Life on the Edge

What are all these stamped envelopes? For the last two days I have been preparing a formal letter that is being sent out to all 57 of Tasmania's elected state and federal parliamentarians; a letter that explains the reasons behind the Dawn to Dusk Parliament House Vigil on August 19. Will the letter get read? Hopefully, because the vigil is a plea from many people who want their politicians, when they deal with the forestry issue, to "bring a sense of reverence and dignity to the livelihoods of all Tasmanians and to the lives of all of Tasmania's flora and fauna". "The focus of the vigil is certainly the forests, but it is also about people and how government policy affects both people and the forests. It is a vigil seeking change, not only as regards the government’s treatment of the forests, but how our Federal and State governments treat their citizens." "The intent of the vigil is to push past the rhetoric and get all elected parliamentarians to consider the forestry debate in terms of reconciliation instead of compromise. Compromise tends to seek resolution through dividing up of whatever is being "fought" over. True reconciliation is about making something sacred again. As soon as governments treat all people and nature with reverence, then the potential for truly sustainable policies on logging and/or conservation become possible." ••••••••••••••••••• So why is Tim, the visiting cellist, smiling? The answer lies in the background to his right. With the last stamp being put on letter # 57, we are ready to head down to the "Beach" for my daily surf and Tim's stroll. Well, not quite ready. Tim still has to practice his cello for an hour.