A Rightful Place; A Road Map To Recognition.

Authors; Noel Person, Megan Davis, Jackie Huggins & Rod Little, Damien Freeman & Nolan Hunter, Warren Mundine, Stan Grant.

Edited by Shireen Morris, Foreword by Galarrwuy Yunupingu.

​“Australia is a nation of three parts: its ancient pre-colonial heritage, its inherited British institutions and its multicultural achievement. The Uluru Statement affords a unique opportunity to embrace the most Australian part of ourselves, and do it so in a way that upholds our successful constitutional system. This would be a belated recognition of the most ancient part of our nation.”

A rightful place is a collection of essays from esteemed Indigenous activists and academics, discussing the impact of the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’. This document was put together by 250 Indigenous representatives at a constitutional convention convened in 2017, calling for the establishment of a voice for representatives of Australia’s First Nations in the constitution. It also calls for a Makarrata Commission to provide a mechanism for truth-telling, agreement-making and ultimately reconciliation between the government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This collection of essays is wonderfully written. Each writer brings an eloquent and considered discussion of objections, solutions and pathways forward on the subject of formal Indigenous recognition in the Constitution of Australia.

A makarrata is a Yolngu concept that essentially outlines a process and principles for dispute resolution between aggrieved parties. The resolution, however, is not only in name, Galarrwuy Yunupingu writes “This settlement is also a symbolic reckoning – an action that says to the world that from now on and forever the dispute is settled; the that dispute no longer exists; it is finished…. In past times a man came forward and accepted a punishment, and this man once punished was then immediately taken into the heart of the aggrieved clan”.

At stark odds to the current system of incarceration that we have in Australia, where one is the stigma of ones sins remains long after punishment or rehabilitation, the makarrata is a process in which moving on, forgiveness and genuine acceptance are part and parcel.

First, disputing parties must come together and speak their grievances. If someone speaks out of turn, or wildly, they are sent away to no longer be part of the process. The makarrata starts with a calm laying out of the issues, it is not a place for vengeance or anger. The leaders then seek to understand all the issues involved, and to find a middle ground upon which all parties can settle.              

The essays contained in this volume, discuss the challenges surrounding a representative voice for Australia’s first peoples. They seek permanent, indelible recognition as part of the history of this great country, not to re-write history, but to be acknowledged alongside the British institutions and multicultural achievements.

​They seek a voice in Indigenous affairs. Currently there is no mandated, representative voice of Indigenous interests in Parliament. While other countries (Norway, Canada, NZ) have representative bodies for their first nations to parliament, Australia still lacks this formal function. Those of indigenous descent that are in Parliament, are elected to represent their constituencies, not Indigenous outcomes. The Uluru Statement from the Heart seeks indigenous representation for law making that affects indigenous Australians.

Given that Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders only make up around three percent of the population of Australia, it is difficult for them as a group to force the hand of the democracy as a vehicle for change in their own affairs.

Overwhelmingly the rhetoric in each of these pieces is about overcoming objections to a proposal that is, at its very core, about bringing together a country, not separating it. That through a process of truth-telling, acknowledgement and empowerment, Indigenous Australians are able to more actively participate in crafting a better future for themselves, alongside and within the liberal democratic constitutional monarchy that currently exists.

Noel Pearson, who is an amazingly articulate and learned writer (I had to look up about 20 words from his essay), speaks to a possible future of bi-culturalism for Indigenous Australians. Where being Aboriginal is not separate to being Australian, but an element of ones’ complete identity. That they are not asking for a separate identity, but simply a better acknowledgement of the identities that indigenous Australians are trying to reconcile within themselves every day.

​It often pains me personally to hear people labour the point that Indigenous Australia needs to sort itself out, and that we have been here for hundreds of years so it’s not our fault etc. I think that it can be easy to forget for my generation, that until 1967 Aboriginal Australians were not citizens, unable to vote and had zero parliamentary representation. At the time of the referendum to recognise them Noel notes;

“Back when the referendum was crafted and overwhelmingly endorsed by the Australian people – 90 per cent of the country voted in favour of it – there was not one Indigenous lawyer in the country, let alone an Indigenous constitutional lawyer involved in the drafting of the amendment.”

I found this fact to be an absolutely mind boggling (albeit obvious if you think about it). It was only in 1967 that special provisions were made in the constitution to finally count Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as citizens of the continent that they have inhabited continuously for some 60,000 years.

