Mother’s Love

By Luke Foster

Mother’s Love is a series of essays about social issues. I say that my readers know my essays are good for them like broccoli, but the jokes throughout are sort of the cream cheese that makes the essays tasty. I started writing them in 2014 and then picked up where I left off in 2021. Some of the best essays were written while travelling to Brooklyn in New York in 2021. The other more notable essays were written after long beach walks where I would empty my mind out so when I started writing I would only have a heading in mind and then let the rest flow directly out of my subconscious. I often say that my life is sort of a circus that my essays are based on but the Dalai Lama says circuses are fun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jun 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398496248

Luke Foster

Luke Foster has a background mainly in visual arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from College of Fine Arts in 1994, a Master of Fine Arts from College of Fine Arts in 1997 and a Graduate Diploma of Education in 2010 from Southern Cross University and all in Australia. He has exhibited in over 30 exhibitions in the mediums of sculpture drawing, installation art and animation. Although his main background is in visual arts, he wrote a thesis for his master’s degree, which was a train wreck of horror and spelling mistakes. However, the final chapter titled Epilogue Meets the Aftermath was of interest as it outlined a travelling art festival.

Book preview

Mother’s Love

Luke Foster

Austin Macauley Publishers

Mother’s Love

About the Author

Copyright Information ©

Acknowledgement

Plato’s Republic

My Amazing Friends

My Beloved Mother Has Passed

About the Author

Luke Foster has a background mainly in visual arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from College of Fine Arts in 1994, a Master of Fine Arts from College of Fine Arts in 1997 and a Graduate Diploma of Education in 2010 from Southern Cross University and all in Australia. He has exhibited in over 30 exhibitions in the mediums of sculpture drawing, installation art and animation. Although his main background is in visual arts, he wrote a thesis for his master’s degree, which was a train wreck of horror and spelling mistakes. However, the final chapter titled Epilogue Meets the Aftermath was of interest as it outlined a travelling art festival.

Copyright Information ©

Luke Foster 2023

The right of Luke Foster to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398496231 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398496248 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

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Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge the support of my dear mum Maria Foster who I lovingly call Saint Maria.

Plato’s Republic

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. – Plato

My artist friend Sean Cordeiro said that my drawing is better than my writing. I wonder if he is right. I have been writing a bit since writing my Master’s thesis in 1997 at the end of my Masters of Fine Arts at College of Fine Arts. I called it the Death of Installation Art and it was a train wreck of catharsis and poor spelling. However the final chapter was the most memorable for me where I wrote that an international travelling festival would replace installation art as the status quo. However, I think that was a mistake as I still love to make installation art and it still reflects the dematerialisation of art that came out of the international fluxus movement of the 1960s with artists such as German Joseph Beuys, Japanese Yoko Ono and Korean Nam June Paik.

I studied three unit ancient history and two unit ancient history in my final two years in high school. We studied a unit on ancient Greece and its of interest for many reasons but mainly because it is the birthplace of democracy. However it was a floored democracy as it was only the rich who were allowed to reap the benefits of democracy and were served by the majority of the population who were slaves.

The most famous and influential figure from Ancient Greece was Plato.

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. – Plato, The Republic

"Plato was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece, founder of the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world.

He is widely considered a pivotal figure in the history of Ancient Greek and Western philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his most famous student, Aristotle. Plato has also often been cited as one of the founders of Western religion and spirituality. The so-called neoplatonism of philosophers such as Plotinus and Porphyry greatly influenced Christianity through Church Fathers such as Augustine. Alfred North Whitehead once noted: the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. – Wikipedia

Another famous and very influential writer was the ancient Greek writer Herodotus who is known as the father of history.

Men’s fortunes are on a wheel, which in its turning suffers not the same man to prosper for ever. – Herodotus

Anyway this essay has been a bit of a hodgepodge of different ideas. I wish I had my printer working so I could scan in a drawing.

Kim Beazley Good Ass Number One: Colloquial Name: If

You Want My Love You Got It: Cheap Trick

"Kim Christian Beazley, AC, is a former Australian diplomat and politician who was the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from 1995 to 1996. He subsequently served as the Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1996 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2006…" (Wikipedia)

A few months back when I was a bit cuckoo I sent Kim Beazley a smart watch some converse all-star shoes and a felt hat because he is one of my favourite politicians and public figures on my way to New York.

He is currently the governor of Western Australia but that is just a label as he is actually one of Australia’s most important diplomats and fixes up all sorts of international problems. He is definitely a brainiac as a former Rhode Scholar which only the most intelligent and those with the most leadership potential are awarded.

Politics calls for robust debate and criticism, but this should never descend to personal and demeaning slurs. – Kim Beazley

I agree with Kim Beazley about the importance of robust debate. To take it one step further I believe that robust debate is at the centre of democracy so the various political parties serve the people rather than themselves and keep each other honest. I couldn’t make it any more obvious I love democracy.

I think that in my estimation that Kim Beazley is one of the world’s greatest political leaders with his natural leadership qualities and ability to creatively figure out complex social problems. He is up there with former US president Barack Obama as one of the political greats.

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. – Barack Obama

As with Barack, Kim has focused on the big picture contributing greatly to Australia’s wealth and role in the world as leaders in innovation including Kim’s great successor Kevin Rudd and his amazing Sorry Day speech at his succession one of the most important days in Australian history.

