Author: Shain | Every Word Matters

Shain is a Sydney-based blogger and writer who believes there is much more to life than surviving the mad rat race. A father, a husband, a tennis fan, an IT professional. Looking back at fond memories, looking ahead with big dreams, looking around and trying to focus on the present moment, the positives, the glass-half-full. While I'm confused and a bit lost sometimes, still trying to figure out what is the meaning of all of this around us, what are we meant to be doing here, swinging between inspiration and desperation, between hope and despair. I am constantly Looking For Meaning. What about yourself?

What is the Muslim Brotherhood and How Do They Plan to Take Over the West?

The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most influential Islamist movements in modern history. But behind the rhetoric of piety and charity, it quickly evolved into a powerful political force with a clear mission: the establishment of societies governed under Islamic (Sharia) law and ultimately, the creation of a global Islamic order.

Who Are The Israelis and What Do They Really Want?

Israelis are unique – loud, passionate, fiercely loyal people forged through history, war, and survival. They live in one of the toughest neighborhoods on Earth, surrounded by enemies who wish to destroy them, yet they thrive, innovate, and keep pushing forward with optimism and hope for peace.

Who Are The Palestinians and What Do They Really Want?

For decades, the Palestinian Issue has been at the heart of one of the world’s most bitter and enduring conflicts. To outsiders, the Palestinian cause is often portrayed in calls for freedom and self-determination. But behind the chants, flags, and media campaigns lies a far more complicated reality.

The Big Fat Lie called Palestine

Have you ever wondered why the Palestinian cause has become the only conflict to go viral and trendy – flooding social media with slogans, filling city streets with endless protests, and fueling worldwide campaigns as if no other tragedy exists?

The Collapse of Activism and Social Movements

Activism is an important thing. It sits within the core values of Democracy – Freedom of Speech, the Power of the People, and Equality. However, with the rise of social networks, conspiracy theories and misinformation, we should all stop and wonder what happened to Human Morality and what is actually going on behind the scenes of those so-called social movements.

From the River to the Sea – What the Fuck does it mean

There is something really strange happening these days around Activism. The rule of thumb for activists used to be that people fully understand the issues they passionately support, because if they don’t, they are rather parroting without using their own brain. That’s not activism, that is Stupidity.

I Stand with ISRAEL

This is as simple as Good versus Evil. If you think murdering, slaughtering, raping and kidnapping innocent civilians has anything to do with a fight for freedom, you have a serious problem with your Values.

Geelong, Victoria

At the gateway to the Great Ocean Road lies the lovely city of Geelong. We arrived here after a long drive from Ballarat, and discovered a cute and relatively big city. After all, Geelong is the second largest Victorian city behind Melbourne.

Covid, Climate and War: Give Peace a Chance

Humans are capable of greater things. If we stick together we can push back all sorts of aggression around the world, we can keep global peace, we can fight climate change, we can end racism and gender inequality. We are all equal, we are all the same, we must give peace a chance.

Goodbye and No Thank You

It’s always better to have no expectations to avoid disappointment. This is possibly the biggest mistake we have made this year. Thinking that once 2020 will be behind us, Covid will be over and life will get back to some sort of normality. But 2021 proved us awfully wrong, and what we got was more of the same, if not much worse.

If Today Was Your Last Day

The day started with the sound of an annoying alarm clock. He quickly turned it off before Michelle would wake up, she needed her morning beauty sleep. He lay down in his bed for another moment, stretching his ever aching lower back, trying to figure out which day was it today, as if his mind needed a push on a reset button. But as he sat down on the side of his bed, feeling the familiar lack of motivation creeping in, a provoking thought came into his mind. ‘What if today was my last day?’.

Getting out of Lockdown

After nearly four months, Sydney emerges out of lockdown. Down under in Australia, we had been vaccine hesitant, relying on closed borders and a zero-Covid policy. Trailing six months behind the rest of the world, we had paid the price of poor policies and lack of national leadership. Four months ago we finally realised that we cannot keep ignoring the reality of the delta variant, and we simply have to learn how to live with the virus and move on, just like the rest of the world.

The Grampians National Park

Grampians National Park is a nature reserve in Victoria, Australia. It’s known for its sandstone mountains, wildflowers and wildlife including echidnas and wallabies. Near the village of Halls Gap, the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre gives insight into local Aboriginal history and rock art.

Novak Djokovic – You Can’t Win

On the brink of history, one match away from a historic Grand Slam, one that his greatest rivals – Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal – had never achieved. Djokovic now stands tall and aims to conquer the tennis world’s peak with the most grand slam wins ever. But Novak, know this – you can’t win!

Ballarat and Sovereign Hill

Ballarat is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. What makes it attractive is its unique history – it was the center of a gold rush migration during the 19th century. Not far from the city centre is Sovereign Hill. It is an open-air museum which depicts Ballarat’s first ten years after the discovery of gold. However, this is not a typical museum. As a replica of the town during the Victorian gold rush days, it comes alive with real characters from the old days, taking all visitors back in time.

