No one welcomes chaos, but why crave stability and predictability?

Although we love the idea of choice - our culture almost worships it - we seek refuge in the familiar and the comfortable.

Is it possible that literacy standards are falling because young Australians are growing up in a culture in which they can be entertained and informed, and in which they can communicate effectively, without having to master any but the most rudimentary literacy skills?

The thing we need most is each other.

Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.

But the rule seems to be that the bigger and more life-changing the decision, the less it will seem like a decision at all.

If I were asked about what to do about the level of insecurity and anxiety in contemporary Australian society, I wouldn't start with politics and I wouldn't say too much about terrorism. I'd suggest as a first step, that you invite the neighbours over for a drink this weekend. Today a drink, tomorrow a barbeque, pretty soon, a community.