LET’S USE ALL THE INSPIRATIONS & PROCLAMATIONS FOR CHANGE

 Emancipation Proclamation 

I have read the story of Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1, 1863 by then United States President, Abraham Lincoln and following that declaration, again on February 1, 1865, Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that outlawed slavery in the United States. It’s time for change!

Honestly speaking, as I lived thru lots of stories of slaves and racial disparities, though faced with those indiscriminately perpetrated innuendos, either deliberately or stereotypically, then in 2008, I remarkably lived to see the first black president, Barack Obama, elected and sworn into the highest office in the land.

Also, the story of Oprah, the media mogul’s meteoric rise from tears to success was mesmerizing and stunningly nuanced as she battles an alcohol addiction like many of her African American fellow men and women who have resigned to alcohol, similar to that of the indigenous people in Australia, to ease their intolerable suffering to go on in life with enormous frustration and hopelessness.

Just to name a few, I also saw most of Martin Luther King’s chunk of the prolific speech “I have a dream”, Rosa Parks the “iron lady” who boarded the Montgomery City bus and refused to give up her seat courteously, Malcolm X, some of his articulate and passionate moments to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary”.  Jesse Jackson, the two time Democratic presidential candidate, who became one of the most influential African Americans, rose to prominence presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 winning 16 state contests and millions of votes making him the first viable African American Democratic presidential candidate before Obama. I remember “that one” vividly; he mesmerized and shook everyone by delivering stunning speeches, but it wasn’t the right time to be. Let’s face it credit to him for building bridges for Obama to cross the highly torrential rivers.

My biggest message to my fellow complaining comrades, if you think you are being discriminated and having rough time considering what the past generations had endured, take their courage for your contentment to go on. Don’t worry…the door is widely open now.

There are more lights to emerge. Enjoy the ride wisely. After all is being said and done, no one lives forever; it’s time for change and move forward irrepressibly and empathetically with no hostility, understanding our human nature frailties that may creep in occasionally.

Today, black candidates serve multiple purposes, honoring the total legacies of Dr. King’s prophetic words that focus on the issues of civil rights, highlighting the use of nonviolence to promote change, calling people into public services and humanity to embrace and live with one another without preconditions.

However, we can’t continue living in the past anymore, whether we like it or not errors do happen. We have the choice to move forward with a comprehensive social change, compromise, recognition and resolution.

The greatest anti-apartheid hero and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela, said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” True, we all have learned from the society we have lived in.

Most importantly, that visionary and dream story astonishingly fulfilled when Barack Obama became the first black President of the United States of America.

“The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.” –Barack Obama

I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against.” –Malcolm X

I walk slowly, but I never walk backward. - Abraham Lincoln

“If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.” –Barack Obama

“Whatever we do echoes for generations.” –Barack Obama

Do your part!

NO VINDICTIVE THINKING, IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE

 HAPPY UNITED NATIONS DAY

Let’s also reflect on the official creation of the United Nations Day, today, October 24, 1945.

As we all know, the theme of the United Nations is let us continue to work together to unleash the power of humanity and give people the opportunity to live freely, think freely, talk freely, breathe freely, and love freely. And in the face of difficult challenges, let us prove that we are capable of building a better world together.

That’s just the way it is

To appreciate how playing with the fire of racial hatred is so tense with unintended consequences & it will be good for all to remember that mutual recognition is a precondition for social trust. A sense of self-worth by any group in society is only partially internal; it also depends on the willingness of other competing groups in the general public to acknowledge the worth of the other.

That vow was badly broken for a while now. Now, hopefully, during the American presidential election of 2024, Kamala Harris is crusading to bring back all the memories of peaceful living, reassert nonviolent legacies into the Whitehouse (People’s House), once again, to work together as “a perfect union”.

When one country attacks another, other countries should not be supporting with arms, must also avoid instigating and provoking the volatile situations. The only league established for this nature of predicament, the United Nations, should use the rule of law and try to find ways of preserving peace from start to end with channel of communications first and foremost and the rest of other member countries should refrain, unless they reject, from stirring up the dust on both foes only to produce more dirt.

What surprises us is, while we continue to commemorate and mourn showing our empathy “Lest We Forget” for all those who have lost their lives gratuitously but obediently, the world is still continuing to amass weapons of mass destructions.

We no longer live in the draconian time of “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil”. It’s time to speak what’s on our mind, especially, if it is deemed prejudicial to our society.

In truth, we all have our own unique cultural predispositions while growing up in different social and educational settings that may not gratify everyone.

