bedrock of our value system. But what if we started to relax these values? What if we changed our mindset and encouraged people at all levels to be more sharing and compassionate? What if government and big business saw it was in their interests to be generous for its own sake? Would it not encourage customers to favour such businesses, or voters to support such governments? Rather than imposing change via more rules and taxes, would it not benefit everyone to loosen their grip and experience change willingly? Rather than changing things from the outside, we could alter things progressively from within. Instead of re-ordering the system, we could shift the way we think. Compassion is often dismissed by those in power as being a nice, but unrealistic solution. Suggesting they should just give, without taking something in return, is seen as simplistic and untenable. Yet I recall Australian attitudes towards women, the gay community and Indigenous people being very different. These are examples of our collective thinking that have changed radically. Dramatic shifts in attitude are not only real, but necessary for cultural growth. Perhaps our attitude towards owning and controlling could likewise be shifted. Perhaps with enough love and compassion, we could discover something that was there all along - something that looks more like a philanthropic society. "Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law. It's nine-tenths of the problem." - John Lennon R J Poole Lismore Ride of their life As event and ride co-ordinator, I would personally