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Chapter One
There have been times in human history where we’ve had the opportunity to make choices that have had far reaching effects on our directions and futures. I believe we are at one such time in our history. I believe we are at quite a major crossroads where we can choose to heal the rifts and separations of the past and carry on in one-ness, or we can choose the other ways, which will only lead to more separation.
Indigenous peoples of the world have been waiting for this time. This time has been prophesied by many. It is where the dark times will come to an end and where life will again be treated with reverence and respect. It has not been so for many a year.
This change does not come about by some magic force from the outside. This change will come about from each person making that choice to step out of the darkness and into the light. And this will be magic within itself. It is not a matter of going back to how things were before. We are in a different time and a different space, and this means we need different ways to live. For the Indigenous peoples, it is not a matter of abandoning the wisdom of the ways and forms of their cultures, it is a matter of incorporating that wisdom into how we live today.
We have come to a stalemate almost. There are many expectations on a covert level, hidden expectations put on Indigenous peoples by those that have invaded their countries. These hidden expectations are pressures and forces on people’s minds and feelings. When people are subjected to pressures and forces, the instinctive reaction, the instinctive feeling, is to react against those pressures and forces. This is what has brought about the stalemate.
There has been an expectation, which is sometimes verbalised and sometimes not, that the original peoples should wholly embrace the new culture and abandon their old ways and be assimilated into the new ways. Mostly it is the Western way, for it has been the Western nations that have been the imperialists in most recent history. It does however also refer to any nation, which seeks to overthrow, invade and brutalise another.
These expectations must be examined because there are many good reasons why aspects of the new culture are not embraced. Even in the Western culture itself, there are many that do not embrace its values, for some of it values are seen as corrupt.
It is as though the line must be drawn in the sand again, because where it is now gives the Indigenous people no room to move. Each culture must be related to as an equal, not in the present position as dominator and dominated. The values of each of the cultures must be examined and choices made as to which is the way forward. It is no longer acceptable to just assume that the culture that has been strong enough to invade another is hence the wiser one. It is also evident today that this is not the case.
When people don’t have the freedom to move and to express themselves, they will not be able to make positive actions in their situations. The only possibility is for them to react and protect themselves from the ongoing onslaught of the other. This does not allow that culture to express itself freely and in a healthy way. It is only by removing that pressure, that dominating force on that culture, that will allow it to act in a truly healthy way.
Many do not see that the cultures are still oppressed, but this is fact because of the forces acting on those cultures. These forces are just as dominant and destructive as they were when the countries were first invaded. This is often referred to as systemic racism - the assumption of the dominant culture that the values and philosophies of that culture are superior to those of the oppressed culture. This then assumes that in any interaction between the cultures, the values and philosophies of the dominant culture will be the only acceptable ones. They assume and demand that their rules will be the ones that the game is played by. To overcome the oppression this must change, so that each culture has equal opportunity to express itself freely, to set the rules according to what is best for both and not just for one.
This force can be quite overt, out in the open, or it can be quite hidden. It can be as simple as the assumption in one person’s mind that the other culture will eventually die out and all will be assimilated to the dominant culture. In order to alleviate this dominating force, all aspects of it must be challenged. That assumption must be challenged in people’s minds. Then all aspects of the interactions between the dominant culture and those of the Indigenous culture must also be challenged. The rules need to be re-drawn.
One basic assumption in people’s minds is that the land was invaded, in Australia’s case, 200 years ago, and that is when the invasion happened, and that is that. The deed was done. But they do not realise that some people in Australia still live by their original Indigenous culture - the language, the laws. They do not realise that the invasion is still happening.
People feel that they should not be made responsible for actions that were taken 200 years ago and this is true. But they are responsible for what is happening today. Everybody’s assumptions and values play a part in what is happening today.
People sometimes underestimate the effect that they may be able to have on what happens in the world. But in changing attitudes and assumptions, this truly has far reaching effects. People want to heal the separateness. They want to reconcile. But they don’t realise that this is just as much about attitudes and assumptions that are held in the mind, and expectations that have been adopted from the dominant culture, as it is about living together peacefully. Reconciliation depends upon clarity of intent and expectations of each person in society, just as much as how people relate to each other.
Also for peoples of the Indigenous cultures, the effects of the dark times have been far reaching on the psyches and the very beings of the people. In order to step forward in health and strength, the effects of these dark times must be healed. Many of the reactions and feelings that have grown in Indigenous cultures are totally justified under the circumstances. But now we have an opportunity to change. It is just as much our responsibility to change the assumptions and expectations we have in our minds, about how the world is. We must change our psyches and our expectations, our visions for the future, to incorporate positive forms and ways of being. If we no longer allow the invasion mentality to dominate us, it will no longer dominate us. These are the choices we have.
One aspect of the invasion mentality, the dominant mentality, is that we do not have the right to act. We must wait for the others to act first before we react. This is the very first thing we need to change. If we feel the goal posts need to be changed, we should get up and change them.