Reverence is long overdue, empathetically. Nevertheless, this is not a blame or hostility for the arrogances, invasions or maltreatments of the past or whatever you want to call it. It’s absolutely essential to know history, how far society has come travelling a stifling journey and to give the concept of sorry and reconciliation for the significance this day upholds.

This may sound so harsh but take a heed or make no mistake that anything is possible if we mindfully put our heart in anything we do. Change is possible.

We need to break free from negative emotions of the past & outdated beliefs of generational scenario, inherited collective mind-patterns that have kept our parents & ancestors in captivity, without blaming anyone, creating so much of their suffering for eternities manifesting in our misery today.

Knowledge isn’t generally the driver of our behaviors. We often don’t do what we should do because of inattention, apathy, avoidance, fear of ostracism, racism, being too busy, confronting an unsupportive environment, a negative attitude or habit or routine without being labelled a pushover. 

Any society should learn from the outdated past systems of governance or any covenants and stride forward with renewed approach of openness and accountability in any social relations, business dealings or political capitulations in any endeavors in the rapidly changing world, talking openly without being accused whether against Royals or any managing authority.

The recent visits of Royals to Australia, for whatever reasons, caused a stir among our open society to speak their minds without causing any wrongdoing, just because no one is allowed to say anything against Royals. That’s an outdated policy, if we don’t say anything, nothing will change. I for one like to speak up with respect if I think something is wrong with authorities in our world.

In modern day we’ve breeds of new generations who want new style of governance for an absolute change for society. They couldn’t watch the terrible wars, abuses and uses spreading in the world we live in. All they want is speak what is needed, to create peace using their freedom of speech, rather than seeing Royals doing the same longstanding visits needlessly and doing nothing worthwhile.

What was the purpose of Royal visits? What exactly was being achieved by the visits rather than doing the same deep-rooted touring and to handshake business as usual royalists? I’m only reflecting on what I have seen ever since I can remember what all Royals do for living. Of course, it was splendid to see them up and running.

Remember, we can’t change the past but we can shape up our future only by forgiveness, empathy, consideration and reconciliation.

It’s now time we draw a line under the differences of the past and work together to build consensus around a proposal for change without hostility.

No matter what has happened in the past, we can’t obliterate history. What we can do now, nevertheless, is forgive and move on knowing that the benefits are much greater than playing politics in a continuous vicious cycle to fix the past hefty maltreatments and all delinquencies with so much substantiated mendacities for vengeance.

Also, what we believe individually and collectively, whether good or bad, right or wrong, true or false, will be determined by our creed, values, beliefs and principles that will shape the final outcome. 

It is a mentality that is willing and able to reflect on the past experiences, past actions and their outcomes. It is only through such reflections that one learns one’s strengths, weaknesses and the environment and conditions in which actions were undertaken and what could have been done differently that could have resulted in a constructive outcome. It is not enough to admit collective failure. One needs to evaluate one’s role in the failure.

Today, it’s not enough to create change at the level of symptoms and structures. We need to work together even more deeply to change the underlying paradigms of thought and to connect with our deeper sources of creativity and self in a heterogeneous society.

The process of unifying people is difficult and the road to agreement is often littered with the debris of historical grievances, animosity and resentment.

However, we can’t continue living in the past anymore, whether we like it or not errors do happen. We have the choice to move forward with a comprehensive social change, compromise, recognition and resolution. “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” –Abraham Lincoln

However, we are all interconnected humans fundamentally and we can’t afford to abandon our moralities and privileges to coexist harmoniously.

Today, because of all those who made the difference before us and those who are making the change for a better society now, we’re able to live side by side even though the road to change is still far away from reaching “the mountain top”.

A better and more peaceful world can only be attained by societies developing basic principles of altruism, supporting others thru individual empowerment, practicing non-violence and self-development thru inner transformation.

It’s not rational anymore to accept that the “western” world is democratic, and the rest is “undemocratic”. This is a misconception that merely rests on vindictive thinking of dichotomy and things don’t have to be accepted just the way it is anymore.

The rule of law or democracy is not an advantage that you can automatically get because you are in a certain environmental location or upbringing. It is rather an innate virtue we all humans are entitled to enjoy. If we accept anything, the old-fashioned way, “That’s just the way it is”, nothing will change and neither can we.

Anything we do doesn’t have to be “That’s just the way it is”. If we want change or different outcome, we’ve to try doing differently.

You know what, society created the system, law, rules… society can change anything. Therefore, it’s time to change those old guiding lights that was built long time ago only to serve its creators.

May those who have lost their lives in all unjustly maltreatments and wars in our past and to this modern day, Rest In Peace, and also sending condolences to their grieving families and loved ones.

