"Easter" Reflections on a cultural conundrum!



On "Good Friday" this year I was sitting around enduring the usual Good Friday events, fund raising for the Children's Hospital (a worthy cause), the AFL footy, the clash between my own view of the horror of the religious cultural meaning of Easter (Torture, Death, Resurrection, Hot Cross Buns, the Easter Bunny, Easter Eggs) and my cultural separation from all of that, when I decided to write to my friend Richard and see how he felt on that day.

Richard and I have been freinds for just short of 29 years when he was a student in the Doco course I ran at Vic. College of the Arts. We've always had wonderful communication, to and fro, on every topic under the Sun and way beyond the Sun into the depths of Eternity.

We often argue from entirely opposite sides, completely different points of view. I'm deeply irreligious just as he is deeply religious. We both enjoy vigorous discussion but we've never had any sort of angry breakdown, we've never hurt each other. 

So I sent him a casual email....  


Friday, April 3rd.

Hi Richard,
Do you celebrate this day as a religious "holy day", or do you take it more as just a holiday?

If not for my internet sessions with two lovely ladies in Norway and Russia who both do exceptional Ai work, it would just be a very boring day!  Just as it was 63 years ago when I made "And He Will Rise Again".

Did I just say 63 years ago!  Yep, 1963!

Wow! All that time went down the river and under the bridge.
Fortunately I'm still here, and it's a good day.

Hope you are well Richard.     pt


Saturday 4th April  Richard responded

That is such a fascinating question… I started to write a response last night, but will have to come back to to you.

Too big and unwieldy… I will respond later.


And yes, I did think of your jokey Easter film the other day, haha


Looks like the weather is more conducive to getting outside today.


Back again later


rl


Friday 17th April  

It’s only taken me 2 weeks Peter, but I’m finally getting back to you with a response!

And here it is, in documentary form, because that seemed the most useful way to explain it.

It’s on an unlisted YT page, so hopefully you can view best on your big tellie with big sound.
 
Crank it up my friend, and enjoy...



https://youtu.be/hbFSjKsgNEY

So that all came about as a result of a casual question I asked two weeks earlier. I'm very pleased that I did ask that simple little question.

If I had not asked it, I would never have known how deeply connected Richard is to his family, his friends and the whole of the universe through the celebration of Easter!







Comments

  1. bobbyboyApril 18, 2026 at 6:20 PM

    Great setup Peter... 29 years and still going strong. Bravo my friend!

    ReplyDelete

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