how did it come to this?

This week, the year that was. 2024 was full of events, much like any other year, and much like any other year we missed many on this show. From Trump to Diddy, Syria to South Korea, New Zealand Maoris to Social Media Bans, a man jailed for showing truth to power and a man arrested for showing perhaps a bit too much truth to power.

This week, facts and fiction, disinformation and historical truth. The world of the conspiracy can be a deep dark rabbit hole. It can consume peoples lives with men in black suits, chemtrails and boogeymen. But sometimes they turn out to be true. Why do we like a good conspiracy? How can we tell if something is true? Can we ever combat the rise in conspiracy belief? Was the moon landing fake? Was someone on the grassy knoll? Was Harold Holt secretly a Chinese Agent who was picked up by a submarine? Was there a grand conspiracy by the leadership at my school to give Siobhan the job I was going for? and ultimately how did it come to this?

This week, higher, faster, stronger, together. The pinnacle of human physical achievement, the chance to be the best in the world, the ability to cheer on your nation with unbridled enthusiasm, the knowledge of a sport you had no interest in and will not show any interest in for the next four years. The Olympics is an international party that brings joy, heartache and pride to many around the world, but why does it exist at all? How did a competition for ancient Greeks become the international juggernaut it is today? Why is sport the great peaceful equaliser? Are the games truly about sport, or a corrupt commercial endeavour? Why do companies pay billions of dollars to be involved? Will I ever concede that I have missed my opportunity to be an olympian? and ultimately how did it come to this?

This week, a shot that has massive implications for not only the united states, but possibly the world. A sniper on a roof and a former president and presidential candidate has brought into sharp focus the ramifications of assassinating a world leader. Why would someone want to murder a political leader? How do they even get close enough to try? What are the outcomes when it happens? Can we prevent it in the future? Why are we obsessed with grassy knolls? How did my classmates accidentally assassinate our schools cow? and ultimately how did it come to this?

This week, creating a nation always comes with pitfalls. The end of the colonial era gave many the opportunity for self-determination, and for some the opportunity to come back. But what happens when you try to reinstate a state when people are already living there? How do you tell someone their home no longer is their home? How did Palestine become Israel? Can there ever be a two state solution? What is a Knesset? Where is the Gaza Strip and the West Bank? What’s a Camp David? Why have we been called terrible? and ultimately how did it come to this?

This week, the cradle of civilisation has been a hotly contested region since we have been able to record our conquests. Many people groups, kingdoms, empires and nations have called the land of Southern Levant home and it is no different today. Israel and Palestine have been locked in dispute over land of the eastern mediterranean for decades and recent events have brought into sharp focus the difficulties in bringing resolution to this land. How do we untangle the web of this conflict? How do we determine who owns land? How did these conflicts begin? Is it Canaan, Palestine or Israel? How much responsibility does the international community bear? Does understanding 5000 years of history make a difference? What do two anglo-saxon Teachers know about this topic? and ultimately how did it come to this?