The truth might hurt but must be told, regardless.

Let’s all not take sides or condone it but stand up to the problem.

Let’s all stand up for change!

HAPPY AFRIKANS DESCENT DAY

 DAY TO SHARE THE PAST & LIVE THE PRESENT ‘DESCENTLY’

First and foremost, we wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, Australia, on which we live and pay our respect to their elders of the past, present, from all nations who gave their lives for all their enduring praiseworthy causes.

The truth might hurt but must be told, regardless. We all have our own unique cultural predispositions while growing up in different social and educational settings that may not gratify everyone.

“If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.”

Without going back further, just starting from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama, the shackles of chain and the knees that pushed the people of color down for centuries have been torn apart by the descendant of the Lion King from Afrika, in 2009.

As we’ve seen the emotions of the people who couldn’t take it any more back in 2009 voted to put the pulsating Barack Obama in office. Since then, America slipped back to its racial profiling and abuses by the very people who took oath in office to obey and serve everyone equally and unconditionally. Just when we thought America has learned about a perfect leadership that managed a perfect union on the land, they need to start all over again, to vote and put the same dynamic leadership that awakened the nation, again. “Whatever we do echoes for generations.” –Barack Obama

We no longer live in the draconian time of “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil”. It’s time to speak what’s on our mind, especially, if it is deemed prejudicial to our society.

A better and more peaceful world can only be attained by societies developing basic principles of altruism, supporting others thru individual empowerment, practicing non-violence and self-development thru inner transformation. “There’s no vaccine for racism.” –Kamala Harris

It’s not rational anymore to accept that the “western” world is democratic, and the rest is “undemocratic”. This is a misconception that merely rests on vindictive thinking of dichotomy and things don’t have to be accepted just the way it is anymore.

In the face of evil, the question in our morality is always a clear one. We can choose to be silent; we can choose to be defenders and accomplices of evil, we can choose to blindfold ourselves in the face of evil or get in the faces of evil doers or we have a choice to be damn evil to condone it or openly accept it.

The message is clear, all of us who teach and preach to others to do things differently, have the choice, seek the opportunity to make the difference, refrain from being doing the same thing and playing by the same rule again, again and again. Make no mistake time to heed, refocus and transform the way we deliver our speeches and speak honest opinions to connect with others.

One must remember the rule of law or democracy is not an advantage that we can automatically get because we are in a certain environmental location or upbringing. It is rather an innate virtue we all humans are entitled to enjoy. If we accept anything, “That’s just the way it is”, nothing will change and neither can we.

There is no stronger weapon against inequality and no better path to equal opportunity than an education that unravels our genetically given potential to live together decently as a human race.

We all have our own unique cultural predispositions while growing up in different social and educational settings that may not gratify everyone.

Reverence is long overdue, empathetically. Nevertheless, this is not a blame or hostility for the arrogances, invasions or maltreatments of the past or whatever you want to call it. It’s absolutely essential to know history, how far society has come travelling a stifling journey and to give the concept of sorry and reconciliation for the significance this day upholds.

This may sound so harsh but take a heed or make no mistake that anything is possible if we mindfully put our heart in anything we do. Change is possible.

We need to break free from negative emotions of the past & outdated beliefs of generational scenario, inherited collective mind-patterns that have kept our parents & ancestors in captivity, without blaming anyone, creating so much of their suffering for eternities manifesting in our misery today.

Any society should learn from the outdated past systems of governance or any covenants and stride forward with renewed approach of openness and accountability in any social relations, business dealings or political capitulations in any endeavors in the rapidly changing world.

We can’t change the past but we can shape up our future only by forgiveness, empathy, consideration and reconciliation.

It's now time we draw a line under the differences of the past and work together to build consensus around a proposal for change without hostility.

No matter what has happened in the past, we can’t obliterate history. What we can do now, nevertheless, is forgive and move on knowing that the benefits are much greater than playing politics in a continuous vicious cycle to fix the past hefty maltreatments and all delinquencies with so much substantiated mendacities for vengeance.

“The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

What we believe individually and collectively, whether good or bad, right or wrong, true or false, will be determined by our creed, values, beliefs and principles that will shape the final outcome.  

It is a mentality that is willing and able to reflect on the past experiences, past actions and their outcomes. It is only through such reflections that one learns one’s strengths, weaknesses and the environment and conditions in which actions were undertaken and what could have been done differently that could have resulted in a constructive outcome. It is not enough to admit collective failure. One needs to evaluate one’s role in the failure.

