MAP Forum

As anyone who has written an obituary knows, we humans are complex: a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly.

We can praise and benefit from the good, condemn the bad and wonder about the ugly.

To cast aside the good is to punish ourselves.

Post World War II, two famous orchestra conductors, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan continued to conduct, despite their pre-war and wartime links to the Nazis. Their talent was too good for the survivors to be deprived of its benefits.

Moving from baton to pen and brush; there’s yet another successful Australian children’s book author facing court on pedophilia-related charges. He is soon to be sentenced.

Fortunately for all of us, he is not in the ACT where his writing talents would wither.

In NSW the courts administration has been buying prisoner art and it is being hung on the walls of at least one large court complex.

Apparently, they understand that criminal conduct is just one facet of any prisoner. There are often good facets, too.

I hope, even if you don’t, that the NSW pedophile author can write great stories for children, whether that is while in prison or under some other sentencing regime. He can contribute to happiness and laughter while under punishment. Time will tell.

Former barrister Hugh Selby is the CityNews legal matters columnist.