Show notes
A conversation with Australia literary hero, Patrick Lindsay.
I really trust you enjoy this podcast and this conversation with Patrick Lindsay. He is a phenomenal human being and a very compassionate man. I'm a big fan of his work and researching this podcast, getting to know his work and getting to know him has been a real joy.
Patrick Lindsey has had a long career in print and television journalism both here and overseas. He's been a TV presenter, a producer, film maker and a writer, and he's become one of Australia's leading non-fiction authors publishing over 21 non-fiction books.
He is a professional observer who writes on topics that are close especially to Australians and New Zealanders and around the world.
He shares inspiring messages of wisdom through his motivational series that he wrote for his grandchildren. And he reminds us that within us we have the power to change our lives for the better - he’s definitely the eternal optimist.
He's doing amazing work. He's has a new movie coming out shortly, the home front, which is a film looking at what we can do to support returned serviceman. During the podcast we talked about going to Gallipoli and Kokoda and we look at those wars and those campaigns, we talk about the philosophy of war and what it means for us today and the fortune we have today, which is almost self-evident. We do a little bit of Trump ranting, which is always good for a podcast. We look at politics and the effects of social media on it. We touch on that. We talk about this, the way he thinks and how he approaches things.
I was in a cafe, I think it was only yesterday and I was crying, reading his book, The Spirit of Gallipoli. It overwhelmed me and I was surprised at how many people didn’t know the story. And there are so many stories to speak of that we didn't get to cover in the podcast as much as I'd like. So I do recommend that you go and read this book.
I appreciate the cynicism and the questions we asked today about the folio of war and the folly of sacrificing ourselves in another land for a piece of land that we've never heard of before. And in no way, is that to disparage or take anything away from soldiers who volunteer to go and support and defend our nation and the places that need them. I’m really just so honoured that they do that for us every single day.
Our discussions raised the question about drafting, if that would be introduced again today. How would we be? What would we say? What would we do? How would we look at it? What would social media say? What new device would be created? Who would go? Would women go? Once a soldier said it was your national duty. When I think about how few people know the story of Gallipoli today, and know what it meant for those diggers, what they lost and what they did and what they sacrificed and what they had to do, it’s heartbreaking.
All the rules about what we believe about institutions and what they can ask of us now has changed so radically from this a hundred years ago. Interesting questions. I do love interesting perspectives.
And this podcast to me at its heart, it's about different ways of thinking. I just enjoyed so much chatting with him and I trust you get some value out of meeting and getting up close with Patrick Lindsey.
Highlights include:
In the podcast we will talk about:
Behind the creative process
So many of you will be pleased to hear more about the behind the scenes of his creative process and what inspires him. He looks at his life as a continuing journey, an exploration and a belief that it is never too late, there is always something to learn.
Bouncing back, be a twig
His latest book is called Be Resilient and speak to a world figuring out a way of enduring and then bouncing back post COVID.
Patrick thinks the analogy for being resilient is ‘being a twig’ , A green, healthy twig that that can blow in the winds and always bounce back. Because to be resilient you have to have a healthy mind, a healthy body, you know, a healthy spirit kind of thing, a sound, one of those. He refers to the great stoics and ancient Greek and Roman philosophers.
Resilience and a sense of duty in today’s world
We talk about the sense of duty during the past world wars and discuss how this has changed in today’s age and the plight of the modern veteran and how Patrick has come to be inspired by so many stories are of stoicism and a resilience, of personal sacrifice and of bravery.
Strategy and leadership in war
We explored the role of leadership in war, the structured Japanese, the fierce training of the Australians and their adaptability and the wonderful lessons learned from the guys who just ‘stepped into the role of leader. And how after war they went back into society and resumed their lives - they didn't then say, okay, I've just spent five years being a warrior and how with the help of their mates they were able to survive.
The role of authorities and support for returned soldiers
There is a point of view of modern veterans, they feel an adversarial relationship between them and the structures that support them - having been sent away, having been damaged, having comeback with physical and mental issues and things like that, Patrick expresses his view on this and the toll of mental illness on the returned service man and the danger of unresolved issues.
The Spirit of Gallipoli, Churchill and the front line
We talk about the bravery of great leaders in war and the sacrifice of the soldiers.
The change in journalism from legacy voice – to 10,000 opinions.
You can never go back to an innocent time when legacy media decided the message back in the day, when you were a journalist, you were part of legacy media, you were the voice.
Now there's 10,000 other voices, right behind yours, giving a contrary message. And none of them agree. We don't even agree on the facts now then learn how to a great, how to get to a point of, we don't even do with the fixed.
Be resilient and thrive – rational thinking
Patrick talks about his books, Thrive, the most recent was is inspired by having optimistic messages that are worthwhile. We explore rational thinking. Sometimes we need to take a critical look at it. Have we simply adapted another's viewpoint? Is that really driving our thinking? Have we rushed to a conclusion? Don't treat all thoughts equally.