As former PM Malcom Fraser said, Life isn’t meant to be easy. It would be nice if sometimes it wasn’t quite so hard. Even so, hard times usually pass. Eventually.
Australian culture which cherished patriotism, the flag, democracy and the rule of law, the spirit of mateship has been under attack for over a decade. Touting three flags, woke assumption all cultures are equal, and the false premise of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) that categorized all as either oppressors or oppressed fosters division.
Diversity means division on race, gender (especially transgender), hatred for the “colonising” power while extorting the privileges of the “colonisers”. Equity means equal outcomes (not possible), not equal opportunity. Inclusion has come to mean promoting very small sectors of the community above everyone else, with threat of litigation should deference fall short.
Choosing life cannot mean fostering hatred and division, especially when deference is paid to unreformed ‘theological’ cultures (Islamic, Aboriginal) that have neither had nor allow a reformation as experienced by Christianity (imperfect as it is). After all, it is the Judeo-Christian traditions on which western democratic culture and economy are based and thrive. Subjugating those hard-won, attractive achievements for some 7th Century violent, antisemitic apocalyptic death cult that promises to kill us all, or some 60,000-year-old culture built on Dreamtime myths, customary and unwritten laws that seem changeable at will, is choosing suicide, not life.
Always things can be learned from other cultures to enrich the life we choose. However, imposing on the rest of us gross practices of Sharia law is obscene. So much of sharia conveys hatred of women’s sexuality: genital mutilation of young girls to prevent their sexual pleasure; marrying off pubescent girls to old men; multiple ‘wives’; covering from head to toe; stoning to death for adultery; pack-rape of “infidel” women; removal of wombs of injured protesters taken to hospital in Iran and the nurses who attended them; denial of participation in education, work and governance; promise of 72 virgins for terrorists martyred. Just baby factories for martyrdom in pursuit of the global caliphate.
Current sharia law reflects Islam’s origins. Mohammed married pubescent girls. When he failed to convert Jews to Islam, he ordered their massacre. Those practices continued unreformed by Islamists today are abhorrent to right-thinking people in the 21st century.
Physical and sexual violence against women is totally unacceptable. All cultures are not equal. Pretending so is not only dishonest, but destructive of life.
The Devil in Demography
Government policy has affected demographic changes that alter culture and cohesion. Migrant arrivals of 667,000 in 2024-25, down 10% from 739,000 the previous year, place pressure on the housing market and infrastructure services (ABS). The type of immigrant and compatibility to Australian culture seems not to have been a consideration, much to our detriment.
As of 30 June 2024, the latest data available, approximately 31.5% of Australia’s residents were born overseas, amounting to about 8.6 million people out of an estimated total population of 27.2 million. (Wikipedia)
Young Australians priced out of rental and housing markets, delay having children, if at all. A pet suffices.
Current immigration policy appears to support economic viability of the universities relying on increasing overseas student numbers to the detriment of quality and integrity of research and learning for domestic students. Superficially it also has kept the federal government budget from sliding into recession. Workers are not stupid. They know they have been in a per capita recession for years. Wages have not kept pace with inflation, now the highest in the OECD, which cautions remedial action from our Treasurer.
Choosing Family
Demographic and financial policies make it harder to generate families. Australia’s rate of natural population growth has fallen to an average 1.4 per woman, below replacement levels. Hence reliance on immigration.
By comparison, in Israel, a country under constant existential threat from Islamist countries, the average number of children per family is close to three. Dr. Natanel Fisher, head of the Department of Public Policy at Sha’arei Mada Ve’Mishpat, says that children are not just statistics and bringing them into the world is not solely about economic and demographic growth. The belief in having children reflects the strength of the family unit, which contributes to individual stability, joy, and happiness.
Family is the economic and social foundation of western civilization. Worthiness to be a Christian disciple depends on love of family (Luke 14:26). No wonder the socialists/communists seek first to break down faith and family.
With much improved contraception since the 1960’s families have become smaller and life is longer, leaving many decades child free to pursue self-interest. Still, abortion has become an integral part of the portfolio of contraception to limit family size. Quite repulsive is allowing near full term abortion where infants born alive are left to die without attendance.
