Author: Barry Gittins
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 11 July 2023
2 Comments
From our most cherished childhood memories to the hard-won wisdom of our adult years, stories are the threads that bind us together, the tapestries that shape our identities. But who gets to tell these stories, and how are they preserved for future generations?
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 24 May 2023
2 Comments
The Personal Wellbeing Index in Australia points to an all-time low in life satisfaction, particularly among young people. Could it be that the path to living well lies not in grand pursuits of wealth and fame but in the smaller, modest moments of joy, peace, love, and hope?
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 18 April 2023
Near-death experiences can serve as stark reminders of the fragility of life, prompting us to cherish the moments that transcend routine and monotony. Whether it's the wit of a child, the intimacy with a partner, or the tranquility of nature, these moments awaken us to the gift of life.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 30 March 2023
5 Comments
In a world of differing opinions and clashing worldviews, finding common ground can be a challenge. But by staying curious and open-minded about others' experience and practicing patience and compassion, we can learn to work alongside others with different viewpoints.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 02 March 2023
1 Comment
Autumn's arrival may bring with it uneasy visions of creeping mortality. With younger and keener generations marching on, the impetus for older generations is to share the wisdom we've gathered and remind ourselves we're still breathing, still contributing, and still sound of limb and mind.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 20 December 2022
1 Comment
When we reflect on how best to live with the consequences of our shared, bloodied history, The Australian Wars calls for a counter-narrative; a re-positioning and re-phrasing of what has brought us to this point in our oft-stalled journey towards reconciliation.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 20 December 2022
1 Comment
There's something to it, the Advent adventure. Its allure transcends and moves us beyond the corny. The sentimental. When we wade our way through the tinsel, the lights and jolly holly, we find there's a deep, sweet magic to the season.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 29 November 2022
2 Comments
Sometimes it pays to sit still in a central business district, the aorta of any city, and nod in recognition to life as it passes you by. Bypassed from the stream, you watch and learn as the passers-by flow around you. Mystery and revelation. Connection and dissing. Peace and discord. Meaning, transcendence and futile, random pain. It’s all there if you look close enough. Pause long enough to witness the mysteries.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 25 October 2022
When Kenneth Hugh Gittins is in the room and crash-tackling the conversation, well, eat your heart out Salvador Dali and Walter Mitty. Conversations turn surreal, fact-checking expeditions run aground. A charming teller of truths and tales (some tallish and some Himalayan), this rustic raconteur has perplexed many an audience or congregation and delighted many a grandkid and great-grandkid with his reminiscences.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 13 October 2022
Why is it that we so often don’t learn from the last war’s mistakes? Time and again, humans are drawn into patterns of behaviour that echo those of the past, and that lead once again to armed conflict. It's too easy to shy away from examining the moral failure that is war. When we eulogise the fallen, do we forget why they were butchered in the first place?
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AUSTRALIA
- Barry Gittins, Tim Costello
- 07 October 2022
1 Comment
Reverend Tim Costello's informal status as a nagging conscience to many Australian governments, including the Howard government in which his brother Peter served as federal treasurer, was formally acknowledged when the National Trust of Australia chose him as a ‘National Living Treasure’. Barry Gittins speaks to Tim Costello about the nature of power, and its place and exercise in public life.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 05 September 2022
2 Comments
Philosopher George Santayana sagely pronounced, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ Yet that repetition is part of being human. We are creatures of habit and don’t necessarily notice or learn from our thoughts and deeds. Nor do we necessarily want to be made aware of that lack of learning.
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