Signs of the Times - September 2023 by Adventist Media

FOR OUR FATHERS ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?

THE CONSPIRACY IS REAL

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY

THE VALUE OF FATHERHOOD

How the values you teach your children impact their present and future PAGE 32

00 26

CURRENT

WELLBEING

FAITH

04 WHAT IN THE WORLD

06 COLOUR YOU HAPPY?

24 ASK PASTOR JESSE

Is happiness just a magic formula?

12 A FATHER’S LOVE

How my dad helped me relate to God

38 BE SAD, BETTER

Why our view of sadness needs to be rehabilitated

52 YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

MATTERS FOR MORE THAN JUST YOU Dads’ mental wellbeing impacts children more than we realise

44 HEALTH NEWS FOR EVERY BODY 60 FIVE FOODS TO EAT

EVERY WEEK Eat your way healthy

CULTURE 18 CAUGHT IN THE CROWD

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

William Wilberforce wasn’t content with just good intentions: neither should you

@SIGNSMAG

26 DO YOU NEED

A SCREEN-FREE SABBATH? Getting rest from digital burnout

46 THE SECRET GLOBAL

CONSPIRACY It’s real!

FUN 62 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU

NATHAN DUMLAO, JORDANE MATHIEU—UNSPLASH, BRITISH LIBRARY, EMILY WADE—UNSPLASH

IN THIS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2023

FATHERS AND SONS For all of human history, the theme of fathers and sons has played centre stage in our myths and stories. From Kronos the Titan swallowing his children before being defeated by his son Zeus, to the constant meddling of Odin in the lives of his sons Thor and Baldur, fathers have always inhabited two sides of the same coin. They both represent life, love and leadership while also acting as a foil to their bold, ambitious sons. Is a father a figure to revere or an obstacle to overcome? Sometimes they’re both. My own dad has been in that role before. As a child, I looked up to him implicitly. Of course, that changed when my siblings and I became teenagers. Not content to simply “do as we were told”, our household was often a tinderbox waiting to be ignited. My dad isn’t perfect, but as an adult now I’m grateful for the blood, sweat and tears he expended to raise my siblings and I. In this complicated world, being a dad has never been more difficult. In this issue, we explore the themes of fatherhood as well as mental health. Whether it’s reckoning with how your mental health affects your children (p52), tips on raising your kids well (p32) or discovering the ultimate good Father (p12), this month we want to help dads everywhere be empowered to be the best they can be. For all his flaws and mine, I’m grateful for my dad. Whether yours was good or otherwise, I’m also thankful for God—the Father of us all and ultimate example for dads everywhere. He is Father for the fatherless (Psalm 68:5), compassionate to His children (Psalm 103:13), a generous gift-giver (James 1:17) and much more. I hope and pray that you get to know Him as I have.

Jesse

JESSE HERFORD Associate Editor

VOL 138 NO 9 ISSN 1038-9733 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Jarrod Stackelroth ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jesse Herford ASSISTANT EDITOR Zanita Fletcher COPYEDITOR Tracey Bridcutt GRAPHIC DESIGN Theodora Pau’u Talia Valderrama Nerise McQuillan PHONE +61 2 9847 2222 EMAIL info@signsofthetimes.org.au WEBSITE signsofthetimes.org.au ADDRESS Adventist Media PO Box 1115, Wahroonga New South Wales 2076 SUBSCRIPTIONS Kelli Geelan PHONE +61 3 5965 6300 Australia/New Zealand, $A28/$NZ30; South Pacific countries, $A41; Other countries $A51 Published since 1886, Signs of the Times is printed 11 times a year by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is registered as a periodical. Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD) Limited ABN 59 093 117 689 NOTE The inclusion of a person or their image within does not imply their endorsement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its beliefs. Unless otherwise stated, Bible verses are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton. All rights reserved worldwide. COVER IMAGE:

nd3000—Getty Images

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R RENT

WHAT IN THE WORLD BUZZING ENTREPRENEURS

SOLOMON ISLANDS

A new beekeeping and honey production program has started in a remote community in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. The aim is to teach women and young people to diversify their incomes and divert away from harmful farming practices like logging. Workers are creating products like candles, soaps, ointments, surf wax and zinc. Having bees in the area also helps to increase yields and pollinate mangroves, which act as natural buffers against cyclones.—ABC News

REFUGEES HEAL THROUGH STORIES

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SWAPNIL SHARMA, AHMED AKACHA, KSENIA CHERNAYA, COTTONBRO STUDIO—PEXELS

JORDAN

The Jordan non-profit #MeWeIntl is helping refugees work through trauma through storytelling. Creative writing and public speaking workshops help participants transform their wellbeing and build resilience, leadership skills and community engagement. More than 5000 refugees have participated so far in cities like Lebanon, Turkey, Mexico and Germany. According to founder Mohsin Mohi Ud Din, the key to the workshops is that they are taught by other refugees, creating a unique community that is “for the people, by the people”.—Vice

Famous Dads in Myths and History COUNTRY BONDS OVER OMELETTES

NEW CALEDONIA

New Caledonians gathered to make a giant omelette using 8400 eggs, 25kg of sausage and 14 bottles of salt and pepper. “The giant omelette is a symbol of sharing,” says chef Reine Chenot, who coordinated a well-oiled team of “omelette-iers”. The annual festival was introduced in 1984 by a New Caledonian woman who hoped the French tradition would bring the local community together during a period of extreme division.—The Guardian

THE RISKS OF ALCOHOL DELIVERY

AUSTRALIA

Increased access to quick delivery of low-cost liquor from the comfort of the home is being shown to impact unhealthy drinking behaviours in Australia. Due to a lack of strong regulations, alcohol home delivery services have risen significantly in recent years. Studies show that people would drink less if this service wasn’t available. —UNSW Sydney

Daedalus: the greatest craftsman in the world in Greek mythology. Father of Icarus, the two were imprisoned by King Minos of Crete. To escape, they crafted wings with feathers and wax. Icarus, ignoring his father’s warnings, flew too close to the sun and plummeted into the sea and drowned. Ivan the Terrible: the first Tsar of Russia had between six and eight wives as well as nine children. He had a tumultuous relationship with his family members, mostly due to his rapidly declining mental health. He once got into an argument with his son Ivan Ivanovich, which resulted in the Tsar striking his son with his sceptre, killing him. The moment of rage and subsequent remorse is immortalised in Ilya Repin’s painting Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan. Māui: a popular folk hero in many Polynesian cultures. In the Tongan version of Māui’s life, he has two sons: Māui-Atalanga and Māui-Kisikisi. The younger Māui-Kisikisi discovered fire and taught the people of Tonga cookery. Cicero: the prominent Roman philosopher and politician loved his daughter Tullia more than anyone else. When she died in childbirth, he was inconsolable. He later divorced his second wife Pubilia because she had not been saddened enough by her stepdaughter’s death.

ELL B EING

Is happiness just a scientific formula or is there more to it? BY BRUCE MANNERS 6

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PEXELS—PIXABAY

COLOUR YOU HAPPY?

