CONFESSIONS

The word confession provokes a myriad of thoughts and possibilities, not the least of which is the one related to a specific religion. Not holding to any religion myself, other than believing in humanity, if that can be called a religion, I spend my effort and time in reading about other people's lives, in the hope of understanding them better. I write about a few too. Since first at school I have been a reader of the classics and have learned much from them about the human condition in general and what makes specific characters tick. Austen, Shakespeare, Dickens, Homer, Hardy and so on. Some stories are easy to read while others prove difficult. It was only after sharing the reading with a group of friends that I eventually waded through James Joyce, which taught me a fair bit about the Ireland that Joyce lived in. As a student I read and re read John Steinbeck and loved the way he created the lives of ordinary people and their struggles, as well as their joys. (In later years I have trouble concentrating on Steinbeck, which says more about me than the author.) I am currently reading The Slap and simultaneously reading This is Happiness, two books with totally different writing styles, as well as very different stories. One is like being dragged to your feet and shouted at, as it focuses heavily on modern family life in Australia, with all of its frantic and often ambiguous messages about how life ought to be lived. The other book is like being gently seated in a comfy sofa, sipping lemon tea and, perhaps, smoking a cigarette, and listening to the resurfaced memories of the narrator about a past era in a village in Ireland. Times were more gently, activities harder on the body and poverty abounded and yet, the characters who people this book certainly offer up glimpses into what made them tick, what made them human and, in a way, misunderstood. Both authors are excellent story tellers. Both books offer insights into what it is to be human. Which story and/or style is preferred depends upon numerous things, not to be discussed here.

 And so to the confession. War and Peace, that classic tome that was declared to be the longest book and the biggest story ever. Or so it seemed to me. Many times I have begun to read it, many times I have skimmed through it yet  never have I completed it from beginning to end. Yet, I feel I must know the story properly. I must get under the skin of these long-ago characters. But what  a book!  I have purchased an adaptation of the story on film. A DVD is winging its way to me this very moment. I just hope it is true to the original story and not filled with half truths and full on lies, as so many modern versions of the past are. Do I feel guilty at not reading the book? I confess I do. Will I enjoy the story as told on the DVD? Yet to be proven. Any story is a story about other people and so we should all learn something from that.

A FEW WORDS ON BUSHFIRES

When I was at school...way back in the dark ages according to the young people who know me- learning my mother tongue, English, included knowing of nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives, what they were and how to use them. At some point schools stopped using the names for adverbs and adjectives, instead referring to them as  descriptors. (I have no idea what schools call them these days) In any case, no matter what the name given to these words, they add a huge amount to whatever verb or noun is being described.

The word bushfires, for instance. Over the course of the past few months the bushfires that have raged throughout Australia have had so many words used about them. Commentators, journalists, leaders of organisations called out to combat them, those volunteers at the front, victims, survivors, people in the street, in fact people all around the world, have offered up a vast selection of words to help to describe what happens when bushfires hit. So many words:  terrifying, disastrous, tragic, frightening, extreme, incredible, unbelievable, scary, abnormal,indiscriminate, distressful, crippling, dangerous, all expressing what can be concluded as catastrophic for both individuals and the country.

Then come the words that describe another side of the event: dedicated firies, selfless volunteers,  magnificent heroes, grateful survivors,  enthusiastic helpers, generous donors, calm comforters, energetic drivers of bulldozers and trucks, health professionals, helicopter pilots, gift givers, and, eventually, those who have to be almost dragged to make an announcement that promises some form of compensation.

Words such as blame, climate denial, burn offs, ecology, economics, fossil fuels, water loss, drought and bad management, linger in the air, waiting for the bushfires to cease and for the rebuilding of buildings and lives to begin, before any serious discussion goes ahead.

Of course, within the year there will be memories and grieving and loss and repercussions and debate about cause and effect, none of which will help those worst affected but eventually the remembrances will fade and life will carry on until the next catastrophic event. Yet, maybe the words that should remain on everyone's lips are climate change and community spirit. If nothing else these are the words that should assist Australia, and perhaps the world, to comprehend the two most important things we need to cling to and act upon, if we humans wish to survive.
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