Domestic Violence – the great moral crisis of our time

This week has seen the annual White Ribbon Day of awareness and action on domestic violence.  Thankfully this issue has been getting a lot of attention in our parliaments and media lately, especially with the awarding of Australian of the Year 2015 to survivor and activist Rosie Batty.WHRADM0007_Website_Banner_741x350_FA_02

Back when I was young & naive, I simply wanted to find any perpetrators of domestic violence and lock them up for the rest of their lives.  Beating up women and children, or even just the threat of violence, is a despicable act that can not be tolerated at all.

However, over the years I have come to understand a bit more about domestic violence, its victims, and causes.

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Happy Father’s Day

On this special day, we pause to recognise the importance of father’s in our lives, and to thank these men for their love and sacrifices given for us.

But not everybody has fond memories or experiences with their father.  In fact many don’t even know their father at all.  In America, 33 percent of children are raised in fatherless homes. That’s over 24 million children (more than the entire population of Australia!).  But the fatherless represent 85% of youth in prison, 63% of all youth suicides, 85% of children with behavioural disorders, 75% of adolescents in chemical abuse centres, and 80% of rapists.

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Making Mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes. We all recognise this, when we think about it clearly. However we aren’t always so quick to acknowledge this when we are the recipient of someone’s mistake.

It is important to pause & think when someone says something or does something that isn’t right. Was it intentional? Did they realise what impact it would have on you? How big a deal is it, actually?

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