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appiness is . . . ? How would He explains that when he’s doing you finish the sentence? What something, he tends to be focused, do you think happiness is? which means he was focused on Positive psychologist Sonja Lyubomgardening. Nikki, however, was having fun. irsky, in The How of Happiness, says it “Nikki was throwing weeds into the is is “the experience of joy, contentair and dancing around. I yelled at ment or positive wellbeing, comher. She walked away, came back and bined with a sense that one’s life is said, ‘Daddy, I want to talk to you.’” good, meaningful and worthwhile”.1 “Yes, Nikki?” Let’s admit that lining up all She reminded him of her fifth those elements at one time in our birthday. “From lives is not the time I was always easy, but three to the there’s a sense time I was five, of “joy” and I was a whiner. “contentment”, I whined every says Lyubomday. When I irsky, when it turned five, happens. Finland has been the I decided Another happiest country in not to whine positive anymore. That psychologist, the world for the past was the hardest Jonathan six years, according thing I’ve ever Haidt, explains done. And that “helping to the annual World if I can stop people find whining, you happiness and Happiness Report. can stop being meaning is such a grouch.” precisely the A grouch! Ouch! goal of the new field of positive psyHe calls this moment an epiphany. chology”.2 But how do we actually “I learned something about Nikki, achieve happiness? something about raising kids, something about myself and a great finding positives in a garden deal about my profession.”3 Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, recalls a time In that moment he realised that when he and his five-year-old daugh- raising children was “not about fixing their weaknesses, but about ter, Nikki, were gardening together. identifying and nurturing their It was a moment that helped change both his attitude and his approach to strengths” and that as a psycholopsychology. gist, he had “focused on correcting

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weakness instead of nourishing strength”.4 As the 1998 incoming president of the American Psychology Association, he used his year of leadership to promote “positive psychology”. He often used his experience with Nikki to help explain what he was about. Positive psychology has grown into a movement that will outlive him (he’s currently 80 years of age). So, how do you “be” happy?

TANELI LAHTINEN—UNSPLASH

time to move to Finland?

Finland has been the happiest country in the world for the past six years, according to the annual World Happiness Report. Since 2012, countries around the world have been measured for happiness based on six key factors within each nation: social support; income; health; freedom; generosity; and the absence of corruption. This year, using these factors, the unhappiest countries on our planet are war-torn Afghanistan and Lebanon. And, for the sixth year in a row, Finland has been declared the happiest country. It’s followed by two other Nordic countries: Denmark at number 2 and Iceland

at 3. The rest of the top-10 are: 4 Israel; 5 Netherlands; 6 Sweden; 7 Norway; 8 Switzerland; 9 Luxembourg; 10 New Zealand. So, perhaps we should move to Finland if we want real happiness. Actually, for those who want to know how the Finns do it, there’s a four-day Masterclass of Happiness in Finland every June to help individuals from anywhere find their “inner Finn”.5 The important thing about the Happiness Report is that it’s based on individuals, not geography. Richard Layard puts it this way: “The overall goal is a happier society, but we only get there if people make each other happy (and not just themselves).” Author Lara Aknin adds that in the happier countries, we see “various forms of everyday kindness, such as helping a stranger, donating to charity. . . . Acts of kindness have been shown to both lead to and stem from greater happiness.”6 You can’t merely go to a happy country to find happiness. Happiness comes from how we and those around us individually act and live wherever we are—in any nation, city or town. SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

John Leland, a journalist for The New York Times, spent a year reporting on six of New York’s “oldest old” (individuals aged 85 and over). His weekly reports were turned into the book Happiness is a Choice You Make. He concludes that such things as politics do matter, as does money and health, “but they aren’t the makings of a life well lived”. Besides, he expects that sometimes, these kinds of things “will probably fail you”. “The good things in life—happiness, purpose, contentment, companionship, beauty and love—have been there all along. We don’t need to earn them. Good food, friends, art, warmth, worth—these are things we have already. We just need to choose them as our lives.”7 That sounds like the makings of a life well lived—at whatever age.

can money buy happiness?

That depends. Psychologist Elizabeth Hopper asks: “Imagine that someone gives you a cash gift and tells you that, instead of saving or investing it, you need to spend it right now. What should you put your money toward if you want to make yourself happiest?” Answer: research shows that most people are happier spending money on experiences “like travelling or going out for a meal instead of buying the latest product we see on social media”.8 One study showed that while wealthier people tended to be 10

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happier, prioritising money over time can have a negative impact. “How you spend, save and think about money shapes how much joy you get from it,” report Elizabeth Dunn and Chris Courtney in the Harvard Business Review.9 While they admit research in this area is dependent on “our unique personalities” using money to gift yourself time can lead to positive moods. As can giving money to a friend or someone in need.

happiness is . . .

Seligman’s positive psychology was a reaction to the fact that, back then, almost all psychology was used to help people overcome issues in their life. He asked, why can’t we also use psychology to help regular people have more fulfilling, positive lives—a “flourishing” life? He often used the term “flourishing”.10 Getting away from technical terms, Syed Balkhi says there are five principles from positive psychology that can help us boost happiness: 1. Focus on your strengths. 2. Express gratitude. 3. Find the silver lining. 4. Move toward rather than away from your goals. 5. Be present (in the moment). He concludes that positive psychology focuses on building what’s good in your life because you’re more likely to experience growth and happiness when your mind is in a positive space.11 One more thing worth knowing.

PEXELS—PIXABAY

old and happy?

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed the lives of two generations for more than 80 years. It rightly claims to be the world’s longest study on happiness and published its latest findings this year in The Good Life: and How to Live it. In a sentence, the research tells us, “When we think about the consistent signal that comes through after 84 years of study and hundreds of research papers, it is that one simple message: Positive relationships are essential to human wellbeing.”12

1. Cited in <greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition>

colour you happy?

8. <greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ can_money_buy_happiness_it_depends_on_why_ youre_spending_it>

Can we colour you happy? Or do you have some things to work on yet? If so, where will you begin? Bruce Manners is an author, retired pastor and former editor of the Australia/New Zealand edition of Signs of the Times based in Lilydale, Victoria. If you’d like to join the journey toward living more, feeling better and finding happiness, go to <livemorehappybook.com>.

2. Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis, Century Trade, 2021. 3. Cited in <robothink.blogspot.com/2005/09/lesson-for-psychologist.html> 4. <lawmindscience.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/ dr-marty-seligman/> 5. <visitfinland.com/en/find-your-inner-finn/> 6. <worldhappiness.report/news/happiest-countries-prove-resilient-despite-overlapping-crises/#main> 7. John Leland, Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old, Sarah Crichton Books, 2018.

9. <hbr.org/2020/09/does-more-money-really-makesus-more-happy> 10. <positivepsychology.com/psychology-of-happiness/#positive-happiness> 11. <forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/04/28/ five-principles-of-positive-psychology-to-boost-happiness/?sh=36284a7e2f2a> 12. Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, The Good Life: and How to Live it, Penguin, 2023.

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R RENT

Father’s LOVE

Fatherhood has always been a tough job, but it’s one worth doing.

TOA HEFTIBA—UNSPLASH

BY BRIANNA WATSON

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inspect the damage and as a small tear escaped with a blink of my eyes, he held me close. He let me know that everything was going to be okay and that he was going to take care of me. As we sat in a small room out the back of the church, his steady hand painstakingly removed each individual splinter—one-by-one— from my hand, which remained cradled securely in his. I probably should not have been running around after church and testing my limits with the big kids, playing on an old, splintered fence that I am sure I had been told not to play on in the past—but in that moment, it didn’t matter anymore. In my pain,

KABITA DARLAMI—UNSPLASH

vividly remember placing my small, shaking hand into my father’s large, secure palm. I knew that the next few minutes would be painful but, in that moment, there was no-one I trusted more than my father. And arguably, there was no one who was more invested in comforting me and making sure that I was going to be okay. I’d been running around after church, playing with my friends and running up a large wooden fence. It was on its last legs and was resting against the building. I was trying to reach the top where all the big kids were sitting. As usual, I did not factor my shorter arms and legs into the equation as I backed up to the opposing fence and took off as fast as I could. I ran up the fence-ramp as far as I could before launching myself and reaching out with my right hand to try and clutch the top. I didn’t make it—instead, I faced the harsh reality of gravity pulling me down, my tender hand still pressing against the rickety, old wood panels. As I fell to the ground and the adrenalin subsided, I started to feel pulses of pain shooting through my hand. I twisted my wrist to investigate my palm and was greeted by the sight of dozens of jagged splinters embedded into my now-shaking hand. As I lay on the ground, staring at my palm, the other kids ran to get help. They ran to go and find my father. When Dad appeared on the scene, he was reassuringly calm and focused. He took my hand in his to

my father was not there to remind me of my mistakes. He was there to comfort me with his reassuring eyes and knowing smile.

