Australia Day/Survival Day

I have had an interesting experience this year on Australia Day. Mostly I found the entire day to be a day of insightful reflection. I spent the day as a volunteer in the History Tent at the Survival Day concert and to be honest after talking to various people, including the event organisers, I seem to be reflecting on my own views about Australia Day/Survival Day.

My first thought and I know I have visited this idea before now, is why are we the original inhabitants not sharing the day with the rest of Australia? Why are we segregating ourselves from being Australian? I ask this question because the truth is we are assimilated, whether we like it or not. We all live in houses and share the same goods and services as everybody else. We demand equality and the freedom to choose what is right for us. We demand the right to the freedom of speech. We demand social justice and we demand the basic human rights as every other human being, shelter, food,  resources. These things are the core foundations of any society however we continue to insist that we are different. In fact we focus so much on our differences that we miss the similarities between us. I for one am over it. I am tired of talking to unrealistic Aboriginal Australians who think that violence is the answer to resolving their problems. I am tired of watching Australia day move on to a day of partying instead of what the original meaning of the day is about. And yes Australia was colonised, and yes we have a long way to go in resolving discrimination, racism and removing the legacy of historical policy and legislation that has lead to our continued struggle for acknowledgement, respect and justice. However, we are not doing ourself any favours by continually segregating ourselves from the rest of the nation.

I understand the theme for Survival Day and why it has come about, however I can see the negativity that it brings as we continually separate ourselves from the nation as a whole and in the same breath demand to be included. If we are demanding inclusion then surely we should be reciprocal? This concept of 'our' and 'this one is for us' continues to elude me in terms of how this will make a difference for my people who are calling for justice, equality, acknowledgement, self-determination and inclusivity. 


Inclusivity means having a positive role to play in the celebrations of Australia Day. I do not mean to sound dismissive and I have nothing but respect for my people. I understand our past and the need to right the wrongs, I just think we are going about it in a negative way. The current actions being taken to voice concerns and to change the thinking of parliamentarians is eluding us as we revert to violence as a means of bringing our issues into the public arena. Nobody listens to the angry man. People do however, listen to the quiet man. Ghandi is the perfect example of how to make changes for a nation of oppressed peoples. Ghandi expressed the use of non-violent protest in order to shift the thinking of one person to change the status quo of an entire nation. Ghandi made friends of his enemies to create the understanding that we are all people and that we all have the same goals and aspirations, however we just go about it differently. Difference as a culture, as a society and as a people, yet the outcome is the same. Civil societies. Whether those societies be indigenous or non-indigenous doesn't matter because in the world that we live in today we are sharing 'country'. And because we are sharing 'country' it may be time to determine what the meaning of being Australian is for today's people living with modernity. 


May be it is time to redefine who we are as a nation, that is not steeped in the past but is a reflection of the future. A future defined by all Australians for all Australians. 

Life is good!

Same but Different

Yesterday I began my new employment. My role is different to what I am used too. I have gone from a position that was full of stress and drama to a job that is performed by rote, yet is very busy. Basically it means that I am performing the routine structure initially designed to speed up the process yet each task is different but the same. 

I am finding this hard to express because I am still processing the feelings that I am experiencing in the new position. It feels good because I don't have to create the task, the task is readily available and decisions do have to be made without asking each time I perform the task. The routine is a systematic formula that provides the most efficient service for the task. The requests are all different and all very interesting yet they are the same.

My question is do I like this job? I am not feeling all bubbly and excited as I did when I first began working at the Uni. My thoughts on this is that maybe this is because I am older and wiser and maybe I have worked out what it is I don't want rather than knowing what I do want? Or maybe I just got bored with the old job because it began to be same old same old type of mentality and things were moving too slowly for me. Maybe I just need a change. Not sure really and I am continuing to process the feelings that I am experiencing in this new position. So far I feel totally relaxed about the entire job and the ease of it is amazing. I think I am feeling good about this job because there is no pressure and I am not used to that. I also like the fact that I am busy from the moment I sit in my chair to the moment that I shut down my computer at the end of each day. There is no time for long breaks because I am so busy, yet there does not seem to be any pressure. Maybe that is the part that is confusing me. Busy but no pressure. How strange.

Having shared my thoughts with you all on the change in my professional career, I have to say I actually like my new job, but I am confused about the busy without stress part. I have worked under pressure continuously for the past three years and had gotten used to it. However, I know that it was not good for my psyche. This new job is quite calming and I feel calm. A new sensation for me. And no, do not interpret that as boring because the job is definitely not boring. In fact I find it extremely interesting as I am working in Anthropology and learning a lot already. It is good to be gaining practical experience in the field and I am finding that the skills I have learned at the museum have come in very handy. Patience, persistence, researching and paying attention to detail are skills that I had to learn and can now put to good use. In fact I am amazed at how easily I can access those skills without too much thought. 

Interesting it is.

Life is good!

