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The Forum > Article Comments > 'We are one' leaves out a lot of people > Comments

'We are one' leaves out a lot of people : Comments

By Brian Holden, published 25/1/2011

There is a web of cause-and-effect which binds every human alive and dead.

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you can put it down to luck that we just happen to be here - well, you in Australia and we expats up here in the Philippines - but I'll put it all down to Providence, especially after 1,071 days here and getting through three floods in 2009, but nothing like what happened in Queensland.
Just getting through the chaotic traffic here every day and the close calls I've had, as well as the life I've had tell me I'm not in ultimate charge of my life, much as people who put their faith in 'luck' would believe.

We'll be celebrating Australia Day quietly here, and thank God for all our blessings.
Posted by SHRODE, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 7:30:03 AM
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Nice piece Mr Holden

One day we may grow out of

Australia Day
Posted by Shintaro, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 9:49:02 AM
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Nothing wrong with Australia Day, Shintaro. Far better than Mitsubishi Day, Zero Day or Bridge over the River Kwai Day.

It's only a small comment and I don't want to rock the boat, but if we are caught in a deterministic web that goes back to the beginning of time (if any), doesn't that mean we have no free will? We're just robots caught in a cause and event trap.

So much for free will and agency. It's pretty much a kiss off to Marxism and all the 'isms' which prioritise liberty and egalitarianism.

Even so, I like Brian's take on deep time.

Shintaro - beware the Spider Ninja!
Posted by Cheryl, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 10:05:29 AM
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You have it right Mr Holden - humanity is one, it is only the widespread consciousness of this fact that is missing. But this is changing. Once accepted and taken to heart, we are able to put all our inherited prejudices aside - of race, colour, ethnicity, status, class, nationality, politics, gender, religion etc. Without the recognition of this single fact, humanity has no long term meaningful future on this one small interdependent fragile planet. We are all part of one great historical cycle, from a starting point of one, through dispersion and disunity, and now humanity is coming back to global unity again. We need to recognise this dynamic fact and stop resisting and putting stumbling blocks in the way with all the prejudices, bigotry, fanaticism, hatreds, violence and suffering that accompany them.

"Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. We cherish the hope that the light of justice may shine upon the world and sanctify it from tyranny. If the rulers and kings of the earth, the symbols of the power of God, exalted be His glory, arise and resolve to dedicate themselves to whatever will promote the highest interests of the whole of humanity, the reign of justice will assuredly be established amongst the children of men, and the effulgence of its light will envelop the whole earth."

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 218)

Graham Nicholson
Posted by G R, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 11:30:18 AM
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So basically what you are saying is that we should be thankful to the 8am tram, a phone call, or a newspaper article, for our existence, but not to a group of people who decided to democratically elect leaders to utilize their collective wealth to provide public transport, telecommunications and a free press?

That said this is better than the usual articles put out before Australia day, attacking all of the negative aspects of nationalism,without a thought of any of the positive aspects of having a nation of out own. Generally I agree with you, and these ideas are becoming more widespread with global communications. However, you need to understand that these people who partake in "puerile flag-waving and anthem-singing on Australia Day" are just normal folks enjoying a day off with their families and more often than not are more than happy to include anyone regardless of nationality.

By the way mitochondrial eve is thought to have lived over 200,000 years ago, and for the purposes of the article, perhaps you should have mentioned humans most recent common ancestor who lived aprox 5000 years ago.
Posted by Stezza, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 12:57:17 PM
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I understand where you're coming from, and certainly agree that the bonds of humanity ought to be stronger than the bonds of nationhood. While I was initially irritated by your characterisation of 'flag-waving and anthem-singing' as puerile, I certainly cannot deny you your opinion. I simply don't agree with it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with being proud of your nation and, having lived in three countries and visited many more, I can say with some authority that Australians have much to be proud of.

Groups of humans gather at many levels to celebrate what they have in common. Macquarie University, where I am a postgrad student (though I've only set foot on campus once), has its Conception Day. It is about as sacred as Australia Day - it's a celebration of Macquarie, but also simply an opportunity for Macquarie to celebrate. As a teacher, I've also been a part of many 'X Days', where X is the name of the school. Students and staff gather to celebrate what they see as great about their school. They don't (usually) claim that each great thing is unique to them, but they do acknowledge the unique combination of these generic great things. There's no harm in that, as long as it doesn't descend to denigrating others - which it usually doesn't.

My point is that identifying and celebrating our role as members of a national community does not necessarily disconnect us from our broader community. Just as those schoolkids will go on to celebrate Australia Day, relevant state 'days of celebration' (conspicuously absent on the Queensland public holiday calendar) and celebrations on a more global level. I don't see the harm in identifying ourselves as part of a community, and celebrating that community symbolically with flags and anthems, as long as the community doesn't fully supplant our greater humanity.
Posted by Otokonoko, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 11:18:34 PM
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Brian concludes

'It seems that the lifeline of every human on the planet can be traced back to the same woman. She is known as Mitochondrial Eve and she lived in Africa about 150,000 years ago.'

Pervert the truth a little and come up with very strange conclusions. Loathing Australia day is one of them.
Posted by runner, Wednesday, 26 January 2011 10:56:49 AM
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With the exception of Runner, this is an encouragingly thoughtful thread. Maybe that's what Australia Day is all about, self-reflection.
Did anyone listen to Parkinson's address. According to him we could be great!
Posted by Squeers, Wednesday, 26 January 2011 2:36:56 PM
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Oh no runner don't you believe in mitochondria? Damn our secular education!
Posted by Stezza, Wednesday, 26 January 2011 5:47:52 PM
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Mitochondria

Don't feature in the Bible

So they don't exist
Posted by Shintaro, Wednesday, 26 January 2011 8:42:34 PM
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I wasn’t aiming to participate on this thread, till I saw Squeers comment: “this is an encouragingly thoughtful thread”

That cinched it, there had to be something drastically wrong---and I was right!

Mark Holden tells us that being of “Irish stock” he was aware of racism directed at his group and the racism that they directed at others. But the racism he exposes is all Anglo-Celtic in origin.
“my parents…were trapped in the same group-think as almost all Anglo-Celtics were at the time”

There are non-Anglo-Celtic players in his little tableau but they are only ever seen as victims.
“I can remember my mother’s reaction when she saw me sucking a penny: ‘Spit it out. A Chow may have handled it!’”

He seems blissfully unaware that such group think is common across all the tribes of humanity.
The Chows (he cites) as the victims were likely telling their kids “ don’t eat that fruit , the dirty qweilo may have handled it ” .

That Mark conceives racism as a peculiar Anglo-Celtic characteristic, perhaps, says more about Mark’s limited experience that anything else.

Mark also ridicules the “jingoism on Australia Day” and “its puerile flag-waving and anthem-singing “
One wonders whether Mark would have similar derision for waving the “Aboriginal flag” or talk of pride in Aboriginal culture , or Chinese performers waving age old cultural standards –some how, I rather doubt it.

Racism is one form of grouping think, but there are many others. You could belong to political grouping that thinks it’s more enlightened than those lesser groups who are governed by “primitive emotion “ and “jingoism”
Same game, different name.
Posted by SPQR, Friday, 28 January 2011 6:23:14 PM
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Adjustment: Mark should read Brian (Holden).
Posted by SPQR, Friday, 28 January 2011 6:25:27 PM
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