It is a long lamented sadness that we are now governed by people who care not for us or our Nations, but for themselves. It does not matter what nation you call home, the problem is still the same: our so called leaders are merely opportunists who are more focused on opinion polls and less focused on doing what is right for their country.
Therein lies the entire problem. Focus groups, social media " persuaders " and self interested career politicians care more about their fat pay cheques than they do about building a Nation and building a future for which we can all be proud.
Read more: Nation Builders are needed - they dare to think big and think of the future
Remember the mega-hit book The Bonfire of the Vanities? While a work of fiction, the book shone a harsh light on the all-too-real world of lies, corruption, and hypocrisy in high places. In one of my favorite scenes, the power-couple protagonists attend a party at the home of the aptly named Bavardage family, where all the guests blab at each other with deep-fake enthusiasm, making sure to display their “boiling teeth” at all times.
Like the high society portrayed in the book, the Covid regime was replete with rot, from taped-up basketball nets and masked toddlers to vaccine passports and… slogans. Some of the slogans were carefully crafted by governments, while others sprang from the weeds of social media.
Somewhere along the road, our sense of humour hit a road block.
I read a joke today. It is of no consequence what it was other than that it triggered a memory for me.
My late Uncle used to tell that particular joke back in the 80's.
As I recollect he did it with an Irish accent. He told some great jokes. It started me thinking about how nice it is to still have a laugh in these troubled times.
The 17th of March marks the date of the death of St Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland. St Patrick was actually born in Britain but, when he was 16, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. It was about the year 415 and there was no kids helpline or social media available to send out a cry for help.
So he planned and plotted and eventually managed to escape. Sadly, Paddy was no Houdini and he was sent off to France where he was introduced to Christianity.
Some years ago I worked in a large private organisation that was engaged in facility management. It was a very happy workplace and we still have an annual get together like a bunch of old schoolboys.
There were about 40 of us in the management echelon and we did many trips into the Outback, then when Australia had been fully covered we did a trip down Route 66 in America and another one to Cuba.
We formed ourselves into a little organisation called The Drinking Man’s Travel Company.
When I was a kid, one of the first things we were taught was how to ride a bike and how to swim. The two seemed to travel in tandem. I can't remember who it was (probably Einstein or similar ) who said that the secret to riding a bicycle was to keep moving forward.
In the case of swimming, it is often about keeping your head above water and treading water when you are tired or feeling sunk.
Read more: Parenting - the ability to pass on our knowledge and hope for the best.
Who among us has heard of a man named Edgar Harrell? Until a while ago, his name meant nothing to me - I had never heard of this extraordinary human being. But I was sent a link to a youtube clip where Edgar told his story of a time back in 1945 when he and his fellow shipmates spent 5 days in shark infested water in the South Pacific.
Edgar Harrell was a young Marine assigned to the US Navy ship, the USS Indianapolis. After delivering components for the atomic bombs, the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Hundreds of his mates were killed by sharks. Listen to his harrowing experience.
Read more: A tale of Sharks, rotten potatoes, kapok lifejackets and surfboards
I remember the days before computers changed our lives. When I was a lad, I first trained as a civil engineer in the late 1950s to early 1960s. There were no electronic calculators, and all calculations were performed either manually, by trigonometric tables, or by using a slide rule.
We used to analyse the stresses and bending moments in structural elements using advanced mathematics based upon first principles, knowledge of which has long faded from my aged brain. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a classic two-pinned arch design which we studied. If you drive past both abutments, you will see the huge supporting pins which take the entire load of the bridge.
Read more: Fings ain't what they used to be computers killed the slide rule
What is the luck of the Irish? Many people think it is a good thing to have.
I asked one of our commenters ( Paddy ) what it meant and he said to me " Well, my old Gran used to say that if it was raining soup, we'd be carrying forks. "
And that sounds like a pretty good definition to me.
Read more: The Luck of the Irish - a story of soup, forks and always looking for the bright side
Throughout history, we have seen Nations triumph or be crushed by authoritarianism and it all comes down to the strength of the Leader at the helm.
But strength when exercised through fear and strength exercised through Patriotism and love are two entirely different matters.
Hitler was strong but he ruled with fear. Xi Jinping is much the same. Pol Pot. Idi Amin.
Read more: King Haakan VII of Norway - the King's Choice in the face of fear
Please donate to
Swiftcode METWAU4B
BSB 484799
Account
Reference PR |
Please email me so I can thank you.
patriot@patriotrealm.com
When our leaders and politicians sign us up to these global accords, declarations and agreements,…
90 hits
It has been truly said that Australia arrived in Gallipoli as six separate States and…
130 hits
Cats have been a part of ocean going ships since time immemorial being needed to…
227 hits
In 1942, my late Uncle was a metallurgist in Papua New Guinea. At the height…
185 hits
We seem to have an outbreak of mental health issues throughout the world. Yelling “allah…
199 hits
Many years ago, about half a century in fact, I played netball with my friend…
201 hits
Some time ago, I watched a fascinating documentary about the history of tanks. I did…
246 hits
Certain battles stand out not just for their strategic significance, but also for the profound…
215 hits
When I was young (many decades ago) we lived on a small family farm at Wheatvale…
229 hits
One thousand and twenty-one submissions to the Covid-19 Response Enquiry, out of the two thousand and…
216 hits
Friends come and go, and sure at times - family too. But Great Granpa …
215 hits
It seems to me that ancient man’s instinct to provide sustenance for his family…
201 hits
John B. Calhoun’s “rat utopia” experiments of the 1960s, designed to be paradises with unlimited…
274 hits
What does the future hold? How the hell will we cope moving on? Our economies…
158 hits
There’s nothing new about academics stoking schoolkids’ climate fears and depression. But nothing I’ve previously…
111 hits
“The record of the Waco incident documents mistakes. What the record from Waco does not…
211 hits
Over a hundred years ago, on February 21, 1916 at 7:15am, the battle of Verdun…
237 hits
In these days of increasing Thought Police intervention in our lives, I had a rather…
231 hits
It was back in the early days of 2019 that Australia was shocked to learn…
283 hits
Most, if not all of us have a freezer of one size or another. But,…
197 hits
Magic happens everywhere and goodness, wonder and delight can be found alive and well throughout…
190 hits
Less than three hours ago, I was sitting in the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC,…
199 hits
Has the dust settled? Far from it. It is everywhere. We are choking on it.…
249 hits
This Easter, we are praying for a miracle and a rebirth or resurrection where good…
227 hits
This is the dramatic story of how an eccentric environmental speculation grew into a powerful…
385 hits
Comedy is hard because wokeism has moved almost beyond satire. This has required me to…
305 hits
You've probably heard the tale about a chef who killed himself over a dish gone…
197 hits
People who live lives that are out of the ordinary run the risk of being…
260 hits