P.S. Think about it

Australia is a beautiful country, filled with many beautiful people descended from cultures all over the world. We've got unique and magnificent wildlife, we have an amazing array of wilderness - from beaches, deserts to tropical forests. And most importantly, Australia is home to the oldest living civilisation in the world , with continuous roots dating back tens of thousands of years.  So why is "Australia day" so limited in what it celebrates? The problem with Australia Day’s date, I think, does not get to the core of the issue because whilst the date itself makes the discrimination shockingly obvious, there is a problem in Australia of  ONGOING under-aknowledgement  of aboriginal culture  as a core and central part of our rich history. In a standard ‘Australia day’ celebration for example -  where  are the original peoples of this land?? Is there a welcome to country? Is there acknowledgement of ANYTHING about our First Nation ...

Do you reckon you would’ve? One of my idols is a historical figure - Benjamin Lay. He was a vegan back IN THE 1700s!!!! And he was fiercely against slavery, he spoke out against it loudly and forcefully. But I believe one of the reasons he was able to do this was because he was incredibly unique from day one - he was a strange looking fellow with dwarfism and never had any hope of fitting in to ‘normal’ society anyway - without the bounds of belonging he was able to find true morality and speak up for what was right. I hope we don’t have to be dwarfs to speak out against widespread cruelty and immorality in this day and age. Change is scary, most people don't fight the primal instinct to belong. Especially when it is convenient, easy, and beneficial to go along with the majority. It is the uncomfortable and unfortunate truth that MOST people go along with deep ingrained systemic injustice because they've been taught to ignore it, expect it, or simply because it is too dam...

I am continually astonished by the way I see people treat others, particularly those in service-type roles. Bus drivers, mail deliverers, kiosk workers, retail attendees, janitors, airline flight attendants and supermarket check out assistants are among the biggest targets for rude behaviour and this has to change. I used to commute to work by taking a train and then taking a bus service; It is a very popular bus (I worked at a university) and there were always lines of people standing - bored, untalking, unmoving, at the train station bus stop waiting for the bus to the university and, of course, there were always lines of people at the university waiting for the bus going back to the train. Day after day I commuted with dozens of passengers and day after day I watched most of them get on the bus without making eye contact or acknowledging the driver, and at the end of the trip they got off silently, as if the bus was merely an inconvenience, an obstacle in their schedule an...

Background: Recently (from 17th-24th of June 2018) I undertook Act For Peace's 'Ration Challenge'. The challenge entailed  spending an entire week eating only the rations that a typical Syrian refugee in a Jordan refugee camp would be given. I always feel my best when I am helping others and I have a huge passion for helping those less fortunate. I was more than keen to sign up for this challenge to raise some money for this wonderful organisation that helps provide refugees with access to food, education, hygiene supplies, medical attention and counselling. My heart goes out to refugees because they've been through so much, they've had to flee their homes and endure terrible circumstances to eventually end up in a refugee camp where they will be essentially stuck for an elongated period of time, the uncertainty of that situation must be almost unbearable.    [1] I learned so much from doing this challenge, and my awareness of the plight of refugees ...