Feb 13 2009
One Year On. I wonder if we will remember?
The enormity of this week’s Victorian fire storms are beyond my comprehension.
Lives, livelihoods and homes indiscriminately destroyed, the erasure of deep personal and community heritage built over generations and the shared pain felt by those who lived this devastating event will unfortunately become another chapter in our history.
The survivor’s shock will be felt far into the future, when others in society have moved on, hopefully not forgetting too quickly what our fellow Australians have endured. Outsiders cannot possibly understand the deep pain, no matter how hard we try to empathise.
This tragedy has rightfully consumed our nation’s hearts and minds. I’m proudly biased so the outpouring of humanity, generosity and community spirit exemplifies why our country is the best in the world, bar none. In times of enormous grief we unite as one and rally to offer assistance as one. That typifies an Aussie. I expected that.
Unfortunately our nation’s history has not always been this compassionate. My feelings above could easily describe the appalling treatment suffered by indigenous populations, especially the stolen generations. The difference being our immediate fire tragedy was largely spontaneous and natural the other a series of premeditated policies inflicted by our nation’s forebears.
The degrees of separation, passing of time and a lack of personal connection and understanding dulls responsibility. However it does not make it right, nor should it excuse past national behaviours.
Let’s hope on this day, the 1st anniversary of the national apology, we do not forget too soon the many lives still living the hell inflicted by either Mother Nature or our fellow man.
Reconciliation and rebuilding are synonymous; let’s do both in pragmatic achievable steps and see if we can’t arrive at both concurrently. I trust Australia can and will.
If you have a spare 7 minutes, I hope you can pause and reflect on the words uttered 12 months ago. The “Get Up Mob” and assorted reconciliation friends also illustrate that historic day and prompt us all to make a difference.
“Sorry” from Tony Searl on Vimeo.
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Spot on Tony. We are not defined by geographical boundaries, like the Boxing Day tsunami, I am amazed at the amount raised. A simple way to show we care, money.
Yet, the connection to Sorry Day is an interesting one. I found this on nine msn, researching responses to the speech and feeling surrounding that important day:
‘We apologise for not charging you rent on any lands when white people have to pay…’(http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=379056)
Watch people recoil at the thought of compensation for our (yes, our) stolen generations. One year ago I wrote I would feel a little pride in being an ‘Australian’. A year later? To acknowledge something did occur is the first step towards solution. We have all directly or indirectly gained from the disposession of indigenous Australians and that is the single most powerful thought. That if this was to occur to us we would what a simple word to be repeated. Also, we are missing the fact that the indigenous people are saying they need this. No Aboriginal person says they need something unless they do need it. Every single benefit- material or otherwise- has always been at the power of the white population. With every welfare payment it is white governments (sorry, after 150 years of the NSW government we have had one MP who is Aboriginal, elected in 2004, Federal MP’s? 1, plus one in the Senate) saying ‘have this because we think it will help you reach a white level’, now we have the indigenous people saying ‘we need this, we want this’. I mean we celebrate ANZAC day- a massive failure- why can’t we acknowledge another part of our history that was also a massive failure? We blush at our sporting idols, let us close our eyes and think what if this had been done to us…
Troy
Education and taking more responsibilty for our actions, past and present, is one advantage that the interactive web is delivering.
Savvy politicians know it because they are more cunning than compassionate. They are getting on board the interactive gravy train fast for they fear losing the one thing that has sustained them for 300 years, control of the information flow. When they realise they can’t, they must change, as will schools eventually.
That is fundamentally what will change education too, we can’t control the flow, only guide it or become irrelevant.
The BO USA election experience is still being analysed but open democracy is going to be a revelation, if they allow it, as the snowball of participatory social action, such as Get Up et al, will make a significant difference to our futures if we engage.
The convergence of these forces is occuring now and I for one am participating in many causes I hold dear, this is one.
Thanks for caring and contributing.