Gaining visibility is just the process of being SEEN so that you can connect with others. – Kim Beazley

As with most great leaders, Kim’s family are the glue that holds his great zeal and leadership qualities together.

Adam Sandler and Poverty in America

I’m not comfortable being around too many people. I don’t like being out in public too much. I don’t like going to bars. I don’t like doing celebrity stuff. So most of the characters I play are people who don’t always feel comfortable beyond their small circle of friends. – Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler is my favourite comedian along with Ellen DeGeneres and I feel they are both so loved not because of their good looks and hilarious charm but because they are so generous. In Australia, we call it opening up your wallet and they open up their wallet for good Americans down on their luck every day.

My favourite Adam Sandler movies are Happy Gilmore and the Wedding Singer. I think that Happy Gilmore in particular deals with a serious issue of class relations and the actors in Happy Gilmore attracts a working class audience to golf which is usually a sport followed by wealthy people.

While I have been visiting New York this winter, I have been moved by the plight of the homeless here. You don’t need to look far as there are homeless here everywhere on the streets and subways and in the parks. I shudder to think of how hard it must be to sleep it rough here and be cold and hungry while I am rugged up in a hostel dorm and well fed.

I have been doing my bit to give clothes and food for the homeless in New York and in Sydney before I left Australia but I think I can do much more.

They need hostels to sleep in and soup kitchens to feed them and free hospital care to look after them while they are sick and scholarships for their children so they can study at school and university.

I am not sure but I can imagine that a great deal of poverty and homelessness in not only New York but all around America is suffered by the indigenous people of America.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd did a lot to close the gap for poverty with indigenous Australians.

"Because the time has come, well and truly come, for all peoples of our great country, for all citizens of our great commonwealth, for all Australians – those who are indigenous and those who are not – to come together to reconcile and together build a new future for our nation." – Kevin Rudd

A lot can be gained from following the humour and compassion of Adam Sandler, Ellen DeGeneres and Joe Biden.

I had my moments of being humiliated, and then I had moments of doing something humiliating. I’m glad I lived out both roles. – Adam Sandler

Martin Luther King, Public Enemy, Condoleezza Rice and

the Obamas and Oprah Winfrey African Americans

Making Headway Against Racism

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. – Martin Luther King

It’s a bit dangerous for a white male to talk about the plight of African Americans, but it’s such an important subject that I have to step up to the plate and hit one out of the ball park for African Americans.

Martin Luther King made great headway for the plight of African Americans.

Then in the late eighties African American rap band Public Enemy made the plight of African Americans and fight against racism cool around the world with young people of all races and political and religious persuasions.

"Goin’ quicker in the speedin’ lane, Jealous can’t do it and it’s causin’ them pain. Caught in my smoke, all they did was choke. Look at my spokes, you know I’m no joke. Out that window, middle finger for all, Jealous at my ride, stereo and black walls. Suckers they got the nerve and gall

To talk ‘bout the car when they’re walkin’ tall."

You’re Gonna Get Yours, written by Chuck D and Hank Shocklee

Oprah Winfrey and her international talk show made African Americans more respected around the world and paved the way for Condoleezza Rice.

Then under the Bush administration Condoleezza Rice became the first African American Secretary of State and the first woman in international politics with so much influence.

"The essence of America – that which really unites us – is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion – it is an idea – and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things." – Condoleezza Rice

Then the Obamas became the most powerful African Americans in history when Barack was elected the first black American president and wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia are the glue that hold the Obama family together.

It’s important for us to also understand that the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ simply refers to the notion that there’s a specific vulnerability for African Americans that needs to be addressed. It’s not meant to suggest that other lives don’t matter. It’s to suggest that other folks aren’t experiencing this particular vulnerability. – Barack Obama

Michelle Obama also campaigned against lots of issues in America particularly healthy eating and my essays are healthy food metaphorically so devour them with gusto.

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. – Michelle Obama

I am about to donate ten dollars for the Obama Foundation who do lots of amazing things for African Americans and poor people around the world. So if you sacrifice two cups of coffee you too can be the good change we need in the world. I also ordered two public enemy t-shirts as I love their music.

The Importance of Good Security for Aid Work

If you look at our foreign assistance as a tool in our national security portfolio as opposed to charity, and you combined our defense budget overall with our diplomatic budget and our foreign assistance budget, then in that mix, there is a lot more we should be doing. – Barack Obama

There is great deal that has been done by the world leaders with international aid and they should be congratulated but a lot more can be done.

"Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility." – Michelle Obama

The best way to overcome these problems is for there to be excellent security. Excellent security is very important and the best security in the world are the Australian SAS and the American Navy Seals. Their work is so important that it would be ideal if more of their troops would be trained and they deserve a pay rise as their work is so dangerous and important.

For the UN and the World Health Organisation, the Australian and American government and the worlds democratic countries and the worlds charities to do their aid work effectively there needs to be excellent security to protect them and make sure the aid gets to the true poor in desperate need.

"Humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity, reducing inequity is the highest human achievement." – Bill Gates

For aid working doctors, nurses, psychologists excellent security is important for their safety. So for