I really liked the sentiment in Bernard Salt’s article in the Weekend Australian Magazine (Feb 10-11, 2018) on Page 34 where he makes the case that these days, there seem to be so many voices (and they tend to be loud and intrusive voices) advocating all sorts of left-field thinking or radical thinking that are meant to disrupt society, the workplace and the community generally.

Yes, I fully understand that there’s rapid change occurring on almost every sector led mainly by technological and scientific break-throughs that impact our way of being. I realise that our world is shrinking as the global economy takes over. I get that things are changing…and fast.

However, beyond all the calls for diversity, for flexibility, for individuality, for equality, there are some fundamental truths that never seem to be heralded. Some basic life principles that seem to get swamped by the fringe opinions that want to be heard and that demand to be heard. Some essential truths that never get discussed and certainly get pushed aside.

As Salt exemplifies, what about those basic notions such as, “Work hard, don’t do drugs, don’t smoke, build good relationships, learn skills, save for a deposit for a house, spend time with your kids, invest in your health.” How is it that we don’t have discussions about these matters? Is it somehow uncool?  Is it too simplistic?

He goes on to say that another “radical idea” that doesn’t get aired is that “Sometimes when raising a family it’s necessary to do a job that you don’t particularly like for months or maybe even years on end in order to provide for that family. This isn’t life being mean to you; sometimes you just gotta do it. Accept it and move on”.

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves as a society or too clever — some things remain constants and need to be heralded.