The Works of Turner

In a few of my previous blogs I have mentioned William Turner who is my favourite artist. It has just occurred to me that I should share with you some of Turner's paintings so that you can see why I spend so much time pouring over his works.  


Please allow me to share with you Joseph Mallard William Turner, 1775 - 1851. Also known as William Turner.

'Ulyses deriding Polyphemus' Homers Odyssey

Oil on Cavas

This is one of my favourite paintings (There are so many to choose from). This one was on the wall in National Gallery, London. The original is incredible and this photograph does not do it justice. 

Rain, Steam & Speed

Oil on Canvas

Rain, Steam and Speed captures my attention, however the original was not so interesting. I think the photograph has enhanced the colours. However, I still love this work. 

Moonlight

Oil on Canvas

How beautiful is this one?

These are only a sample of the works of William Turner. There are hundreds of his paintings all as enchanting and mystical as the next. Turner paints with passion and finesse providing a glimpse of the world as he saw it. Magical just magical....sigh!

Life is good!

My Great Outdoors

I went for a kayak on the Moore River last Sunday morning that left me loving where I live. Despite the fact that I fell in love with London the following is a reminder of how lucky I am to live with Noongar Boodja.

Peace

Love

Relaxation

Dinner

What more could you wish for....sigh!

Life is good!

Maintaining History: The Gurindji People's "Truthful Histories"

I am currently researching Indigenous art and came across the most interesting article on the Cultural Survival website. This article explores the concept of historical events and their interactive positioning in modern day Aboriginal Australian lifestyle. Interestingly the aboriginal people in this article the Gurindji, show how maintaining history has a direct influence on and shapes the present. This concept applies to Noongar people as well.

In the non-indigenous world there is a saying that the past affects the future. In non-indigenous societies the past is a separate entity from the present and is waiting to be found by archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists who then place the objects and information into museums as directed by the paradigm of a Western European historical structure. The objects become something that is not a part of the future but a symbol of what once was and is disconnected from the present.

Indigenous Australians say the past is an ongoing present therefore it is also the future. Indigenous Australians talk of the past as the ongoing present and is inclusive of modern day lifestyle. Indigenous Australians do not separate the two.  

The part that interests me is the dichotomy between responses to the past from indigenous and non-indigenous people and how this affects the way in which we think and live. My thought is that if our dichotomy is different yet there is evidence of similarities then why do we not focus on the similarities between us rather then the differences in order to bring about change that is relevant to both parties? A question worth exploring.

This may be a good example of how the third alternative could be utilised.

Interesting!

The article can be found at 

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/australia/maintaining-history-gurindji-peoples-truthful-his#.TxYwggkwVOg.blogger

 Maintaining History: The Gurindji People's "Truthful Histories"

Life is good!

Motivation

Hi there fellow bloggers. Well as I said in my last blog I was going to row on a river somewhere and watch the sun come up. I did however, the sun had already risen despite the fact that we were in the water by 6:00am.

Our paddling proved to be so productive at that hour of the morning because we spotted the most amazing amount of birdlife that habitats this particular part of the Swan river.

Feast your eyes on these beauties:

Kookaburra's, how beautiful are they. And they laughed at us for about 20 minutes as we cruised past them. 

Kingfisher. I had no idea we had Kingfisher's this far south. I thought they were a Northern species. I used to see them a bit when I lived in Halls Creek in another life time. But here they are happily flitting around the Swan river. They are very beautiful. They are constantly on the move and do not sit still for very long.  Hard to photograph when you are in a kayak and floating down a river while they are busy flitting around. Sorry about the pixelating. Took this one with my waterproof camera but I think I had it on the wrong setting. Note to self, learn how to use your camera correctly....lol Maybe I should ask WY?

Nesting. There were lots of birds nest sitting in branches that were overhanging the river. I paddled right below this beauty. It is a djitti djitti (Willy Wag Tail), very cool. There are two babies in this nest.

Shag. Not the prettiest bird on the planet but the nesting process is amazing. This branch was also overhanging the river as I slid beneath it.

Somebody's home although looks as though they are momentarily out.

I'm going to paint this onto silk. Beautiful reflection of the sky and tree branches in the water.

Last of all the damn dog needs to learn to row, he is getting heavier by the minute....lol

As you can see it was a productive morning and I am planning on going again early in the next couple of days so that I can catch that flighty little bird with the big name, the Kingfisher, properly with my camera. I will make sure the settings are correct before I start...lol

Life is good!

Holidays

I am on holidays and this last couple of days have been the first where I have actually stayed home to do what I want to do. I mean it is amazing how your holidays are taken up with things that appear to be out of your control. Not that I am complaining. I love my family and my friends. It is just really nice to be able to do things for myself. To have some time for me to do nothing.

