102 years ago, the ANZAC forces stormed the beach
at Gallipoli.
We in Australia commemorate this day honouring it
with a Public Holiday.
102 years on, we honour the bravery of so many
young Men, rowing, running, climbing and fighting. We remember the 800 who lost
their lives, and the subsequent loss of 8000 lives on that Peninsula in a
far-off land. We honour Women that nursed the wounded.
We reflect on the subsequent losses of life and
heroic deeds of the ANZAC and Allies throughout Europe, in conditions far worse
than encountered at Gallipoli and in fighting far more brutal, dangerous and
costly than anything imagined in Turkey.
We also honour those who have served in every
theatre of battle since the Great War, the one that was to end all wars.
In many press articles, radio interviews and TV
programs leading up to ANZAC Day, much is made of the deeds of the fighting
men. Much is also made of the tactical ineptitude of the Commanders and their
need to satisfy their political masters. A little is made of the motivation of
the Political leaders to present a story to an electorate that will allow them
to be re-elected.
This is an over simplification but it seems to me
that Wars start and escalate due to a need to feed leader egos, justified by
the support of, or need to destroy, a religious idealism.
I don’t pretend to understand religious
differences. I have a broad understanding of Christianity and its basis. I
understand the Protestants and Catholics worship the same God and read pretty
much the same Bible. However, I have no idea what their differences are and why
people have died supporting their side of the argument. Could they have not put
aside their egos and had a chat. Surely the end objective is the same.
Germany in the 1930's used the Jewish as a
lightning rod to excite the masses, but I don’t really understand what
their religious Sin was supposed to be. They were a convenient target to
motivate an uprising of popular support by a general public still struggling to
recover after the first war and a worldwide financial depression.
We are meant to be an intelligent, pragmatic,
creative, informed, educated and intelligent society, so why are we incapable
of learning from the past?
Why are we still turning to State mandated violence
to satisfy individual egos largely under the banner of religious righteousness?
Why do we so quickly default to killing each other
to resolve differences.
North Korea is a problem, but to North Korea, we
are the problem. Let’s talk not fight. Let’s remove the egos.
And we can all make a difference. We can all set an
example. We can start the momentum and a “trickle up” phenomenon
Chances are we all have friends, past friends,
acquaintances, colleagues and associates in our lives, in our world, who we
have had a disagreement with, or we feel at some stage to have been “wronged
by”. We may even not recall just what it was.
What has allowed these relationship breakdowns to
manifest? Chances are it is our ego.
It is easy to do so today and far less
confrontational than it was even 10 years ago. We can text and e-mail. We can
message on a variety of media, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook just to
name a few. Of course, a phone call or letter still works.
If you want motivation, re-visit the story of Eric
Lomax and his forgiving of torturer Takashi Nagase. If Eric can forgive,
surely, we can. * #
We can all make a difference. We can build what I am calling the "Trickle Up Phenomenon" by taking action within our own environs. We can re-establish relationships and friendships by casting aside the negative, restrictive and ultimately self-harming elements of our egos, initiating the first move and taking action.
We can go out in to our 0wn world and talk about the trickle up concept and encourage others to participate. We can provide an example to our leaders that bi-partisanship is a better way to finding common ground, giving and taking defines strength and seeking commonality rather than conflict is the way of the future.
We can change the world by understanding and learning from the past and taking honest action within our own paradigm. We can contribute or we can wait for others to do whatever they decide to do and accept the consequences.
We can all make a difference. We can build what I am calling the "Trickle Up Phenomenon" by taking action within our own environs. We can re-establish relationships and friendships by casting aside the negative, restrictive and ultimately self-harming elements of our egos, initiating the first move and taking action.
We can go out in to our 0wn world and talk about the trickle up concept and encourage others to participate. We can provide an example to our leaders that bi-partisanship is a better way to finding common ground, giving and taking defines strength and seeking commonality rather than conflict is the way of the future.
After all, whatever is going on at the moment is
not working
We can change the world by understanding and learning from the past and taking honest action within our own paradigm. We can contribute or we can wait for others to do whatever they decide to do and accept the consequences.
Look around you, look at the world around you. What have we got to lose?
Let’s end on a negative. What is the worst thing
that can happen?
*Eric Lomax is clear that while he forgives, he
doesn’t forget
# The story is told in the Book by Eric Lomax,
subsequently made in to a film, both titled The Railway Man.
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