NEW DIRECTION

⚪️🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚫️ NEW DIRECTION Ed. No. 164 - LEADER/HERO

A feminine voice of light in a time of masculine created darkness.

GIF: Giphy

From: Neville Williams
Subject: SO WHO’S WRITING THE POSITIVE STORIES FOR OUR FUTURE?
Date: 23 March 2026 at 11:03:24 am AEDT
To: The Editor THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Dear Editor,

SO WHO’S WRITING THE POSITIVE STORIES FOR OUR FUTURE?

Shirley Temple had it right at a very dark period in human history when she sang...“Be optimistic and smile”.

While some of those books reviewed by Andrew Leigh (“The Future is Unnerving” Herald March 21) may present some hope amidst gloomy future scenarios can I please ask who is writing the books or for that matter making the plays, films, paintings or speaking through any medium towards the “certain" positive stories of our future?...Or doesn’t that sell as a subject in our cynical horror/violent/anger fuelled times?

I note that 8 feature films listed on the top 10 for my streaming service are stories with a general negative outlook some outright vicious and nasty and just plain humanly destructive.

I don't know about other cultures but certainly our Western Capitalist economic rationalist consumerist values system has darkly focussed us on negative destructive human interaction since Shirley Temple had millions focussed on her simple heart felt messages.

All of this negativism that is so prevalent today has been fuelled by ourselves and some addictive need to smash up the place. Why? Whether we want to face this or not it is the truth. Part of the human condition is a lust to put down "the other”. That is a deep flaw in too many psyches. Why so much self hate that has to be paid for by someone else?

Sure there will always be repeatedly the story of good vs evil because that is the very foundational playbook of our lives. The journey from dark to light is what it is all about…isn’t it? But where are the storytellers and positive advocates such as a modern speaking Miss Temple who can light the way?

Masculine energy has proved itself too limiting and self defeating. You will note that I’m not talking about male and female but masculine and feminine energies. Each is present in both sexes. We need more balance in lives and our story writing and who we choose to listen to if we want to make a better future for ourselves.

The stories the likes of Trump, Netanyahu, Putin (and others) are spinning us only leads to a very short shelf life. Their playbook could be characterised as pulp fiction made real. So very destructive.

What about a story where we are encouraged to accept more individual responsibility for ourselves, each other and a fragile beautiful world that we seem intent on turning into a trash novel simply because it sells.

Miss Temple please take your place centre stage. We need many more stories filled with hope.

Kind regards, Neville Williams

FOOTNOTE: I sent this commentary initially in error to "The South Sydney Herald". My eyes aren't as good as they used to be and funnily enough the Managing Editor of that paper Anna Jahjah asked on 14/04/26 if they could reprint the article in their local paper. There you go! N.

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RHODA ROBERTS AO