Don’t tell me what to do
Have you been in a work situation where the young whipper-snapper comes in, and they just can’t be told? Image posed by model. PICTURE: artursfoto/iStockphoto They have their ideas, and your years of experience basically means nothing? You can sum up their attitude with one phrase – “You can’t tell me what to do!” Doesn’t […]
Multi-focals
When I first got glasses, I was adamant that reading glasses were for me. PICTURE: Claudio Schwarz/Unsplash I was worried that multi-focals would make me sick – which they can do for some people – so I chose single focus. My optometrist outlined the pros and cons of each but the decision was mine, and I […]
Prayer is a beautiful thing
I know some atheists laugh at people of faith like me for praying – like there is any scientific evidence that prayers are answered on a cause and effect basis (there are some interesting studies on prayer, but that’s for another time). PICTURE: Jon Tyson/Unsplash But you know what – to sit in a community with […]
Four givens
Renowned psychiatrist Irvin Yolem talks about the four givens of human existence: isolation, meaninglessness, freedom and mortality. PICTURE: deberarr/iStockphoto At our core, we all battle with our feelings of being alone, of wanting autonomy, the desire for meaning, and the reality of death. These are the existential challenges that drive our anxiety, and we either ignore […]
Your body
If you are eating modestly, most of the food you eat doesn’t exit the body where you think it does. It exits the body from your nose when you breath. PICTURE: Ali Inay/Unsplash Really? You inhale oxygen. You exhale carbon dioxide. Where does the carbon come from? Your food. Food is carbon. Your stomach breaks […]
Pack animals
As humans we are pack animals. We’re designed to be part of a pack – a mob, a family, a tribe or team. PICTURE: Eva Blue/Unsplash Our modern world tells us we are autonomous individuals, lone rangers, we don’t need anyone – but modern psychology tells us; we are the sum of our relationships – […]
Virgin birth
Once I worked with this bloke who had a bee in his bonnet over the virgin birth – the divine conception of Jesus. PICTURE: Ruth Gledhill/Unsplash He was going on and on about it as we worked in the stinking Aussie sun. “Christian must be stupid for believing in the virgin birth, because, don’t they […]
Own or justify?
Own or justify? When it comes to your behaviour, do you own it? Or do you justify it? PICTURE: Caleb George/Unsplash It’s easy when we’re confronted with our behaviour – whether it’s our reaction to something, whether we’ve done something wrong or neglected something – to justify our behaviour. To come up with all sorts of […]
People skills
When I went to school, computers were new. We were still handing in hand written essays. We were told, if you want a job, study computing. So I did! PICTURE: Dylan Gillis/Unsplash. Talking to ParentTV’s Samantha Jockel, she was reflecting on the future job market. Her observation was that in the future it’s not technology, […]
Hope
Charles Dickens wrote that the “pain of parting is nothing compared to the joy of reunion” This is an idea explored in the Bible, where a character like Joseph suffers terribly, sold as a slave, falsely put in jail. Sunrise drowns out the darkness. PICTURE: Ravi Sharma/Unsplash. Yet after decades of suffering providence rewards […]