For the Aboriginals of Australia

Following up on the previous post, To be a Hero, this plea is for the Australian Aboriginals' Stolen Generation. Shortly after the first settlers of the British Empire came to Australia, half-castes became a bane in British colonization. The mission was to 'breed out' the 'black' in the children and to bring them up as British servants, or, if they were 'white' enough, to be educated and became a member of the British society.


Years after this plan was set in motion, the one-time settlers of Australia are requesting a public, heartfelt apology to the victims of the practice, by the government to the Aboriginal people.


After watching the movie "Rabbit-Proof Fence", it seems only appropriate that they should. Though their intentions might have been viewed as good in their eyes, it does not justify the fact they wrestled mothers and children apart forever, to live separate lives as the latter are taught to disregard their own religion and culture to embrace another, bewilderingly different, one. It doesn't explain away the fact they intentionally tried to 'breed out' the native genes in the children. It sounds like they've been selecting the type of fur they would like a certain breed of dog should have. Humans, no matter how different or 'inferior' they seem to you, are humans. Not animals.


The damage is done. The Stolen Generation is one thing that just cannot be given back. But making up for it is in just order. It's the least you can do after crushing the lives and hearts of the mothers you legally stole children from. Saying the words 'I'm sorry' won't be a satisfactory apology either. Actions speak louder than words.


Perhaps you can't give their children back, but you can certainly allow a little of their native homeland to become wild again. A little wilderness at your backyard can't hurt the scenery. And letting them take up their ways of life, culture, beliefs, could help. Reconnecting with your life hurts, but heals more than it kills. The memory of things done in bygone days revives a sense of homecoming, and brings one closer to their heritage. To their family.


An apology is in order. Make it count; this one's for the Stolen Generation.

Note: In Victorian times, the flower Rue signified the sender's regret.

To be a Hero

The dictionary says a hero is someone, usually a man, who is idolized for their brave deeds and honorable qualities. But what do you think a hero is? Someone who saves people at the cost of their own lives? A protector of the powerless, supporter of the small, fighter for the feeble?

In the movie "Rabbit-Proof Fence", the protagonist, Molly, decides to undertake a 1,500 mile long journey with her two younger sisters. On the good old-fashioned soles of the feet they were born with.

Why? Half-castes in the days of the British colonies, they are the children of the Aboriginals of Australia and English fathers. After being forcibly kidnapped and taken to a camp to train as a servant, the sickened Molly plots to run away, dubbing the camp 'bad place'.

In this, Molly is a hero. She knows this is wrong, that the British have no right to attempt to brainwash her, to make a servant of their 'proper' lives. And she is willing to go against it. She's brave enough to make a stand.

It's not like she's gullible either, thinking no one will stop her and bring her back. She knows the camp has a tracker, an Aboriginal tracker. But she runs, and she runs with the knowledge that the coming rain will soon cover her tracks. That she is brave enough, strong enough, determined enough, to risk the fear of being dragged back to the camp, is a sign of heroism. She will do what it takes to get her sisters and herself home.

She's also smart enough to lessen the chances of getting caught, too. She isn't running headlong, pelting away home just hoping she's fast enough to keep ahead of the tracker. She's laying false trails, keeping the real tracks as hard to follow as possible, and staying alert to the danger. To me, a hero is someone honorable and brave, yes, but smart. Dumb brute strength never saved anybody. You've got to be clever enough to save people against unbalanced odds, and chances are, the odds are against you.

Watch it, brave, honorable, heroic men. Young girls can be saviours too.

DomiKnows: Knowing About Me

Some people think logically, write with their right hand, subconsciously start to walk with their left leg, and prefer listening with the right ear rather than the left. A freak of nature?

Well, if she/he is, then we all are too. These preferences are how you learn, or think, or cope under stress.

It has a lot to do with your brain. Your logical, orderly side controls everyday life like putting the key into the ignition before you drive and booting up the computer before you open Microsoft Word. The other side, however, deals with emotion and intuition. This part likes the way your painting looks because it's got a variety a vibrant colors and says that person in the dark jacket over at that table looks like a thief.

For me, I am gestalt (emotional-oriented), I listen better with my right ear, see things through my left eye, write with my left and step forward with my left as well. My profile is called, simply, O. This profile states that I learn well through movement and focus on the big thing, drawing the issue in relevence to myself. As a highly visual learner, I like to physically see the whole picture and prefer to actually do whatever is being learned. I also like to have examples and allusions to other subjects to help me comprehend when problem solving. People belonging to the profile O are very kinesthetic, meaning they must move their body, mostly the hands, to learn. When in the classroom, I have been known to sit cross-legged on my chair while absentmindedly swaying from side to side. Sometimes, when I feel relaxed, I will doodle absently and listen for the details instead.

Because my eyes scans from left to right, I have slight difficulty reading left to right languages like English, although extensive reading of storybooks have nearly canceled out this difficulty. Also, my eyes and hand don't work together very well, which causes difficulty with handwriting. I usually have problems with communicating details in a logical, orderly way. Sometimes, although my movements are usually intuitive and flowing, stress affects my ability to execute specific technique. I also prefer not to follow the instructions, but instead start by envisioning the final product, then starting wherever I feel is best.

Most people of the profile O benefit from sitting close to the front of the classroom or meeting room on the left hand side, while still being able to move without disturbing others. Some techniques that a profile O person might learn to help cope with stress are reading out loud, toning the hand-eye coordination by using the Brain Gym technique 'Lazy 8's', or 'Thinking Caps'. Also, balancing the arts and movement into linguistics and math will be really beneficial to people of the profile O.