HOPE Urgently Needed for Our First Peoples (Aborigines – 3.3% of the Australian population)
Hope is at the basis of all our love and positive lives.
Hope to love and be loved fully. Hope to have worthwhile relationships throughout our lives. Hope to be respected and valued.
Hope to find God in a very busy and distracted world. Hope to enjoy God’s creations. Hope to reach salvation with God. Etc.
Many indigenous peoples from all parts of the world often lack hope. Often they feel squashed, disrespected, unworthy and hopeless. Let us explore the situation for the Australian indigenous peoples. Thirty-four indigenous suicides have occurred in Australia already in 2019 (March 23 today). One Australian Aborigine a week has committed suicide already this year, twelve were children. (‘The Australian’ 21/03/18)
Anyone travelling to or through so many of our country’s towns will often see the hopelessness in our first people’s eyes and demeanour. Karen and I experienced this in 2014 when we travelled up the Stuart Highway from Adelaide to Darwin, via Uluru, and then across to Kununurra in WA. I would imagine from all the reports and feedback being offered to us these days, that the circumstances are still horribly the same.
We felt hopeless while observing these people’s hopelessness.
The answer from someone who is so grateful for having had so much in this life is that we as Australians have never really understood why the hopelessness amongst our Aboriginal brothers and sisters is so strong.
Some basic personal thoughts follow. However, to make these relevant for the aborigines in these townships, we must have aborigines as part of the whole process of planning and implementation.
From an outsider’s perspective, let’s now ask the local indigenous communities of each community and township, what needs to be done for there to be:
full employment, i.e. meaningful jobs for all
better education, i.e. as high as possible for each person from preschool to university or TAFE
improved health and social welfare services
agreed to housing, allowing for the first people’s preferences and needs
safety and security for all
fuller and longer lives. Etc.
We must be very careful not to limit the possibilities for each person. We must encourage these peoples to support and help each person to achieve whatever is personally possible for a strong well-being, which is as high as other everyday Australians. There are 500+ Aboriginal doctors today Australia-wide. (‘The Drum’, ABC, 21/03/19)
Nothing is impossible for all first peoples to have similar opportunities for an enjoyable, high quality, successful careers and lifestyles – which they choose!
Copyright text and images © Great Developments Publishers, 2018-9
Draft Extract from ‘Love is the Meaning of Life’ by Bryan Foster, released mid-late 2019.
To be available at all good internet bookstores.
Book details at https://www.godtodayseries.com/ Author details at https://www.bryanfosterauthor.com/ Join the Facebook discussion at https://www.facebook.com/groups/389602698051426/