When we make these changes we also need to think about and see the separation that has come about. This is actually a part of the Western mentality, for whilst Aboriginal people were separate in nations, they had the understanding of the one-ness of all. This is possibly where our wisdoms can truly help the current situation, for it is not the Aboriginal way to exclude. It is our way to be inclusive, include all in the movement, and recognise all as having the right to be on this planet, and breathe the air, and to be their own being. At the same time, recognising that everyone is in essence in one-ness. You will see in taking action how the Indigenous wisdom, how Aboriginal ways and values, will be so important in healing the separation. And in taking action, recognising the value of your own culture and being, this will increase the healing process for everyone. It will uphold the dignity and self-esteem of each person. This is what has been crushed. The wisdom and the being were devalued. In taking action to change the situation, it is best not to crush another’s dignity and self-esteem. This will not make it right. It will only increase the separation. It is everyone’s right as a human being to have dignity and self-esteem.
There are many people within the Western culture that are looking for positive change, that are looking to right the wrongs of the past and the present. They will benefit greatly by being able to understand the wisdom of the Indigenous peoples. Many people in the Western culture realise the shortcomings of the culture and can see the injustices, and can see that the culture itself does not provide the wisdom to understand how to act.
If wisdom is shared between equal parties, and it is acknowledged and understood that it is between equal parties, then the advances and the growth and the healing will be swift and far-reaching. As more and more people find that healing, it will become like a snowball rolling down a hill, gaining speed and size and power. It will become unstoppable.
There is such a desire in the human heart to be one with all, to heal the separation and injustice, to live in peace, and to be able to treat people in loving ways. People truly seek this freedom. It is a freedom, because it allows you to set aside the fortress mentality that is so apparent in today’s world.
People desire to live in open-ness, not shut away, barricaded from the outside world and other people. This is not living. This is simply surviving. But up until now, the wisdom of how to live any other way has not been available, to a large degree, in the Western world. So the separation has increased to a point where it is no longer tolerable or sustainable.
In fact, people in the Western world are also disadvantaged, dominated, and oppressed, by the mentalities of separation as the Indigenous peoples are. And many in the Western culture reach out to the Indigenous peoples. They see in their histories, and how they live at present, that many still hold the wisdom and understanding of how to live with love in the heart. It is ironic that the ones who have been dominated for so long, are the ones that have so much to give to heal the situation.
In the beginning in this country, Aboriginal people accepted the presence of foreigners, because it was always accepted that other people have the right to live in this country. Aboriginal people have a different view of country. People do not own the country, the land. The land owns them. They own the stories and are protectors of the sacred places. At the same time, they were able to share the country, as long as the sacred places were not violated. This is how the present day nation began, with sharing and respect for one another. Then came the destruction, the dark times, as the Western population grew, the culture became greedier. As they became greedier, they no longer respected the rights and lives of the original people who were here. We must find ways to forgive the mentality that led to this current situation, and the mentality that helps to perpetuate that situation. If people cannot forgive it, they will become tied to it, which helps to perpetuate that situation. Forgiveness is the act of Heart where you release your own feelings about that situation. It is not to say that the actions and situations are acceptable. It is saying “I wish to release myself from the feelings that situation provokes in me, for those feelings do not help me in my growth. I do not accept that the situation is good, but I will no longer harm myself by carrying anger or bitterness about that situation.”
You can still be very certain in your beliefs, and see the effects of injustice. But if you remain bitter and angry, you help to perpetuate that situation yourself.
If you release yourself from those feelings and say - “I forgive. I will not keep those feelings in my being, for they are harmful to myself. But at the same time, I see clearly that injustice belongs in the dark times and must be changed.”
This is a very necessary part of healing, for to heal ourselves, we cannot carry the dark times within us. We must release them and see the light and the positive times that we will create in the world, and that we will create in ourselves.
People in the Western culture in Australia must also find ways to forgive themselves. Many carry the guilt of their ancestors. Many know of the deeds that were done, and carry that guilt with them. It is time to release that, so that the steps forward can be clear and honest. It is time to forgive. In forgiving you are not saying that it was right to do what was done. In forgiving you are releasing yourself from the negative effects of carrying those feelings.
You can acknowledge openly those deeds were in fact quite criminal, but you must step forward in freedom and forgiveness.
There is quite a Will in the current population in Australia for Reconciliation to occur. But people must realise it is not something that is just talked about. It is something to be acted upon within their own feelings, expectations, and assumptions. This is just as true for both sides of the fence - unfortunately there still is a fence.
True Reconciliation will only occur if both parties acknowledge themselves as equals, and where there is no longer a dominant force acting from one over the other. This notion must be released from people’s minds, again on both sides of the fence. This is just as true for other Indigenous peoples around the world, for this scenario is being played out in many countries.
But have faith, we have reached the crossroads where it is now possible to choose our own directions. It is now possible to step out of the darkness and into the light, the light of our spirits.
We can choose to leave dominance and oppression behind us, to live our wisdoms and share them with others, to teach by inclusiveness not exclusiveness, and to live in oneness where all people are respected and can live in dignity. So you now stand at the crossroads. Read the signs well, and choose your direction wisely.