Dear Members and Friends,

Today, 13 th February 2008, was a very fine day to be an Australian. Yes, I write this after having just watched Kevin Rudd deliver his personal and Parliament's apology to the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal people. At the end of it, I felt, today, Australia has come of age!

I experienced the speech filled with clarity and courage, felt the surge of acceptance when the apology was delivered without qualification. The fact that the leader of our country could stand and say, that it is important for us to live in the strength of our previous government's successes; and also remind us of the responsibility for us to bear; how we shoulder the consequences of their dark hours too. These comments showed the depth of this nation's maturity and the great leadership of a person who could formulate these things so eloquently.

It is a great moment in Australian history in that a clarion call has been made for deep democracy. A war cabinet on injustice has been called for, that requires everyone to work together on finding real solutions by dropping the inter-party fighting and methodologies of every day politics. The commission to work out of diverse differences to find a political social change by collaborating and not being subversive is a vision that could change the world. It may not be a radical idea … or may already be in action in many places in the world. Finding ways to right the injustices of the past by a deep heart-felt obligation to our traditions and history speaks about a courage that we as an Australian people are going to have to rise to. Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, addressed all Australians, including first Australians, First Fleeters, and those who have recently taken on Australian nationality for the first time. He created an imagination of a unified soul towards righteous social justice; one in which we all need to engage in fully, in an active collaboration.

The picture that jumped into my mind was the possibility of the leader of Australia challenging many leaders around the world. This could be seen as a two-fold challenge. Is it now possible that similar official apologies could be offered in other parts of the world. The World's Leaders have a two-fold responsibility; one to those to whom apologies are owed. Two, to all of their own people, calling them to engage in a collaboration that finds a real solution. A human solution , one that is more than party differences, one that seeks a wholistic collaboration. Imagine the next leader of America apologizing to the Indigenous people there; and the mother's of Africa ! How would that express itself in South Africa where the new leader is already an indigenous person? Would we be able to imagine someone rising to be able to apologize as a world leader on behalf of the history of that nation regardless of racial background. The potential for forgiveness and transfiguration of society is unending. I imagined a mature Australian people taking a catalytic part in global reconciliation.

It is the Chinese year of the Rat, it is a 1 year in numerology and both indicate new beginnings and hard work to bring about the visions of change. A very apt Easter celebration indeed!

Yours in Christ

Martin

 

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