My Doctor's Handwriting

“And then a story came back to me from a very long time ago, one of the most powerful, shocking and beautiful I know.”

“So many impulses acted on, so little empathy, so little vision for the future. We are behaving like rabbits, it turns out. And most of us would rather be elephants…Now stick with me because this is the best thing I’ve heard in nearly 30 years of medical education.”

“I think it helps to think of our nation as like a family, like any normal-weird, messy-when-stressed family. 
The referendum is a chance to sort some of our sh*t out.”

“As both sides compete for your vote there’s so much to think about, and yet it doesn’t need to be overthought.”

“A house with kids has to behave itself. Question time might be bearable again. And we might get more bipartisanship on small matters like the soul of a nation”

“On Fathers’ Day this year I learned that men over 50 are the least likely to vote Yes in the referendum.”

“Our nation is now faced with a Yes/No question it must answer by law. Both cases have flaws, neither is perfect. But we must choose the ‘least worst’ option, the one on balance of probabilities most likely to turn out ok.”

“Now, it happens that another social movement wanting to heal people – and maybe a nation too – has found what I want to say in just two powerful words”

“I long to feel connected to the land in the way I have heard First Nations people speak of, those with family trees with their roots down so deep it’s like the soil is in their skin, whether you can see it or not.”

“When asked to assess the mental health of someone who is grieving, I’m asking: how is their particular grief process being supported, both within them and around them?”