At the time, a considered and united amendment, coming from Indigenous Australians was not wholly possible, and in the 51 years since that recognition, the stark facts remain that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have among the highest incarceration rates and lowest life expectancies of the first world.

I recommend anyone who currently holds views for or against Indigenous constitutional recognition and mandated representation, to read this book. It addresses issues for both conservative and liberal arguments, for those who argue from Constitutional law and those who have cultural and self-determination as the forefront of their arguments. It is eye opening to hear the processes available to the first-nations of other sovereign countries, and encouraging to think that we could adopt those measures here to better look after our own Indigenous population.

I read this and feel hope, hope for a truth telling, hope that we can save the songs and stories of these peoples, hope for unity and prosperity, and hope for a future Australia that embraces all parts of its make-up. From the first inhabitants to the last, from the dreamtime to the present, and all that has come and gone in between. If we are to aspire to be a nation with a clear identity, there is no moral ambiguity in the empowerment of our First Nations.

Shout-out to Readings St Kilda for being a marvellous bookshop and allowing me to come across this gem late on a sunny afternoon.

Keep reading, keep sharing these posts (I really appreciate it), keep reconciling, keep working on a common language with which we can discuss these issues, and as always, Just Be Nice.

​- J

           ​With a title like Linchpin: Are you indispensable? How to drive your career and create a remarkable future. You could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another ‘business guru’ ‘ra-ra cheerleader’, ‘you can do it’ style of book that is heavy on the back pats and light on the practical application of doing good work…. But it’s not.
         Work hard, make mistakes, be accountable, be generous and develop skills that make you indispensable. Great messages to take away from a very practical account of a way forward, that acknowledges the various road blocks that prevent people from fulfilling their potential.
                From the industrialised nature of the school system, to modern journalism, to a discussion of the kinds of jobs that are prevalent in society today and their worth, Godin presents a part anthropological, part historical, part how-to manual for navigating these environments.
                Godin doesn’t present an easy, pain free version of a successful career path, rather a generous, fulfilling one. One that requires self-awareness and a dedication to doing all the right things, even when you don’t think anyone is watching.
                In talking about the myriad ways that people can become indispensable to clients, customers and employers, he illuminates a range of possibilities for people who are ready to take responsibility for their own personal and career evolution.
                Much of what Godin promotes in Linchpin is in the creating of what he calls ‘Art’.
                “Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does that causes change in another.”
                “Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient.”
                Art is the effort that a human puts in to make things better for someone else, without thought of immediate reward, or pats on the back, or recognition. The Art that Seth Godin speaks about is an act of gift-giving that at once changes someone else’s life in some way, while helping you to become indispensable.
                I have to say, rather than most of the ‘gurus’ that write business books that either lack humanity, and treat people like pawns, or lack a realistic picture of the work it takes to make it in any field, or the books that just flat out say nothing of importance at all, Linchpin was a fantastic read.
                Godin’s advice works, and I can prove it!
I have, over the years, heard bits and pieces of Seth Godin’s stuff on various interviews, podcasts, read a few articles and blogs etc, but he never really engaged me. Then, I listened to an old podcast of his – The Seth Godin Start-up School. It was really great, a series of short pieces taken from a workshop he did around 2011 or something. It was very generous, had a handful of very practical and insightful tips, and so, out of appreciation for his efforts, I went and purchased a few of his books.
                Seth was generous, he was an expert and he gave me a gift that I wanted to repay.  All that happened BEFORE I actually read Linchpin, so now I know what was going on! Regardless, I am not disappointed.
                I highly recommend this book to anyone who believes that they need to change what they are doing to feel fulfilled or become more successful, to anyone who lacks the conviction to do the scariest thing (Ship your product/art/etc), and to anyone who is interested in a perspective of what the future of work and successful workers might look like!

                Thanks Seth, for practicing what you preach and doing an excellent job along the way, I hope that everyone finds the courage to be better, be more generous and create more art in their day to day lives as a result of this book.

