I have been thinking about leadership lately and what it looks like. The 2022 Election has revealed (maybe more than ever) a lot of things about who we are as a country. My take-home observation from the election was a sense of gratefulness about how diverse we are and how many voices want to be heard, and how many stories we carry as a country. Even though holding the complexity can be tricky sometimes, what a gift to be enriched by so much more than just two opposing views.

As individuals, we carry diversity in ourselves. We are as beautiful and complex as the environment and climate that we live in. But it is always easier for us to simplify ourselves and others into ‘good and bad’, ‘right and wrong’, ‘with us or against us’. We so easily dismiss our leaders and shame them when they make mistakes or they don't agree  - which is, oddly enough, the same dismissive and shaming behaviour that we don’t like in them. Dividing complexity into two just causes division - in ourselves and in our communities. 

When we embrace complexity, we embrace learning and growth and healing. When we see ourselves as part of a fragile ecosytem, we are more willing to lend a hand, to offer alternative problem solving, to enter into respectful conversations, to remember that we can hold more than just two options or opinions. We see that the wellbeing of each person, even our leaders, is caught up in our own wellbeing. 

We have an amazing team participating in the Act for Peace Ration Challenge, with nearly 40 students, parents and staff members. Please read about it and sponsor our team here: https://schools.rationchallenge.org.au/t/bishop-druitt-college 

Alpha is coming as a lunchtime bible study for secondary students. To find out more, email Rev Cooke ncooke@bdc.nsw.edu.au 

Pentecost is celebrated around the world on 5 June. 

Naomi Cooke
Chaplain