One Christmas

By Chris Van Ingen

Almost a week ago I went to the funeral of Leo an Asylum seeker who was that afraid of being sent back to Sri Lanka he felt he had no other option than end his life.

I had the blessing and good luck to spend Leo’s last Christmas with him, in that time I learned that he was quite, gentle, kind and generous a man.

At the funeral I heard a story that illustrated Leo perfectly; Leo was so generous his boss had to stop him from donating his entire wage to charity.

I know our government has to have policies and procedures to process refugees and asylum seekers  but surely Australia wants more people like Leo, not less.

Leo was Tamil and catholic two things that put a target on his back and made him afraid of being tortured if he was forced to go back to Sri Lanka.   

On top of this Leo suffered from serve mental illness, no matter what culture you are from Australia is not very excepting of those that have mental illness.

Despite all his hardships he still believed in putting others before himself a quality that we all should  try and carry with us.

We are all part of one universe, one song we need to recognise our common humanity and stop fearing what is different.

I again urge our government to replace fear with love and while being thorough is necessary we must stop adding to the fear that refugees and asylum seekers have had in their life.

I only knew Leo for a short time but his quiet dignity, compassion and kindness will always make me grateful for that one Christmas.

“Remember to keep the wheels of life turning in your direction”   

The world game shame.

Last night l happened to catch a Four corners story that horrified, repulsed and strengthened my resolve all at the same time.

This story was about Brazil and the world cup and the Grand Canyon sized chasm between the billions of dollars being spent to host the world cup while millions of Brazilian citizens still live in extreme poverty.

The story followed a fourteen year old girl who was selling herself for sex because she was so poor. How can anyone put a game ahead of the welfare of children?

The story also said that sex tourism is going to increase during the world cup; Sex is such a beautiful thing and should not be corrupted in this way. Children everywhere deserve the right to be children!

Since soccer is called the world game why didn't FIFA choose a host that represents the best the world has to offer?

I have said this many times but after the story last night I will repeat it again how long is it going to take for us all to put humanity at a higher value than money?

Sexploitation is wrong and we all can do our bit to end the extreme poverty that makes this ugly practice possible.

The Brazilian government argues that the money the world cup brings in will help the people in the slums long term but surely the billions spent on the world cup should have been used to help the people rather than such a useless spectacle of entertainment.   

I am more determined than ever to help to continue the movement to end extreme poverty after seeing this story, so if any of you are watching the world cup take a second to think about the young people who are selling themselves mere meters from the stadium in which the world’s attention is focused.

I will never forget Brazil’s world game shame and neither should you.

“Remember to keep the wheels of life turning in your direction!”

A Dream Killing Budget

By Chris Van Ingen

The Liberal party have always been known for putting the rich ahead all other Australians but never have I seen such a dream killing budget.

This 2014 budget has got me praying that the TARDIS is real so I can travel back in time 10 years and change my decision to join Mr Abbott’s party because even though I found out our beliefs’ were completely opposite and quit the party, after this budget I wish the Liberals were never part of my history.

This budget attacks everything thing that I and the majority of Australians believe in, affordable health care,  education, aged and disability support, sustainable environment and foreign aid. Nothing has escaped the Liberals machete except surprise, surprise the rich.

Many economists and the other parties agree that our debt level is nowhere near a crisis point because the Labor government kept us in a good position throughout the GFC.

We all know governments have to make tough choices but why is the Prime Minister taking us back to the Howard years and beyond, back to the dark ages? When is he going to stop being the Liberal’s attack dog and become a leader moving the country forward?

In thirty-one years of living with a disability I have had thousands of visits to the doctor, over thirty admissions to hospital and seventeen operations which my parents could not have afforded if the co-payment existed then and pensioners cannot afforded it now!

If the government would open its eyes and look at the U.S., where it’s clear this sort of health system doesn’t work  because people delay going to the doctor which then leads to the more expensive acute style medicine rather than a cheaper preventive one and it’s $7 now but what is it going to be in the future?

Through my involvement with Global Poverty Project I know small actions create big changes. So it doesn’t take a genius to see that proposed changes to environmental and foreign aid polices will have a catastrophic affect on the world and on how that world sees Australia.

On a personal note, I am actor, writer and motivation speaker because I want educate and inspire as many people as possible but the Coalition’s decision to join the Arts Council and Screen Australia will reduce our creativity and pretty much kill my dream along with the imagination and dreams of the nation.

Labor here I come! Thank you for this budget Mr Abbott because it has forced back into the political arena to make sure such a dream killing budget never happens again!

Vote 1 Labor at the next election!

“Remember to keep the wheels of life turning in your direction!”  

A simple Minstrel and Orator

It has been awhile since I have posted. I have been spending time in deep reflection and now I will share some of my thoughts. The traditional notions of success have become to complicated I now see myself as just a simple minstrel and orator.
This doesn't mean however that I have given up chasing my goals I would die before I let that happen it is simply down to a change of perspective. Throughout history scientists, priests and spiritual teachers have agreed that there is a energy in the universe, for me it is god but regardless what you believe this energy exists so I now place my goals in the wave of this universal energy and sit as a simple minstrel and orator and wait to see what the universe has in-store. This sounds passive but it is not I make all the moves necessary to achieve all my goals and then see if the universe delivers them. This means that I cut down on stress because I am going with the flow of my life and not fighting against what is in front of me. So gentle reader take stock of where your life is at the moment let your goals surf the wave of universal energy and be happy with your life for now I am just a simple mistral and orator.
" Remember to keep the wheels of life turning in your direction!"



By Chris Van Ingen