In 1973 social psychologists John Darley and Daniel Batson decided to examine the situational variables and religiosity on the “helping behaviour” of 40 theology students in an emergency situation, based on the parable of the Good Samaritan. I am not…
Catherine Rains is living her dream job creating intuitive mixed-media art, but it was an unusual road to get there. In fact, her original career plan was something else entirely.
Modern Homo sapiens (that is, people who are roughly like we are now) first walked the Earth about 200,000 BC. Since then, more than 117 billion members of our species have been born, according to estimates by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB).
Twice a year I made the two-hour drive to visit my hometown. Each time, I took a detour to the snake breeder’s house. The streetlight directly in front of the house draped a warm yellow glow over my silver hatchback, which idled its low hum while I sat and stared.
The sentence “Just clear your mind”, as many people have been told when learning to meditate, isn’t remotely helpful. Our minds aren’t designed to be empty; they’re designed to focus.
As unusual as it may sound, there is nothing particularly wrong with Scott Morrison’s belief that he and his wife have been called upon to do “God’s work”. This is the real issue.
Author of The Power of Now and A New Earth, seventy-something-year-old Eckhart Tolle is a spiritual guru who’s good buddies with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, and is arguably the most “spiritually influential” man in the modern world. I’d also like to add that despite being in his seventies he appears to be in his fifties… what is this trickery?
When Holden Sheppard answers my phone call on a Monday morning, I’m surprised he sounds so damn normal. Given his selfie-taking, extroverted style on social media, often shirtless or sporting a brightly coloured mohawk (now removed, but temporarily replaced by a Freddie Mercury-esque moustache, because as explained on Twitter he looks like a “HIDEOUS DEMON BABY TWINK BOY” without it), I expected something different, although I’m not sure exactly what.
Like most of us, Jamie “Stedo” Stedman isn’t a fan of labels. But if there’s one word to describe him, given his tumultuous childhood, capacity for forgiveness, near death experiences and refusal to become a victim, it’s “resilient”.
Often given a bad rap, the Ego is necessary, to an extent. How dull would life be if we didn’t get to define our desires, our boundaries, our likes and dislikes? Where would be the fun if we could not share our ‘selfhood’ and experience the unique ‘selfhoods’ of others?
Like most of us, I do try to be a nice person. It’s mostly for selfish reasons, to be honest. I want to be so stable and happy within myself that no-one can bother me, or mess with the remaining shreds of my equanimity, or some shit. I can’t think of a better place to practice than the most annoying place on earth: the humble supermarket.
Not many authors can write an immersive novel from a galah’s perspective. Particularly a galah with remarkable perceptions of the world around her, dreams of flight and romance, a slight inferiority complex and a wild jealous streak. But not everyone is Tracy Sorensen.
Dana looks peaceful as she waits for me outside the library of her hometown in Bathurst. She’s staring at something – the birds, or maybe the trees – as I approach, rushing due to a mini-traffic jam I had not anticipated. Less than a decade ago our simple chat would not have happened, back when Dana’s agoraphobia, anxiety and depression caused her to retreat into herself for almost fifteen years.
When John “Swanee” Swan takes my phone call he answers with a surprising “Hey girl!”, even though we’ve spoken only once before. I suspect this level of familiarity is something he offers everyone, not just yours truly, since his passion these days is found not at the bottom of a bottle, or even while holding a microphone, but in the simple act of connecting with another human.
Being on the wrong side of 30, I’m very familiar with Gary “Angry” Anderson. Particularly his place in the music world as the loud-mouthed front man of Rose Tattoo, his crazy “bad boy” days, his charity work and youth advocacy. But before our interview last week, I had no idea of the deep-seated spiritual beliefs that form the crux of the man known as Angry.
I’ve read ol’ Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert twice now: the first time I read it, which was 10 years ago, I FRIGGEN HATED IT. The second time, much more recently, I LOVED IT. I have to put my emotions in…
A few years ago I headed to Bourke to experience the outback of Australia, on assignment to write 10 articles about the Darling River Run. “The Run” is a 730km drive bookended by the townships of Brewarrina in the north, and Wentworth…
My mother hated feet. In her opinion, it was acceptable that they existed, but unless sleeping or showering they should be tucked away, hidden from the world inside a nice pair of shoes.