Easter message of empathy and peace a timely reminder

Sydney Morning Herald

26-04-2025

I freely admit that my views on religion (being an atheist and all) are very different to those of Tim Costello (' Let us choose empathy over trashing of the world ', April 20). However, after reading his article I am compelled to say, 'Thank God for good men such as Tim Costello.' Tony Heathwood, Kiama Down s
Tim Costello's opinion piece on Easter Sunday moved me to tears. The eye-watering statistics about impending deaths from HIV (1,192,400) and Elon Musk's conviction that empathy is a fatal flaw should lead all of us to speak up. The politicians, the church, the media and the citizens cannot remain silent if goodness is to prevail. Lorraine Hickey, Green Point
Tim Costello's opinion piece should be on the compulsory reading list for all (yes, I was a teacher). He illustrates, using the example of Easter, that empathy and its relatives compassion, kindness and generosity, are hallmarks of humanity and civilisation. I believe that whatever our faith, or lack of it, we head down roads to disaster when we forget that. Mary Anne Kennan, Burwood
Health care failing
The issue of medical misogyny again rears its ugly head (' The women trapped in an unfair system ', April 20), subjecting women to substandard medical care. While the challenge of such behaviour must be met head-on, it certainly is not the only issue confronting health and medical services. The issue of the impact of racism upon the health of First Nations people should occupy a front and centre position within health care. From 2009-2014 I was part of a team that investigated the impact of racism upon the health of Aboriginal men within the Hunter New England Local Health District. The research project highlighted significant racism, and horrendous experiences. The results of this research were never published, never made public. In effect, the experiences of the men involved were never acknowledged, and their voices were silenced. Whether it be misogyny or racism or treating people differently due to social status and income, such appalling treatment within the broad scope of health services needs to be first acknowledged, and then addressed with appropriate action. Graham Fazio, Cootamundra
Your comprehensive reports on medical misogyny bring to mind other injustices done to women in the medical field. In the 1960s, when I was training as a psychiatric nurse, we were taught that the cause of autism, then a relatively newly recognised and little understood childhood condition, was the mother behaving towards her child in a cold, unloving and unfeeling manner. I apologetically and shamefully remember looking askance at visiting mothers, seeing them not as the distressed, devoted and caring parents they were, but as people to be blamed for their child's illness. Checking back, I see the term 'refrigerator mother', although since proved unquestionably wrong, is still recorded for posterity. Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills
Libs miss the boat
Whatever way the columnist tries to justify Peter Dutton's comeback in the next two weeks with the examples of previous comebacks by other leaders, it is a fact that Dutton and his team took a lazy approach and didn't spend enough time developing policies (' Dutton can explore the 'goat track' ', April 20) . When you're in an opposition, it is particularly important to differentiate your party from the ruling party. When Liberal policies were announced, they were not thought through, and simple questions could not be answered. The flip-flopping policies rattled the Liberals and their strategies. From day one, Dutton had only one mantra: to call the PM a weak leader, which is not cutting with the voters, and it is still surprising they continue to this day. Good policies generally can beat politics. With young influencers running podcasts and social media, Liberals missed the boat, and Labor exploited them thoroughly. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill