𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘.

Below is an edited version of a piece written - Emma Hollingsworth, Kaanju, Kuku Ya'u, Girramay woman, via mulganai 

“I wish I could properly describe what it feels like to be Aboriginal. I wish I could describe the feeling of my spirit almost ascending to another plane, goosebumps covering my skin when I hear the didgeridoo. As if it calls to something inside me instinctively.

……

I wish I could accurately describe how it feels when I'm standing barefoot on the dirt and it feels instantly like my soul is home, like I am part of this Land and I transcend time and space. Words don't do justice to how it feels to be connected to a people, a culture, a Land, and a spirit quite like ours.”

                                           🌾🌾🌾🌾

Beautiful words, but you don’t have to be of indigenous heritage to feel that connection to the earth or to this great country of ours. Whilst my linkage doesn’t go as far back, it goes far enough back to hear the spirits of my forbearers, whose blood, sweat and tears helped build this great nation. It goes back far enough back to hear the voices of my ancestors who gave their lives in fighting to protect it. Their bodies returned to find peace on the earth they loved. The words of Dorothea Mackellar’s wonderful poem, My Country carrying their souls home.

“An opal-hearted country,

A wilful, lavish land -

All you who have not loved her,

You will not understand -

Though earth holds many splendours,

Wherever I may die,

I know to what brown country

My homing thoughts will fly.”

And my connection goes far enough back to give thanks to my childhood in the land whose bounty we relied on to survive. I too get goosebumps covering my skin when I hear the haunting sound of didgeridoo. When I walk barefooted on the earth and walk in the bush, I too feel the spirits of the forest around me. 

Every time I travel outside of this great country, I feel an overwhelming sense of peace when I see that big red tail and our giant white kangaroo. “I’m coming home.”

Our spirit connections are unique, but they are just as strong and just as legitimate. Love of the country is not the sole domain of our indigenous population. Any Australian who deeply loves this country feels the same. We should not be robbed of that because the colour of our skin or our heritage is different. Our spirit connection is just as strong and as equally powerful.

AUSTRALIA: 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚.

China doesn’t have to declare war or fire a missile because the west is destroying themselves. How? The Net Zero policies that are causing self-inflicted economic damage in the West besides destroying their manufacturing businesses. And whilst the West is doing that, China systematically profits from it. Particularly from Australia. 

The Chinese powers that be must sit back and give themselves a pat on the back at just how much smarter they are. They weakened the West because of COVID and now they’re cashing in on the West’s slavish addiction to the Religion of Net Zero. 

China controls the bulk of the mining and processing of rare earth minerals; 70% of the world’s rare earths mining & 90% of the world’s rare earths processing. 

They manufacture the steel, the solar panels and the turbines sold to the west to build installations. They even OWN a significant percentage of the renewable energy installations in Australia, including the one in Wellington, NSW, which I raised yesterday. And sometimes, they’re even the energy retailers; Energy Australia & Alinta being two of them. And us poor tax payers even pay the Chinese massive subsidies for the privilege. 

We have experienced several times China’s reaction to decisions or comments that our various Govt’s have made over the years. As when we’ve closed our last fossil fuel plant, how easy it would be for them to cease supply and turn off the lights should ‘we’ displease them?

No one will ever convince me that this makes sense for the very reason it simply doesn’t, not to me anyway.

We must never sacrifice our freedom …

We were born free and we must fight to the death to remain free. And that includes being free to express our opinions. To share our beliefs and challenge those in authority. That particularly applies to Government and the bureaucrats who advise them. And to remind Government representatives that they are the servants of the people, not our masters.

Sharing opinions and questioning the decisions of those in authority can be challenging, particularly on social media. Some people will agree. Some will be angered or embarrassed (particularly government). Some may learn something they weren’t aware of, a point that has been expressed to me several times. And dare I say some people will be offended. That’s what happens in a free society and tolerant society. We must never allow intolerance, embarrassment, anger, or offence to be used as tools to take our rights away.

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.