the weight they carry

Throughout history, fathers have always carried an enormous weight of responsibility for the families they led. In our modern society, the collective respect given for the contribution fathers give has largely diminished, as has the gratitude they receive. In some ways, they have been demoted by society at large. Yet, when I look at the fathers I know— my own father and my brothers who now have children of their own—I clearly see that the immense weight of fatherhood still rests heavy on their shoulders. No matter how society views fatherhood and fathers’ role in the family unit, that responsibility will never be diminished in their eyes. It is not founded on the hope of gratitude, rather on their immense love. The Bible frequently refers to God as a father. He is a Father to nations, a Father to Jesus and a Father to you and to me. Through a study of the characteristics God displays, we are presented with a picture of the expectations God places on fathers. We can also gain an insight into the advice He has for them to fulfil their privileged role.

the lost son

In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of the lost son. While the title of this

parable often highlights the negative characteristics of the son, the story itself reveals the positive personality traits of a Christ-like father. The passage tells the story of a greedy and ungrateful son who rudely asked for his share of his inheritance while his father was still alive and well. The son was motivated by his own self-interest and sought to leave home and make a new life for himself without the oversight of his father. Obliging his request, his father provided him with his share of the inheritance and allowed him to leave home; no doubt worried about his son’s intentions and the wisdom of his actions. As might be expected, the impatient son soon squandered his wealth and as his money disappeared, so did the friends that he had attracted with his newfound wealth. Without money, shelter or food, he found himself working a desperate job in a pigsty, coveting their scraps. In his desperation, at his lowest point, he remembered his father. Conscious of the embarrassment and pain it would have caused him, he resolved not to return home to the status of sonship, but as a servant. On his last legs, with his stomach past the point of rumbling in desperation, he began the journey back to his father. In Luke 15:20, Jesus says, “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” The father SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

ancient wisdom

Certainly, the Bible does not discourage fathers from disciplining their children. In fact, fathers are encouraged to educate their children so that they grow and develop into responsible and respectful adults. However, above all else, God tells us that fathers are to love their children and show compassion to them. In Psalm 68:5, the Psalmist is waxing poetic on the nature of his Creator and remarks, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” The portrayal of God as our 16

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Father highlights the importance of the role of a father and the respect we should have for our dads—especially those who seek to follow God’s example as they raise their children. A father’s love should know no bounds and should be unparalleled. Though sadly this is not everyone’s experience, it is the example that God sets for us as a mirror of His unending love for us. One day a year will never be enough to show the gratitude we have for the fathers who have raised us, but it is a clear reminder to reflect on the love they have shown and an opportunity to say thank-you for the sacrifices they have made—known and unknown. For the long hours at work, the patience playing in the backyard, the life lessons taught in the shed and the garage while we held the torch, and the willingness to protect us from ourselves and from the world. Thank you Dad for reflecting God’s love to me. Brianna Watson is a solicitor specialising in family law based in Adelaide, South Australia. She is married and is a mum to two corgis.

JOSH-WILLINK— PEXELS

never lost hope in his son and was patiently waiting for him to return home. Rather than scold or turn him away, his father proceeded to throw a party to celebrate the return of his lost son who had now been found. The father would have been well within his rights to turn him away. He had given him everything that he was entitled to, everything that he was owed and deserved. And yet, his father chose forgiveness and grace.

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CAUGHT IN THE CROWD

MIDJOURNEY

Is it enough to feel like you’re a good person? The life and legacy of William Wilberforce challenges that notion. BY OLIVIA FAIRFAX SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

to show kindness to someone in ould you consider yourself need. One afternoon three bullies a good person? I want you knocked James down to the ground to be truly honest with with the intention of beating him yourself. Looking at your relationup. As James looks around to find ships, values, actions, thoughts and someone to help him, he sees this the motives of your heart, would girl—his new friend—and calls you say you were “on the whole” out to her for help. But instead of good? Chances are, you probably do coming to his rescue, she turns away consider yourself a good person. You in fear and embarrassment, pretendtry to get along with others, don’t go out of your way to cause people ing not to hear him and walks in pain, you care about your friends the other direction. The chorus of and family and the song is her want the best heartfelt for them, and apology to always try to James, years show kindness later, wishing to strangers. she could go You don’t seek back in time violence, war, and make a Being a “good person” terror or disadifferent choice. Her words are greement but at heart accomplishes steeped with instead would nothing if you choose remorse, regret prefer to see the and shame: “I world at peace. to do nothing. was young and You are, on the caught in the whole, a good crowd, I didn’t person. Almost know then what everyone is. So I know now, I was dumb, and I was . . . why do so many bad things still proud, and I’m sorry. If I could go happen in this world? back, do it again, I’d be someone you could call friend. Please, please, living with regret believe that I’m sorry.” There was a song that I used to There is a heartbreaking truth listen to when I was a teenager called found in these lyrics: sometimes “Caught in the Crowd,” which made good people cause real pain by me emotional every time I listened simply doing nothing; by neglecting to it. The song tells the story of a teenage girl who started to befriend a to do the right thing. The harsh social outcast at school named James. reality is, being a “good person” at heart accomplishes nothing if you She was a good person and decided

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choose to do nothing. Why is there so much pain in this world? Because the battle against evil is simply not being fought by good people—and so pain, suffering, bullying, racism and injustice continues. This echoes the famous saying by Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

MIDJOURNEY

a man of conviction

One man who understood this in the core of his being was William Wilberforce. He was an ordinary man with utmost integrity who actively fought to end slavery right across the British Empire, despite the strong tide of popular opinion and economic pressure. Because he fought to do something good, the whole world has forever been changed for the better. During the 1700s when Wilberforce was just a teenager, English traders would raid the African coast on the Gulf of Guinea and capture between 35,000 and 50,000 African people every year as slaves. These individuals would be shipped in the most degrading and inhumane conditions across the Atlantic Ocean and sold into slavery. Men were chained together and forced to lie shoulder-to-shoulder in the hull of the ship, while women were usually left unchained. During the voyage, which would take around seven weeks, they were typically only fed once or twice a day, and were only brought up on deck for limited times SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

there’s money in misery

Slavery was a very profitable business that many wealthy and powerful people had become dependent upon. It was even popularly believed that the slave trade was absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the British economy and for the trading of “essential” goods to England. And so, this abhorrent behaviour continued for decades, unquestioned and unchallenged. That is, until Wilberforce came along. At 21 years of age, Wilberforce became the member of parliament for Hull in 1780. And within just a few short years, Wilberforce began to work towards the abolition of slavery across British trade. It

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was no easy undertaking, as he was essentially seeking to bring down one of the most lucrative and profitable industries in the whole British Empire. On a number of occasions, Wilberforce was tempted to give up politics and pursue a religious life. But Wilberforce understood the stakes at hand. If he did not fight “the good fight” in Parliament to free enslaved people across the British Empire, no-one would. It was too daunting a task and only a “fool” would attempt such a feat. But year after year, Wilberforce lobbied for the abolition of the slave trade. For 18 years, Wilberforce tirelessly introduced new anti-slavery motions to Parliament, each one to be knocked back or rejected.

faithful to the end

But this would not deter him and in 1807, after nearly 20 years of campaigning, Wilberforce’s anti-slavery bill was finally passed and the Slave Trade Act 1807 became legislation. This law banned British people from engaging in the slave trade, though it did not ban slavery itself.

MIDJOURNEY

during the voyage—to prevent escape and suicide attempts. Inside the hold of the ship, urine, vomit, faeces and all other bodily excretions lined the floor they lay on, and between 10 and 25 per cent of those on board died from malnutrition, dysentery, measles, scurvy, smallpox—and other diseases resulting from their horrible “living” conditions.

