Perceptions of Reality

This is something I realised many years back, and has guided me ever since. Everyone sees the world differently - and I'm not talking about opinions. I mean that two people seeing the same event happening will interpret it differently even if they are trying to be as objective as possible.

There is no science behind this claim, just what I have experienced. A dollar given by a rich man to a poor man can be charity or pity, in kindness or with contempt. Context plays a part, but certainly each individual has their own interpretation.

I strongly believe that perceptions are guided by prior experiences, and so, some people cannot be swayed from their version of the truth. I am more than happy to attack the various religions for their flaws, but I find it difficult to criticise a religious person for their belief, because to a certain extent, their past does not allow them to see an alternative.

Consider this. A child who was raised in a religious cult, with no access to television or the internet, surrounded by abuse and neglect, would probably consider that kind of lifestyle to be normal. Without providing an alternative, there is only one possibility in their minds, and that is the life given to them by the cult. Sure, this is an extreme case, but most religions serve the same purpose but on a lesser scale.

If your parents, your friends, and your teachers taught you that God provides for everything, so you should do what God says; if you've been taught this all your life, it can't be easy to visualise an alternate life without religion. Part of our humanity is that we are sometimes creatures of habit, and something as vital as our belief system become habitualised quickly.

So no, I don't necessarily fault people for going to Church every Sunday. I will always be intolerant of those who have the oppportunity to change their lives but choose not to, and I will always stand against organised religion. But I won't judge people without considering their perceptions and their upbringing.

Marriage Equality Law in Maine stopped by referendum

It was always going to be close, but nonetheless the result is disappointing for a vote that took place in a region of the US that has been very progressive with respect to marriage equality legislation.

NY Times
TIME Magazine

Religious Freedom

The debate over a national charter of rights in Australia often involves the opponents declaring that such a charter would endanger the religious freedom that all Australians enjoy. The arguments all sound very convincing - secular views will be imposed upon those of us who wish to practice religion, thereby narrowing the scope of rights we are entitled to.

There is a fair bit of spin in this argument. "Freedom" can an emotive word, in the sense that it often generates positive feelings; but when these people talk about "religious freedom" they are not talking about anything positive. This latter definition represents the freedom to oppress minorities, discriminate based on gender and sexuality, and to deny essential services to those in need on the basis of superior morality.

The real implication of the opposing argument is that such oppression and discrimination currently exists within religious and religious-affiliated institutions. A bill of rights should not impose restrictions on ideas and on faith, but it should impose restrictions when the rights of citizens are threatened by others. Yes, it will interfere with the machinations of the churches or mosques or temples, but the problem lies in the religion, not a bill or charter of rights.

My biggest concern with this debate is that the religious majority of Australia will be swayed by the misleading statements brought forth by the religious leaders. Those who believe have a propensity to ignore the truth at the best of times.

I certainly hope that a national bill of rights be developed, because despite our claim to have strong social values of equality and fairness, there is currently no framework that reinforces these values in the eyes of the law.

Human Rights Act campaign website
News link: Bill of rights desirable but not urgent: voters
News link: Rights charter runs into religious opposition

The Nature of Good and Evil

It amuses me whenever I hear people described in such terms as good or evil. To me, it's such a childish notion, instilled into us by fairy tales and cartoons and reinforced by Sunday school. Parents tell their children to "be good" when they really mean "do as I say". My theory is that while we are young, absolute concepts such as good or strong or hot are much easily able to be absorbed by our brains than relative concepts, so we latch on to such fallible ideals.

It did strike me as odd, when during a conversation I had with a Christian friend of mine a month back, that some people still believe in absolute good and evil. Not just believe, but vehemently defend these ideals as set up by the Church. Normally I try to understand others' viewpoints but in this particular scenario I was stuck.

It has since occurred to me that it's been a very, very long time since I've thought of anything - human or otherwise - in those terms. As I've grown up I've learned that conflict is often between one person's beliefs and someone else who doesn't share that belief, not between some unseen forces taking place in a religious wonderland.

I'm not saying that everyone is always right, but the truth is that trying to categorize human interaction into abstractions is not satisfactory. Many people do not comprehend that there are other views of the world, as others have had their lives shaped by events and circumstances which differ from their own. Without this understanding there will continue to be conflict.

Bachelor of Commerce

I work in a university so I think about this question a lot:

What is the point of tertiary education?

Once upon a time people would go to universities for higher education, in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the subject in question.

These days it seems that people just want degrees to get a job. And I think it's a real shame. The level of student enrolments in Accounting courses across Australia is mind-bogglingly high, but where Arts and Science programmes teach students to appreciate depth of knowledge, Commerce teaches them to appreciate big profits. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but essentially Commerce courses teach occupational skills.

Incidentally, even research preferences on profitable projects rather than those with good social benefits.

It's true that all things need to evolve, including universities. But it's a sombre reflection of our society when our leading educational institutions are nothing more than training facilities for white-collar workers.

I hope that at some point in the future, quality education will once again become the primary focus of universities. In the meantime, I guess I will just have to tolerate the idea that somehow a Bachelor of Commerce is comparable to a Bachelor of Arts or Science.

I Believe

I just wanted to write a short post to remember Stephen Gately, one of the singers from the 90's Irish boyband Boyzone, who died last week.

I had never thought about him this way until now, but when he came out to the public in 1999, it had a massive effect on me and my self-confidence. I think in a way it strengthened my resolve to see a celebrity embrace his sexuality so openly.

His brief solo career included the release of I Believe, one of my favourite pop tunes from 2000.

Rod Laver Arena

As usual I'm terrible at taking pictures. I always think about taking it and then think to myself, "why would I want to take a pic of THAT?"

So in the end, I ended up with like three pictures, all of which was taken over the first few days of the trip. Here they are:


Tournament venue! Well, not quite, the actual venue is the function centre next to the arena, but close enough ;)


This is a rather awkward pic of me (but not of my face lol). It's actually kinda artistic though, so I'm posting it.


Hurray our hotel has a kitchen! Pity there were no saucepans and cooking utensils...