Fr Adi Indra found himself surprisingly hooked on a podcast with Ita Buttrose, and even more surprised that her words got him thinking and even wondering if she’d been reading Vatican II! By the end of the podcast, he was even inspired enough to put pen to paper.
by Fr Adi Indra
It never crossed my mind that Ita Buttrose would contribute to my spirituality. It may sound strange, but listening to a podcast featuring her while on the rowing machine was already an unusual experience. The title of this reflection comes from that podcast episode itself – 'You Can’t Waste a Moment'.
For those unfamiliar with her, Ita Buttrose is a pioneering Australian journalist – former (and the first female) editor of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, a veteran of television and radio, and Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 2019 to 2024.
My values don’t always align perfectly with hers, but an episode of Good Weekend Talks (Sydney Morning Herald, 25 October 2025), hosted by Greg Callaghan, fascinated me with her reflections on life, family and purpose.
Ita spoke candidly about the crisis of young masculinity, the importance of family, and the partnership between men and women. She observed that many young men today are “struggling to find their way” because “their roles aren’t clearly defined”. In our time, we often hear the phrase “toxic masculinity”. Certainly, there are men whose behaviours are simply unacceptable – often, I suspect, a symptom of emotional immaturity. Yet there are also good men who have been affected by this generalisation, unsure of where they fit in today’s world.
As Ita noted, many young men feel confused about their place in society. The New York Times recently reported that over the past decade, boys and young men have more than doubled the time they spend playing video games – now averaging about ten hours a week (Claire Cain Miller and Amy Fan, “How Video Games Are Shaping a Generation of Boys, for Better and Worse”, The New York Times, 3 October 2025).
Ita then spoke beautifully about family life. “I don’t see that having children has spoiled my life in any way,” she said. “In fact, it’s enriched my life.” Reflecting on today’s trend of people choosing pets over children, she added, “A dog is great, a great friend, but it’s not a substitute for children.”
Her comments reminded me of Pope Francis’ 2022 address on a similar theme:
Today … we see a form of selfishness […] Sometimes they have dogs and cats that take the place of children. This may make people laugh, but it is a reality.”
(General Audience, 5 January 2022, Vatican.va)
Whether one agrees with the tone or not, both Ita and the Pope point to a deeper truth: human fulfilment often comes through relationships, not possessions. As Ita concluded, “At the end of the day, when you’re sitting in your rocking chair, you’re not going to be thinking about a boardroom coup or something you did at the office. You’re going to want your family around you. And I think it’s better if family includes children.”
She later returned to the topic of young men, urging that “they need a bit more confidence in their role and to realise that they’re contributors to society as well – and that they need to do it with women.”
This partnership between men and women is something the Church has always upheld. From the beginning, God created men and women to complement and support one another – not as rivals, but as partners in the gift of life and love. The fruitfulness of family is central to God’s design, and our unique roles are not human inventions but divine gifts.
Perhaps Ita Buttrose can help remind us that God wants us to flourish – to recognise our God-given identity and vocation. (Has she been reading Vatican II documents?!)
We can’t waste a moment! We are invited to live out our lives as God created us to be – and become his witnesses to the world, right now!
With God’s grace, may we rediscover our role in the world and become, in the words of Pope Leo XIV, “pilgrims of hope” so to become “courageous witnesses of Christ” by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Message for World Youth Day 2025, 7 October 2025, Vatican.va).
Fr Adi Indra,
29 Oct 2025
