for 'Love Conquers All'.

Along with the family name written at the bottom of the coat of arms, which provides a rich sense of identity, the slogan serves to remind us that family ties alone are not enough.

We need to ensure we maintain that sense of family, within and beyond the name.

'Love Conquers All', including the insufficiences of one name defining a rich history of diverse people coming together to create a family that bears that one name.

'Omnia Vincit Amor'. What a great way to define family!

Contemporary Ethics

After watching Boston Legal this week; a quirky law comedy, I couldn't stop thinking about how engaging the issues were: age discrimination, drug use, loss of health and loved ones. Like many of the legal and medical tv shows, both sides of an issue are convincingly presented, leaving it to the view to consider what is right.

There is an intrinsic part of the human mind that searches for answers to life's deepest questions.

Post Enlightenment, religion and theology were the mainstream forums for discussing morality and ethics. Post Modernity, I cannot help but wonder whether contemporary legal and medical tv shows are now meeting this need for most of our western culture.

There are no simple 'biblical' answer to many of today's issues, as in generations past. Guiding principles such as "do to others as you would have them do to you" can even be employed to support opposing views, and seldom lead to a helpful or definitive consensus.

Where religion has abused it's power, dictating to people what they are to believe, these tv shows are inviting people to think for themselves. Typical of post-modernity, a solid point of reference is missing, which only seems to make these tv shows all the more appealing.

So, do such tv shows really challenge us to think in more ethical terms? Do they contribute towards a positive transforming of culture? A more just and equitable society? I don't know. I suspect that for some, like all good theology and philosophy, such viewing will challenge and inspire them to action.

And while our points of reference may differ from one another, I am encouraged to think that those with a worldview different to mine are also considering, if not currently engaged in, securing a better future.

I Believe in You

From time to time someone will say something radical or visionary, enabling you to understand something dear to you in a completely different way. One line in a song on the latest U2 album had such an impact upon me recently:

"It's not 'if I believe in love',

but 'if love believes in me.'"

I have often wondered if the word love is a cypher for God in some U2 songs.

Either way, I think there is far too much said about people's need to 'believe in God' without enough mention of God's belief in them. Too often, we have put the cart before the horse in this regard, wondering why our journey is so awkward.

This lyric fit so well with my understanding of God and something deep, previously adrift, just seemed to slot into place. I can believe in a love (or a God) who believes in me. Love that believes in me, believes in us, opens up the future to freedom.

It's not 'if you believe in love'... Love believes in you!

And out of that love, in that love, we can breathe and live.

The Little Things

Most mornings Anjali wakes up happy, even laughing.

If I tuck her knees up against my belly, and gently bounce her as we talk, she lights up and giggles away. It's a wonderful way to start the day, and always fills me with joy.

It has been amazing to watch her develop and grow. Having now passed the four months mark, Anjali is taking an increasing interest in the world around her, grasping and mouthing her clothing and toys.

Isn't it funny how the little things in life, often free, are the things that make us the happiest?

Despite all the flashing lights, bells and whistles that scream for our attention (and purchase), the relationships that mean the most to us seem to be what we truly treasure, when we're not taking them for granted.

My wife, Malkanthi, seems to have a very natural grasp on this simple truth, that most others, including (especially) myself, seem to so often miss. I think I'm slowly learning in this regard, and know I have much to learn still.

I guess 'the little things' are really big things!

Moments with those we love, and those who love us: they shape us, define us, locate us, and inspire us to grow and develop ouselves.

I often see, in the interactions of Anjali and Malkanthi, two people who are entirely present to each other. It is both beautiful and inspiring.

In many regards, the present... now... this very moment is all we really have. I am more and more convinced we should do all we can to make to most of it.

Confessions

I do not eat meat, but I wear leather shoes. I am concerned about the environment, but I don’t always recycle. Sometimes I spend too long in the shower, and we’re in the middle of a drought.

I have learnt to live with these (and many other) inconsistencies in my life.

This does not mean I am satisfied with these inconsistencies, or that I think they can be excused. It just means that I am realistic about where I currently am and where I want to be in the future.

