January 26 has come around again.
However you view today, and whatever you do on this day, the important thing to remember is be kind to everyone you meet. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with their view of the day. They are entitled to their opinion, just as you are.
Some indigenous people call it survival day. I understand this sentiment. It must have been terrifying for those aborigines back in 1788 when they saw white men for the first time carrying weapons and invading their land, not afraid to shoot to kill people only armed with the most rudimentary weapons.
It is 233 years since the First Fleet arrived on Australian shores. A lot has happened in this country. We have people who have emigrated from all over the world to make Australia home. We do have a wonderful country of diverse cultures that have enriched our lives. There is one thing though, lurking in the background that needs to be addressed, and that is the division that surrounds us on this day. How we can come together to create reconciliation and move together as one?
Is it possible? Yes!
We have no control over what our forefathers did back in 1788 and before then. They made choices that they thought were right at the time. What they didn’t realize was the implications their actions would have on the generations after them, and it is so very important we think very hard about our actions that will affect the future.
So here we are 233 years later beginning the debate of how we can create a better Australia for all inhabitants. A place everyone can call home regardless of origins. A place where everyone can feel safe and cared for as well as caring for others. We all want the same result, but there are our personal issues that first must be worked through.
Each and everyone of us must look deeply for the truths that we must know first within. We must know who we are. We must know our doubts and insecurities about our own existence. The feelings of shame and inadequacy must firstly be addressed and worked through. Let the differences be debated and brought out into the open. Let everyone see and let everyone believe and love one another for who they are.
At this point of self-knowledge we will become a mature country embracing our indigenous culture without discrimination and without the threat to our freedom of speech. Let us rise up, listen and hear the hearts and needs of these people so that we may understand fully, and unite us as one people, one race, albeit diverse, and move into a unified future that will bring peace and prosperity to our nation. It is time!
The indigenous people have moved toward our culture, learning and assimilating as they are able. The white feller though, I’m not sure whether we have embraced this equally. The government has supported our indigenous people in many ways. Can we, the average Australian reach out and embrace the aborigines in their space in their time and in their way?
I haven’t because I don’t know how. I have many questions because of the respect I hold for these people who have been persecuted, and yet still hold a deep connection to the land, who wait patiently for us to be courageous and reach out. I want to know and understand that connection they have with the land. I believe during these times of climate change that connection to the land is the secret to the survival of our Mother Earth.
Each of us must take the time to listen, hear and learn what is next in the development of our culture as we move forward into a tumultuous world that is changing daily. Fear of change is because we are afraid of what we might hear, but listening brings understanding that enables change, and the exciting thing about that is that it goes both ways.
Enjoy your 26 January, 2021 in whatever you are doing today that is special and close to your heart.
I’d love to hear what you have been doing. Leave a message below.