Unsatisfied with this result, Wilberforce continued to campaign for the abolition of slavery across the entire British Empire. On July 26, 1833, as Wilberforce lay on his deathbed, the Slavery Abolition Bill was passed by Parliament, granting freedom to all enslaved people across the British Empire. Wilberforce passed away three days later. There was no direct or personal need for Wilberforce to fight so valiantly and desperately for the abolition of slavery. He was not a slave, nor were any of his close friends or immediate family. But he considered those who were slaves to be his brothers and sisters in Christ—and in that way, his need was personal and direct. Their needs were his needs, and their struggles he made his own. Wilberforce once said, “Let it not be said that I was silent when they needed me.” What a powerful display of integrity and character—committing to stand up for and stand with the oppressed and downtrodden when all others were silent.

Wilberforce also said, “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.” This world has sorrow, pain, suffering, cruelty and injustice, but you can do something about it. The battle against evil only requires us to take a stand rather than to do nothing; to not look away when we see wrong. Aspiring to be like Wilberforce and make a difference doesn’t mean you need to do something as tremendous as his accomplishments, but what you can do is refuse to be silent when you see the needs of others. Don’t live a life of regret like the girl from the song, but be a good person in action. When you see injustice, get involved. When you see heartache, offer compassion. When you hear of struggles, lend a hand. The biggest change in the world starts with everyday people like you and I when we choose to do something, rather than nothing. Olivia Fairfax is an eager student in all things psychology, theology and literature. She enjoys spending her time writing, learning and investing in people.

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As a pastor, there are questions I’ve encountered more than once, sometimes about the Bible but usually about everyday life. If you’ve never had the opportunity to ask a pastor tough questions this is the right place. I’ll do my best to respond authentically and biblically! How do you justify the contradictions found within the Bible?—Maddy, Townsville Australia If I were to make the claim that the Bible as a text is univocal (that is, only having one possible meaning or interpretation), I’d have a very difficult time trying to make that argument. However, I don’t make that claim. Are there contradictions and inconsistencies in the Bible? Yes, there are. I won’t list them here, but rest assured a quick search on the internet will reveal entire websites dedicated to the topic. Some contradictions are the result of mistranslation, emerging spiritual practices or simply differences in time period and culture. Some are more puzzling, such as the two different accounts of the death of Judas we find in both Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s book of Acts. In my mind, the fact that there are

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inconsistencies in the biblical text isn’t a sign of the fragility of Scripture. That God could work through human weakness, political agendas, cultural bias and more and still give us a text that reveals His love for the world is incredible. Despite the inconsistent details and seemingly contradictory corner cases, the overall message of the Bible shines through regardless. As Christian nonprofit BibleProject says, the Bible is “a unified story that leads to Jesus”. In short, I don’t believe the Bible is inerrant (without error). I do, however believe that it reveals a God who is trustworthy and cannot fail. The larger question we must ask is: “What metanarrative (big story) does the Bible tell and is it successful in telling said story?” The story of the Bible is of a Saviour who is so committed to love that He gives His life in order that both humans and Creation can be restored to the glory they were originally made to inhabit. That in the midst of this complex collection of ancient literature we have such a strong narrative is nothing short of a miracle. If God is all-powerful and allknowing, why doesn’t He intervene to prevent natural disasters or human atrocities?—Hillamore, Tauranga NZ The biblical authors declare that, “God’s understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5), “nothing is too hard for Him” (Jeremiah 32:17) and “He knows the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). So, if all these things are true of God,

why does He allow evil and disaster in the world? It’s a strange paradox that God, in His infinite power, chooses to limit Himself. Why, you may ask? It’s because of love. As a wise person once said, “to love is to risk not being loved in return”. We are right to question God’s involvement in the world when evil strikes. How can we square the suffering of millions of Ukrainians in the past year, let alone the countless victims of natural disasters year in, year out? That we have such an impulse in my mind speaks to a divine moral compass—a compass centred on the value of love. God puts His own power on hold because of it. He loves you and I so much that He gives us the option not to love Him back. Love is at the core of free will. Sure, if God were to forcibly end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, most of us would be grateful. But there would undoubtedly be people for whom His intervention would feel unfair or unjust (as unimaginable as that may seem to you or I). Similarly, if God were to take away your agency—even to do something that benefitted you—would you feel grateful, or violated? Though many of us would like God to stop natural disasters or human atrocities, I don’t think we’d accept the consequences if He really did. For better or worse, humanity is defined by our ability to choose—good, or evil. The question that haunts me isn’t: “why doesn’t God stop evil in our world?” It’s: “why don’t we?”

SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

EFLAL B EHI N G IT

DO YOU NEED A

AUSTIN DISTEL—UNSPLASH

SCREEN

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

- FREE

SABBATH?

Our screens constantly bombard us with information, demanding our attention. Could the antidote for this problem be the Sabbath? BY EMMA DYER

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time. Our screens, smartphones am from the last generation to especially, allow us to have constant have had an analog childhood—a unrestrained access to information, “Xennial” (the micro-generation between Gen X and Millennials born entertainment and distraction. between 1977 and 1983 who had an analog childhood and a digital young a kingdom of noise adulthood). Sometimes referred to as Author of The Ruthless Elimination “The Lucky Generation”, we had a of Hurry and Garden City, John Mark childhood without parents distracted Comer, describes our digital reality by smartphones. We often had to as living in “a world of noise”. CS wait a day or sometimes an entire Lewis’s book The Screwtape Letters, week to watch the next episode originally published in 1942, now of our favourite TV show, went seems prophetic. In this brilliant shopping at the mall, chatted with satire, senior demon Screwtape calls our friends—in the devil’s realm person—and a “kingdom were fortunate of noise” and not to have our claims, “We will teenage years make the whole rendered into a universe a noise digital record. in the end.” We When I fill every These days, are all fighting a the first thing daily battle with margin and spare many of us do our screens for minute, I cease to be when we wake is our time, focus check our phone. and attention and able to tend to my We begin our day whether you’re a soul. with the news, top executive or a quick scroll a stay-at-home through a social mum, we all feel media platform or two and then perpetually overwhelmed. My analog again at breakfast, on the toilet and, childhood was like a last gasp for if possible, as we commute to work. breath. We urgently need to develop Some of us then work on a screen all healthy digital boundaries. day and come home to relax in front For centuries, the people of of a different screen. In the evenings, God have observed a weekly day of we binge on Netflix to unwind, rest—the Sabbath. It was a day to while scrolling on our phones. Then look forward to when people worked off to bed, not to sleep but to Google long, hard days doing manual labour celebrities and online shopping and just to survive. Today though, many maybe check Facebook one last of us need a different kind of rest.

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MOLLIE SIVARAM—UNSPLASH

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More and more I am realising I need a “screen-free” Sabbath. I need one day out of seven where I can switch off the noise and be quiet. Instead of looking down (at my phone), I need to look up at the beauty of creation. Instead of liking a Facebook post, I need to practise hospitality, talk and laugh face-to-face with real-life friends. Instead of watching another Netflix show, I need to look my husband and children in the eyes and enjoy the precious time I have with them. Instead of shopping online, I need to practise gratitude for everything I already have. Instead of fuelling my fears and angst with the politics, crime and scandal of the news, I need to be a good neighbour. Many of us enjoy our weekends as a rest from work, but as Comer notes, “How do you rest well when every chance you get, you reach for the dopamine dispenser that is your phone?”

no time like the present

The great threat of the digital age is that it robs us of the capacity to be

present. What if we took a day of rest each week from the noise, so that in the quiet we could be present to our spouses, our kids, our community and even ourselves? When I fill every margin and spare minute, I cease to be able to tend to my soul. Moments of boredom are rare when my phone is always within reach. I lose opportunities to imagine, dream, reflect, evaluate, process the highs and lows, and connect with God. Taking a screenfree Sabbath and turning off the noise gives me the chance to hear the “still small voice” of God (1 Kings 19:12). Rather than escaping grief or loneliness or anger with distraction and entertainment, I can bravely sit with my emotions and be present to my own soul. We keep a weekly Sabbath as a family, but as any parent would understand, with kids, it’s not always the rest day I long for. I recently listened to author and spiritual director Ruth Hayley Barton interview her daughter Charity about keeping Sabbath with children. They spoke about

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the paradigm shift they had when they began to see their Sabbath as a day to be present to their children. “The greatest gift you can give the children in your world is your undivided attention,” writes Sarah Boyd of Resilient Little Hearts. A screenfree Sabbath gives our children the gift of our time and presence as well as an opportunity for us to enjoy our children. How many precious moments have I missed with my children by being on my phone? Having a screen-free day makes conditions perfect for those relationships that matter most, helping our family make meaningful connections in a media-heavy world. A screen-free Sabbath also allows me to be present to others. I’m able to listen with undivided attention. I notice the bright sparks of goodness and hope at work in my neighbourhood and have the time to join in.

where do I even start?

