From Matt Zurbo

Matt writes as below - he is an author and has his own blog.  He has published many books and has done a lot of work on re-vegetation of sites that were going to desert..

Hi Bob,

​often read when I have a minute. Where as i agree with most everything you say, I don't know how you do it. It would make me too bitter. The bigger picture is we get the pollies we want, and the press give us the stories we want to hear. I no longer blame the pollies or the media. I blame us. We don't want leaders. We want to be lead. 

The reason politics is so bitter and petty right now is that as soon as politicians started paying too much attention to the opinion polls, we were doomed. It put us in charge. 

Take the abolition of slavery, it was an unpopular move, but the leaders at the time lead. Now look at boat people. Everybody knows the lies are lies. The pollies are like parents pandering to the spoilt child. Our moral compas is like that of a spoilt child.

I remember, as a kid, getting a cross line, and hearing two Italian mummas speaking in Italian to each other. I shouted "Speak English, wog!" My mum asked me why I was shouting. When I told her, she told me: "Don't be so small. If you had to move to Italy to save us from poverty, even if you loived Italy, would you speak Italian to your old Aussie mates, or English? Would you ever miss your old home?"

I felt shame, and knew what was right. She was prepared to be unpopular with me if I dissagreed. Because she was the boss. Because she cared. Because there were more important things that sucking up to my lowest, base opinions. My easy hate.

To get that vote, today, politicians would suck up to that child. It breaks my heart. 

Mahatma Gandhi said: "The most effective form of protest is to lead by example."

I try to do this, succeed sometimes, fail others. But, big picture, have no answers. 

Thanks for your blog. Its energy, positive nature, and conviction. I should be such a force for good in this world.