The Hardest Word

It's sad, so sad.
It's a sad sad situation...

(John/Taupin 1976)

I think its a great day in any sentient being's life (and a society's) when it finally takes responsibility for cleaning up its own shit.  Australia's day for this may very well be tomorrow, when the Federal government will utter the "S" word not once, not twice, but three times:  apologising to Aboriginal peoples for the wrongs of the past two hundred years of colonialism and institutionalised racism.

It would be comforting to think that, however it is communicated, any sincere expression of regret and sorrow at suffering and injustice would automatically be recognised as such - but of course the practical reality is that any sincere expression of regret and sorrow must first be in a form which is both intelligible and acceptable to the recipient/s.  Otherwise what would be the point?

So it is only right that after more than a decade of sophistry and lexiconographical jerrymander by the conservative coalition government, at last we have a leadership who can move beyond petty pedantry to make this necessary symbolic gesture.

As for the contentious issue of compensation, I think its about time that all Australians braced themselves for collision with the hard fact that real justice may very well require retribution as well as symbolism.  Whether this is by way of blood, money or land is in my opinion best decided by due process of law as enshrined by a true liberal democracy which upholds the rights of individuals regardless of their class, race or taste.

I personally would like to express my sorrow at the suffering experienced by indigenous people of past and present, and my intention to do my bit to help heal that hurt by working with all peoples for the good of the planet and all its inhabitants, both human and non-human.