On Cowardice: The Crowd is an Untruth

.Reading time 7 minutes.

It is no secret that I find cowardice repulsive and it can manifest in many ways; bystanders who watch others being abused and do nothing, liars who deceitfully apologise or simply excuse their bad behaviour by pretending there is some justification for it. They see existence as merely convincing people of what they are rather than confronting what they really are, a power-struggle where some cry to maintain power and control, others becoming fiercely angry all in an attempt to persuade others to believe what they want them to believe.

I find myself thinking that such people cannot be saved, that they have become so alienated from their own moral integrity that their social deception has evolved into self-deception; they now believe their faux image is reality. I have been tactful enough to make such people choose to keep their distance from me because, frankly, telling them directly only leads to trouble, but am I being too harsh when I say that they have no chance and are digging their own grave?

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Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Arms Race Continues

.Reading time 9 minutes.

In a few months time, I will be visiting a Syrian refugee camp where I will be filming my next documentary on children born with cancer due to exposure from the use of illegal chemical weapons. Since 2011, over 5.6 million people have fled the country with 6.6 million internally displaced and along with food shortages, overcrowded conditions and poor water and sanitation, the humanitarian crises has seen over 500,000 people killed in the horrible bloodshed. All this savagery ignited by the proxy-wars between the United States and Russia who, along with their allies, deepened the hostilities between the Shia/Alawi regime and the Sunni majority.

In 2017, Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia signed a $110 billion dollar arms deal. It was clearly articulated that the purpose was to strengthen the “long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of malign Iranian influence and Iranian related threats.” The long-term security of Saudi Arabia? According to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) in Yemen, there have been over 56,000 people killed since 2016 and complicit to this atrocity is neighbouring Saudi Arabia who – along with their allies – marketed the violence to be less intense and thus less of a concern. While they signed this deal, tens of thousands of Yemeni were suffering from starvation and malnutrition as well as well as preventable diseases. Read More

The Facsimile

.Reading time 1 minute.

“Wake up!” she cried, slapping his cheek.
A lifeless head, still, limp.
“I am here.” Startled, she slipped.
Taken aback.

A facsimile? She turned to this galley slave,
His half body standing out from the grave,
Shovel over his shoulder, insolent gaze.
Smooth as tarmac.

She looked back at the lifeless soul,
His red lips, green eyes, etched into cuneiform
Across his sinless face. Cold, but warm.
Hair jet black.

“That part of me is now dead,” snorted the renege,
He shovelled deeper and deeper as he digged,
Raining black moulded loam, his arms a drilling rig.
Dirt track.

“A grave for who?” He disappeared,
His pride, his vanity, the hubris all engineered
His futile end when his soul was auctioneered.
Memorial plaque.

Culturally Diverse Leadership

.Reading time 15 minutes.

Following an invitation to speak at a conference for emerging leaders, this article is a developed version of the speech I gave at the dinner.

My parents grew up in extreme poverty in a tiny village as ethnic and religious minorities who experienced discrimination and the threat of violence and their identity and cultural heritage heavily controlled by politics. Both were only primary school educated and started work almost immediately since children were viewed as an economic asset unlike most of the western world where they are seen as a cost. They migrated to Australia in 1968 and worked in a labour-intensive environment with little English and a weak understanding of the education system.

They were in survival-mode. Read More

On Trust: Book of Proverbs

.Reading time 10 minutes.

Society is built on a network of social connections and these connections between people are secured together with trust. There are a great many liars, people who play social games to appear more moral than what they are and so it is easy for one to convince of their trustworthiness without any merit. Much like apologies, words like ‘you can trust me’ can be said, however trust itself is more than just words. It is tied to actions and built over a period of time, thus trust is practical and applied.

There are inherent risks when one trusts and these dangers are articulated in the preventative measures we take – such as controlling or watching movements – in order to mitigate the risk of betrayal. We do not have any way of guaranteeing authenticity of these connections and thus central to all of our interactions involves trust. We are vulnerable because we are removed from authority and the power to hold others accountable, which in ethical terms is a complex dynamic.

However, is trust merely an instrument that enables this implicit ‘cooporation’ where connections involve logical tests to confirm the trustworthiness of others, or is it possible to believe these connections are authentically true without holding to any evidential reason?

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Alt-Right: Gavin McInnes and his Exhibitionism

.Reading time 8 minutes.

Some people would do anything to get attention. They navigate the social system to find an opportunity to whore themselves to an idea that would generate enough controversy to attract the surveillance of a bored and angry cohort thirsting for dissension. While the internet provides access to a repository of information that can inform and enlighten, a byproduct is a cesspool of toxic and debauch trolls devouring reason and common sense.

Gavin McInnes is one such exhibitionist with his cliche tattooed sleeves and Ned Kelly beard that pattern the popular and fashionable punk signature, but how effective has this provocateur been in reigniting far-right tensions?

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