LOVE AND RESPECT FOR ALL WILL CURE AMERICAN UNREST
WHEN a thought of war comes, oppose it with a stronger thought of love…
While Australia is focused on curbing recession and rebuilding its economy, we are all bewildered at the devastation and chaos in America.
Amid a pandemic killing thousands of AfricanAmericans, George Floyd’s death has triggered protests and riots across the country, along with inflammatory tweets from President Donald Trump and threats of military force.
Australia and the world are shocked to see the iconic cities under siege.
In 1963, a very different president – John F. Kennedy – faced rioting in Birmingham, a city that had become a focus of the civil rights movement.
Kennedy had the task of calming his citizens. He knew he needed to be compassionate, flexible and well-informed. He called upon Birmingham residents “to realise that violence only breeds more violence, and that good will and good faith” were most important. This resolute and calming influence is desperately needed today.
Floyd’s death has brought to the surface the urgent need for racial unity. The tensions, divisions, and injustices that plague America are symptoms of a long-standing ailment. The nation is afflicted with a deep spiritual disorder, manifest in rampant materialism, widespread moral decay and a deeply ingrained racial prejudice. As a result, millions of Americans, subject to systemic injustices in many facets of life, are prevented from making their full contributions to society and partaking in its benefits.
As we watch from the sidelines we realise that no one is immune to this disorder – we are all members of this global society and to some degree suffer the effects of its maladies. That we live in a critical time can be seen in the way essential questions of identity, social vision, and global relations are being raised to a degree not seen in decades.
The resolution to these challenges lies in recognising and embracing the undeniable truth that humanity is one.
Ignorance of this truth is itself a form of oppression, for without it, it is impossible to build a truly just and peaceful world. The oneness of humanity is far more than a slogan or an abstract and unattainable ideal.
It has profound implications for human behaviour and the way society is organised, challenging many current assumptions and our relationships across every layer of society.
Racism, materialism, and moral decadence will be eradicated only by true justice, the abolishment of all kinds of prejudices and a love that is translated into action – such actions as purposely going out of our way to befriend all, appreciating the indispensable contributions of all, and the pure intent to move forward, not backward, to create a new world.
We all believe in the fundamental goodness and decency of the masses of our fellow citizens.
We are confident that Americans yearn as we do for genuine justice, equality and prosperity for everyone.
If we go back to the times of 1963, when an agreement to stop the injustices and racial prejudice was announced, it came with a bold statement: “For all mankind a dawn of a new day, a promise for all men, a day of opportunity, and a new sense of freedom for all America.”
This agreement needs to be reaffirmed and enacted upon with extreme urgency. The eyes of the world are on America, with great hope of seeing a transformation that brings greater harmony and a sense of calm to a nation already suffering at its grassroots and affecting millions of households. This civil unrest is unsettling for the entire world.
Most importantly, let’s hope that the golden shores of Australia never witnesses this disintegration as we continue to honour and respect the bounty of living in a peaceful nation.
LOCK a bunch of people in a house who don’t get along very well and don’t let them leave or go outside. Then watch them fight about who’s used all the hot water and eaten the leftover fried rice in the fridge.
It sounds like lockdown at my house, but it’s the 2020 season of Big Brother.
The iconic reality TV hit is coming back after a six-year hiatus from our screens.
Brace yourselves. The scandalous show that brought us bum dancing and turkey slapping (which is nothing to do with turkeys) has returned.
Big Brother, in case you’re smarter than me and never watched it, is a show in which 20 people are locked inside a house with cameras following their every move. It first aired in Australia in 2001 and ran for the next 12 years.
Each season producers take a few hot young things whose chief KPI is looking good in G-strings, ply them with lots of booze and watch them flirt. There are blonde chicks with vivacious personalities, master manipulators, knockabout country larrikin bogans and chill alpha males.
The slutty, the sexy, the serious and the saucy are all welcome in the Big Brother house. But this time around, things feel a little different. The Big Brother 2020 housemates have wellness coaches, workers compensation clauses and a zen zone. They even have to recycle their rubbish.
This season’s contestants include a former AFL player no one has heard of, a 50-yearold recruitment director who loves a “statement blazer” and a guy who calls himself the worst driver in Adelaide.
There’s a geek who loves the outdoors and – gasp – doesn’t have an Instagram account, a 60-year-old 1980s aerobics star and a “down-toearth, witty and good-natured family man”. The latter will no doubt last about five minutes.
For the first time, the show is pre-recorded rather than live and contestants rather than viewers will evict each other.
It is designed to deliver a faster-paced format with the excitement coming from the strategic alliances formed among the contestants. You know, kind of like Survivor, but without the cockroach-eating.