passionately Aussie !
Published 1 year, 6 months ago in My life.I feel a tad despondent. Long long ago, when I began school, we were coached to put our hands over our hearts and recite, I honour my queen and my country etc. Over the years, many things that I learnt at state school, have been changed and I’ve had to adapt. Its done my head in every now and then, metrics was not easy, but, I did it,…. well, as good as I could, I love it that they still give you the birth weight of babies, in pounds and ounces.
But I hate it that I cant put my hand over my heart now and be proud to be an Aussie. I have to show how multi cultural I am. And I am, I had turkish bread for lunch, with marinated eggplant, and capsicum etc. I’ve learnt mosaics, my life is richer for the things that we’ve adopted from other countries.
However, I think over and over again of the apathy of people. Do they not care that people struggle day after day trying to keep business’s afloat. That farmers have to sell under what their products are often worth, because imported foods are sold cheaper. Our fishing industry is in deep trouble. The building industry is reliant on cheap steal from india. Our Artists struggle, and our musicians are not given the recognition they deserve……….Hello……..?? Is No one proud of what we have any more? Or Have we just become lazy arsed people who cant make the effort to go out of our own way to make a difference? Look at all the shows on t.v at the moment, australia remembers…..20-1 etc etc. These shows are popular, so obviously we love to reminisce on how good things were. There is even an email that floats around that when I read it I shut my eyes and remember every good thing from childhood that was aussie, I can hear the squeak of the hills hoist as we swung on it as kids. I know the jubilation when the cricket ball hit the old tin garbage bin, and summer went forever.
Do you think it was the coaching we got so young that I feel like this? Or is it just something that some have, and others dont ??????????
5 Responses to “passionately Aussie !”
Leave a Reply
Your reply will not appear on the site until it has been approved
Take heart - in the last few days my five year old son has blackened his hands with grease swinging on the hills hoist and painted a cricket wicket onto the brick wall of the shed. I hope he will remember the long afternoons of his childhood in the same way his mum and dad do. And that he will continue to make friends at kinder completely oblivious to their differences in sex, culture, religion and ethnicity - appreciating everyone just for their ready smile and willingness to play.
And as the price of energy soars we may even be forced to buy local to cut down on the added prices and greenhouse emissions of shipping good thousands of imperial miles.
Yesterday I had visitors, amongst those there 6 different nationality represented, yet all Aussie. Don’t underestimate this country, it’s strong it creeps in,takes over, get under the skin, people change and become what this country is. On the surface they might look different but they are Aussie.
Put your hand on your heart and be pround to be Aussie, there’s nothing stopping you. Once you do, I think you’ll find that the response is that most people out there are proud to be Aussie too.
As for what happening to our industry, thats more the apathy of our government, and the result of greed of multi nationals not the people in the street.
Slowly the people of this beautiful country will make you proud by their united actions… but it only takes the actions of a few stupid idiots to bring you down. Unite, stand up and be proud that you are living in a great country built on work & friendship. Stand tall, take a deep breath in through your nose and say ‘You Bloody Beauty’!
I never really appreciated how great it was to be Aussie until I was talking to an American penpal of mine, trying to convince him to visit. (Sadly, mission failed.)
But it just made me realise how great our country is… all the little things that make it different and special (kangaroos, multiculturalism, dry grass, mateship, backyard cricket, open spaces, beaches everywhere), as well as all the sheer logic things (like drinkable tap water, free doctors and interest-free student loans from the government) just combine and it’s so nice.
I think for the most part kids these days still have those distinctly Aussie childhood experiences… maybe they can’t play under the sprinkler, but I still see backyard/beach cricket, kids riding bikes, family barbecues, and summer still goes on forever (especially when you get to uni and have four months of holidays!
)
As I see it, maybe people are apathetic to the struggles of Aussie businesses, farmers, artists, etc because people all over the world are facing the same struggles, and, of course, far worse. It is hard to care passionately about all the things wrong in the world and not be horribly depressed. I think as long as people treat each other kindly and decently (as is the Aussie way), and (if they are financially able/like them) buy Aussie products, then we’ll do fine. And of course, being Aussie also involves being open-minded to the exciting world of other cultures. Just think of the restaurants!
“But I hate it that I cant put my hand over my heart now and be proud to be an Aussie. I have to show how multi cultural I am.”
You can be multicultural and proud to be Aussie at the same time. In fact I think those are the best bits! I walked past a mixed bunch of kids yesterday playing cricket in an alley.. awesome!
I think being governed for ten years by politicians who use fear campaigns about immigration, interest rates, terrorists, and unions (just for examples) has beaten some people down and made them feel like fighting for change is too hard. It’s also had the opposite effect on other people, and become a catalyst for lobbying change.
You’ll always have some apathetic people, but sometimes it’s not apathy, sometimes it’s the everyday struggle to make ends meet that gets in the way of contributing extra to society.