However, any failure can be turned into an opportunity to learn and grow. I say it can, because it requires a particular attitude to benefit from our failure. Without that mentality, all our failures will go to waste. This is true in political affairs as it is in personal life for a leader, contender as well as a follower. So, what is that mentality?

Today, it’s not enough to create change at the level of symptoms and structures. We need to work together even more deeply to change the underlying paradigms of thought and to connect with our deeper sources of creativity and self in a heterogeneous society.

The process of unifying people is difficult and the road to agreement is often littered with the debris of historical grievances, animosity and resentment.

However, we can’t continue living in the past anymore, whether we like it or not errors do happen. We have the choice to move forward with a comprehensive social change, compromise, recognition and resolution. “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” –Abraham Lincoln

However, we are all interconnected humans fundamentally and we can’t afford to abandon our moralities and privileges to coexist harmoniously.

Today, because of all those who made the difference before us and those who are making the change for a better society now, we’re able to live side by side even though the road to change is still far away from reaching “the mountain top”.

As wounds of the past still lingering around in their respective territories, Afrikans are genuinely making a solid declaration that they no longer allow, to be scrambled by authoritative and hungry, foreign or domestic, hippos to satisfy their voracious appetite.

It’s time that all Afrikan countries must also give up their colonial names and replace it with descent names that fit into the culture and their country of origin vetoed and voted by the voice of the people, regardless of the geographical locations.

The greatest anti-apartheid hero and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela, said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

Here is also one good act to follow: “May we uphold the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

May those who have lost their lives in all unjustly maltreatments and wars in our past and to this modern day, Rest In Peace, and also sending condolences to their grieving families and loved ones.

A SHORT LIVED STORY OF ROBERT NESTA MARLEY

 UNIVERSALLY KNOWN AS BOB MARLEY

His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a British citizen plantation superintendent on a working visit to Jamaica met his mother, a black teenager, named Cedella Booker. Cedella Booker's teen beauty attracted Norval Sinclair Marley and he moved in to live together with her and naturally Cedella became pregnant.

After persevering for nine months, Cedella Booker delivered the baby peacefully on the Thursday afternoon of February 6, 1945, in Nine Mile village, a district in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. She named the baby Robert Nesta Marley after his father who was nowhere to be found in Jamaica.

In February of 1966, Robert Nesta Marley married to Rita whose full name was Alfarita Constantia Marley OJ, OD, now lives in Miami, USA, is a Cuban-born Jamaican singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, while she was a backing vocalist for Bob Marley with the Wailers band.

A melanoma that started under Bob Marley’s big toenail wounded him while he was playing football in 1977. Marley was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma under this toenail. Bob Marley was very much into football and he was a very good player.

He battled with this injury and his doctor advised him to amputate his right big toe. He did not accept the amputation advice because he believed in Rasta No Abide Amputation. His melanoma spread, or metastasized, to other areas of his body and tragically cut his life short. Contrary to popular belief, the melanoma was not caused by a football injury, but rather was a symptom of the already existing cancer.

Despite his illness, he continued touring and was in the process of scheduling a world tour in 1980.

While Marley was flying home from Germany to Jamaica, his vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, Florida, he was taken to the hospital for immediate medical attention. Bob Marley died on 11 May 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) at the age of 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son Ziggy were "Money can't buy life”.

He was a member of the Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Church and was baptized Berhane Selassie (Light of the Trinity) and he had become a Christian Rasta. His funeral celebration was a combination of Ethiopian Orthodox and Rastafarianism grace. Bob Marley was a singer, song writer, guitarist, composer and a footballer, buried back home near his birthplace in Nine Mile village, Jamaica.

The Marley Legacy

Some of my Favorites among the rest of his songs are Redemption Song, Three Little Birds (don't worry 'bout a thing, 'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright!), Is This Love, So Much Trouble In The World, Positive Vibration, Lively Up Yourself, Africa Unite and in fact all his songs are liberating.

In 1986, in honor of her famous husband, Rita Marley decided to convert Bob Marley's home into the Bob Marley Museum, became the Founder and Chairperson of the Robert Marley Foundation in 2000, the Bob Marley Trust and the Bob Marley Group of Companies.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

WHO IS IN THE MIDDLE, IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

LET’S ALL NOT TAKE SIDES, BUT STAND UP TO THE PROBLEM

THE NEVER ENDING STOOOORYYYYY…! I can’t & am not pleased to sing the movie story.

The US’s tactical association with Israel will continue to affect the prospects of peace in the Middle East forever given its unparalleled support and everybody’s guess why has the US been so involved in the region? Does the US foreign policy in the Middle East, especially between Israel & Palestine, unequivocally and equally validated to bring peace? Do you think Palestinian rights and democracy has been equally valued as their counterparts? What have we learned from the war’s loss of lives & destructions between Russia & Ukraine?