The idea of taking a screen-free Sabbath is so simple it hardly needs any instructions, but I do have a few suggestions. First, you need to prepare for it. If you are planning to meet up with others, make a plan and let them know you are switching off for the day. Warn family and friends your phone will be off. Print a map if you need it for any travel. And if you use your phone for music or a camera, get creative or go old-school. Pull out the old CDs, cassettes or even records. Choose to go camera-free and just enjoy the 30

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view without needing to share the moment on Instagram or Facebook. Some people have a Sabbath box that they symbolically put all their devices in for the day. I recommend, at the very least, switching all devices off and putting them out of sight. It sounds simple but it’s harder than it seems. Our phones have become like an added appendage. It’s normal to feel a bit anxious (even naked) without one, but those withdrawal symptoms are also quite revealing as to how addicted we really are. In his hard-hitting piece on our digital age, political commentator Andrew Sullivan writes, “The Sabbath . . . reflected a now battered belief that a sustained spiritual life is simply unfeasible for most mortals without these refuges from noise and work to buffer us and remind us who we really are. But just as modern street lighting has slowly blotted the stars from the visible skies, so too have cars and planes and factories and flickering digital screens combined to rob us of a silence that was previously regarded as integral to the health of the human imagination.” Screen-free Sabbaths are a chance to prioritise our wellbeing. They offer a sanctuary—a space in stressful times to be present and celebrate the joy of life beyond ad-supported screens. The future belongs to those willing to fight for quiet in a world of noise. Emma Dyer (nee Weslake) from Upper Hutt, NZ, is currently enjoying being a stay-at-home mum to her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son.

scan me

we live hurried and busy lives DISCOVER THE SABBATH Are you feeling like you’re constantly on the go with no time to catch your breath? Do you find yourself struggling to keep up with deadlines and the demands of your fast-paced work environment? If so, you’re not alone! Stress and burnout are becoming increasingly common issues in today’s society, and they can take a serious toll on our mental and physical health. But there’s a secret weapon that can help combat all that stress and burnout—it’s called the Sabbath! The Sabbath is a gift in time to rest, reflect and recharge. So, if you’re feeling overworked, overwhelmed and exhausted from the daily grind, the Sabbath is the perfect remedy.

Find out more at sabbathgift.info SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

WC G EULRL B R E INNT

The Value of

How articulating and working at your life values can make you a better parent, and have a healthier family. BY PATRICK O’NEILL 32

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ANDREA PIACQUADIO— PEXELS

FATHERHOOD

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“

behaviour mentions had dropped from more than 130 in the first term to 80, then down to 30. My wife and I had been working hard on the value of respecting his foster parents and teachers. The headmaster was shocked when I offered the following—if he had no bad mentions the following term, he could get the names of his siblings tattooed on his chest. It wasn’t my ideal, but as I had identified his values, I used them as an opportunity to help him grow. I was so proud when I got the call on the last day of term telling me that he’d had no bad mentions. Because he showed he had accepted the values of honour and diligence, he got his tattoo. When a value is fundamentally ingrained into your psyche, it will direct your behaviour. Johann Hari suggests in his book Lost Connections that intrinsic values, not materialism, can bring significant happiness. Therefore, I suggest for you to be a relevant and effective father, you’ll need a set of values to model. Be

The more value is repeated, the more likely that it will become intrinsic. 34

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ALENA DARMEL—PEXELS

hat are your values? Psychologists tell us that values emphatically communicate what is most important to us. When values are “intrinsic” (in other words, fundamentally ingrained), they will become the source of every purposeful action. I’ve been privileged to be a father to many children. Six of my own, two stepkids and more than 40 foster children. I have learned that every parent’s personal values dictate how they will deal with unacceptable behaviour. I could always motivate children to behave by using their individual interests and passions as either a reward or punishment. One of my toughest foster children loved his siblings and tattoos and wanted their names tattooed on his chest. However, his behaviour at school was appalling. One day I was called to meet with the headmaster to discuss an incident. To my surprise, they told me his behaviour had been improving. In the three terms he had been attending this school, his bad

warned—those values also apply to you, not just your children. So, where do we learn about values? First from our parents, then our culture. The more a value is repeated, the more likely that it will become intrinsic. Society teaches us values through school, the workplace and religion. After considering all the above and reflecting on my own life, I have decided on five primary values that govern my life intrinsically. I teach these to my children and grandchildren; truth, kindness, gratitude, honour and diligence. Are there more? Of course. But these five are easy to remember and teach.

1. truth

If you tell yourself the truth about yourself, you can be set free of personal recrimination. This recrimination often leads to shame, then depression. Someone once said, “When you tell the truth, there is nothing to remember.” Tell your children the truth about themselves (with kindness). All religions discuss truth

as an absolute to salvation. Sadly, we live in a world of “social constructs”. These are primarily feelings-based, not rooted in a notion of absolute truth. Lies are made-up narratives with no evidence. All experiences are remembered by the five senses of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. All senses have their own particular part of memory for recollection. When you lie, no senses are activated and the “memory” is non-existent. Thus, your story changes constantly. When you tell the truth there really is “nothing to remember”.

2. kindness

Aesop (of fable fame) said that “no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”. It makes the giver and the recipient feel blessed. Social psychologist Dr Barbara Fredrickson’s “Broaden-and-Build” theory of positive emotions asserts that daily experiences of positive emotion multiply over time to build a variety of virtues. These virtues predict increased life satisfaction and reduce depressive symptoms. When you as a father are kind, you will brighten your children’s and spouse’s lives.

3. gratitude

The Roman philosopher Cicero described gratitude as the greatest value and parent of all values. In his 2010 paper titled Gratitude and Well-being, psychologist Alex Wood suggests that the benefits of gratitude to wellbeing may be causal. If you show gratitude you will feel better. SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

4. honour

Do you want to be proud of your children when they are adults? If yes, teach them honour. The military teaches that if you want to command, first learn to obey. Father, never dishonour your children’s mother! If your spouse dishonours you, state, without anger, that you reject that opinion. Also, don’t be a 36

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doormat. If you do, your boys will grow up thinking they are unfairly powerless and your daughters will grow up thinking they are unfairly powerful. Specifically, to those who have been damaged by their fathers (or mothers)—how do you honour someone who has hurt you emotionally? Use forgiveness, gratitude and courtesy. Forgive them their behaviours. This doesn’t mean accepting their transgressions—it means not allowing their wrongs to continually damage you. Gratitude means being grateful you’re alive—without their biological involvement, you wouldn’t exist. Finally, courtesy—show them respect in public and private. Again, don’t allow them to put you down. If you need to limit or cut contact for a time, do it.

