James Blunt - No Bravery

A workmate let me borrow this CD earlier in the year [April], and I recently bought it, and this song has totally grabbed me. Its worth checking out.

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

Houses burnt beyond repair.
The smell of death is in the air.
A woman weeping in despair says,
He has been here.
Tracer lighting up the sky.
It's another families' turn to die.
A child afraid to even cry out says,
He has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
But no one asks the question why,
He has been here.
Old men kneel and accept their fate.
Wives and daughters cut and raped.
A generation drenched in hate.
Yes, he has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

58-54. Leo Barry. No more to say here.

Stories from the Warzone...

Maybe it’s not me, maybe I’m done volunteering. Perhaps I should just admit that I now understand the world is corrupt and brutal, that most nations only look out for their own interests and people seldom rush to dangerous acts of self sacrifice. No shit. Where did I get the idea I would find otherwise?

We actually set out to save the world. That is what was insane – not ten-year-old warlords with bad breath and voodoo fetishes in Liberia, not Matt’s assassin, not the boss in Somalia who set us up for an ambush in exchange for a fifteen per cent kickback on the judges’ salaries, not the Hutu militants who butchered a minority who had repressed them or the Tutsi survivors who executed the suspects – but me, for thinking I could enter a war and personally restore order.

So that’s the easy answer: forswear idealism; resign myself to a sad majority; put away the things of youth; be thankful I survived and move on.

But that’s horseshit too, a craven capitulation. I’m not ready to let the youthful part of myself go yet. If maturity means becoming a cynic, if you have to kill the part of yourself that is naïve and romantic and idealistic – that part of yourself you treasure most – to claim maturity, is it not better to die young but with your humanity intact? If everyone resigns themselves to cynicism, isn’t that exactly how vulnerable millions end up dead ...

I have another quote from the exit of Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem) on my desk … Son of man, keep not silent, forget not deeds of tyranny, cry out at the disaster of a people, recount it to your children and they unto theirs from generation to generation.

I don’t know who saved the honour of mankind during my time in the field, but I do know that and ancestral memory of tyranny commands me not to keep silent…I am a witness, I have a voice, I have to write it down.

Emergency Sex (And Other Desperate Measures): True Stories from a Warzone.

In Brief

• F and I had a great weekend down in Canberra, visiting her family and friends, catching up with Deb. It has been way to long since I’ve been to Canberra, and it was such a relaxing weekend.

• Friday night F and I went to see Turtles Can Fly. A depressing and uncomfortably real film set in a refugee camp on the Kurdish / Iraqi border. It’s a must see.

• Tuesday Gaz a few friends and I are going to hear Gareth Evans speak at UNSW (What price he gets asked an off topic question about Latham and the Labor Party). Updated link to transcript of lecture.
  

• In just over four weeks I am heading overseas to visit my sister in Dublin and then visit London, Washington, Miami, and New York. While in London I will see Sigur Ros, and the stops in Miami and New York include U2 concerts.

... on the road to the Holy Grail ...

While out at dinner Friday night celebrating M's birthday, a message came through on my mobile phone, alerting me to the fact that the Sydney Swans had won their Preliminary Final and will play in the 2005 Premiership decider. It must be said after the nail-biting loss to West Coast, and the stolen game against Geelong, I did not expect the Swans to beat St. Kilda by 31 points. But win they did, and now they face of against West Coast next Saturday.

It is good for cricket that England won the Ashes, a lot of ink will be spilt over the team, so I'm not going to do that here. But I will say - the Ashes series was one of the two best series I've seen in recent years - the other series being the 2001 India v Australia series - featuring that incredible match in which Dravid and Laxman batted a full day.

Wil be back with a non-sport post shortly.

Easy like Sunday morning …

It has been a good weekend. Work hasn’t been too bad, the work flow is more constant, rather than seeming like a dam just burst.

Friday night, F, K, Gary and I went to the Sydney’s home final against Geelong. The atmosphere was electric. It was one of those nights that I will remember for a long while. Sydney were behind for most of the game, and played well below par. But the final quarter the game swung on the boot of Nick Davis, who kicked four last quarter goals (Which was simply stunning as Sydney had until that point kicked three goals in three full quarters). With no more than a few seconds to go, Davis dropped the ball onto this left foot and kicked more from hope than anything else. We paused in hope waiting for the goal umpire to single goal and then for the siren to go. Sydney stole the game 56-53, and now play Saint Kilda in Melbourne on Friday night. I still can't quite believe the Swans won.

Saturday was fun too, my parents came up, and with F, we and saw the new Australian film Little Fish. One thing is for sure, if this is the future of Australian film industry, then the industry has got a bright future. I quite liked the film, found it strikingly sad. I found the construction of the film to be beautiful. Images and words were beautifully melded together to create a story. While it was slow in parts, it is well worth a look. It showed the tragedy of Heroin addiction. The acting the film is excellent, the performances from Cate, and Noni especially. For those interested, this is an excerpt from the Heralds review; Well, Little Fish is about a couple of people still in the gutter, others trying to get in, some who make a living off those who are in, and one trying to keep herself from falling back in.

Little Fish is well worth a look.

Also spent last night at Joe’s 21st, it was a great chance to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a while, and really enjoyable to celebrate his birthday.

… these are a few of my favourite things …

[Via Deb]

Decided that I’d take the time to draw up a list of my three favourite things:

-1- Communication – specifically talking to, or with people – I love getting to know people and getting to know myself as I talk, listen and understand, the people God brings into my life.

-2- A Blank Page –There is something inspiring to me about a blank piece of paper – perhaps it’s a symbol to me of creativity, and possibility.

-3- Finally Music – whether it be listening to friends strum a guitar around me, or listening to music as I walk, work or wander. Its something that grabs my heart or mind.

Perhaps these are all linked to hearing or being heard, of all the senses I can’t help but think its my hearing that I’d miss the most. Because music grabs me, whether it’s the notes of Jupiter, or the words and images of Love is Blindness. It’s a blessing that we are able to experience another human being’s creativity.

While I was going into Sydney tonight I realised one thing I’d love to know as I travel was – what noise is traveling along the white, black or grey cords I see. What experience am I missing out of? What would I learn about those around me if I could hear these thoughts? Anyway will leave it there.