The claims that Hamas has launched rockets against Israel is not an excuse to massacre innocent civilians & decimate everything they own, although Hamas is so frustrated that their people’s lives are confined to limited improvements, developments and impossible to make any progresses in the Middle East, doesn’t, likewise, qualify them to kill Israeli civilians out of a continuing and overwhelming anger. However, it seems that’s the only predictable routine they’ve got to scream to the world for help for so long.

On the other hand, Israel can make any type of weaponry and advancements in any areas of assailant technology, but when it comes to other countries like Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran and so forth, they’re not allowed to make any global weapons developments without being indicted for whatever the reason. Israel is aware that they are living on the brink of a volatile sinkhole surrounded by very tolerant and benign Arab communities.

Unfortunately, our world has changed so much since the word terrorism has been created out of people, fighting for their rights, who are subjugated and subjected, to live an immobile and stagnated existence because of unrelenting dominations. I am not condoning to the acts of evil by all involved. I am truly and consciously defining the term based on who is committing the actions, for what purpose, as I see it.

Mind you, every time rockets are launched by few disgruntled individuals, it’s hard to comprehend why massacre innocent civilians and decimate their properties and livelihood. This should be a strong warning that unfortunately, next time when this sort of devastations happens in any country, instead of emotionally destroying innocent people and their property, it may not be an easy operation, humanely & patiently why not hunt for the perpetrators to face their ordeal.

In all conscience, the lighthearted publicity stunt US aid donations of 100 million for the crisis in Gaza will not bring back the dead or inconceivable destructions that took place.

Because this remorseless conundrum has been going on for so long in the Middle East peace process, the world has changed forever in terms of respect for humanity and moral practices. Time and again, we all need to raise our voices for this and all other never-ending wars to end or share the blood of innocent children, all equally treasured like Jewish children, on our hands.

Come on people! Please, make your honest conscious evaluations without hatred against Muslims, Islam religion, Jews, Judaism or Christianity and me for telling you my concern and what I care about or taking no sides against humanity, they should be allowed to live side by side with respect practicing their Asalaam Aleikum or Shalom Aleichem?

It seems to me that in the course of human events, most people face their own defining moments when they least expect it. Often that moment arrives when we are forced to make a choice between doing good, doing evil or remaining indifferent because we just do not care or exasperated for so long.

Also not making a choice or indifference is the easiest choice to make; it requires no thinking at all. The choice between good and evil is paralyzing not because there is actual moral ambiguity or uncertainty in choosing but because evil & indifference is so much more attractive, seductive and appears to offer greater rewards no matter how long.

To stand for the truth, what is good and right, is the hardest choice of all because they require moral clarity and courageous acts of conscience. One must have fundamental convictions and moral principles to speak the truth and to do good and the right thing and in so doing define the moment instead of being defined by the moment & very few lingering prejudices.

In the face of evil, the question in our morality is always a clear one. We can choose to be silent; we can choose to be defenders and accomplices of evil; we can choose to blindfold ourselves in the face of evil or get in the faces of evil doers or we have a choice to be damn evil to condone it or openly accept it.

What are your thoughts and choices about this never-ending war, which keep affecting global peace & creating dreadful human relations, to let the world community to do something about it?

“Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today, it’s not enough to create change at the level of symptoms and structures. We need to work together even more deeply to change the underlying paradigms of thought and to connect with our deeper sources of creativity and self in a heterogeneous society.

The process of unifying people is difficult and the road to agreement is often littered with the debris of historical grievances, animosity and resentment.

However, any failure can be turned into an opportunity to learn and grow. I say it can, because it requires a particular attitude to benefit from our failure. Without that mentality, all our failures will go to waste. This is true in political affairs as it is in personal life for a leader as well as a follower. So, what is that mentality?

It is a mentality that is willing and able to reflect on past experiences, past actions and their outcomes. It is only through such reflections that one learns one’s strengths, weaknesses and the environment and conditions in which actions were undertaken and what could have been done differently that could have resulted in a positive outcome. It is not enough to admit collective failure. One needs to evaluate one’s role in the failure.

These days in age, we don’t need guns and weapons of mass destruction to change courses of disagreement, but by engaging in dialogues, sharing practical concepts as an interconnected society we can write and re-write differences until we get it right, peacefully.

Nevertheless, this is a wakeup call for all humanity and government officials to take heed and reaffirm the responsibility for their own actions or face this ongoing inevitable fate again & again for generations to come. I’m not violent or inciting violence but commenting my own assessment as I’ve lived through this and all sorts of incidents, war and cruelty and demanding for change.

