Comedians, Poets and other Truth Sayers in Australian Society A Presentation by Michael Leunig (10/4/02) "Spirituality is more popular than God or the Church in Australia. Theological conversations need to engage spiritual beliefs of all people in openness and humility. Cartoonists give voice to many of these conversations, boldly saying things that are normally only whispered. They tell the truth when nobody else will and thus are often loved - and sometimes hated." So said Geoff Wraight in his introduction of Michael Leunig's presentation at Whitley Theological College in Melbourne on April 10. The seminar was part of an ongoing series designed to stimulate thinking about what role the Church has in a society in which it has largely lost relevance. So why not begin with a "conversation" with one who penetrates the homes and lives of ordinary Australian people every day? The cartoonist. In his usual style, Leunig turned up late with seemingly nothing prepared. His wooly hair and softly spoken, bumbling manner, gave the impression that he would much rather be anywhere but in the presence of two hundred people who were waiting for something profound. But very soon, Leunig warmed to his audience by telling some stories of his life in the bush and his view of the land. Leunig described the spirit of Australia as something that belonged to the land. It grows within the land mass and conquers the people who inhabit it, so much so that even migrants become infected. Over time it forms a people, giving them the character that is unique to Australia. The playful, infectious and beguiling Australian humour is very much part of that character. The spirit of the land is also persistent, withstanding the abuses that the human race has inflicted on it over the last century. Leunig was astounded that even after so long, we still had not managed to see that human nature was somehow linked to the rest of nature, and so when we harmed the environment, we were also harming ourselves. But at the same time, that persistence also contributes to the formation of the people, giving them an endurance that, even in the face of some of the most difficult conditions, says, "Everything will be alright." Returning to the subject of humour, Leunig described it as something that happens between people. "The best humour," said Leunig, "Is the spontaneous humour of relationship." It is a form of showing off in the attempt to be heard and, perhaps, understood. But humour is not always the truth. It can be a destructive lie and still cause people to laugh, and so the cartoonist needs to be discerning in his or her use of humour. For the cartoonist, the negative capacity of humans is essential for the creative use of humour. By "negative capacity", Leunig referred to the ability for humans to not know something - our capacity to wait, or get lost, or be totally out of our depth, but still enjoy the experience. In one sense, this not knowing brings an element of authenticity to what we do for it is here that we are all equal. In the following question time, Leunig revealed more about his personal carreer and some of the difficulties he has faced as a cartoonist. Surprisingly, his major influences were not any famous cartoonists, but his mates from school that made him laugh. Like most of us, his formative years were shaped more by the people of his neighbourhood than anyone he saw on television or in the papers. Caricature was something that Leunig revealed a respect for but also a personal dislike. Although he began his career by trying to do caricature, he found that he didn't respond to it and over time has come to agree with the aboriginal thought that portraying the likeness of somebody can steal their identity. That is, others come to know that person by the picture, not the person themselves. Finally, criticism has been something very familiar to Leunig throughout his career. Everybody from editors, to fellow cartoonists to the average Joe in the street seems to have an opinion about his work. But as he has grown older, Leunig has learnt to accept criticism as part of life and firmly believes that even in the harshest words, there can be found something of value. At the end of the session, I couldn't help but think that the seminar was a lot like one of Leunig's cartoons. Some of the time I laughed. Some of the time I pondered. Some of the time I just had no idea what he was trying to say. Nevertheless, he was very well received, and it was encouraging to see that there are some sections of our community that value the contribution cartoonists make to our society.