5. diligence

A father can teach a child that hard work through diligence will lead to resilience. Golfer Gary Player once said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” Never tolerate laziness or procrastination. Always, always, affirm diligence. My dad said, “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” A sad reality in Western society is intergenerational welfare recipients. While we can’t judge everyone’s situation, as a father, foster father and grandfather, it gives me great joy to tell people my children have been taught the value of hard work. This means, of course, that I have had to

ELINA FAIRYTALE—PEXELS

Gratitude allows us to celebrate the present because it magnifies positive emotions. Nonetheless, research on emotion shows that positive emotions wear off quickly because of normal life intrusions. With gratitude we become greater participants in our lives as opposed to being spectators. Wood also states that this prosocial behaviour increases happiness, reduces stress and increases immunity (cortisol from stress can deplete immunity). Psychotherapist Amy Morin used Martin Seligman’s “gratitude journal” to show that the nightly recording of three examples of gratitude will improve physical and mental health, reduce aggression and improve sleep. Seligman even goes further and states that if someone with depression completes a gratitude-diary over a nine-month period, they will reduce their depression by up to 80 per cent—measured by the Edinburgh Depression Scale. Gratitude is something you must practice. Practise it in front of your children. Be grateful in your affirmations to your children. They will remember it always.

also be a hard worker. I can’t teach what I haven’t learned personally. If you don’t know if you have intrinsic conscious values, start with one value at a time. Discuss it with your spouse. Together, you will be able to establish sound values that will be beneficial to yourself, your spouse and your children. I firmly believe that intrinsic passionate values, role modelled by fathers and maintained within the marriage unit, will give your children and grandchildren a pathway toward a fulfilled and contented life—a life that both they and you can be proud of.

“

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Patrick O’Neill has worked as an allied health consultant in psychology and has management/HR qualifications. He has six children, two stepchildren, more than 13 grandchildren and more than 40 foster children.

SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

R RENT

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

BE SAD,

BETTER

Why our view of sadness needs to be rehabilitated. And, in light of R U OK? Day (September 14), why it’s OK, not to be OK.

KINDEL MEDIA—PEXELS

BY ZANITA FLETCHER

SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

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that being sad is expected, we’re not always brilliant at allowing for it.2 Instead, we have various crutches to avoid the pain and say sorry when we cry, as if we believe our tears are burdening others. Often people ask big questions about happiness when they are going through great disappointment or loss, such as after losing a loved one, receiving a diagnosis or coming out of a bad breakup—situations in which sadness is the appropriate response. Perhaps instead of motivating our way out of these moments as quickly as possible, there’s a time to just be sad for a while, a benefit to being sad and maybe with the right strategies we can be sad, better.

defining sadness

When I say sadness, I mean the temporary emotion we feel due to disappointment, dissatisfaction or loss that often passes with time or support. We will all experience this. Sadness is different from depression, which is a cluster of symptoms that persist over time.3 Sadness also differs from grief, which is a complex emotional response due to significant loss. Grief encompasses a range of feelings such as shock, anger, denial and guilt, and tends to be a more intense and prolonged emotional experience.4 We all know those people who run away from feeling sad. They

COTTONBRO CG STUDIO—PEXELS

consider myself a fairly honest person. But when someone asks that innocent question, “How are you?” I’m often tempted to twist the truth. Don’t get me wrong—most of the time, I am pretty good. But there have been moments I have been upset and seasons where I’ve been struggling, and when this question has been asked, my instinct has been to keep whatever I’m going through to myself. Hence, I have responded, “Good thanks. How about you?” Our culture is obsessed with the pursuit of happiness. The selfhelp industry has exploded in recent years, reaching record levels, and is only projected to continue to grow. There are books, articles, podcasts, webinars and apps that give us tips on how to be happier. “How to be happy”; “what is the key to happiness?”; “habits of happy people”; “how to be happy alone?”; and “how to stay happy when stressed” are among the most popular Google searches.1 Helen Russell, journalist and author of How to be sad: everything I’ve learned about getting happier by being sad better, spent much of her career writing about happiness. But she discovered there was reluctance to being sad and that we could experience more happiness if we learnt to embrace our sadness. She said while many of us know intellectually

don’t cry, they turn away from sad scenes in movies and they freeze up when conversations get deep. We also can understand why. Sadness feels uncomfortable and intrusive. In many parts of our lives, there is this idea that if something is wrong, we must fix it. So, when sadness arises, we try to fix it with a “keep calm and carry on” approach. Harvard psychologist Daniel Wegner says this approach to negative emotions isn’t working and can have real ramifications.5 His research shows when it comes to feelings like sadness, the reflex to put on a happy face can actually make us feel worse.6 The University of New South Wales found that there are a number of positive things that come out of sadness. “Though much has been made of the many benefits of happiness, it’s important to consider that sadness can be beneficial, too. Sad people are less prone to judgement errors, are more resistant to eye-witness distortions, are sometimes more motivated, and are more sensitive to social norms. They can act with more generosity, too,” said Joseph P Forgas, professor of psychology.7 Charles Darwin also denied the usefulness of tears but studies show that crying can be an effective way to recover from strong emotions and help remove stress hormones such as cortisol.8

dealing with it

So, how can we own our sadness and be sad better? The first step is to

stop fighting it. Many things we do in response to sadness are attempts to anesthetise ourselves and avoid the pain. We do this by keeping ourselves busy, drinking alcohol, not eating enough, overeating, exercising too much, and so on. These coping strategies can sometimes look good on the surface but are really our way of running from difficult emotions. The next thing we can do is process what we are feeling. See if you can sit with your feelings of sadness, even if just for a couple of minutes. Opening up to other people when we’re feeling blue helps, too. Having at least one person we can be honest with can be really helpful. The moments where we are vulnerable about what we are feeling are often the moments we feel most deeply connected with people in our life. Speaking about things also helps to alleviate emotions and heal. Other things can help, according to science. Music and poetry have been shown to reduce stress and can be good companions in our sadness. Books and films can also broaden our perspective and help us feel less alone.9

learning from other cultures

Western countries are outliers in their desire to minimise and avoid sadness, but other cultures have learnt to accept and embrace it. In Japan, individuals embrace it as a natural part of the human experience. Their culture encourages emotional expression through traditional SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

hard, but important

While sadness may not be pleasant, there is purpose to be found in it, and we can learn to sit with it and move through it in a healthy way. We don’t want to sit in that space forever, but during difficult times it can feel unfathomable to look on the bright side, bounce back or keep calm and carry on . . . as cultural lingo suggests. Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, said, “In any human life there are going to be periods of unhappiness. That is part of the human experience. Learning how to be sad is a natural first step in how to be happier.” This rings true in the Bible when we read, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33) and “There is a time for everything . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance”. (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4). 42

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Sadness might not be a wonderful feeling, but it is important. While pursuing a life of happiness is admirable, we must be realistic and acknowledge that sometimes the unexpected happens, and being sad for a while is okay. Sometimes there needs to be a bandwidth to say, “Maybe I’m not supposed to be happy right now.” Ironically, if we allow ourselves to be sad, we might be able to be happier in the long run. Because the research shows, you can’t have happy without sad. Zanita Fletcher is a life coach and assistant editor for the Australia/New Zealand edition of Signs of the Times. She writes from the Gold Coast, Queensland. 1. <blog.gitnux.com/self-help-industry-statistics/> 2. <amazon.com.au/How-Be-Sad-Helen-Russell/ dp/0008384568> 3. American Psychiatric Association, Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2013). 4. Brené Brown, Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of the Human Experience. New York, Random House, 2021. 5. <betterhelp.com/advice/happiness/pretending-tobe-happy-isnt-making-you-better/> 6. <news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/07/ daniel-m-wegner/> 7.Joseph P Forgas, “Four Ways Sadness May Be Good For You,” Greater Good Science Center, June 4, 2014. 8. <news-medical.net/health/How-Crying-CouldActually-Boost-Your-Mood.aspx#:~:text=During%20 crying%2C%20tears%20help%20clear,salivary%20 cortisol%20levels%20in%20women> 9. <psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Femo0000573; https://pubmed.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/22445281/> 10. <harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a35705519/whyits-good-for-you-to-be-sad/>

MIDJOURNEY

arts like haiku poetry and theatre, which often explore themes of loss. In Russia, there is value placed on being sad as it makes you a better person. In Africa, when someone experiences sadness, the community gathers to express emotions openly and seeking help is seen as a sign of strength rather than weakness. New Zealand’s Māori culture involves singing and chanting to express a range of emotions. These practices are often used during funerals and other significant life events to process and honour emotions.10