​                A collection of short stories from Boccaccio’s The Decameron translated by Peter Hainsworth.
                Book number one in the 80 volume Little Black Penguin Classics set that I purchased at the beginning of the year, I have set myself the challenge of reading 100 books in 2018, including the 80 of this set, so it will be interesting to see if I can keep up the pace of writing reviews (on average) twice a week.
                The first book in this set is by an author I have heard nothing about, ever, but a quick google tells me that he is a Florentine writer from the 1300’s. Apart from the setting of the short stories, I would not have picked the time that he was born, given the lively interpretation of what is a racy and ribald account of virility, infidelity, trickery, manipulation and lust.
                There are four short stories in total, all of which relate to some instance of sexual misconduct or relationship management. As they are short stories, to give the plot away would also give much of the charm away, so I would simply say that as a start to a collection of 80, it was an engaging, funny and ironic way to kick it off. The more time you spend reading classics and tales from hundreds or thousands of years ago, the more you realise that we are not so advanced as we may think. Technology can only mask human nature to a certain extent, but these stories certainly do not seem dated or out of place in modern society, even if the settings are certainly straight out of the 14th Century.
                I have no expectations of what to expect from the set of Little Black Penguin Classics, but nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised at the nature of volume one. A good mix of humour and sex, two things that never fail to entertain.
                Onto the next one!

​With over 2 million books sold, a title that is frequently touted as one of the ‘must reads’ in any self-respecting businessman, investor or entrepreneurs’ library this one has been on my ‘to-read’ list for a long time.
                In fact, if I am honest, over a decade ago, I recall trying to remember it’s title and I ended up reading King Solomons Mines accidentally, waiting for the nuggets of financial wisdom to reveal themselves to me in the completely wrong book!
                The Richest Man In Babylon, published first in 1926, holds investment advice that is no doubt as true today as it was 92 years ago. It tells a series of parables and stories of conversations between interested parties and wealthy, self-made (fictional) Babylonians.
                Of course, even though these stories are all fiction, the messages are clear. Clason promotes a system of saving and investing that begins with putting aside 10% of all that you earn, before you do anything with it. This 10% is then, over time, to be invested with people who know about what they are investing in. Do not trust the bricklayer to invest in gems for instance.
                On top of this are a number of strategies and discussions pertaining to the getting of luck and discussions surrounding the topics of self-made men Vs. those who happen across great fortune.
                It is a concise and interesting discussion of how to budget effectively with the assistance of a plan, as well as being an interesting look at whether self-made people are lucky or merely better at spotting and taking advantage of opportunities.
                A good collection of home-spun, sensible fiduciary wisdom, that makes a lot of sense, even though it puts the onus on individuals to do the work, save, make sensible investment decisions and delay procrastination in order to best take up opportunities as they present themselves.
                It is a far cry from the believe it and it will be so crowd of books that touts manifestation and visualisation ahead of hard work, discipline and relentless pursuit of being your best. I prefer the kind of cold, hard facts of doing the right work and being sensible to achieve great things over time, but that is simply my preference!
                All in all, I believe this would actually be a great book for teenagers to read and discuss, as the habits it speaks to forming would be well suited to those who are on the beginning of their earning/working journey.
                Not overly long, at only a couple of hundred pages with a pretty large typeface, if you see this book for sale cheap or at an op-shop etc, I would recommend giving it a read over a weekend and seeing if there isn’t something in there to prevent you making excuses and inspire you to prepare for the future rather than simply living in the hedonistic present.
                If you have read it, or do read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

