Abalinx 23 May 2016 Peter Adamis
We as Australians take much for granted, especially if we believe in the democratic system of equality and the acceptance of paradigms that belong to a bygone era. But what will be the catalyst that draws us away from the dreamtime and make us realise that we cannot live isolated any longer.
Life as we know it is about to become even more complicated as the means of transport and the technology of communication brings us closer to our global partners that no other generation has ever known.
What we are about to enter is a strange, exciting and beautiful world where travel through the introduction of new technologies changes the concept of isolation. Medical breakthroughs being developed as we speak, where illnesses such as cancer, the common cold, influenza, and a host of other incurable diseases become manageable. If you are a baby boomer, then you don’t have to be a prophet to visualise such a world, but whether we live long enough to see it. To download a copy of the article click on: WHAT HAVE YOU CONTRIBUTED TO THIS NATIONS SECURITY AND LONGEVITY
If the above is to be true then I ask what we as Australians have done in our life to contribute to this nation’s security and longevity. Did we paid our taxes, raise a family, serve the people, wear the nation’s uniform, create wealth so that others may be employed; or did we merely live off the backs of others in the knowledge that life owed us a living because of the struggles of a generation before us. We are a nation of free souls that have the unenviable luxury of doing as we please within the known and unknown parameters of what is commonly known as a civilised society. It is great to be an Australian citizen is it not?
If being an Australian citizen is the desired utopian dream of all those who arrive on our shores invited and in other cases uninvited is it not then reasonable to expect them to abide by the rules of the host and respect its occupants and their environment? Let me be a little more succinct by stating that there is not a culture in this world of ours that does not welcome another into their home without knowing the individual. It would be difficult for any culture to accept an uninvited individual into their home without some knowledge of them.
The only exception to the rule would be someone who is in dire straits and is in danger of being injured by a known or unknown assailant. However even then the distress may not always be evident other than what the uninvited individual portrays to the host and in our case the Australian Border Control organisations responsible for vetting uninvited guests.
This scenario therefore places the nation’s lawgivers in a predicament and somewhat of a conundrum knowing that they must be seen as abiding by the United Nations treaties, alliances and human rights concepts and at the same time ensuring that there is no undue competition for resources such as jobs, welfare, access to health services, housing.
What then are the drivers in a global environment that is constantly being challenged and changed as a result of external influences such as economic crisis, famines, starvation, crop failures, natural disasters, conflict, wars, plaques and other calamities that force mass migration of a people? Are these the drivers or are they merely the triggers that cause nations to close borders, create new laws, put up borders, isolation camps and other deterrent measures such as stopping the boats in the case of Australia or closing the borders as seen in Europe as a result of the current Middle East humanitarian crisis.
Are the dangers real or unimagined nightmares. One cannot be sure what is real and unreal in this age of technology and I am of the belief that we as a nation have become immune to the horrors of war and the suffering of others no matter how much we feel sorry for their plight and circumstances. The only ones to suffer from such conflicts are those directly involved either as victims or as defence personal and their families and as such we the people are shielded from such horrors.
Given that safety net, it is not wrong to want to retain our freedoms, heritage, culture, traditions, faith, and laws within the confines of our environment against any external influences or pressures that may be erosive to our way of life. We therefore as a sovereign nation have the right to bar, deter, exclude and apply our laws on alien influences that are perceived as a threat to our economic security, cultural identity and Western way of life. I say this because apart from being a courageous and resilient people, we as Australians are also known for our compassion, sticking up for the underdog, giving a bloke a fair go and fighting the good fight without the need to be told what is good for us as a people by others.
We accept others from places alien to our way of life with the proviso that those who enter our shores do so in the full knowledge that they will be required integrate into our society, respect and abide by our laws, institutions and contribute to our way of life without losing their own identity or attempting to change the foundations of this nation. Therefore returning to the title of the article, I ask again what you have contributed to this nation’s security and longevity and if so how can you make it a better place. If you can honestly believe that throughout your life you have contributed to this nation in one form of another and made it a better place, then and only then you have the right to say that you an Australian citizen.
If I appear to be racist, of which I am not, then pray tell; let readers enlighten me on the error of my ways and demonstrate what is it that has offended them. I may be on the wrong track or have struck a nerve that has unerringly found itself at odds with the body of Australian society that has successfully absorbed alien cultures in the past. The previous sentence may be seen as a euphemism for elitism and/or racism, but let me tell you that you are wrong.
For the cynics and sceptics ready to pounce be in the knowledge that I am but an ordinary run of the mill bloke, like many others not born of this country. I was born of Greek parents who made the difficult and anguishing choice to leave the homeland and journey to the land of the South to a new home called, Australia. In doing so they laid the foundations for a better life from the one they left behind. Who am I to judge them for their decision, but someone who has embraced Australian values without losing my faith, heritage and origins and as such my contribution has been to wear the uniform of Australia and to give it four sons.
Remember that as Australians, our resilience and tolerance as a progressive society can and may absorb and integrate other cultures but never expect us to do so at our expense or to our detriment. Many have contributed to this country and to its longevity by simply living within the parameters of society and not outside them invoking laws alien to our way of life. When they finally bury me, it will on Australian soil having earned the right like the millions of others to be called an Australian and having contributed to its longevity and wellbeing.
As always, my apologies for the poor grammar, punctuation and savagery of the English language. All that I can say is that it is great to be alive and one does not give up in the face of adversity.
Peter Adamis is a Freelance Journalist/Social Media Commentator and writer. He is a retired Australian military serviceman and an Industry organisational & Occupational (OHS) & Training Consultant whose interests are within the parameters of domestic and international political spectrum. He is an avid blogger and contributes to domestic and international community news media outlets as well as to local and Ethnic News. He holds a Bachelor of Adult Learning & Development (Monash), Grad Dip Occupational Health & Safety, (Monash), Dip. Training & Assessment, Dip Public Administration, and Dip Frontline Management. Website: abalinx.com Contact via Email: [email protected] or via Mobile: 0409965538