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Western countries are outliers in their desire to minimise and avoid sadness, but other cultures have learnt to accept and embrace it. SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

ELL B EING

HEALTH NEWS FOR

EVERYBODY

SLEEPINESS CANCELS EXERCISE BENEFITS

Evidence from existing research shows that physical activity benefits brain health and could protect against the development of neurodegenerative conditions like dementia and Parkinson’s disease. However, a recent study found that sleep deprivation can reduce these benefits reaped from exercise. While many studies have found that exercise may reduce the risk of developing brain conditions, even more studies link a lack of sleep with increased dementia risks.—Medical News Today 44

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VANESSA LORING, ANDREA PIACQUADIO—PEXELS, PSYCHOTRIA INSULARUM. IMAGE CREDIT: VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON. ANNA TARAZEVICH— PEXELS

THE MEANING OF COLOUR

Did you know that different colours in fruits and vegetables signify different nutrients our bodies need? Green produce contains chlorophyll which keeps our blood vessels healthy. Blue and purple produce contains anthocyanins which may provide improvements in memory. Brown and white produce contains flavones which have been shown to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. —The Conversation

SAMOAN MEDICINAL PLANT

According to a study that combines traditional knowledge with modern science, the Samoan plant, Matalafi, may be as effective as ibuprofen for treating inflammation. Researchers have said the plant treats inflammation associated with fever, body aches, wounds, swelling and respiratory infections. These traditional medicines have been used for hundreds of years and science is confirming their effectiveness.—Pacific News

HEALTH HACK: MOVEMENT SNACKS

If you’ve ever told yourself at the start of the day that you’re going to go to the gym or go for a run later and never have, you’re not alone. Instead of allocating a chunk of time to exercise (that, let’s be honest, might never happen), set alarms throughout your day to stop for movement snacks. Do 30 seconds to a minute of high-intensity exercise, stretch, drink a glass of water and get back to what you were doing. You can accumulate a decent amount if you split it up and it will also get oxygen to the brain to help you stay sharp and focused throughout the day. —The Proof SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

FA IT H

THE SECRET GLO Conspiracies are everywhere if you want to see them. But there’s a real conspiracy that spans the globe and the Bible offers a way of escape.

MIDJOURNEY

BY DANIEL MATTEO

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

BAL CONSPIRACY

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don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve seen a lot of conspiracies on the internet lately. The same theme seems to run through them all. Someone (maybe aliens, the government, the Illuminati or a combination) are attacking us (through chemtrails, mind control, food additives or educational infiltration) for their own desired ends (money, power or to even kill us). In order to fight and eventually

some truth in what they say, it is in fact impossible that all of it is true. The trick to it all is trying to untangle what is true and what is not, which isn’t always easy to do. Perhaps the biggest problem I have with them, however, is the fact that there never seems to be any good news in it all. It is all about evil and negativity and there is no real hope for change. If we think about these “revelations” for too long, it

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halt this unseen menace, we must “like” and “share” many questionable videos and social media posts in order to educate the masses. Now, I’m not denying there might be some truth to some of what is being said on some of these sites. After all, things become believable only when they contain truth. However, it is how they take a grain of truth and then run with it that concerns me. Although there may be 48

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takes us to a dark place emotionally and causes us to live in abject terror of the future. There are literally thousands of people who live in fear thanks to conspiracy-minded websites. The effect on people’s lives is not good. So, am I sceptical of conspiracies? Absolutely not. In fact, when I look around at the world, I see conspiracy everywhere. As I look at the food industry, the music industry, the film

ANETE LUSINA—PEXELS

When I look around at the world, I see conspiracy everywhere.

industry, the pornography industry, the gaming industry and the fashion industry, I see a huge number of different corporations, both large and small—the vast majority of which are motivated by the same basic underlying philosophy. As I look around the political world, I see a huge range of things going on. I see liberals and conservatives, I see charismatic politicians, outspoken protesters and totalitarian dictators, both left and right—the vast majority of whom are motivated by the same basic underlying philosophy as well. As I look at the world of organised religion, I see a tremendous range of groups, practices and belief systems—everything from huge Christian churches to atheists, cults, religious orders and small spirit gatherings—the vast majority of them also motivated by the same basic underlying philosophy. This philosophy that underpins them all, even many who claim to be Christian, is a turning away from the God of heaven and an exaltation of self as god.

it’s all connected

There is no way that such a huge variety of different groups could have so much in common if there weren’t

some kind of conspiracy. However, it is also impossible that any human group or individual could possibly syndicate so many diverse peoples and forces together for their own purposes. I believe this is not a human conspiracy at all but rather a spiritual conspiracy. The apostle Paul declares in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” He tells us that beyond the material world resides an invisible spiritual world where both good and evil forces war over our future. These evil forces behind the scenes are trying to manipulate and control humanity to bring about its eventual destruction. However, the authors of the Bible also say that God is continuing to fight for and defend humanity in order to save us for the glorious destiny He has planned for us. The biblical authors also declare that the evil conspiracy’s basic philosophy of turning away from God and lifting up ourselves in His place was born in the heart of a being commonly referred to as “the morning star” or “the enemy” (“Ha-Satan”). Originally a perfect angel in heaven, one day he decided, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly . . . I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

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God, His law and His sovereignty over the universe. After dramatically experiencing this truth for himself, the great Protestant reformer Martin Luther sat down and wrote the hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”. Here are the lyrics to the third verse: And though this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo! his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.” I believe that any time we feel scared, beleaguered, attacked or alone we can call out for help to a very real and personal God who longs to deliver us, defeat our spiritual enemy and take us into His arms of love. That’s a wonderful answer to any evil conspiracy. Daniel Matteo is a pastor from Victoria, Australia.

MIDJOURNEY

the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13,14). What followed was the beginning of a mighty war between good and evil which eventually found its way down to our little planet. The thing I love about God is that He did not abandon us here in this spiritual war zone. He Himself entered into it, to fight for us and rescue us from the clutches of evil. The apostle Paul says that all of us have in some way, great or small, turned away from God and lifted up self. In this way we have joined the enemy’s rebellious conspiracy and in doing so have pledged our allegiance to him and his lie. But because of His great love for us, Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty intended for us. If we ask Him, He will forgive our rebellion and selfishness, and will rescue us from control of the evil one. We then share in the victory that He won over the enemy at the cross. One day He will return to rescue us from this painful world and take us to be with Him forever. For the time being, all of humanity is now involved in a great spiritual war between Christ and Satan regarding the character of

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ANDREW NEEL—PEXELS

Your mental health matters for more than just you

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

We know fatherhood can be hard, but the research shows that children’s wellbeing actually goes handin-hand with their dad’s mental health. This article was originally published in The Conversation. To find this article and more, visit <theconversation.com.au>. BY CATHERINE WADE AND JULIE GREEN

SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

e know from new research experience mental illness, their that children whose mothers children are at higher risk of behavare depressed may respond ioural and emotional difficulties. differently to stress, have altered The magnitude of this risk is similar immunity and be at greater risk of to when mothers experience mental psychological disorders. This work illness. adds to the body of research showing Data from the Longitudinal Study children can be affected in negative of Australian Children show fathers and long-term ways by their mother’s who experience snowballing distress mental ill-health. report being less consistent in setting But what about dads? and enforcing clear expectations and Men’s mental health is more on limits for their child’s behaviour, the societal and show less radar these warmth and days—but less greater hostility so in terms of towards their fatherhood. children by the This area has time the child been relais eight-to-nine Research shows years of age. tively under There is also researched. So involving both parents emerging evihow important in parenting programs is a father’s dence to show mental health supporting rather than just one to the way their fathers’ mental is more beneficial to child grows and health early in develops? Very their parenting children. important, as it journey has turns out. positive effects on children. We also know in order to thrive, dads have a powerful impact develop well and sail relatively Fathers’ mental health and the smoothly through to maturity, quality of their co-parenting relachildren need parents who feel tionships have a powerful impact on confident, supported and equipped child development. Evidence shows with the right skills to navigate the fathers who are sensitive and supsometimes choppy waters of parentportive have children who develop better social skills and language, ing. regardless of socioeconomic status, It’s critically important we race and ethnicity. understand how both mothers and Research also shows when fathers fathers are doing when it comes to

“

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

ANDREA PIACQUADIO—PEXELS SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

mental health—for the sake of their own health and the wellbeing of their children.

