Sometimes we just need to be still…..

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.” ~ Rumi.

I love that quote and it is a reminder that we live in a world where every action and thought is judged by someone. These excessive judgments weigh us down and make us feel heavy-hearted and unsatisfied. Particularly on social media when comment results far too often in such vicious assaults.

But while we are naturally judging and discerning human beings, sometimes it is just wonderful to allow the radiance of the universe to permeate our consciousness and just be, and just let go.

We are always making distinctions and labeling things as right and wrong, good or bad, true or untrue, and so on. Sometimes it is exhausting to carry all the burdens of excessive judgment.

When we confront that situation, we need to just take some deep breaths, sit in our favorite seated position in our sacred meditation space, and just be.

No judgment of technique.

No comparison.

No burden of the right way…or the wrong way..

Just descend into the sacred silence between thoughts, the place called the “gap” and meet our higher self in stillness. 🌺🌺

You can’t live between two worlds ..

 The Prime Minister said on Wednesday. “Very soon, our nation will have a once-in-a-generation chance to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our Constitution and make a positive difference to their lives with a voice.”

If changing constitution and giving a special voice to a community is all that is required to make a positive difference to peoples’ lives, why aren’t we doing it for everyone who is disadvantaged? 

The Prime Minister made his statement, ignoring the fact that we have invested billions of dollars in programs and we’ve funded hundreds of voices already. And despite that, a certain percentage of our ATSI community have made little progress. We don’t need a special voice for approximately 80% of the ATSI community. So we need to take off the rose coloured and seriously address the why, of the remaining 18-20% before doing something as radical as changing the constitution in the hope it will be the magic panacea? 

I honestly don’t know anyone who doesn’t want the best for people. That includes the best for our ATSI community. In particular, the children who deserve to be successful, productive members of society. Perhaps even aspire to be the Prime Minister or the equivalent of a president should we become a republic. I think that would be something really worth celebrating.

In saying what I’m about to say, I accept this isn’t popular with Yes campaigners. But I firmly believe it needs to be said. Whilst people choose to live in remote areas, insist on living their lives the traditional way and even adhering to some traditional customs and laws progress in closing the gap is almost impossible. Even more so, if they don’t speak English and do not send their kids to school. In those circumstances, the ability to make any meaningful difference is limited. 

Why? Because closing the gap would require them to live their lives as the rest of us do. That means being close to adequately resourced schools and medical facilities. With access to technology, adequate infrastructure and, key, with the ability to gain meaningful employment. That isn’t to imply they have to give up their culture entirely as immigrants to our country have proven. 

We are a multicultural nation and we have thousands of people who have moved here from foreign lands. Most have kept the important elements of their culture and they have successfully integrated into our Australian society. We as a nation are the richer for it. Those who haven’t and who haven’t learnt to speak the language and who have refused to give up their old way of life are the ones who continue to struggle. That is no different to those in remote areas who continue to struggle and who are disadvantaged.

We have many successful immigrants, just as we have many successful indigenous members of our society. Many of those sit in our parliament, including eleven from our indigenous community. We have successful (genuine) indigenous academics. We have successful indigenous business leaders, lawyers and scientists. We have successful indigenous lobbyists. They have all benefited from living in modern Australia, just as those of us non-indigenous Australians have. The difference being the fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers etc of these people accepted that to be successful in life, you needed an education and you needed to take advantage of progress. They integrated. 

I fear changing the constitution, which is a very serious undertaking, will achieve nothing to bridge a gap. Why? Because we haven’t addressed the real elephant in the room.

You can’t live between two worlds, being the traditional way and the modern way. And you can’t help those who are not prepared to help themselves. That is despite the well-intentioned efforts of those who believe you can. 

How Did Parliament Lose It’s Moral Compass & Sink So Low

Most females I know who have been in business at senior levels have, in their career, faced inappropriate advances &/or behaviour. Any person, male or female, who has managed a reasonable sized business has at some point had to deal with complaints of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. I would add that it isn’t always just women who are the alleged victims. Men can also be victims, but many are not willing to come forward because of stereotyping. In fact, the parliamentary review also highlighted that as an issue in Canberra.

The difference between business & the behaviours we are witnessing in Canberra from the so-called leaders of the country & their support staff is this. In business, the alleged victim does not use the “loudhailer” to announce over the company intercom system that they’ve been abused.

Nor do they take out full page adds in the media, brief journalists & name & shame people. In business, dependent on the severity, they deal with it themselves. They report it to HR for action or they take legal action.

Any business leader worth their salt would support a staff member in doing the same. Members of parliament are akin to business leaders. They are for all intents & purposes senior staff yet many are behaving like wet behind the ears juveniles. They ignore due-process and the presumption of innocence in their political game of point scoring. It is outrageous behaviour. 

Dennis Shanahan summed it up beautifully in the Australian today when he wrote. 

“Rape and sexual assault claims have devoured the parliamentary and political agenda, salaciously, sadly and sordidly corrupting the public discourse to the detriment of victims, justice and decency.

Genuine complaints, despicable behaviour, confected outrage, partisan opportunism, public prosecution in the media and the exploitation of parliamentary privilege over the past three years have created a fatal and irretrievable collapse of ­public standards.

As a result of the politicisation and exploitation of sexual assault allegations, there has been an erosion of appropriate and proper ­behaviour. At the same time, there has been a rise in instantaneous political and public gratification that demeans such serious allegations, removes privacy and confidentiality, dumps the presumption of innocence and ignores the correct handling of justice. This has to end. Well, at least it should end.” 

I am angry and I am equally disgusted with the behaviours and the feigned contrition of some. I am disgusted with the prime minister for not having the guts to deal with those within his party who have behaved reprehensibly in politicising accusations of assault to attack fellow members of parliament. I am disgusted that hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money has being handed over without the accused having the right to defend themselves. I am angry that parliament is being used as the loudhailer to announce allegations of sexual assault within the workplace.

With Lidia Thorpe, I am sorry she was prayed upon if, in fact, she was. But to wait three years, then to use parliamentary privilege to make an announcement, withdraw it and follow-up the following day with sweeping accusations against the male members of parliament is an applauding abuse of parliament. All that does is cast doubt on everyone. She has refused to go to the police and instead seeks to chase headlines rather than actually do something positive to deal with the problem. We are seeing far too much of that. 

The moral compass of those holding themselves up as leaders of the country, both male and female, has plummeted to an all-time low. If the likes of Labor’s senior members, including the prime minister, the opportunist Lidia Thorpe and the Liberal’s senator, Van, is the best we have, then God help us.

Now more than ever, we need to trust in our leaders to help us out of the worst economic environment many of us have ever faced. Frankly, with the prime minister we have and some of his key people who are in the driver’s seat, I wouldn’t trust them to clean a sewer.

All I can say is God help Australia, because we certainly can’t trust the government.

This has to end.