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Hugh Mackay

Hugh Mackay Books

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“We thrive on our sense of belonging to families, neighbourhoods and all kinds of groups and communities. We utterly depend upon our social connections for our emotional and physical security, for our sense of well-being, being accepted and taken seriously. [p57]”

SocialAcceptanceTrustBelongingCredibilityEmotional WellnessNeighbourhoodCommmunityPhysical Security
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“Socrates said that personal fame counts for nothing if your life isn't itself of virtue, and the same goes for political power. We could certainly demand more virtue from our politicians, starting with a more respectful attitude towards each other as legitimately elected members of parliament, and an inflexible commitment to always telling the truth.”

PoliticsVirtueDemocracyTrustFameAustralia
Book:Australia Reimagined: Towards a More Compassionate, Less Anxious Society
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“Forgiveness calls on deep reserves of moral courage: the courage to break out of the spiral of self-pity; the courage to set aside resentment; the courage to rise above biterness; the courage to act well, when all our instincts call on us to act badly. p112”

CourageLetting GoForgivenessTherapyBitternessResentmentCynicismForgiveSelf PityMoral Courage
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“People with passionate convictions tend to see the world through the lens of their passion - whether psychological, spiritual, or economic - and interpret everything they hear according to whether or not it harmonises with their own one-note samba”

SpiritualityPassionPsychologyEconomicsConvictionBiased ViewMental Cages
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“Only those who have been on the receiving end of poverty, unemployment, homelessess, mental illness, domestic violence, racism, sexism or ageism can fully identify with others' reactions to those distressing experiences. Only those who have been members of marginalised minority can fully appreciate how that feels. [p50]”

PovertyPerspectiveRacismAdversitySexismAgeismMental Illness StigmaEmpathy DiversityMarginalised Groups
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“Homo sapiens. That's a label we invented for ourselves, of course: Latin for 'wise man'. It may be hoped that we will eventually either evolve into something worthier of that appellation or aspire to an even better one. How about Gens unanima - 'harmonious race' or ' a people of one spirit'?”

PeopleWisdomSociologyHomo SapiensWorthinessHarmonious Society
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“It's inevitable that people who are trying to manipulate, persuade or deceive us in their own interests would try to pretend that they are driven by...the finest expressions of our common humanity - altruism, compassion and kindness. [p63]”

HumanityCompassionKindnessManipulationFraudAltruismDeceivePersuadeSincerity Of Heart
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“Stories abound... of governments' heavy reliance on focus groups and other forms of research to pre-test the likely political effect of policies. Not to test the integrity or efficacy of the polices; not to see whether it fits within a particular philosophical framework, merely to test its palatability or, to be brutally frank, its likely contribution to a government's prospects of re-election.”

PolicyIntegrityManipulationElectionsEfficacySycophantsAgreeablenessRisk Analysis
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“If things just keep going along as smoothly as if we're on a railway track, reassured by the regularity and predictability of that clickety-clack, clickety clack, why would we bother with introspection about the meaning and purpose of it all, let alone the direction we're taking? p37”

UncertaintyIntrospectionChoices And ConsequencesRoad Not TakenUnpredictability Of Life
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“When books sweep the world with characters and plots that seem unutterably grim...you have to ask whether we willingly incorperate such material into our lives because we need more shadows, clouds, drama, or perhaps because vicarious exposure to such material equips us, psychologically, for potential exposure to the real thing. [p35, Chapter 1 Taking the rough with the smooth]”

ResilienceExposureEscapismStrength Through AdversityVicarious Trauma Prevention
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“Accept that you can't control many of the things that happen to you. Stop wishing for things to stay the same, or to to be different. Above all, remember that your own struggles are part of the human struggle, shared by everyone you meet. [p53. Chapter 1 summary]”

ChangeControlSamenessKindness To OthersHuman Struggle
Book:The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism
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“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.”

IfsFirstsTodayCommunityLevelsStepsToo MuchTomorrowDrinkAnxietyTerrorismContemporaryInsecurityInvitesWeekendFirst StepsNeighbourAustralian
Author:Hugh Mackay
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“It is the misfortune of contemporary leaders, across the whole spectrum of Australian life, that the community's demand for strong leadership is growing in direct proportion to our lack of confidence in ourselves. The end of this century is an unusually difficult time to be a leader in Australia.”

EndsWholeStrongDifficultCommunityLeadershipLeaderGrowingCenturyDemandDirectContemporaryProportionAustraliaMisfortunesDifficult TimesSpectrumAustralianLack Of Confidence
Author:Hugh Mackay
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“One of the most important responsibilities of leaders in any setting - including business organisations - is to tell us our own story; to explain us to ourselves; to help us weave some meaning and purpose into the fabric of our lives; to illuminate our understanding of where we have come from; to paint word pictures of our future onto which we can project our aspirations.”

ImportantHelpingStoriesPurposeUnderstandingLeadershipBusinessResponsibilityLeaderOur LivesProjectsEconomicsPaintIncludingSettingSettingsAspirationOur FutureFabricOrganisation
Author:Hugh Mackay
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