​                Well this was an absolute delight to read. A collection of insights and anecdotes gathered from, yep, Wednesday afternoon conversations with Bob Hawke. Not quite a full biography, longer than an essay, more interesting than a simple interview piece.
                Derek matches Bobs irreverence with a writing style that is both engaging and considered without being stodgy and boring. Political insights are coupled with little gems and reflections on a man that is a national treasure for his common touch as much as his relentless pursuit of monumental reforms for Australia.
Far from simply one man’s take on the situation, Derek takes the time to talk to those close to Bob, past and present, to round out a colourful piece that touches on Bob the man, the friend, the lover, husband, and of course, the Prime Minister.
                I personally saw Bob Hawke speak some 8 or 9 years ago at a function; sandwiched between Wayne Swan and the MC he was a standout. Not simply for the way in which he speaks the common tongue with eloquence and understanding, but in the fact that he stood for something that means so much to me. It was refreshing to see a statesman enunciate a sharp vision for a country in which equality of opportunity was a driving motivation, rather than a sub-heading on a list of things that are too hard to actually achieve.
                The wonderful thing about a good biography is not simply what has been included, but what has been omitted. How does the narrative go when a person who missed the Hawke era* reads it? I never had the chance to develop personal feelings about Bob Hawke the PM, but the context provided by Rielly in this account of the then-and-now of Australia’s most popular Prime Minister goes a long way to bringing a young fella like myself up to speed.
                As a result of reading this, my desire to meet and speak with Bob Hawke has increased some 30-fold, his conviction and ability to connect to Australians (his approval rating of 75% is the highest of all time in Aus.) is admirable and a true inspiration.
                I tip my cap to Derek Rielly (the handsome rooster) for this accessible, insightful and respectful story of a story. Commentary surrounding the mention of the C-Bomb to former conservative Prime Minister John Howard and the toiletry habits of our former heads of state make this a tale about others that endears readers to the author as much as the subjects he is speaking to. I literally polished this off in two days, I was so glued to the telling of the story. The humility and incredulity of the circumstances surrounding how this got written are a welcome change in the world of virtue-signalling and humble-bragging. Full disclosure however, I do have a special affinity for clever people who swear.
                The list of things to read has increased, while I attempt to find a way to speak to a number of the figures in the book (Singo, Beazley, Blanche), as well as the author. I recommend highly that anyone vaguely interested in the man that delivered Medicare and vastly improved education outcomes to Australians checks this out.
                Shoutout to Avoca Hill Bookstore, South Yarra, where I saw and immediately purchased this as my first read for 2018. An excellent choice.
 
*(He served as PM from 1983-1991 and I was born in 1986)

Maybe the first ever video book review to be done at Niagra Falls!

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Check it out here, subscribe to my YouTube channel, read some books, be nice to people!

That's pretty much it!

               Read. This. Book.

               Only if you want to get a good understanding of what it takes to actually achieve things that matter, and to achieve things that are unique to your own abilities.

First of all, I loved this book. It spoke to me intuitively and discussed some really interesting research, case studies and theories that gave substance to some concepts that I already felt like I was aware of. Like getting permission to do things a certain way that you’d always kind of done them.

What is deep work?

Deep Work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capacities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.

Deep work is about taking things to a level of concentration and efficacy that is near impossible to achieve without a conscious effort to do. Removing the distractions, not having 37 tabs open on your browser, sitting in an open plan office, having your phone going off next to you while thinking about what to make for lunch.

There is a lot of gold in this book, so if you are one of the people that wonders how some high achievers seemingly get 10 times more done that other people, even though we all have the same number of hours in the day, then check this one out.

The secret, along with most secrets, is consistency, dedication, focus, direction and lack of distraction. It’s a boring secret, but it is the secret to success in virtually every endeavour, anyone looking for a ‘quick fix’ might need to give this a miss, although by applying these principles you will no doubt reduce the amount of time it takes you to achieve your goals as you head there on a straight line, not taking distraction detours along the way.

Deep work output also differs from regular work, the application of deep work principles allows you to “Learn hard things” and Produce work at an elite level”. The output is different, the ability to create groundbreaking, world changing work is absolutely enhanced by the application of deep work principles. Allowing better work to be produced in a shorter amount of time.

Rather than focus on busyness Newport wants us to focus on output, removing distractions as they not only inhibit our ability to complete the task at hand, but they inhibit our ability to regularly get into a deep state of concentration. There are multiple strategies in the book to combat these issues. Planning deep work/no distraction time, blocking out time where you do not use the internet, scheduling your days around your output. These things allow us to do better, more meaningful work and achieve more. Ironically, it also can allow for more free time as the deep work times are so productive that one can take more completely free time rather than try and be ‘busy’ 24/7.

I recommend reading this one, so I won’t go through the whole book, it is written with beautiful economy and is an easy read. Practical explanations and great, useful strategies make the whole read worthwhile and it doesn’t take long. My favourite anecdote in it however is the discussion of what it means to actually be an expert in a field. Noting that SQL programming (a form of database management programming) is highly valuable but highly complicated. It requires a deep level of understanding, solid analytical skills and a lot of concentration to execute well. That in schools, the use of iPads to do homework and submitting projects via YouTube has as much relevance to programming/analytical computing value as playing with hot wheels cars has to being a race car driver.

We need to teach the principles of concentration, expertise, deep analytical thought if we want to improve the opportunities of future generations to solve complex problems, because in the real world, that kind of focus and output is actually highly valuable. Distraction doesn’t just limit output at the time of distraction, it leads to further difficulties with actually concentrating on anything at all. Practice deep work and get better at life.
Once again, I strongly recommend this book. Read it, apply it, be better and as always, Just Be Nice.