Abortion has always been personal for me, having been told my parents considered having me aborted. Understandable back then, as the fifth pregnancy in six years; it must have been overwhelming. Having been allowed to live, if under duress, I have often wondered about the worth of my life, which influenced my own choice when pregnancy was unwelcome.
Certainly, my life has been beneficial to many. From conditions of hatred, poverty, disadvantage and chaos, I determined, quite young, to be generative, always as far as possible leaving people and things better off, forging a productive way forward while helping build careers, direction and good sense for those open to it.
Many in my life maintained an abortion mentality, trying to snuff out decency, skill, generativity, as my confidence and purpose threatened their assumed power. Letting your light shine also means allowing the light of others to shine. So many times I have been told to shut up, eff off, get out, go away, don’t come, been sacked by limited people for doing too good a job, attitudes that deny life much like abortion. Choosing life means taking time to affirm the worth of others.
Nevertheless, with encouragement from a few, I became skilled at absorbing humiliations, converting destruction into resolve, learning from experiences and sharing those learnings with others going through the same. From poverty of origins, I learned to make the most of every opportunity, where possible being generative and open to giving life to others, along the way ensuring my life has been worthwhile. Though neither rich nor famous, satisfaction, health and contentment are my hard-earned privilege.
Choosing Death Cults
For over two years Australia has been beset by parades, chants, rallies and media supporting the death cult of Hamas, fueled by their patron Iran, and an apocalyptic theology of redemptive martyrdom inspired by unreformed 7th century Islamism. CBD businesses have been demoralized, our cultural icons defiled, synagogues and kindergartens firebombed, fourteen people massacred and 42 others wounded.
Self-proclaimed aim of the Iranian mullahs is to destroy Israel, USA, Jews and western civilisation. In this aim they are supported by proxies Hamas (Gaza), Houthis (Yemen), Hezbollah (Lebanon) and countless acolytes in the west (universities, media, activist groups, criminals) funded by Iranian oil revenue as the vanguard of western destruction.
On 7th October 2023, when the west was at its weakest and lefties in the courts and activists in Israel were trying to take down PM Netanyahu (Bibi), Hamas entered a genocidal invasion of Israel. Whole families and communities were decimated in the most barbaric way: burning alive, beheading, killing parents in front of children, raping women. Young people innocently dancing at a Nova festival were hunted down, shot, tortured, pack raped. Over 1251 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
Taking hostages played to Israeli weakness (read strength) in love of life and family, knowing whether alive or dead, each hostage could be traded for release from prison of many evil terrorists. Israel was being castigated by media and governments even before the blood of their victims was dry. Australia asked Israel for restraint before a blow was struck.
The pile-on has continued relentlessly since, emotion (especially hatred) triumphing over facts. Claims of genocide and starvation have been like an old man with an erection: always coming, despite well documented food deliveries ignored by the media. Hamas purloined supplies free from donors and UN, charging extortionate rates to their population, whom they kill at will.
Hundreds of miles of tunnels protected terrorists, not the population. The more Gazan civilians killed, the higher publicity against Israel and the west and greater pressure on Israel to cease. Number of deaths publicized by the unreliable Gaza Health Ministry failed to record normal population deaths from age, illness or accidents (around 5,000-6,000 annually) or terrorist combatants. Annual birth rate runs at 50,000, making Gaza the only place in history where genocide resulted in more people than when the conflict started.
Imbued with love of family and tragic history of the holocaust, Israel embarked on an existential fight for survival on seven fronts that continues today. Never again is now. Pity there are so many ignorant people so ready to choose support for death and destruction.
As author and commentator Douglas Murray says, “all cultures are not equal”. Brilliant analyst Melanie Philips further implores, to survive, our culture must choose life. The choice is both personal and political. Compassion or contempt based on ignorance is stupidity, and suicidal.
Easter is a good time to reflect on our purpose and the slow death of our defeats, disappointments, doubts, fears, anxieties, sadness and anger. Being open to life and love promises spirit to overcome.
Have a happy Easter!
2 thoughts on “Choosing Life”
Your knowledge is amazing Paula and your easy to read writing makes me carefully consider your wise words. Another very topical and interesting blog. Thank you for sharing. Lyn
Thanks for the encouragement Lyn. Always lovely to hear from you and hope to catch up on 9 April.