Gifted goes beyond the story of a legendary sportsman’s downfall. Beneath the spectacle, it presents a parable woven from Seven Truths—faults and victories that resonate with our own lives and society. These seven truths were unintended outcomes of the story. Only when I finished did I realise their existence. Behind the glamour and tragedy of the Manifold family lies a deeper reflection: a world grappling with Corrupted Truths, Mis-guided Institutions, the Mis-Understanding of True Patriotism, the slow decline of Western civilisation, the void of Nothingness created by denying any form of Afterlife, Anxious Generations with waning Resilience, Apathy towards those who dare to Dream — yet the enduring power of Art and Artists to heal and unite us.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share these thoughts with you.

The First Truth – Telling It

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”
— George Orwell

The Manifolds, dazzling and talented though they are, face the same struggles that trouble every family: fragility, failure, and the cost of fame. Their breakdowns, however, play out on the national stage. When under public scrutiny, they choose not to silence or spin—but to tell the raw, honest truth. And once you get used to telling the truth, there is no turning back. You simply carry on. In an era polluted by fake news, clickbait, and identity theft, Gifted poses a simple but powerful question: What if our leaders had the courage to do the same? Without honesty, misinformation spreads—and nations lose their way.

 Written in 1948, Orwell’s novel, 1984, imagined a world where the truth was constantly rewritten by the state, with the Ministry of Truth fabricating history daily. While he may not have foreseen the internet, social media, or 24-hour news cycles, he certainly predicted a time when the line between truth and propaganda would blur — and citizens would have to work hard to distinguish reality from official spin. Oh Boy!

Long live the Truth.

The Second Truth: The Quiet Flame of Nationhood.

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
— John F. Kennedy

There is a dignity in the simple, steadfast love of one’s homeland—a loyalty that asks for no parade, no banner waving, but burns quietly in the soul. This is a time when cynicism gnaws at patriotism. Western civilisation, in particular, is turning in on itself. Gifted reignites a deep, abiding pride in the land we were born to. Parents, thankful for their privileges, see their children as their greatest contribution to the immortality of these values. And it is not always easy. And it is always a work in progress.

Long live the love for one’s country.

The Third Truth: The Forge of Resilience.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

Calvin Coolidge.

“Life tests us repeatedly, but it is in the struggle that resilience is shaped. Gifted inspires a new generation to find the strength to endure. Because true legends, those who last, aren’t the ones who never fall. They are the ones who rise, again and again, semi-broken but still in the game. They wipe the snot from their nose with the back of their hand. Tears leave streaks on their dirt-covered cheeks. But their eyes say, “I’m coming.”

Long live the resilient. Long live the brave.

The Fourth Truth: The Terrifying Void of Nothingness.

“When you dismiss the concern of believing in an Afterlife, not necessarily involving God, but perhaps simply the reward for a good life as a shining star in the galaxy, you leave Nothingness in its place. Throughout my lifetime, whether I was a believer or not, it seems that Nothingness has become the perfect excuse for self-interest, both personal and institutional. It’s called greed. Unrequited greed. A return on equity will not earn me that star in the galaxy. These days, I prefer to think perhaps life is just the chrysalis stage, and death is when we finally emerge from the cocoon”

—Christopher Herbert.

“Atheism is a form of religious faith, unlike the simpler helplessness of agnosticism, which is often just a recognition of not knowing. In my view, atheism requires far more magical thinking and a more radical restructuring or disordering of the facts of life and the universe to sustain itself than Christian belief does. Frequently, in an atheist's life, there comes a crisis of unbelief—a sudden realisation of the terrifying void of nothingness, the existential nihilism that atheism suggests. It goes without saying that many good people are atheists. However, human beings are naturally believing and searching creatures; the sense of God is buried deep in every human heart.” [ Niall Ferguson- author of “The Politics of Catastrophe” -is perhaps the most influential historian, and one of the most influential intellectuals, in the world today. A “lapsed atheist” who converted to orthodox Christianity, he thinks throwing away Christianity was pretty dumb. Doing so hurt Western Civilisation; more importantly, it has hurt individual human beings.

Long live the promise of some glorious form of the Afterlife.

The Fifth Truth: The Power of Dreams.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt

How often have we heard the phrase, “Oh, he/she is just a dreamer”—as if it were a weakness? Let me tell you: Long live the dreamers.

They are our unseen architects. Behind every great discovery, every healing word, every invention, and every act of bravery, you’ll find someone who dared to dream. Dreamers, they inspire revolutions, heal nations, create art, build futures, and draw the weary out of the shadows.

Gifted is full of dreamers, for without dreams, they would not act. And who inspired those dreams? Freddy Manifold, a twin with Down Syndrome.

So, his father, Jack Manifold, says, “Keep your dreams close. Let them grow wild. Let them outpace your doubts. For in the end, the world isn’t changed by those who play it safe. It is changed by those who dream beyond the possible and refuse to let go.”

Long live the legacy of Walter Mitty, the Godfather of Dreamers

The Sixth Truth: Compassion for the Imperfect, for they are Perfect Imperfections.

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Mother Teresa

In a world fixated on perfect images, the Manifolds serve as a reminder: even amidst their own allure, there is a perspective that teaches us beauty resides in imperfection, because that is what most of us are. Those with visible struggles—like Freddy—do not diminish our world. They enrich it. They remind us, painfully and profoundly, that our own fortunes are not entitlements but gifts, and that humility and service are the highest forms of gratitude.

Long live those who humbly dedicate themselves to serving our perfect imperfections.

The Seventh Truth: The Power of Music, Performance and the Arts.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
— Thomas Merton

When the heart breaks, art begins to mend what life has torn apart. Yet, it often finds itself pushed aside. In Gifted, the Manifold family is not just made up of athletes, models, entrepreneurs, or public figures. BiBi, Australia’s Songbird of Soul, is driven to express what cannot be spoken in words, but only through melody, movement, and presence.

Long live the Arts and the Artists.