​-J

For more on Author Cal Newport you can check out his blog HERE

                 Tim Ferriss is a prolific podcaster, writer and ‘life-hacker’. Shooting to fame with his first book “The 4 Hour Workweek”, Tim has written several books since, all focusing on extracting maximum results out of minimum amounts of time.

                Tools of Titans is a book that summarises discussions that Tim has had with various people of influence on his podcast and is broken into three sections; Healthy, Wealthy and Wise. At the beginning he recommends “How to read the book”, basically take in what interests and engages you, and feel free to “skip liberally” over the bits that don’t grab your attention. I read the book cover to cover, although it’s a good style of book to just pick up and thumb through when you’re just killing some time, or want to look up something in particular. It would be simple enough to skip large chunks of it and still get a lot of enjoyment out of the whole thing.

                There are some really great guests on Tim’s podcast, so there is a high calibre of people in this book. Its also much longer than I thought it would be, at nearly 700 pages it’s a big beast but the text is large and in Tim’s notetaking style, so there are a lot of dot points and question/answer style paragraphs which make it read like you are looking in on a bunch of conversations.

                Tim is generous with his information, and his guests are as well. It is a hallmark of successful people that they often have very little problem with sharing their stories, mostly because
1. They’ve already done it and
2. You probably wont.

                I have to go out on a limb here and say that Tim is a self confessed flakey dude. He cannot remain focused on any one thing for too long, so he flits from project to project and life-hack to life-hack. I have seen lots and lots of people try to ‘hack’ their way to success, using shortcuts and hot tips and tricks to try and skip out on the reality that pretty much every successful person that Tim has interviewed has been through decades of hard work and dedication to get where they are. There are plenty of copycat Tim’s around, trading off interviewing successful people as some kind of way to become successful themselves, but I am personally more interested in the promotion of long periods of time, dedication and development to become a leader in your field.

                Having said that, Tim’s guests are great, some of his health tips are interesting and there is a lot of good wisdom inside the pages of the book. The tips I find the most helpful from people like Tim and the experts are around the software they use, the breakdown of their days, and hearing again and again that 99% of the time it takes a long f*#king time and heaps of hard work to achieve anything worth mentioning.

                If you get a chance to check it out, it’s a good flick through, I’m sure anyone interested in what the leaders in various fields do would get a lot out of it, and if you are looking to take a handful of good tips to improve your own productivity, output and enjoyment of life, then it certainly has plenty of those…. Alongside a lot of discussion of psychedelics and the positive effects of their regular use!

                Maybe grab a friends copy and have a thumb through and see if you’d like it permanently on your bookshelf, you can listen to the podcasts free if you are super interested in any of his guests too!

                Keep learning, keep hacking and as always, Just Be Nice.

- Josh Reid Jones

​               A Shoe Dog is a person who is right into shoes according to the biography of the same name, written by Phil Knight, co-founder of shoe and apparel behemoth Nike.

               The chapters are broken into years, from Phil’s early days post-college as a Stanford graduate with an idea in 1962 to the IPO of Nike in 1980, an IPO that made Phil $178 Million on the day of offering. Phil Knight now has the prestige of being one of the 15 richest men in the world, with an estimated net worth of $24.4 Billion, so his biography would certainly appeal to any person interested in the rise of an individual from middle class graduate to a multi-billionaire.

               One of the things that I found most interesting about the Shoe Dog story is that it covers nearly 20 years of the beginning of Nike, from its origins as a Japanese shoe retailer called ‘Blue Ribbon Sports’ to the largest shoe and apparel retailer in the USA, eventually overtaking rival Adidas. 20 years, starting with Phil as a 24-year-old with a brand-new MBA. He doesn’t really actually even get any product until he is 26, so by the time things are moving he is in his early 30’s.

               With so much focus on modern day rags-to-riches tales from the dot com boom era, I appreciate the fact that reading through Phil’s memoir, he doesn’t really achieve independently wealthy status until the IPO in his 40’s. The book is littered with commentary on how hard cash flow was to maintain, how much difficulty they faced maintaining lines of credit during the relentless growth of the company. Nike nearly went under a couple of times, and they narrowly avoided losing everything in those moments.

