Dear Paul,

Our national identity is a work in progress.

We should promote Australians as a people who value
tolerance, equality, and peaceful solutions of
disputes, and a spirit of co-operation. Of course,
some of us are none of those things but our
national identity is all about what we think we should
be rather than what some of us regrettably are.

We are building a new society which is not yet finished.
But pride in ourselves does not mean we have to dislike
others. Patriotism based on dislike of other groups is a
very dangerous thing as history has taught us.

Perhaps the best we can do is to define an Australian
as one who lives here, is a citizen, and accepts certain
core values which characterize Australian society.

A defining feature of Australian society might be that we
are relaxed about it - that we reject xenophobia and
jingoism?

That's okay Foxy, just spent 4 days away in NSW, in the Byron Bay hinterland on a retreat/spiritual awakening/holiday, what can I call it, with a group "T" is involved with. Lovely people, some I had met before, ordinary folk enjoying a peaceful time with each other, a bit of everything, bush walking, meditation, arts, games, gardening, cooking, interesting mix of a communal get together.

Australian identity is ever-changing already so, nothing to really study there in the first place !

Dear Paul,

Your stay in Byron sounds wonderful.

My older brother lives in Byron.

Yesterday the family celebrated my brother's 70th
Birthday. It was a family and friends gathering.
I wasn't able to go because my husband had another
operation on his neck yesterday.

Anyway, everything went well - both for my brother's
birthday and my husband's operation.

Individual,

Our national identity is a work in progress. But I
think most Australians are comfortable in their own
skins.

Thanks for the link, just had a read, its much as I see Australia's ever evolving "national identity". Glad to hear birthday and op went okay. Your brother is 2 years less a day older than me. Happy Birthday Foxy Bro.

p/s Had a catch up with a good friend from the Senate this morning. The weather in Canberra is getting colder, but the politics is on the boil, and has been for some time. My friend has never been so busy as she is now.

Everyone,

This whole discussion is based on a fundamental error:
Identities cannot be created, modified or destroyed.

All you have been discussing about, are feelings and values and possibly how to sort people according to them.
Feelings and values can change, but that does nothing to the identity of the ones who hold them.

Identification with anything, is just a kind of feeling.
One may feel whatever they like, but mistaking such irrational feelings for facts is a nonsensical folly.

Perhaps what you actually like to discuss, is along the lines of:
"What should one feel and believe in order to be counted as one of our group".

Fair enough, but this has nothing to do with identity!