National Sorry Day

Tomorrow is National Sorry Day in Australia. It is a day for Australians to mark their respect for the suffering of the stolen generations. Many Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their homes under government legislation over the last century. The impact of the removal of the children from their homes and families is immeasurable. Tomorrow also marks 10 years since the Bringing Them Home report. This comprehensive report details the experiences of 535 Aboriginal people who were removed from their family's (some from the hospitals in which they were born). The report makes for difficult reading ..."Grief and loss are the predominant themes of this report. Tenacity and survival are also acknowledged. It is no ordinary report. Much of its subject matter is so personal and intimate that ordinarily it would not be discussed. These matters have only been discussed with the Inquiry with great difficulty and much personal distress. The suffering and the courage of those who have told their stories inspire sensitivity and respect.". The parts of the report that I have read have filled me with a mixture of feelings that are difficult to explain. It is a combination of horror, shame, and sadness. That young children could be treated in this manner is appalling. The report makes 48 recommendations, the best recommendation that I can think of is that all non-Aboriginal Australians regard their indigenous counterparts as their equals.

Tomorrow also marks 7 years since the Sorry Day walk of Corroboree 2000. On that day I felt so proud to be Australian. Approximately 250,000 people walked over the harbour bridge in Sydney. Many thousands more marched in cities and towns across Australia. The Aboriginal flag flew proudly over our parched land. Everyone who marched did so because of events in the past for which they were not responsible but for which they were very sorry happened. After the march many people in Sydney stayed in the city to enjoy the day. As people enjoyed the atmosphere a plane flew overhead and began writing in the sky. Being cynical sydneysiders, we scowled at a company that would take advantage of the large gathering. When the first two letters were drawn, an S followed by and O, we thought Sony was responsible. But then came the R, followed by another R and then a Y. There was a collective gasp in the crowd. I felt my heart soar... perhaps there was hope for the future.

Some Photos

Imaginative title, I know.

I am still not sure about this blog thing. The question remains, who would want to read my ramblings? Well, today I have decided to avoid this vexing question by not writing. Below are some of my most favourite pictures (that we have taken since acquiring the wonder of digital technology). Some of these pics were taken by me, others by my husband and his family.

Enjoy.



Canadian Sunrise.

This photo was taken on the last day of last year. My father-in-law took this shot while he and my mother-in-law enjoyed a coffee and the gorgeous colours. This photo is just so quintessentially Canadian to me.

Taken in 1999 by my then boyfriend, now husband, this photo is a testament to the might of steel. When we looked up the towers seem to go all the way up to the heavens. They seemed so mighty to us on the ground. We never would have dreamt that they'd fall.

I always liked this picture because it is so dramatic. After the 11th of September 2001 this picture became even more dramatic, though for less artistic reasons.

Well, I wanted to post more pictures but the internet connection is having real problems tonight. So, for now...

Over and out.

Paradise Now

Yesterday I watched a movie called 'Paradise Now'. It is about two young Palestinian men who decide to be suicide bombers. During their mission they become separated. The movie explores what they do next, given the opportunity to reconsider their act.

Suicide bombing is something that I've had a lot of difficulty understanding. Suicide, I have been taught, usually happens when a person’s ability to cope with life has been lost. Their problems exceed their coping resources. There are even suicide assessments that attempt to measure the degree of risk of someone committing suicide. I wonder; would this assessment apply to suicide bombers? Suicide bombing is a political move aimed at destroying an outside enemy. Suicide that only involves the self is about destroying the enemy within.

The movie points to the many reasons why these men have chosen this path. One of the characters talks about being born in a refuge camp and only being able to leave when he needed an operation at 10 years of age. Many shots of everyday life in the West Bank show scenes of poverty and hopelessness. The men themselves fritter away their time smoking their hookah and turning up late to their dead-end jobs. They have developed a deep hatred for Israel, the occupiers (in their terminology). Their despair is palpable. The men who orchestrate the operation that the two characters participate in are remarkably older than the would-be bombers. I couldn't help but wonder at the exploitative nature of these men's work. They tell the young men that paradise awaits them if they complete the mission. When one of the men questions this, the older man looks away unconvincingly insisting that it is true. *Warning: plot spoiler ahead* It is only once the young men are all strapped up that the older man tells them that the bomb cannot be removed by anyone except the person who put them on (a skilled technician). They no longer have a choice.

The primary identifiers of a suicidal person are: a plan, previous attempts, the means to complete, and knowing someone who has completed suicide. I wonder how well this assessment would work with suicide bombers. A plan is in place, they may have tried before but fail due to last minute ditching of plans, they are likely connected to a military organisation who have access to explosives, and they may have had friends who have done the same. But does this mean that they are motivated by the same forces that lead someone to commit suicide alone? Most people who attempt suicide are crying out for help, they don't want to die they just want the pain to end. Many people who attempt suicide experience a sense of hopelessness prior to their attempt. Many people who attempt suicide feel that they can no longer cope, that there is no other way out.

If the movie is anything to go by (and I know often they are not), suicide bombers are much like people attempting to commit suicide alone. What separates them, primarily, is that their purpose is to kill others along with themselves. I can hardly pretend that the issue is simple. There are political, sociological, historical, and economic factors to consider. I can hardly comment on this issue as I have very little insight into these many factors. It saddens me, however, that these men become so desperate and that they feel it is justifiable to commit murder.

Disease of a modern age

Sometimes I think that the most common modern affliction on western society is loneliness. It is striking just how many people experience loneliness and how profound that experience can be. People from all parts of society experience loneliness. Sometimes those who'd we least expect. Loneliness can almost drive you crazy. It can make you turn inwards. You imagine the world to be a cold, uncaring place that is full of people who have no interest in you. It can also make you behave in a strange way, a way that can drive others away without you even realising it. Loneliness can cause, or be a product of, depression.

The faces of loneliness varies enormously. It can be the divorced parent who does not have custody of the children, it can be a young man living on his own, it can be migrant who cannot speak the language of her new country, an alcoholic who has drank away all his social connections, it can be an elderly person who can no longer live independently but cannot face moving into a nursing home.

The loneliest I have felt was during my time living overseas. I was there because of my partner. When I arrived I did not expect to be there for long. I was there for many years. During that time I did make some wonderful friends with whom I am still in contact. I also had some wonderful experiences that I wouldn't want to have missed for the world. But, I was very lonely, particularly in my first two years. It was my first experience of not having a family. The complete absence of family made me feel very empty. Now that I can step back and look my past, I am able to reflect upon it. The biggest change for me is much deeper sense of compassion and admiration for refugees and asylum seekers, all those who flee their homelands to settle in a completely unknown place. I cannot imagine the loneliness this experience afflicts upon them. It took me a little while to make friends. Starting off in a new place always does. I would never want to go back to that feeling of emptiness again.

How many people who write these blogs are lonely? I wonder if blogs can be a way of lonely people reaching out to others. Perhaps reading a another person's blog can make someone feel connected to the world. I wonder if a blog could have helped me during my loneliest time?

Mon Premiere Blog

I'm not sure about this blog thing. It seems a little self-indulgent. I am not sure anyone will read it. Why would they?

I written about five different versions of this paragraph but have deleted them all. Somehow nothing seems good enough to post to the world (or the one or two people who happen to stumble accross this by mistake). There are other things I should be doing right now so I will sign out and hope for greater inspiration next time.

Over and Out.