Compassion

It’s hard to pick the most disturbing moment. Is it when the van hits two-year-old Yueyue, pauses, then drives off? Is it the mother and small child who detour around her prone body? Or is it the sheer number of people who clearly see her and do nothing?

Warning: Disturbing footage

The video of the Chinese toddler, who wandered away from her mother and into trouble, makes you heartsick. It makes you question humanity. It makes you want to shake those people - shake them until their teeth rattle.

And of course, even as Yueyue lies in hospital with critical head injuries, it makes you wonder whether a similar evil negligence could happen here, or whether life is cheaper in places where it’s so much more abundant.

Continue reading "What kind of person ignores a dying two-year-old girl?" »

This week a 14-year-old boy became the youngest Australian ever to face drug charges in Indonesia after being arrested for allegedly possessing 6.9 grams of marijuana.

It’s believed he bought the drugs because he felt sorry for a man who claimed he hadn’t eaten for a day and needed money. (Note to other overseas-bound teens: by all means give generously; under no circumstances accept the drugs.)

The boy had apparently just received a massage in the popular tourist hub of Kuta and was on his way back to the family’s resort when arrested.

Continue reading "The Kuta Kid deserves all the help in the world" »

The Kimberley is spectacular and spiritual. However, it’s not a place to get a flat tyre or have any other mechanical failure. I know, I had a flat there in July. Believe me, finding a working jack, an inflated spare and the manual can take on real meaning. 

In the course of the next hour, four cars came down this rutted and dusty road.  Despite being covered in red dust, oil, blackened by the tyre remains and wielding a large tyre lever, not one of those drivers assumed I was Ivan Milat or Bradley Murdoch. Each pulled up to offer assistance. All courageously took the risk to make sure I was safe. I wondered if we would do this closer to home?

A good friend once told me the story of running out of petrol and being given a full can of petrol by a stranger, whose only request was “refill the can, keep it in your boot and pass it on to someone else.”

Continue reading "Charter For Compassion – let’s pass the can around" »