Over the past two or three days, I forget which, I finished a novel, and began a new one. I have laid around watching a couple of movies and let my self totally relax. I have watered my rose bushes and my two loyal pot plants. I have stayed off my computer and I have sifted through all of the useless information in my head and filed it away for future reference. In fact my head is starting to feel some clarity. Acknowledging that I am having a little clarity is also refreshing because it is beginning to let me feel a spark of ignition. Meaning I am beginning to feel like I want to fill the vacuum that I have just created with new and exciting information (will I never learn...lol).

Rest is an amazing tool in healing the body, mind and the soul. And it is incredible how little rest we actually participate in until you take those couple of days to really do nothing except lay around. I have thoroughly loved every minute of my slovenliness.

However, I am now bored. Yes laugh you will. Two or three, whole days of nothing and I am already bored. Is there something wrong with me? I ask myself this because I had an extremely busy year, so much so that I got on a plane to the UK exhausted resulting in sickness (do I not heed this warning). Self inflicted I am sure because I never know when to say no or when to just stop and take a breath. Holidays have the potential to force you to take a breath, I mean you have no choice. For example you have no work to do literally except house work, which bores me to death and doesn't really take that long when there are two adults in the house both of whom pick up after themselves. The beast is away with her dad therefore we are extremely tidy. Amazing how much mess one teenager makes now that I think about it. And you can tell that I am bored because I think this blog is a little incoherent and not flowing freely, a good example of how my brain is feeling very slovenly as well as my body.

I am happy to be on holidays and I am enjoying my down time. I love not having to be somewhere and I especially love to get up when I feel the need rather than because I have to, however I hate not having lots of things to do. Maybe I need to get motivated and write those two essays that are due at the end of February...lol or not? I am so unmotivated at the moment I probably won't. I will finish my second novel though as I am thoroughly enjoying it, AND tomorrow morning I am off for a paddle somewhere on a river before the sun rises. I shall enjoy the peace and quiet and wander over the amazing sunrise that nature has to offer. I then plan to return home to my clean and tidy space for a well earned shower and a sleep, and to wake when I am ready and not to the sound of an alarm or the anxiety of getting to work on time. I plan to enjoy what is left of my break doing what I want to do. 

I only hope I can get over the guilt of not feeling motivated, if only for a short while....lol

Life is good!

Poetry

FEELING BLUE

No matter how hard I try

I cannot seem to shake the blues

I change my life and seek anew

A life that differs to the one I knew

Creating changes from within

Making life bearable, I grin

But deep inside

A pool of mire

That never ceases to withdraw

From the gaping opened sore

Always thirsting for more

Of my inner souls turmoil

Lamenting over time

Pushing further from my mind

Feelings of despair

Fraught with grief; repair

The inner child of yesteryear

Diminished with the chains of time

Who never surfaced to run free

Laughing, smiling, happily

And in the depths of my soul

I know there is another kind

Of love to set me free

From these bonds of time

That hold me down

Keeping me underground

Fighting with solitude

To rise above and greet the sun

To share my life

And then be gone

The Blues!

Written By: Barbara Bynder.

January, 2012

The Third Alternative

I received an interesting book for Christmas written by Stephen Covey titled the 3rd Alternative. I have only read a small part of the book so far and my interest has been captured. In the introduction Covey suggests that wars are created because the majority of people function in two alternatives and compromise ineffectively. MINE and YOURS are the two most common alternatives of interaction between people/s. Meaning that everybody has their own agenda, and consider that their way is the right way and that compromise is limited to who can get the most out of the compromise.

Interestingly the third alternative is the OUR. How simple is that OUR. I have been saying OUR for years. I have always believed that if we work together we can produce a bigger and better outcome. After reading the introduction and moving into the first chapter Covey is already suggesting that the majority of human behaviour is based on the individual rather than the communal or the them against us mentality. There are a number of other examples in the book that I won't put in here, but you get the idea.

Indigenous Australians have always functioned in the communal rather than the individual and over the years I have heard many different people suggest that the communal represents the inability of the individual to achieve. I do not believe this because the majority of the individuals that I know who have achieved outside of the community in which they live bring those skills and knowledge that they have learned back to the community or they provide a voice by representation for the community whether they remain within the confines of that community or not. At first I was thinking that this meant that Aboriginal Australians function in the third alternative, however after putting the concept into some perspective I have found that Indigenous Australians whether they function outside of the community or not are operating under the first two alternatives. Why you ask? The answer I think is because even though some Indigenous Australians are achieving in the wider community and they are representing a voice for their people they are still thinking locally and not globally. Each one has their own agenda for their own people but all have similar or the same goals and that is to improve the lifestyles and longevity of Indigenous Australians. This leads me to the third alternative. The OUR. Theoretically if these people are all working to attain the same goal surely the OUR is a much better prospect than the MINE or YOUR alternative. 

Having said that I shall keep reading and see where the third alternative takes us. So far it is appearing to be the smart way to resolve issues facing oppressed societies not to mention the rest of the world.

Extremely interesting read.

Life is Good!