We’ve the choice to live together in harmony or continue to live in a world of hate and inequality.

Let’s anticipate eliminating shared problems that have entrenched us for so long by redefining the way we perceive its symbolic grounds without blaming one or the other. If we do so by using all of our senses, we may empathize rather than trivialize.

Our condolences to all the families, loved ones & friends who have lost everything.

TIME FOR REDEMPTION & FAIRDINKUM

 First and foremost, I wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians & true sovereign of this land on which we live and pay my respect to their elders of the past, present, from all nations and to those who gave their lives and for enduring praiseworthy foundations by making significant sacrifices.

Commiserations to all who have dedicated their time and energy in the efforts of advancing the fairness vote. It is predictably disappointing that the yes vote didn’t prevail. Now, it’s time to restore hope, present new thoughts and invigorate the public again to deliver the atmosphere of good will for all.

Let’s not be perturbed by the referendum’s no vote preferences. This was like all the past undertakings, a predictable show of fewer hands as the vote for change was marginalized. Now, it’s Makarrata time to refocus and find a different but strong terminology than the previous jargons of “sorry, reconciliation, referendum, yes… that can entice all Australians to burst with earnest messages that can introduce moralities for equal opportunity rather than construe it as if the indigenous people will take over the sovereign.

Let’s not swayed by few hoodwinkers and perpetrators that blaming Prime Minister, Albanese was at fault, the yes vote didn’t prevail. He has allocated so much effort for the vote to be successful, but Australia reflected on its past to disregard it and he was determined to give the indigenous people a better opportunity. It was also disheartening to see some of the responsible but young indigenous representatives and influential leaders misconstrued and being deceived to oppose the referendum.

Make no mistake, a better and more peaceful world can only be attained by societies developing basic principles of humanity, supporting each other thru individual empowerment, practicing non-violence and self-development thru internal transformation.

Recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country’s constitution to represent their people and paying respect to 65,000 years of culture and tradition is not about taking over the sovereignty and leading by dominating the people as some are instigating this system of archaic fear as a motivating standoff and generating division prone conventions by encouraging hesitant crusaders.

Keep in mind that, the yes vote was the start of the emergence of big change. Next time, it will be different. There will be times when they shouldn’t compromise their core values, their integrity, and they will have the responsibility to speak up in the face of injustice and do all that they can to thrive and survive. To do so they need to cultivate and nurture the concept of cultural helpfulness and social cohesion rather than individualistic hatemongering approach even if they don’t get the support for those new changes.

A sense of self-worth by any group in society is only partially internal; it also depends on the willingness of other competing groups in the general public to acknowledge the worth of the other.

Furthermore, just because someone is the leader of the opposition doesn’t mean they have to repudiate every important policies/changes that serve the people without creating unfairness. It’s an absolute disrepute for someone who has leadership knowledge and authority standing to refute the owners of the land that they live on by amassing enormous opportunities to say the least. This message is also for the rest of Australian public who the opposition leaders reverberating to, ‘the people are not ready to accept any voice for change’. When will the public be ready to accept changes? The opposition leaders are just labelling people to show that they are doing something by opposing in their given position. It’s time to understand the functions of the voices/policies being demanded by addressing all false impressions to increase public awareness in good conscience.

We all have the right to dislike and make comments how and what we feel about anything. How others feel is entirely theirs alone. Nobody deserves to be abused or punished because they speak up the language of the new millennium.

We are all making our open contributions regardless of commendations, acknowledgements, appreciations and validations of our efforts, to improve any ongoing social, political and individual dilemmas in our community. Those contributions are somehow used by other personalities in assisting and advancing their actions for a better outcome. That’s also morally a good feeling!

It’s easy to take someone for granted until we see the unimaginable person or candidate emerges to replace the existing ones.

Today, it’s not enough to create change at the level of symptoms and structures. We need to work even more deeply to change the underlying paradigms of thought and to connect with our deeper sources of creativity and self in a heterogeneous society.

It’s the sanctity & crudeness of being human, stupidity, complexity, communality, mortality…and tragedy that we linger on grumbling no matter how fulfilled and comfortable we are.

Reconciliation and Sorry are not only about remuneration with handouts with limited opportunities and ‘unfairdinkum’ treatments in order to maintain equal shares in the conventional society.

It’s now time Australians draw a line under the differences of the past and work together to build consensus around a proposal for change without hostility.

This is long overdue and it’s a decision that we as Australians must make for ourselves. As time goes by we’re becoming heartless, unsympathetic and insidious society. We’re all the same under the universe; every one of us needs to practice it correctly.

