How do you define youth? Is it an attitude? An age? A generation?
Often ‘yoof’s’ have a hopeful look in their eye. It’s a wide eyed demeanor, unsullied by disappointment or situations too difficult to easily categorize. Youth is still fresh and tender.
You can spy youth in the little kids who tear around fountains in their undies, tweens awkwardly tripping over themselves while smiling in their braces, the teenager looking scornfully at those who went before and plan how they’re like, totally going to do it differently and those in their twenties start building their new lives on their own on their first solo trips to Ikea.
Less obviously, you can also get a whiff of youth from the Grandma with the cheeky attitude, the Dad who gets down on the floor to play with his kids and when grown ups let their dignity drop for a brief moment to have some fun.
If we can identify and appreciate a young attitude maybe we’ll be able to do what the songs says and stay forever young.
Twitter. All the kids are doing it, flinging self conscious ephemera out into the gaping maw of the internet. For a generation that must be observed in order to feel truly alive, Twitter is the apex of the social media pyramid. In 140 characters or less tweet what you’re doing, what you’re thinking, tweet pictures of where you are or your views on anything from Gaga to Dada. It is the ultimate in self documentation. But beware being boring or you’ll be unfollowed as quick as a flash (drive).
Claymation is all the rage. From 'The Trap Door' of childhood TV to the Academy Award winning 'Max and Mary', the wibbly and organic art form has definitely caught our attention. So when TTL saw the work of artist Allison Schulnik in the video for "Ready, Able," from Grizzly Bear's 'Veckatimest' we had to share. Enjoy.
A few days after I was asked to write this article I went to Switchfoot’s concert at the Forum in Sydney. As I stood on the top level of the venue, with a bird’s eye view of the stage & the writhing pit of awed fans clamouring for a touch of John Foreman’s outstretched hand, it struck me again just how powerful music is. Whether Christian or not the crowd was united in epic sing-a-longs that held all the passion of the church in full voice rising to worship her Creator. I watched the looks of ecstasy on upturned faces as they mouthed lyrics like:
When my university offered me the opportunity to travel to Mexico to study for a year I was thrilled. How many people did I know who had been to Mexico to study? I was motivated by a desire to challenge my ideas about the world and experience a life very different to my own in Australia. In particular, I wanted to live the life of Mexico, a country we generally hear not much about in Australia. Previously, I had only heard stories of drug wars, gun battles and abductions filtered through news sources and friends. As a result, in the days leading up to my departure it seemed everyone thought I was heading for certain death and destruction at the hands of Mexico's crazed drug lords.
The government’s recent decision not to implement a Human Rights Act (against the recommendations of their own Brennan inquiry) is deeply disappointing. It is a decision that will have a lasting effect on the very humans this act would aim to protect. The generally safe and secure situation most of us find ourselves in day-to-day tempts us all to think “I know my rights” but how many of us actually do? How hard do you have to fight for justice in this country when someone is treated appallingly? Heather Dowling revisits the case of Mr Ward to see where human rights are at in Australia.
“Just briefly, Mary. We’re not trying to convert, you know?” The ladies all howl with delight at Maha’s instruction. We all love Mary: her warm smile is always the first thing any of us notice when she enters the hall each week, but we’ve also noticed she has a tendency toward effusive and at times lengthy descriptions! Mary is from Egypt, and of the Coptic Orthodox faith. “Ok, ok, I’ll be brief!” she smiles. She begins her talk on the history and beliefs of her faith, translating into English what she is reading from a document written in Arabic. She goes on to introduce the dish she has cooked for us to share. It’s a pasta dish, taken from her culture, but this time prepared with the omission of some ingredients. She explains that this is because we’re part way through the season of Lent, and Mary’s daughter has chosen to fast. In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, this means eating each day only after noon, and avoiding some foods altogether.
As Bilbo Baggins says in TheFellowship of the Ring; 'it's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to.'
Your feet can lead you to places which have seen terrible or wonderful things. Some sites develop their own gravity, drawing visitors to them from across the globe and joining them together briefly, in reflection on what has passed in that place. The pyramids at Giza, Ground Zero in New York, the city of Jerusalem or Uluru are places that draw in pilgrims with the power of their history. Glenda Blakefield, Associate General Secretary for the Uniting Church National Assembly has been fortunate enough to follow this pull to far flung corners of the globe.
Death is the final frontier, the vast uncharted territory from where no explorers return. Here three people were asked by Journey what they think happens after you die…
James Stevenson
Many years ago my son, then aged four, asked: “Daddy, does it hurt to die?”
It was a question that still has me thinking.
I guess it depends on what we mean by hurt.
I came to the conclusion that it isn’t the dying that hurts, but the living before we die.
I’ve always thought of Alzheimer’s as a scary word. While I’ve never personally been touched by the disease, it represents tragedy, a loss of control, loss of memory and ultimately a loss of life.
In Australia, it’s more common that you may think. In 2008, 227 300 cases of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, were confirmed. This number is expected to rise to 731 000 by 2050 unless a cure is found.
It also carries a significant social stigma.
Most people prefer to pass of symptoms embarrassingly as a ‘senior moment’ and put the very idea that they might be suffering from this degenerative disease behind them.
Twitter. All the kids are doing it, flinging self conscious ephemera out into the gaping maw of the internet. For a generation that must be observed in order to feel truly alive, Twitter is the apex of the social media pyramid. In 140 characters or less tweet what you’re doing, what you’re thinking, tweet pictures of where you are or your views on anything from Gaga to Dada. It is the ultimate in self documentation. But beware being boring or you’ll be unfollowed as quick as a flash (drive).
A few days after I was asked to write this article I went to Switchfoot’s concert at the Forum in Sydney. As I stood on the top level of the venue, with a bird’s eye view of the stage & the writhing pit of awed fans clamouring for a touch of John Foreman’s outstretched hand, it struck me again just how powerful music is. Whether Christian or not the crowd was united in epic sing-a-longs that held all the passion of the church in full voice rising to worship her Creator. I watched the looks of ecstasy on upturned faces as they mouthed lyrics like:
