itinerant and indigent

At risk perhaps, of attracting weird attention, I have decided to throw a question out to cyber space.

 What shall I do with my life? 

For sometime now, I have found myself at somewhat of a crossroads vocationally speaking. And alternately vexed, frustrated, sad, excited, worried, unhappy and resolved because of this hiatus. Where to go? What to do? In the past, I have managed development projects, been an actor and radio presenter, worked in child protection, been a counsellor, worked with victims of trauma, been a political and human rights analyst for the UN, coordinated humanitarian projects, written a book, been a youth-worker, run a bar, been an outdoor activities instructor and even earned a reasonable income from cabinet making. I can draw a bit and take good photos.

But that only tells me what I have done and can do. Where to now? I have an open offer to return to Afghanistan and lead a smallish development organisation there. This appeals at many levels. I have an interview coming up with an international human rights organisation. This also deeply appeals. I have a second book in draft, and a third in the early stages. Appealing. Continue being a part-time troublemaker and agitator, and Dad? This too, is appealing. Which of these should I go with? Or none at all, and do something I haven’t thought of yet?

I can see that I am by inclination and my temperament, a worrier. I don’t mean someone who worries about interest rates or germs on the toilet seat, I mean a someone who worries about culture and faith and politics and human rights. An agitator, a questioner, an innovator, a muck-raker. I take things apart and see how they work and try to fix things that are broken: be they model cars, telescopes, ideologies, constructs, systems, assumptions, surfboards or ducks. 

I don’t accept many things as they are. That makes me quite annoying to live with mostly. The question is, where does such a person find employment? In what kinds of jobs and what kinds of contexts can I both make a useful and perhaps unique contribution, have integrity, and be authentic to who I am?

Well. All comments, ideas, feedback, suggestions and job offers received, and considered, and an original signed cartoon or classic photograph to the winner.

I don’t know how it happened, but on Thursday, more than 100 people visited this blog. That, is odd. Normally it is between 0 and 20 people a day, and 19 of those people are me logging in under all my different aliases and alternative personalities. But 100 different people? Who are you all? And more importantly, where have you all gone now?

“Four years ago Kevin Rudd got drunk and took himself into a strip club. Four years ago John Howard, sober, took Australia into the Iraq war. I think the electorate can judge which one did the more harm,” - Bob Brown, Australian Senator.

I won the Victoria Park Art Award for Photography last night with this photo:

I was recently interviewed on Radio New Internationalist, in Melbourne, and also gave a reading of some of my work. The link is here: http://www.newint.org/radioI start about half way through.