The only life you'll ever need..

In commercialised freedom, one will find an absolutely stunning jail
One with the latest design in architectural modernism
Alive with colour, creativity, and a sense of ‘you’
…whoever you are, whatever your situation…
Equipped with the latest range of comforts at an affordable price (of course)

And it doesn’t take long… same day delivery
If you’ve got a problem, they’ve got a solution
And you needn’t leave your room to go on a holiday
They’ll shrink the world and sell it to you
And don’t stress, we take AMEX
Earn enough points and they’ll fly you and 5 friends to another prison…
In a ‘mystery’ destination
For a limited time only so HURRY!

you can communicate with whoever, whenever
which is good because you can’t get out
but why would you want to when you can have all this CHOICE
besides, you wouldn’t want to be out there on your own, would you?

there are a few that have a key to this prison known as “leaders”
they take care of all the complicated messy stuff for you
provide for your every need! no wonder they’re so popular!
and you’re so grateful for all they do…
though of course, nobody is perfect…
so you’re allowed to criticize them, we do live in a democracy!…
and your complaints will be known (and promptly set aside)
after all you were just venting, and now you feel ‘heard’…
which is a normal human instinct…
I’m sure you would’ve learnt about that on Dr Phil last week

very rarely you might actually STOP and REFLECT
as your therapist told you to do, twice a month…
you may think WHAT would you do without these leaders??
You’ve forgotten how to solve a problem on your own
So you dismiss that question…
It goes straight into the ‘too hard’ box, because you’re sort of tired
Been a busy day… what with your three jobs
Plus your ‘mind body’ class, and don’t forget your WW club..
And the AA meeting which is purely for pre-emptive measures…
Oh and the extra quality time you promised your spouse,
and your three pets
Actually… come to think of it…
you’d rather just watch a movie which will explore those themes…
And promptly advise you of the answer to your question
It’s a lot easier… so sit back, and enjoy…
It’s all right here for you…

It’s very important to get your ‘me’ time
You can hone in on this skill or that
Learn how to kayak in 20 days
And don’t worry; you’ll get to see everything there is to see
Cos there’s a re-run of ‘getaway’ tomorrow at midday…
You can be ‘alternative’ or a ‘hippie’
You can do whatever you want…
(As long as it abides by the system already in place)
You can say NO to the “establishment”, but please don’t step out of the boundaries we’ve already set up for you…
They are there for your own protection and safety…
Failure to do so will result in ostracism
And the lack of a ‘healthy’ social life
Read ‘independent thinking for dummies’ for further instruction…

But the best part of all, ladies and gentleman, is the freedom
Which you know that you have (you’re reminded every day)
Real or not, it makes you happy just the same
Except for when you get a slight breeze of fresh air
Through a crack in the door…
Only for a millisecond, you consider if you are missing out on something more
But everyone will tell you, you’re not, it’s all right there where you are…
And that you should call ‘door-cracks-are-us’ cos they can fix that for you
today… with 5 years interest free
And a complimentary I-pod shuffle…

There is nothing else beyond, remember that
The choice…the ease… the freedom… ‘so are the days of our lives’
And we know how to really live…
So follow our prime example
But please keep up... the tour is on a strict schedule
And your child’s ‘speed-reading’ session will be over soon
You wouldn’t want to miss the ‘me matters’ seminar
And be the first one to purchase some ‘me matters’ merchandise
You’ll go in the running to win one of five brand new personalities…


Megan Graham.

Dave's Induction Celebration - all welcome

who do you say i am?

How do you see yourself? How do you see other people?

Last week a guy I play hockey with asked me if I had seen the movie Raising Helen. He wanted to know because he said I remind him of Dan, the Luthern Minister in the film. So last night I watched it. It’s a peculiar thing to have someone place you so specifically, yet in some ways its like having a mirror held up to you, and you see a reflection – an image of yourself – that you might not have seen otherwise. In many respects it helps me to become more self aware.Jesus asks a perplexing question about identity in this weeks reading. After asking his mates what they think other people believe about him, he asks them directly ‘who do you say that I am?’

Why is this significant? The significance I suppose comes because at the heart of Christianity is a wondering about who this Jesus actually is. It’s a pondering on the life and significance of one person, but a person who is believed to be significant in both our understanding of who we are as humans and who God is. In grappling with the question of who Jesus is we attempt to become more aware of what it means to be human, and what it means to be in relationship with ‘the other’ – God.

A humbling thought really!