Melbourne – Part 2

While Melbourne is one of the two big cities in Australia, it does have a magical feel to it if you dare to explore. We started with a cruise on the Yarra River that goes across the city suburbs, under monumental bridges and giant commercial ports. We ended up back where we started, close to Federation Square and its numerous art galleries, walked past the streets of the busy central business district and hopped on and off the trams.

Melbourne – Part 1

Melbourne is the capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. At the city’s centre is the modern Federation Square development, with plazas, bars, and restaurants by the Yarra River. Overall, there is an artistic and colonial feel to the city, much like most european capitals. So how would it feel visiting the big city in the middle of a road trip where you spent most of your time out in the wild? Well, we’re about to find out.

Mornington Peninsula

Frankston is a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, known as “the gateway to the Mornington Peninsula”. Further south is the holiday town of Mornington where you can drive on the white sandy beach and taste a bit of the magic this peninsula has to offer.

Backyard Discoveries during Lockdown

While in lockdown, we are at least allowed to go out and exercise within 10 km from home. This gives us an opportunity to explore our own backyard. It’s not much, but we appreciate it more than we would have in normal circumstances.

Life in Lockdown Again

Who would have thought we would be exactly in the same situation fifteen months into the pandemic, but here we are again. Sydney is now in full lockdown for the third time. We have been very lucky so far in Australia, but it is now becoming more and more apparent that the government had failed us.

Launceston and North Tasmania

Our last few days in Tasmania until we need to board the ferry back to mainland Australia. We took the long and winding road towards Launceston, Tasmania’s second major city. The main highlight in town is clearly Cataract Gorge, a piece of wilderness just minutes away from the city centre.

Regrets

“Mum, will you forgive me?”, asked the boy. “You haven’t done anything wrong”, mum replied. “Well, I haven’t been the best child. We used to fight all the time when I was growing up. I must have been the worst teenage boy any parent could have asked for”, he looked back in regret. “No you were not, you were an absolutely beautiful boy. I’ve always appreciated how determined and independent you were, and I’m very proud of what you have become”, mum assured him.

Bay of Fires

Bay of Fires was given its name in 1773 by Captain Tobias Furneaux – an English navigator who accompanied James Cook – as he saw the fires of Aboriginal people on the beaches. It is known all over the world for its extraordinary clear blue seas, brilliant white beaches and striking orange lichen-cloaked boulders.

Wineglass Bay

Heading up north on the eastern coast of Tasmania, we are heading towards one of the biggest attractions on the island – Freycinet National Park. Freycinet has a global appeal – it is iconic, memorable and breathtaking by all means. The park is best known for the stunning beauty of Wineglass Bay with its crystal-clear waters and white beach, making it one of Tasmania’s most celebrated views.

Racism-19 (Part 2)

The following morning Will and James were driving the car in silence, not mentioning last night’s events. As Will pulled over to drop his mate off at the hospital, he whispered “Do you think he’s alright that guy? We kind of left him out there in the dark injured, you know”. He looked away as James leaned back against the window. “Are you kidding me? He got what he deserved. Toughen up dude, what’s wrong with you?”.

Racism-19 (Part 1)

“What did you say?” he called out in anger. “I said G’day”, the guy responded in a very calm voice. James looked at Will with his eyes wide open in complete disbelief. “Did you hear that? He said ‘G’day’. The fuck’n immigrant is using Aussie slang”. “Right, where did you learn to speak like that, ha? Do you know any other words in English? You bat-eater”. James was already on his front foot. “Hey, why don’t you go back to your country, Corona-man”.

Port Arthur Historic Site

Port Arthur is a village and historic site in southern Tasmania, Australia. Sitting on the Tasman Peninsula, it was a 19th-century penal settlement (considered to be the worst of the worst…) and is now an open-air museum. Unfortunately we found ourselves underwhelmed…

Australia turning its back on its own Citizens

One of the basic fundamentals of a modern society is the relationship between the country and its own citizens. Most importantly – Duty of Care. A government that doesn’t protect its own citizens, is absolutely unworthy, as it is neglecting the most crucial aspects of leadership and democracy – taking care of your own people.

Put Climate Action Back on Track

When President-elect Joe Biden made his winning speech last November, he highlighted some of the major problems he intends to focus on once he gets into office. The US is due to lead the world once again in taking action on coronavirus, equality, economy and climate change. However, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to bow to pressure from the US.

Bruny Island

Bruny Island is located off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. To get to the island we had to take a 20-minute ferry to discover a unique and isolated landmark with very few locals, many more tourists, and stunning views.

Pressure

It was an early autumn evening. The trees started to shed their leaves, signaling the end of summer. That was the worst time of year for Jono, who simply hated it when daylight-saving ends and all of a sudden it’s getting dark much earlier. Jono was sitting in his car, driving back home from another hectic day at work. “I have to do something” Jono thought to himself.