War and peace

I'll never forget an article by Peter Hartcher I read years ago on smh.com.au. He wrote about the wars that were raging at the time and the amount of hatred that seemed to dominate every news bulletin. He then pointed to the amount of love to be found in the world, an overwhelming tidal wave in every war zone, every city, every neighbourhood. He told stories and filled my heart.

An unwavering fact of our society is that there is always a counter-trend. Where there is war, there is hope. When email went global, creative stationery went local. Chefs pioneering molecular gastronomy were counter-balanced with heroes of slow food. Cheap, plastic goods had to contend with locally produced wooden creations that last many lifetimes.

And when materialism, the push for more, the soulless search for bigger and richer began to show cracks... what sprung from the emptiness? Garden patches. Flowers. Camping. Books. Chook pens. Closer families. Sewing. Homemade. Art galleries. Brave sole traders. Originality. Comfort. Organic. And lots of love.

So I, for one, am grateful the economy came crashing down. I know the transition was a lot harder for many than it was for myself, but I see now that the frustration has mostly abated, what is left is what matters. Hold onto it with both hands.