“Historical memory is the key to self-identity, to seeing one's place in the stream of time, and one's connectedness with all of humankind”
Image by Brett Jordan. (Title of blog post from Historical Memory see link below)
I will make friends with imperfection.
The Voice is not perfect, but if we don’t try, nothing changes…
“A Voice to Parliament will be a permanent body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives to give independent advice to the Australian Parliament and the Executive Government on laws and policies that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. A constitutionally enshrined Voice will ensure that the expertise and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must always be considered by the Federal Parliament when making decisions about the lives, communities and affairs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” (Amnesty)
I want this recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution. Why? Because I see how essential they are to the history of our world and our understanding, right up there with the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans…Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are the oldest living peoples in the world…I believe it is a necessary thing to acknowledge this in our Constitution and in so doing, bring about change. Even if some people think nothing will change, our Indigenous Peoples will be acknowledged throughout the world. And out of that acknowledgment, respected and listened to, their expertise and experience considered.
It reminds me of the many issues and arguments that grew up around “Sorry”. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd managed to say ‘sorry’ to our Indigenous Peoples. Sorry. Such an important, crucial, and necessary occasion. The Voice is even more important because it will, (I am firmly committed to this belief) go beyond symbolism. It will bring about change. So much needs to be improved. So much. And perhaps…I am so hoping…that this is the step towards that change.
I fear for our country if it doesn’t pass.
So, this imperfection. This fragility. I have experienced it within my own extended family. Sadly. And I noticed the rise in my blood pressure and the quickening of my heartbeat. I don’t like conflict, and I don’t like saying no. Having been a collaborative theatre practitioner and a collaborative therapist for so many decades, I am most definitely in the “Yes and” camp, trusting that if I can fold in each request then together, we can dream on a better outcome.
And “to fold in” (for me) means blending our needs and desires, just like most days I fold in flour to make my grandchildren’s waffles…by taking the time to fold well, the result is smooth. Is this possible? Always I am willing to try it. In my microcosm world of theatre and therapeutic conversations, I attempt it daily, listening and blending so that we have an outcome that all participants can accept and grow from. Is it without conflict? No, not always. But usually, manageable. The only ‘rule’ is that everyone must agree to show up. Without that commitment, nothing happens. And even then, of course, there are exceptions.
Dreaming on…
The journey that I have been on and will continue to be on teaches me that the conflict is within us, and the external world is a reflection of our internal landscape. So I meditate. I hold my conflicted self, that self that wants everyone to-get-on-and-let’s-do-this-together.
Let’s trust our leaders, my internal voice demands, for without them, without that trust, we have little. Trust our own leader within. My inner leader is solid. I think. Balanced on both legs. I think. But my knees ache. Perhaps that is my somatic responding to the conflict in our world. And my internal tension.
Everyone deserves to be seen. Everyone deserves to be heard. And if with a YES it means we as a country will listen, then let’s do this. I fear for our Indigenous peoples if a No vote is passed. No one likes to be told, “No'‘…and for me that would mean, "We cannot recognize your potential” …
And first, I think, perhaps we need to recognize our own potential. As peacemaker. I want to find a peaceful way forward. So, I will embrace my own imperfections and the imperfections of our country.
If only we can find the road forward to this request made by Indigenous People (Uluru Statement of the Heart) not by our government, but by the very people who will be impacted by this referendum.
I’m reminded of a movie that I watched recently (oh you filmmakers are so crucial to our understanding of the complexities of living) …about a Mennonite group of women who left their home of several generations. They risked their future for their children. There was extreme abuse and misogyny in the status quo, and so after achingly painful arguments, (they weren’t afraid to argue) they came together. They said ‘Yes. Let’s step into a new future because if we stay here, nothing will change’.
So, I sit still. I hold my imperfections. My frailty. Tenderly in my hands. I examine them. I look deeply.
I turn my eyes to the heavens and down to the earth.
This earth, that has been protected and nurtured for tens of thousands of years by our Indigenous Elders.
And I give thanks. To my own ancestors. To my descendants. To myths and stories, such as Persephone and Demeter, Queen Isis, and King Osiris that make up my inner landscape.
“Historical memory is the key to self-identity, to seeing one's place in the stream of time, and one's connectedness with all of humankind” (UCLA Historical Memory)
Nothing is perfect I tell my imperfections. But I will hold you just the same. And in that holding, I will protect your capacity to love. For, for me, that is what it comes down to. A love and appreciation of each other, and this country we call home. And my connection to all of humankind.
Is what I am thinking too naive? Yes and no, or perhaps, but I am willing to risk being called naive and simplistic in my attempt to move us away from self-interest towards a considered self-identity so that we can see our “place in the stream of time”, and enrich “our connectedness with all of humankind”.