TATIANA SYRIKOVA—PEXELS

new insights on Australian dads

Recent research conducted by the Parenting Research Centre sheds new light on the mental health of Australian fathers. The research found one-in-five dads has experienced depression and/or anxiety since having children. This includes nearly one-in-ten dads who report experiencing postnatal depression. This may sound surprising but it gives us reliable Australian data from the perspectives of a large and representative sample of fathers. It’s drawn from a new analysis of the Parenting Today in Victoria survey of 2600 parents, 40 per cent of whom were dads. Fathers with poorer mental health told us they were less likely to feel effective as parents and were less confident in their own parenting. They were more critical of, less patient and less consistent in parenting behaviours with their children. They also spent less time with them, were less likely to be involved with their child’s school or early education service and less likely to feel confident about helping them with their school work. The proportion of dads reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety in this survey is lower than for mums (one in three). But the dads surveyed were less likely than mums to identify someone they trusted they could turn to for advice.

The dads were generally more positive than mums about the amount of support they received from their partner. But the fact many fathers are likely to be struggling with no clear view of where to get help should sound alarm bells. Research on the co-parenting relationship (including for separated parents) shows the level of support parents provide each other through sharing everyday parenting responsibilities impacts child outcomes.

so, what can be done?

It’s important to note the majority of dads surveyed were doing well. In general, there’s a very positive overall picture of fathering in Australia. This contradicts outdated assumptions fathers are less involved or less effective than mothers when it comes to child health and development. But we can’t ignore the relatively high numbers of dads who aren’t travelling so well. This research highlights three key areas that will reap rewards for children if we focus on them now: 1. Make it routine to address fathers’ and mothers’ mental health in services for new parents. This isn’t currently happening in maternal, family and child health services. 2. Offer support to parents around co-parenting and what it means to support each other, particularly those who are co-parenting across different types of family living arrangements to help them get on the same parenting page. SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

they used books. Dads need access to credible parenting information in formats they can explore on their own terms. Catherine Wade is principal research specialist at the Parenting Research Centre, which received funding from the Victorian Government Department of Education and Training to conduct the survey described in this article. Julie Green is acting CEO of the Parenting Research Centre and honorary principal research fellow, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. The Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute are partners in <raisingchildren.net.au>, which is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

FREEPIK

3. Work on ways to better engage dads in two areas: in parenting support services to give them strategies for parenting confidently, and in early education settings and schools, where having both parents involved results in benefits for the child. Research shows involving both parents in parenting programs rather than just one is more beneficial to children. We should consider what we know about dads’ motivations for attending or not attending parenting programs or education sessions (such as lack of time or feeling uncomfortable asking for help) and tailor strategies specifically to dads that take these into account. Fathers tend to look for information and advice about raising their children online, rather than consulting professionals or attending group sessions. Some 76 per cent of the dads surveyed said they went online for parenting information or advice. But many (around 66 per cent) said

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

five free resources for dads The Australian government-funded website <raisingchildren.net.au> has lots of evidence-based, dad-specific and general parenting information in the form of articles, videos and free webinars that can be viewed any time. 1. The University of Newcastle’s SMS4dads is a text messaging service which aims to check in with dads through their smartphone before and after the birth of their baby. 2. The Movember Foundation website has a section devoted specifically to mental health that encourages men to start a conversation about their own mental health and reach out for help and advice. 3. Beyondblue has a four-part web series called Dadvice, which follows four dads on their journey into fatherhood. 4. Health Direct, funded by the federal government and most Australian states, offers information on depression in men and where to seek help. 5. If you are a dad who needs to speak to someone immediately about a mental health issue, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

ELL B EING

FIVE FOODS TO EAT EVERY WEEK THESE HUMBLE HEALTH HEROES ARE PACKED WITH GOODNESS AND DELIVER BIG HEALTH BENEFITS THAT ARE BACKED BY SCIENCE. 60

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023

legumes

Legumes such as beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas are not only delicious and versatile but are also high in fibre, low in saturated fat and contain iron, zinc, folate and magnesium. According to the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council, eating more legumes has also been shown to help manage cholesterol and blood glucose levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, and may help in weight management. Contrary to popular belief, dried legumes are not hard to cook. However, canned beans, lentils and chickpeas are a great alternative. Legumes can also make a terrific, healthy snack. Keep a can of baked beans in your bag or whip up some homemade hummus for an afternoon pick-me-up.

TETYANA KOVYRINA—PEXELS

leafy greens

Some of the most popular leafy greens are spinach and kale but watercress, Chinese cabbage and silverbeet are also worth adding to your shopping list. Dark leafy greens are packed with magnesium, which can improve your mood, combat tiredness and help your body produce energy. Many leafy green veggies also contain fibre, folate and a range of carotenoids, which some researchers believe may help reduce your risk of cancer. Leafy greens can be added to any meal, including your breakfast smoothie, so they are a simple addition to your weekly diet that are going to make a difference to your health.

tofu

As a soy food, tofu packs a healthy protein and fibre punch. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. But, perhaps more importantly, tofu can be an incredibly versatile addition to your meals. There are four main varieties—extra firm, firm, soft and silken—allowing it to be added to any number of dishes, from curries to cakes.

wholegrains

Wholegrains are nutrition powerhouses—they are packed full of different fibres, vitamins, minerals and protective phytochemicals. There are loads of fantastic wholegrains to choose from—wholegrain wheat, brown rice, rolled oats, buckwheat and barley, to name a few. Research shows eating wholegrains can help protect against heart disease and stroke, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and improve bowel health. Just three serves of wholegrains could lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 34 per cent.

nuts

Did you know that eating at least 15 grams of nuts and seeds a day can help reduce the risk of heart disease? That is why the Heart Foundation recommends eating three-to-four small handfuls (about 30g) of nuts and seeds every week. They contain good sources of fibre, polyunsaturated fats, magnesium, vitamin E and antioxidants.

Article courtesy of Sanitarium Health Food Company. Visit sanitarium.com.au or sanitarium.co.nz and subscribe to Recipe of the Week for a delicious plant-powered recipe in your inbox each week. SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

FUN

CROSSWORD

How closely have you been reading? Each keyword in this puzzle is also contained within this edition of Signs of the Times. Happy digging!

Crossword Puzzle Hint: 34 Down Across

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ng one of these over nine months or can reduce depression by up to 80 per SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • SEPTEMBER 2023 62

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8400 eggs went into making this the seventh day of the week

also known as swiss chard one-in-ﬁve dads has experienced taught the people of Tonga how

CROSSWORD CLUES

IMAGE: MARCOS PAULO PRADO ON UNSPLASH

DOWN # 2 Samoan Questionplant that can be as effective as ACROSS ibuprofen # 3 Keeping Questionone of these over nine months or more can reduce depression by up to 80 per cent 9 Learn to do this before you can learn to be happy 11 Abolished in Britain three days before the death of William Wilberforce ACROSS 1 8400 eggs went into making this giant dish 4 The seventh day of the week 5 Also known as Swiss chard 6 One-in-five dads has experienced this 7 Taught the people of Tonga how to cook 8 Calls the devil’s realm “a kingdom of noise” 10 A secret plan to do something illegal 12 Lack of this can cancel benefits of exercise

SUDOKU EASY

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SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU SEPTEMBER 2023 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU