Humanity Platform

Over the last few days I have had circumstances come up in my professional life and my health which has given me time to meditate and adjust my focus. I have once again been able to reflect on the fact that my disability can play the role of humbling me which is a good thing because I know to achieve at the high level that I want to achieve I need a lot of people's help so I cannot afford to let an unrealistic ego get in the way. During this time of reflection I have had the honour of being part of another acting project while simultaneously having to deal with minor health issues. This contrast in situations has made me realise that you must go through some adversity before you achieve success. As an example I was recently anxious about some medical things and to keep myself calm I repeated the mantra: is there anything wrong in this moment? No. Then you're okay.  And you know what? I was okay. This experience highlighted to me just how powerful the practice of staying

This post is a direct response to Pauline Hanson's uneducated comments during the parliamentary debate on the passage of the government's Gonski education reform bill.  My five year old nephew would be aware that everyone has the right to go to school even people with disabilities. Ms Hanson's comments demonstrated that she is not a true leader, she is only interested in speaking up for what divides the community instead of what improves the community.  Many of my friends with disabilities and I are living proof of what people with disabilities can achieve if we are given equal access to education.  What Pauline does not seem to realise is that she is right about one thing; people with disabilities would create an extra burden if integration was stopped and we went back to the Stone Age.  I was able to achieve a full mainstream education and along the way received many awards, this education allowed me to go on to a career as a professional writer, actor, small busin

People with disabilities in 2017 still have to advocate strongly to be allowed to participate fully in the community.  I recently was invited to a community inclusion forum which I was unable to attend but this is what I would have said.  All my life I have desperately wanted to be taken seriously. I have wanted to be considered a leader, not just in the disability community but in the world as a whole.  People might see my disability as a detriment and it might be a cliche, I ask people to focus on my ability not my disability. I am street performer, poet, public speaker, political activist, professional actor, and most importantly a husband. All these socially valued roles and more are how I try and give back to the community.  The fact that when it come to people with a disability we still have the necessity for social inclusion forums inspired me to write the following poem: Community Centre I sit looking up, getting a sore neck while everyone else gets to look d

I sometimes wonder why the world cannot see we need to come together before the clock strikes midnight. Readers of my blog might think that I care about too much to make a difference about anything, one day I will blog about the environment, the next time I blog about human rights or politics but to me everything I raise on this blog is connected to one thing; we all have to act before the world turns into a pumpkin. The early Christians sold their possessions and lived together in communities sharing everything, I believe it's time for each one of us to see the whole world as our community. There are still people out there who do not believe climate change is real; to them I say what is the harm of treating the environment better, living more simply and sustainably, hoax or not. The world is ours; fighting each other accomplishes nothing except bringing us closer and closer to midnight. I have made it my mission to learn everything about the different world religions, they al

This Lenten season has been the most unique and thought provoking of my faith life so far. I have spent the last forty days deep in prayer and meditation and yet still been confronted with images and conversations of war. I follow many podcasts and in one day of my playlists I go from listening to a Catholic podcast followed by a news podcast talking of Syria and Egypt. This has caused me to reflect on the fact that we need Jesus' new commandment of love more than ever. Just when I have made this commitment I go on to YouTube and see on my playlist a documentary on the Franciscan begging monks followed immediately by Robert Greene's videos on power, persuasion, and war. My own life this month has been a paradox of frustration and peace. I have been in a deep depression for the last three weeks except for the peaceful moments during church and this Holy Week has brought my mojo back. So my final thought for this Lent is we should follow the example of St Brigid who took t

The other day I was taking a look at my Instagram page and realised that a secret life mission has snuck up on me. One look at @travelling_minstrel will show you that I have many areas of life that I am trying to put a spotlight on. In one week I cover posts from the Pope through to zero pollution by 2050. Some people might think that my blog posts show a person who has no single political agenda but it is as simple as this instead of using my social media for likes, friend requests, pokes etc. My social media platforms are a social spotlight on areas of life that we can improve to make a better world. I use my skills and artist life to be what I call a word warrior. My disability means that I cannot physically take action to change the world but through my acting, professional writing and poetry I do try and use my words. Instead of now dreaming of being the next Bill Gates billionaire I now pledge, should I ever become rich, I will give 99% of my fortune to causes that help

For a long time I have considered myself an alpha male, however there is one area of my life that I consider to be the most important subject and yet historically it has been considered unmanly to discuss it but here and now I lay down my thoughts about love. True, deep, and unwavering love between a couple is the most beautiful and powerful thing in our world and yet in the modern age it has become a commodity diluting its power. True love is not a romantic fairytale but fairytales can be inspired by real love stories. I used to be extremely selfish but when I found my true love something switched inside me and I wanted to help her use every amazing skill and gift that she has to make her dreams come true not just my own. Something has gone wrong in the tradition of love, sixty per cent of marriages end up in divorce, I believe because the depth of love is shallow. When I said my vows I knew that my love was deep and everlasting no matter what changed in our life. It makes me so

Treasurer Scott Morrison's announcement of an NDIS review is a time to be vigilant. The ABC's news article states that the review has been brought forward which from my point of view is a Liberal Party tactic to tiptoe away from the NDIS commitment. It has been known for a long time that disability supports have been drastically underfunded and resourced. I know the Liberal Party has always put the country's bottom line ahead of people who truly need it. No system or scheme of funding is going to be perfect but to consider changes to the NDIS so early will undermine the insurance of people with disabilities and their families. It is time our government stops taking money away from the foundations that underpin our society. Why can't we spend less on multi million dollar upgrades to sporting events and direct that money where it will do the most good? For several years I have written blog posts, articles, and submission to previous productivity commissions. When is