               Phil comments that his own leadership style is one where he offers little encouragement, and by his own admission he was a hard task master even to the very loyal and true-to-the-cause employees who put themselves out for the company time and time again. An absent father, he briefly touches on the familial impact of being an absent, company-focused man and what that meant to his children.

               I think that some people will read this memoir as an indication that if you have a dream it’s possible to achieve it, but in the 380 pages of the book you can forget that it is actually decades of hard work, uncertainty and relentless grind. Not to mention two University degrees, part time work, shitty offices, some shady dealings, being a bit dodgy, scrounging for cash and literally betting the house time and time again.

               My reading of Shoe Dog further validates my belief that there are only a select few who can not only maintain a vision for the long term (I would consider 20 years a long term vision) and maintain a steadfast grind towards it regardless of external circumstances.

               Personally, I admire his grind and tenacity, but I aspire to be less the admonishing, give-no-praise CEO of the Phil Knight/Steve Jobs style, than a more giving, generous CEO like Lars Sorensen. Nike is no doubt one of the iconic brands, and to see it come together in the pages of the book you realise it took a lot of hard work, some luck, the right people and the right timing. It is not something that can be replicated, only self-awareness about what you are willing to sacrifice to dominate an industry can guide your progress.

               If you are interested in business building from scratch, Nike, wealthy people or how long it might take to make your first $100 Million, even when you are double sales year on year for over a decade, grab it and give it a read. If nothing else it is a good yarn. I’d be interested to hear what other people think of this one!

Keep reading, keep working hard and as always, Just Be Nice.

- J

         Age is an interesting thing. When we are young, many of us dream of the day that we get to be grown ups! The age old rite of the coming of age, getting new privileges, being able to drive, drink, live independently and all the other cool things that happen when you become an adult. The enthusiasm for ageing is short lived for some people, with old age acting as some strange spectre of decay in the lives of many, perhaps a strange phenomenon seeing as every second that passes we are each getting older.

    Anne Karpf writes on the topic, looking into the whys and what’s of the cultural significance of aging. I must admit, it is not something to which I give lots of thought personally, I am not prone to worrying about getting older, but having turned 30 last year, I know plenty of people that do have worries about the effects of ageing.

    How To Age is quite interesting, but I feel like it is a great conversation starter rather than being a brilliant read cover to cover. It makes sense that this would be the case, as it is part of the School of Life series of books. Designed to encourage discussion of the big issues of life and living, the School of Life was started by philosopher Alain De Botton to provide a forum for this kind of investigation.

    Short chapters, multiple view points and some historical context help Karpf make some interesting points. She brings up the fact that age is a strange kind of discrimination that we have against others, but also against ourselves (or rather our older selves). Looking upon our own ageing process with disdain only increases the anxiety that we might feel about getting older.

    Looking at ageing as merely a process of decay, rather than celebrating the gains in wisdom, serenity and satisfaction causes a very negative view of age and older people. So rather than simply looking at age as something which needs to be hidden, delayed and defeated, we need to look at it for what it really is, a process that we begin the day we are born.

    How To Age offers a few insights into the things that can help with the process. Making an effort to have communities where people of all ages mix helps make the prospect of aging less terrifying, as young people spend time with older people, while simultaneously keeping the older ones feeling younger and more connected as they get to spend time with people who help them ‘feel younger’.

    The kind of ‘age apartheid’ that we have in many western society, certainly contributes to the negative connotations associated with ageing. Separating older people off into separate villages, aged care facilities and nursing homes means that it is possible in the future that some people will never meet an older person until they themselves are of age. I had never considered the apartheid nature of the way that we segregate older people into separate communities. It occurs to me after reading this book that we run the risk of losing a lot of valuable information, connection and love as we isolate people solely based on their age.

    In a time where being physically less strong is probably as unimportant as it’s ever been thanks to the evolution of technology, the physical decay of the ageing process should matter less and less. We should look to the ageing population for all the wonderful things that they can contribute, so that we may each look forward to ageing ourselves as well.

    Interesting points and a quick read make this one a reasonable beach read, it never hurts to take the time to understand the pressures and concerns of any strata of society, especially one that you are going to be a part of. The School Of Life series is a great bunch of books if you enjoy thinking about the things you are reading. I’m sure I’ll read a few more this year. If you see it around grab it and check it out, if you are anxious about ageing or experiencing some ageism touch base, I’d be happy to chat about it with anyone who is interested!

    Keep reading, look after your elders and as always Just Be Nice.

-    Josh Reid Jones