When I was eight I imagined friends back home in Melbourne being able to see me through a hidden camera, possibly pulling faces, sitting cross-legged at Macquarie primary. This was 1978, I was already the product of an alternative school my parents were part of starting in the leafy Nillumbik shire, and a mainstream classroom was a repressive disappointment. This was the first time I recall using my imagination to get me out of an uncomfortable situation, a way of escape…to expand my horizon.
Now in Vic Australia, we are all in lockdown due to Covid19. Now we have the tools (the camera on the wall) to bring us together… but do they ?
In the bigger picture, are we escaping without really going anywhere ? When this is over, I’m in favour of closing the laptop, packing my bags and following that almost forgotten road home. A place where I sit with being alone, a place where conversation can be robust and increases depth of understanding - where difference benefits inclusive healthy growth. I’d meet you there.
