Because life is beautiful… my part in it is small… what is there to fear?

I have many relatives and friends who have died from tobacco related illnesses. We should all care about this. Tobacco is different even from other ‘vices’ (including alcohol) in that it has no health benefit even at low doses. Selling tobacco with its known problems is a ‘dangerous act that knowingly puts the health of others at risk’. These are two important manslaughter criteria. Is the absence of ‘intent to kill’ enough to exclude it?

Throughout our lives we sacrifice many things for money- relationships, comfort, time- if I can rationally decide, with no duress, that dispensing with an organ is my preferred mode of raising money why should I be prevented from doing so? Particularly given that it may save the life of someone in urgent need.

This is the current internal debate I am struggling with as a student about to graduate and go out into the competitive and soul-crushing work force world. There is often this moral vs. wealth and success debate when thinking about the person I want to be and whether I can truly make an impact in this world. How can we break free from the ideals in place by our society and comfortably be ourselves without giving up certain parts of who we are and how we think?

Mostly because it’s fun, but I wonder about the benefits of unstructured, inclusive and spontaneous activities that allow people to experience themselves without purpose.

Australia has had several significant waves of migration (eg. Greeks, Vietnamese, Africans). Each wave coincides with which group mainstream Australia directs it’s vitriol, fear mongering and racism. But the targeting of Islam has been particularly intense.

This matters to me as a daughter of migrant parents, and a mother of bi-racial kids, who simply wants them to grow up in a world free of racial and religious judgement.

I am adopted which is a life sentence of separation from my family and medical history and I find this situation very difficult as I age and face the fact I will never know the truth. Others should care about this because IVF technicians are making babies without recorded histories and we can expect they will fill the mental health system in the same way adoptees have due to unknown heritage and separation from mothers at birth.

So. Many. Festivals.

Just wondering.

I can kind of understand eating flesh – we don’t even see our own flesh in that way, at least not if all goes well. But skin? We’re covered in it. Gross. Crackly, chewy, stretchy, crispy burnt skin. ‘You gonna eat that?’ Yeuch.

The public seems to be content with castigating honest and reasonable mistakes while overlooking genuine issues in favour of “weapons of mass distraction”.

It seemed the obvious question to ask and it doesn’t matter to me but I will be interested in any responses.

George seems a little paranoid about being left behind.