My family seem to be constantly amused by their Dad/Husband always in a state of outrage!

In those dark days of covid, 2021 and 2022, it was my stance on the Victorian covid response. Whilst acknowledging certain measures were required, there were many aspects that i strongly disagreed with. I posted my displeasure frequently on social media which then lead to attacks from pro lockdown, antivax, and other trolls. Despite what I felt was a balanced take on what were complex issues, I unfortunately had to deal with being reported to the medical regulator purely because some individuals disagreed with my views. Fortunately these were all thrown out.

More recently I’ve felt outrage over all the news of the CFMEU (Builders Union), corruption, standover tactics, infiltration by criminal underworld and bikie gangs, and facilitation by the in power Labor governement who benefits significantly in political donations. I’m sorry but traffic controllers being paid $200K per year whilst our teachers and nurses struggling to get a pay rise, simply “does not pass the pub test.” The system is broken, corruption is rife, and the honest punter on the street does not see the link between these things and our rising cost of living.

We all have those things that may outrage us from human rights abuse, the war in Ukraine or Israel, the acts of terrorism by groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas or ISIS, or closer to home things like women’s rights, LGBTQ rights or other.

Living in a country like Australia, which is far away from conflict zones, generally peaceful, and where most people have a roof over their head and some food on the table every day, it is very easy to be complacent about issues, both domestic and of the world. Additionally we have become such a country of welfare, often times prone to abuse as we have seen with the National Disability Support scheme (NDIS) that all basic needs are generally well covered. We will never see the likes of a Prague Spring or Arab Spring because of this. It’s good, but complacency is part of a wider problem.

Complacency maybe self centred. “I’m fine, so why should i bother about anything else”. Or it can come from a state of powerlessness. “That’s terrible, but what can i do about it”. Or it maybe fatalistic. “Everything is predetermined, what can i do”?

I’m not saying anything is right or wrong or that you should become an activist or a campaigner, but it is important to look beyond our small little world and see what we can do to make someone else’s life a little bit better. We cant fix every problem, but we can do our little bit. It maybe through our daily lives, or via community service or volunteering. One thing I do know, is that thinking about others a little more makes you a happier person.

Choose well!