 Steering clear of political & other comment, here's a different 'worry':
Something’s amiss. As animal lovers, where did we go wrong? We brought our kids up in country Victoria to give them a rural, nature-filled, animal-loving childhood, away from the cities. Over the years we owned - and cared for - dogs and puppies, baby lambs, calves, cows, goats, chooks, a white mouse, a ginger cat, even a donkey and (of course) guinea pigs. We went on outings to forests and farmlands to experience the environment and to see native animals in their natural habitat. We saw kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, koalas, turtles, and echidnas. The kids seemed to love them all—the ones we had at home and the ones they saw out in the bush. We thought we had given them a love of nature as well as knowledge of how to care for creatures of every sort. Our kids are well grown up now and have families of their own. Our daughter lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland, in a big house that has no room for a pet of any sort. Our son lives in UK with a backyard as big as a pocket handkerchief. Animals? Pets? Zilch! Where did we go wrong? What animals have they had? Do they have? What animals are they caring for? Admittedly, the Gold Coast family had some guinea pigs for a while and the UK ones had a rabbit that lived in a cupboard for a few years. But, as for now…the answer is nil. But, wait! A grown-up grandson and his wife now own two cats. Should I feel that the tide has turned? Probably not!
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 Remember when, in 2014, the then treasurer, Joe Hockey, stated that “the age of entitlement is over” and it was time for “all Australians to do their fair share of heavy lifting”?
It seems that most Australians have been doing their fair share of heavy lifting over the past two years, with the careful and dutiful following of advice concerning Covid19. Maybe not the sort of ‘heavy lifting’ that our Joe referred to, but heavy lifting, all the same. We have willingly endured lockdowns, separation (sometimes painful) from family and friends, worked from home, home schooled the kids, worn masks, used gallons of hand sanitiser, eaten only home cooked meals, bought essential items online, saw businesses flounder and watched daily tv updates on the progress of the virus. Cooperation has been widespread and, although the virus has taken a dreadful toll, the ‘heavy lifting’ has paid off for millions. But lately the wheels seem to be falling off. Not least of all the politicisation of decisions – mainly what restrictions should be mandatory and what is ‘Freedom’. Politicians are not helping. Unhinged members of the community have been encouraged to display their “unhinged-ness” as they flout safety rules and parade around capital city streets (mask-less) wielding banners with often crazy messages. (I am still asking what the “save our children” one is about!) Eureka flags (inappropriate), praise for Donald Trump (even more inappropriate) and references to the poison that apparently lurks in each vial of vaccine, are but a few examples. A recent count of Covid19 hospital patients has reached a rate of over 90% ratio of unvaccinated, as opposed to fewer than 10% vaccinated. (And the vaccinated patients reportedly are not as sick). So, after the Covid19 “heavy lifting” has been done, the crazies are wrecking the good result, leaving hospitals and hardworking medical staff with MORE “heavy lifting”.  It seems that we are now ‘an economy’ and no longer ‘a community’, which is extremely sad as well as worrying.
Listening to a television discussion last night, people spoke about how property development and real estate dealing had overtaken more social aspects of life (in Australia and the globe) over the past decade or so. And it starts us wondering just WHO is leading this change and WHY. Of course, it all leads to money being the driving force of whatever is happening. Any idea of equality has seemingly disappeared as people clamber over others to climb the ladder of wealth. We are told (lectured, sometimes) all sorts of theories about how to successfully ‘progress’ in this new world. Sadly, it has been proved again and again, that the notion of the (economical) “trickle down effect” is a lie. Money never ‘trickles down’ to those in the lower socio-economic section. The mantra of “if you have a go, you get a go” is total nonsense – and one example I have seen up close, is in rural areas, where farmers certainly “have a go” to amazing extents, but who will never, ever achieve an income of over half a million $ p.a. as is ‘earned’ by a certain PM. Pondering the idea of social equity, I found this definition: “Social Equity is the active commitment to fairness, justice, and equality in the formulation of public policy, distribution of public services, implementation of public policy, and management of all institutions serving the public…” Can’t see much of that happening lately. Writing from Robben Island, way back in 1970, long before being released, Nelson Mandela said: “I am influenced more than ever before by the conviction that social equality is the only basis of human happiness.” I think he may be right. But, then again, people who mine the land into oblivion, becoming billionaires, seem to be happy. Are they? With more than enough money to last many lifetimes, they have multiple opportunities to bring happiness to millions of their countrymen and women and yet …. and yet…. I have to admit, it has only recently that I tried to understand the true meaning of the word, ‘kleptocracy’ - and I am wondering if we are now living in such a state. The Cambridge dictionary defines kleptocracy as “a society whose leaders make themselves rich and powerful by stealing from the rest of the people” Heck! Is this what we have become? I don’t think I like it. |
