I wasn’t going to do a post today, but when I saw this video clip on David Prosser’s blog I couldn’t resist sharing it:
For those who have never heard of John Farnham, you can find his Wiki entry here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Farnham
This particular song is from the album Whispering Jack and catapulted Farnham to the top of the charts for something like half a year. I bought it. Everyone I know bought it, and we listened to it until we knew all the tracks by heart. Why? Because it was and is an incredible song. But there was more to it than that. The Voice said something about what we believed in and who we were as a nation.
Things seem to have gone downhill since then as we now ‘sit in silence’ and watch our duly elected government ignore compassion, justice and the hope of the future in favour of…?
To be honest I have no idea what the Abbott government is in favour of. Before the election the buzz words were looking after ‘Australian families’ and ‘balancing the budget’ but they don’t seem to have done either of those things. Instead, they have managed to trash our reputation internationally while drumming up hysteria and hate towards just about every segment of our society. Oh and the economy? That’s going downhill as well.
-cough- Apologies. The Voice reminded me of who we used to be. The contrast with today is not pleasant. Now we seem to be afraid of everything – afraid of ‘boat people’, afraid of Muslims, afraid of gays, the list goes on and on.
We would do well to remember Frank Herbert’s Litany Against Fear :
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
I hope we aussies become that nation of fair-minded, egalitarian, anti-authoritarian, big-hearted, larrikins again. One day.
cheers
Meeks
Meeka's Mind 