Every Word Matters
Who would have thought we would be exactly in the same situation fifteen months into the pandemic, but here we are again. Sydney is now in full lockdown for the third time. We have been very lucky so far in Australia, but it is now becoming more and more apparent that the government had failed us.
Port Arthur is a village and historic site in southern Tasmania, Australia. Sitting on the Tasman Peninsula, it was a 19th-century penal settlement (considered to be the worst of the worst…) and is now an open-air museum. Unfortunately we found ourselves underwhelmed…
One of the basic fundamentals of a modern society is the relationship between the country and its own citizens. Most importantly – Duty of Care. A government that doesn’t protect its own citizens, is absolutely unworthy, as it is neglecting the most crucial aspects of leadership and democracy – taking care of your own people.
When President-elect Joe Biden made his winning speech last November, he highlighted some of the major problems he intends to focus on once he gets into office. The US is due to lead the world once again in taking action on coronavirus, equality, economy and climate change. However, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to bow to pressure from the US.
One unique thing about Australians is that we don’t like talking about politics. The conversations at meetups and barbeques mostly evolve around real estate and sports. But it’s not a hot topic to speak about our politicians, their policies or anything evolving in our capital Canberra. But that has to change.
In January 2021, Australian Prime Minister announced a change to the national anthem, following growing criticism and a push for change. We, Australians, will no longer sing “For we are young and free”, indicating a young and free nation, just under 250 years old, completely ignoring the people of the First Nation, the Aboriginal people, who have lived here on this land for over 60,000 years.
Like many others, I felt like these are the most crucial US elections in many years. It was time for a change, otherwise who knows what would happen next. So here we go, as of November 7, the Hope is real and the US has decided to make a change and kick Donald Trump out of the White House. Phew, it feels like the nightmare is over, a glitch in US history, a farce which was much more dramatic than comic.
Let me tell you why Trump must lose in this election. We need new Leaders, new Role Models, new Hope for our children, a generation that have seen way too many abrupt, inconsiderate and disrespectful leaders. People who only care about themselves rather than the People they are meant to lead, who have absolutely no vision, no long term plan, no care for equality, humanity, freedom or climate action.
Let’s talk about the Power of Words and how they can influence our lives. It might be the written word, though even more significantly those that are spoken. They may come from our parents, our mentors, our leaders. They can unite us, or divide between us. Bring peace or start a war. Bring hope or send us into the darkest times. Words. That’s all it takes.
It has been quite some time since we had inspiring leaders who put the people ahead of themselves, led by example and united us all with hope and common purpose. In the midst of the worst health and financial global crisis in a century, the people of the world are looking up to their leaders for help, guidance and reassurance. Unfortunately, this is what they currently see.
I’m not a big fan, to say the least. It’s been three and a half years since he got into the White House, and I still can’t believe it actually happened. Trump is a clown, a racist, egocentric, it’s all about him and his tweets, everything else is just fake news. He clearly lives in his own world, in a different dimension, where his reality is very different to what most others see. But now, with the way he is managing the COVID19 crisis, enough is enough.
A few months ago we were all deeply involved in the Climate Change debate, especially down here in Australia where the bushfires were raging across the nation. Then, all of a sudden, came along the Coronavirus and literally stopped the world from spinning. The Climate Change debate is not on anyone’s agenda anymore.
When we grew up, back in the 80s and 90s, America was the land of dreams and endless opportunities, the place you go to make the impossible possible, a country offering its people a better life. But things have changed… So many civilian casualties in mass shooting across the states, and yet absolutely NO ACTION by the US Government to change it once and for all.
Where can you find true leadership these days around the world? Nowhere but the most remote and maybe unexpected place on the globe: New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has proven to be the only light in a very dark world. While USA, UK, Europe, Russia and Australia are swept by nationalism and trumpism, a dividing leadership which is hardly able to articulate a single sentence without blaming, hating and promoting White Supremacy.
Language is an interesting thing, and more so are traditional phrases which are widely used in each and every culture. One of my favorite phrases is in Arabic, and it says: “Kul Kalb Biji Yomo”. So what does it mean? well, it has quite a powerful meaning.
Our biggest fear should be the “Silence of the Majority”. Most of us pretty much share the same opinions, but we’re standing on the sidelines, observing the events around us as if we are watching a movie, as if we do not participate, cannot get involved. We sit back and see what happens, hope for a happy ending, and if we don’t like what we see, we can simply switch to a different channel.