Nevertheless, irrespective of the disparities that have long existed here and around the world, learning from the past and still remaining calm to do the right thing, I’m happy and contented to see change is happening at a slower rate than ever before. There’s more to be done. Everything all of us declared and wanted to be accomplished will be realized surely either now or long before we all have gone like all those who have gone before us doing so much and putting up their lives for moral causes.

FYI: UK just announced, “Its jails are crowded & wants to send prisoners abroad.”

Do your part, read more personal reflections on leaders, Royalties, different business bogusness & immoral dealings time immemorial: https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-can-we-trust.html 

ETHIOPIANS, LET’S RECONCILE OUR INTERESTS

 The imperial Ethiopian state, overtly and covertly, promoted a hierarchal political pyramid in which our Amhara race sat at the top. TPLF merely added what Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani calls “define and rule” to the old colonial statecraft of “divide and rule” and created new identities while dismantling others. It then replaced our Amhara’s race and sat at the top of the pyramid.

Our Amhara solution to identity-based political questions is to propose the abolition of ethnic identity, in favor of a transcendental identity called Ethiopian. This proposal, while useful as a basis for the transformation of the Ethiopian state from imperial into modern, does not repudiate or reverse past and present settler colonialism in Ethiopia. On the contrary, it sustains it.

Through this self-destruction, settler colonialism perpetuates itself by claiming that colonial difference between “settlers” and “natives” have ended while sustaining the ethnically demarcated political and economic inequality through a creation of “trans ethnic” settler polity. This polity eliminates challenges posed by the “indigenous” demand for rights through bogus autonomy and false narratives of belongingness.

To claim that the current Ethiopian federal state is a representative, multi-ethnic polity and that sub-national states are autonomous “indigenous” homelands – while actually tightly controlling both the center and the periphery – is a good example of the resilience and dynamism of settler colonialism; its ability to disguise itself and adaptability to changes in time and circumstances.

Our Amhara and Oromo rival interpretations are not all unfounded, but they are invariably selective, insular, bigoted and self-serving.

It is not simply about identity and epistemology, but primarily about power. Large-scale displacement of our “indigenous” Oromos by our “Amhara settlers” is also the expropriation of their land and suppression of their religious, cultural, linguistic and geographical fault lines so wide and deep.

                           ETHNIC MAKEUP OF ETHIOPIA

When we’ve the emergence of a new political language and imagination, classifications such as “natives” and “settlers” should cease as political identities and must be replaced by progressive agendas which emphasize citizenship, shared values, democracy, individual rights and the politics of ideas.

Aside from the status quo governance of the current regime, our Amaras must bid farewell to any nostalgic illusions of the future Ethiopian polity ever regaining its quintessential form and appearance: The legendary militarist, Orthodox-Christian, injera-eating, iskista-dancing, netela-wearing, land of fascinating myths and auras is gone forever! 

THE WAY FORWARD

In a nutshell, two parallel things must happen if the political aspirations of our Oromos and Amaras are to be reconciled and to forge a strategic and principled political partnership, now or in the future:

1.    LOOKING FORWARD: Our Oromos must reorient their struggle toward the creation of a just, inclusive and democratic Ethiopia where all people move from being “subjects” to “citizens.” Historical injustices and indigenization concerns could be addressed through the establishment of redemptive not vindictive autonomies. These autonomies should not categorize people into permanent, rigid and static “indigenous” and “non-indigenous” identities. They should make provisions for dynamism and the organic and voluntary dissolution of primordial identities in the long run.

2.    LOOKING BACKWARDS: For the future painted above to materialize, the acrimony over the past must end first. It can only end, to quote Mamdani again, if every community rejects the temptation to classify itself as “the victim” and the other as the “perpetrator” of the historical violence and oppression that took place. Instead, every community should consider themselves as “survivors” of a violent history. This is tricky and impractical in a context where the violence and subjugation were largely one-sided and has disproportionately affected our larger community —in our case, the Oromos.

For the purpose of this discussion, it is immaterial if our Amaras were wronged before the 19th century and after 1991. That is because both the destructive legacy of the alleged 16th century Oromo expansion into Amhara territory and our Oromos role in the misery of our Amaras after 1991 are not visible today.

As both our ethnic groups are one of the many of Ethiopian racial groups in nature, therefore, our Amaras must acknowledge the historical suffering of our Oromos and must be prepared to show empathy and understanding without seeking vengeance, both racial groups, for the ignorance of our past. An admission of the damaging political, social, economic and psychological impact of over a century of imperial conquest and domination of our Oromos may provide a measure of closure for them. Without such a closure, the creation of a truly representative and equitable Ethiopian society, in which our Oromos feel at home, is impossible and they can’t continue torturing each other forever. “All must be forgiven, and we should start walking together, again.”

