Statements from the Soul
Last night I started reading this book. It’s easy to read, as it is in short essay form written by thinkers from diverse backgrounds. I’m not a religious person, but I do like to hear what people have to say, and can take from it what I will. This sentence stuck me as so perfectly worded and made me think about a discussion I’d watched earlier on The Drum. Where there is no line of genuine communication hardwired into the political framework, communication is far more susceptible to disruption by the fickle winds of circumstance. Antonius Kaldas, Statements from the Soul.
Whilst it applies to what the coming referendum asks, it also reflects what we are seeing play out with the revelations of the Robodebt Scheme. There is a common thread here, or rather a bow being drawn. Robodebt was a cost savings scheme run by the former government to claw back money from the most vulnerable in our society. A scheme that was known to be illegal, known that its methodology and implementation was wrong yet was sanctioned by those we should expect to be able to trust. Our elected members to Parliament, and the public service that serves them, and us. People lost their lives from the distress and unfairness it caused. How terrible that feeling of injustice must have felt. To not be seen. To not be heard. To feel unworthy and have no voice or way of discourse. The machinations of a system that just didn’t want to know, and actively tried to silence those that spoke out. Sounds all too familiar doesn’t it.
The Uluru statement from the Heart is an open invitation by the indigenous peoples of this beautiful country to walk shoulder to shoulder into the future. To tell the truth, acknowledge the past and build bigger hearts. With our children and our children’s children. To a future that respects and celebrates this incredible lineage of continuous culture. So that we may learn how to take care of country, and learn to listen. In the words of Antonius, lets hardwire a line of genuine communication into our political framework and allow those who know far, far more than you and I, to create a better future. Dig deep into your soul. There is plenty there to give. .
