Australia re-imagined: towards a more compassionate, less anxious society

by Hugh Mackay

The author: Hugh Mackay is a social researcher and best selling writer. This is his 19th book. He has examined many aspects of Australian life over six decades. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from five Australian universities and in 2015 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Austraia.

Among many appointments, he has been deputy chair of the Australian Council of the Arts, chair of trustees of Sydney Grammar and inaugural chair of the ACT government’s Community Inclusion Board. He is currently patron of the Asylum Seekers Centre.

This is a great resource reference for teachers, preachers, politicians, social commentators and most of all for thinking Australians who want this to be a great place to live and grow our children and grandchildren. I made great use of Chapter 7 – Religion’s noblest role: promoting compassion” in a sermon this morning.

At the outset he poses questions that are common, eg – Will my job be replaced by a robot? Is religion really on the way out? Why has politics become so annoying? Are gender distinctions becoming irrelevant? Will I be able to understand what my grandchildren are talking about? and so on.

He closes with a list of things we’d like to be able say about an ideal Australia – things we’d like others to say about us. The Reader is asked to tick those they agree with. eg

• I want to live in a society where people respect each other, especially when they disagree, and most especially when they disagree on politics or religion.
• I want to live in a society where we err on the side of generosity when it comes to our treatment of refugees; where we can rise to the moral challenge of dealing humanely with some of the world’s most desperate, vulnerable people who manage to make it to our shores by whatever means, and so on….

In between these bookends he deals comprehensively with the culture of busyness, diversity and choosing our words carefully; empathy and education; a better world starting in our own street; gender wars; religion; politics, choice as threat to public education; the real state of the nation and finally the best side of our profile – big hearts and open minds.

This is a fully indexed text with a large reference list. I think it should be part of the resources of every thinking Australian and especially those who want to remain relevant to their audiences (in the pews or classrooms). For ordinary Australians like myself, it has huge value in making me aware of the context and influences on my life and I can confidently talk to intelligent friends and hold their attention!

Available from bookshops and online, just search for Australia Re-imagined. More information about Hugh Mackay and his other books can be sourced from his publishers Pan Macmillan.

Paul Inglis 12th August 2018

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