On the other hand, our Oromos must realize that the current generation of our Amaras and, indeed, the one before it, has nothing to do with the crimes imperial Ethiopia committed against them. If at all, in the last over 35 years, our Amaras were the most victimized and dehumanized people in Ethiopia since the overthrow of the monarch.

They endured a fate similar to what happened to the “byvshie liudi” (the former people) in Bolshevik Russia. The “former people” –an arbitrarily categorized group of people including “functionaries of the Tsarist regime, the clergy and rich people” –were persecuted and summarily excluded from the “new” Socialist order.

Our Amaras, under TPLF reign, have been Ethiopia’s “former people”. And their new generation won’t be in any mood to offer apologies for atrocities that they did not commit and that happened centuries ago; when they themselves are, in fact, going through modern-day ordeal. They have reached a tipping point; and once a tipping point is reached, an enraged people have no time for magnanimity or vicarious guilt. That’s what exactly happening now and Abiy is trying his best to repair wounds of the past with all the refusal and misunderstandings of our traditionalist mentality.

PROGRESSING TOWARD THE LAST FRONTIER

PM ABIY AHMED IS A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER

It is a mentality that is willing and able to reflect on our past experiences, past actions and their outcomes. It is only through such reflections that one learns one’s strengths, weaknesses, the environment and conditions in which actions were undertaken and what could have been done differently that could have resulted in a positive outcome.

ABIY AHMED MODERN-DAY PRIME MINISTER OF ETHIOPIA

It is not enough to admit collective failure. One needs to evaluate one’s role in the failure. This is even more so if one is a leader under whose watch an organization, business or administration failed. Like in our past, denying (to oneself and others) failures, personal accountability and scapegoating or blaming on someone will never help our progression.

People, especially, academics, intellectuals and political aspirants with such mentality cannot educate themselves and others from past failures and therefore deserve no chances to continue abusing and doing the same thing over and over, again and again. That’s why our old idealists or dreamers are reluctant to accept new way of doing businesses that will transform for the better.

The Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, since taking over from PM Hailemariam Desalegn on April 2, 2018, and embarking on taking swift political reforms, firing and nominating capable individuals, touring the most impoverished and neglected regions of the country and making international tours to affirm better relations and to demand the release of Ethiopian nationals languishing in prisons of foreign countries and receiving a Nobel prize for his efforts in his short high-spirited leadership period.

  ETHOPIA'S ETHNIC COMPOSITIONS

Once again, my wish is to stand with the modern-day Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, and his team of new reformers, rather than continuing to throw barrages of unwarranted criticisms, cynicisms, envies, nepotisms, preferences and firmly and honestly stand with him for he stands for all Ethiopians irrespective of their religious, ethnic or racial backgrounds.

My recommendations are in line with the erudite conclusions of John Markakis, who outlined the two last “frontiers” that Ethiopia must cross if it is to graduate from a multiethnic empire to a modern state: The first being “the monopoly of power inherited from the empire builders and zealously guarded ever since by a ruling class of Abyssinian origin”; and the second “the arid lowlands on the margins of the state, where the process of integration has not yet reached and where resistance to it is greatest.”

The solutions I proposed here to surmount our Oromo and Amhara political rift are admittedly easier said than done. It is one thing to propose theoretical or “intellectual” solutions in an “academic politics” scenario where, as Henry Kissinger once said, “the stakes are so low.” It is quite different to come up with actionable political solutions in a real-world environment where the stakes are much higher and more fatal to leave it to a few by excluding the other racial groups who shared the plights to speak.

But the theory precedes the praxis. So, why not use these “intellectual” solutions as a basis to overcome the impasse? We need to change personally rather than criticize, name and shame our new system of governance endlessly. Change takes time; we need enlivened efforts and lasting determinations not ruminations.

          ONE ETHIOPIA FOR ALL WITHOUT BEING DIVISIVE

It is possible if our Oromos, Tigrayans, Amaras and all other racial background motivated factions, politicians and scholars, rather than shouting & killing each other, to start talking to each other so that they can make extra efforts to understand each other’s vantage points, fears, expectations and interests.

The wellbeing of any country –and certainly Ethiopia –depends on its multiethnic people’s ability to confront their fissures head-on. One ethnic group can’t think of others concerns. This also applies to the myriad of other fractures, beyond our Amhara-Oromo political rivalry, in the country.

One Ethiopia for all, all for one Ethiopia!