Saying sorry is not enough

A real apology goes beyond the words

On February 13, 2008, Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister of Australia, made a speech about the "stolen generation" and the rest of the Aborigines; saying sorry to them, to the native people and the real first settlers of that land, who were terribly separated of their own family, their own ground, but much more, from their own world. 

Kevin Rudd giving the sorry speech

The Prime Minister moved: "That today we honour the indiginous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history. We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history". But right after, he said: "The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future".

Some kids taken away from their families
(the stolen generation)

Is it so easy like just moving forward? Is it just about saying sorry? Is just about apologizing and telling: we regret of the past, we're not going to do it again? 

I strongly believe that it's not enough. Maybe we think that is a good way to show how they don't approve what happend time ago, and that since now the Australian government will recognize and honor the Aborigines. 

This reality could be extrapolated to all the countries' history where indigenous were deracinated from their places, families and culture.

Yes, an apology is always the first step and it's very laudable when it's truly done. It must be the first thing to do but it's not sufficient. 

There's a good dialogue of an analogy that explains how forgiveness works:

The European settlement in Australia

- Take this dish and throw it away.

- Ready.

- Is it broke?

- Yes.

- Say you're sorry.

- I'm sorry.

- Did it return to be as it was?

- No.

- Do you understand now?

Aborigine

Words are not enough. Show them your regret, show them how history's going to change, show to the world you really care about them and show us you know that you hurt them. But show it with actions, no words anymore. Show that they were right and they're right. Let's admit that our culture isn't better or higher than theirs.

As the poet Oodgero Noonuccal said in one of her poems, full of inony: 

"No more boomerang, 

  No more spear; 

  Now all civilized, 

  Colour bar and beer...

  No more sharing, 

  What the hunter brings; 

  Now we work for money, 

  Then pay it back for things".

But this is not only a government's task, this is everyone's task. Both in Australia and the United States, as well as in Canada and Latin America, as in every place where some human rights were ignored, and there is no time to continue disregarding.

I make a proposal to everyone who read this post: let's honor the aborigines, let's honor the different indigenous peoples over the world, let's appreciate the first truly settlers of the land. Let's learn about them and let's practise what they taught us. That's the best way to honor someone.

Let's understand aborigines' knowledge and what the "dreamtime" is. Let's cherish to the simple things, let's connect with the ground and trees, let's take a walk to the countryside, let's see how the water goes down through the river, let's enjoy the colours of the sky, let's relax watching the birds fly, let's play with our brothers and sisters, let's hug our parents, let's listen to the elders, let's smile to the world, let's admire nature, let's respect nature and let's connect with nature. At least... for a while.

Let's forget a little  about tecnology, let's forget a little bit about money, let's forget a little bit about electricity, let's forget a little bit about things, let's forget a little bit about internet.

 

Let's turn off the computer after read this........