It saddens me when I hear people who have resigned from trying to live a more ethical life. Some feel that if they try and then fall short of ethical purity they are somehow fraudulent or hypocritical.

Let’s embrace our inconsistencies. Rejoice in our humanness. Accept who we are and where we are, in the knowledge that we can improve how we live.

If you would like to commit to improving in just one area of your life, let me know, and I too will commit to something, and we can hold each other accountable.

Lao Tzu once said, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ Let me challenge you to commence, or encourage you in continuing on a journey towards a more ethical lifestyle.

Whispers of Warning

Our future will be determined by our present actions, and our actions are presently questionable, at best.

Aspiring to an ethical lifestyle can seem overwhelming and often eludes us when we try. There are times when we've made changes that have really cost us something, only to hear later that it is in fact worse to have made such a change.

So we become disenchanted; content to just plod along with the flock, with very little thought or effort to ascertain exactly where our flock is headed.

A growing scientific consensus seems to indicate that we're poised to wander straight off a cliff, but what do they know, really?

The pull of consumerism is strong and the fog of distraction and misinformation is thick. Disenchantment is replaced by disinterest - its too hard to know what's really going on. And so we continue to just plod on.

Anyway, an entire flock will not just wander off a cliff, for those at the front will see it coming.

Who's up the front there anyway?
What... Did someone say Scientists!?!

Local Responsibility

The Victorian bushfires, which have torn through our state and hearts, have brought unspeakable grief and loss to many.

We felt horrified and helpless as the death toll soared and the terrifying reality of what had happen sunk in.

This Wednesday past (18th Feb) I was part of a small response team in Yarra Glen, where The Salvation Army is working alongside other agencies to assist those effected. Local Red Cross volunteers serving in the kitchen there mentioned they had lost friends and where still unsure of whether other friends had survived. Those volunteering at the makeshift distribution centre also said they had also lost friends in the fires.

One family I spoke with told me of how they saw there neighbours houses bursting into flames and feared they were about to die. They took me out to where they live and showed me how the fire had come within two hundred metres of their home. One house will be in tact, front garden and all, while the house next door is nothing but rubble.

I could see how the ferocity and indiscriminate nature of the bushfires will remain in and trouble the collective memory of Yarra Glen for decades to come. Yet I could also see a deep resilience and courage in the eyes of many; a profound determination to overcome. Some were even reluctance to accept help if it meant those who had fared worse than themselves got less.

As part of a nation and world that has reached out to embrace those who have been through so much, I felt privileged that it was my hands that touched the lives of a few very amazing people.

In days to come I hope and pray the bushfire survivors come to realise, and are encouraged by, just how big those loving arms really are.

Global Responsibility

I have recently finished reading Global Responsibility: In Search of a New World Ethic by Hans Küng.

In this book Küng explores the need for an ethical consensus amoung the great world religions; a consensus that will save humanity from itself.

Building on the foundational document,

Declaration Toward a Global Ethic,

(http://www.weltethos.org/dat-english/03-declaration.htm) people of faith are challenged to look past that which divides and to consider instead what lies at the heart of their own religion and how they are to remain true to themselves and their faith.

Today, we are aware of the faith-experiences of those outside our own religion. We are humbed, too, by the vastness and beauty of our world. And we are finding God in people and places previously unimagined.

Speaking as a Christian, and as I reflect on my own faith-experience, I find: a God of love, a golden rule (do to others as you would have them do to you) and now six billion people created in the image of God. I find the imperative to love unconditionally inescapable.

As we hurtle into uncertain and challenging times as a global community, I am interested to learn of what others are thinking and feeling.

The social, political, economical, environmental and spiritual realities of our time are complex.

Let me ask you, and invite you to respond,
'What does global responsibility mean to you?'

Welcome

Welcome to my blog.

I will begin by inviting everyone and anyone to use this blog to initiate dialogue (by posting comments under this welcome entry) and/or make comment on my posts.

It is my hope that this forum will allow for meaningful engagement with various issues and interests between myself and those I know (and dont know yet).

Thank you for your time in visiting and reading this.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,
Andrew