farmdoc's blog post number 122

In 1994 in South East Tasmania, on a group hike, oncoming and leaning into the wind was a lanky fellow. Our friend Tru, recognising him under his beanie, introduced him: Steve Biddulph, a psychologist. I’d never heard of him. Soon after, Tru gave me Steve’s book: Manhood: an action plan for changing men’s lives. It certainly changed mine, in major ways. Recently my friend Annie, who lives in Deloraine, and I have had an arrangement: she subscribes to the Quarterly Essay, I subscribe to The Monthly, and we swap. In QE30 is a contribution from, yes, Steve Biddulph. Here’s how it ends: ‘The risk of enslavement of the many by the few has always lurked in human society. Where it was once created by swords, whips and iron chains, today it comes as a combination of fear of poverty, our own greed and aspirations, and the lack of supportive community to buffer our vulnerability. We feel all alone. But there is still hope, and in the coming economic troubles this hope might actually flourish. Our own choices, supported by a government that sees the value of human cohesion and nurturing, might lead us to a devolution from a globalised to a human scale of living, where we live by caring more and consuming less and are richer for it’. Here’s hoping you’re right, Steve.