Luke McLeod Founder, Soul Alive

Ifeel the older I get, the more my definitions as to who I am and the subcultures I am a part of evolve. This would include what it means to me to be Australian.If you were to ask me this five years ago I would have said something along the lines of “being Australian to me means that I am very lucky and fortunate.” To have grown up in a wealthy country where we have complete freedom of choice and expression is truly a gift. And although these beliefs still remain true for me, I now feel a greater responsibility to not take this privileged, fortunate position I’m in (being Australian that is) for granted and to now proactively leverage this luxury to incite greater self-awareness and personal development.I also feel I have become less patriotic. Although let me be clear, this does not mean I’m not as grateful for being an Australian as I was, it’s just not as important to me. I would prefer to be known first as just another human being. I feel that acknowledging this fundamental truth first could really dissolve a lot of tension and segregation we are seeing more and more around the world today. Plus with social media now narrowing our interests and information, it is now even more easier to be judgemental and defensive than ever. To me, I would love to consider that being Australian is knowing that we are all first just human beings trying to do our best and those of us that are more fortunate should try to see how we can help those that aren’t.

soulalive.com.au

@luke.mcleod