Above All, Attitude
Omeed Rameshni, University of Melbourne

We live in a country of many faiths, colours, languages, ages, races and backgrounds.  Growing together in harmony requires us to acknowledge, even appreciate, these differences and see them as a source of strength.  Only following this acknowledgement may we truly appreciate and learn from each other.  This acknowledgement and belief must extend beyond mere platitudes.  Without acknowledgement, growth will be slow – even impossible.

The problem is that it is really hard to completely incorporate each other into our small worlds.  Worse, it is often small things holding us back.  We need a thorough, dispassionate re-evaluation of our current fundamental beliefs and values on matters of colour, age, gender and religion.

We have come far from the days of the White Australia Policy.  Genuinely too, have many Australians embraced the spirit of love and appreciation for all races and peoples.  But, yet still, some unquestioned and pernicious artefacts of antiquated past beliefs continue to exist within our society.  Fashion billboards are an example.  They exist as heralds of the archetypical image of beauty within our society.  The message they give is simple:  white is beautiful.  My proposal to the fashion industry therefore is equally simple:  We are all beautiful.  We are all Australians.  Let’s have more types of Australians on your billboards.  I guarantee you’ll get more sales.  Ido not wish to demonize a single industry with these words, similar words are applicable to many other industries.  I am sure that none have specific mal-intention, but such is the pattern of unquestioned attitudes.

Do we really believe that the elderly have a valid contribution within our society?  Perhaps we do, yet there is a problem as testified by the Age Discrimination Act of 2004 passed by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.  Legislation will hopefully protect the legal rights of the elderly – but there is more at stake than just legal rights.  The experience and life-learning of older Australians is of great value to us all.  Failing to appreciate and capitalize on this value is simply wasteful.  My proposal is to the young:  appreciate the elderly, learn from their experience, and be humble and respectful.  I guarantee we’ll be enriched for it.  And if we learn from the past, then surely the case for future war and bloodshed will be weakened.

Gender-based discrimination is another blight on society; an insidious denial of the rights of half our country.  From a sheer pragmatic perspective, full participation within a society will lead to greater output and a greater quality of life for us all.  And while there can be no doubts that major advances have been made in this field, further advancement is possible.  Similar to the previous two issues, the challenge results in refining socially accepted norms, and changing perspectives further.  Small things are once more important.  To young men, my proposal is simple: among each other, let us endeavour to end sexually discriminatory remarks, be they in the form of genuine criticism, objectification or humour.  While our intent may not be harmful, language is crucially important in shaping our perceptions.  Let us not accidentally poison our clear horizons for the sake of a cheap laugh.

Finally, religion.  Australia is a land of diverse beliefs.  But what is assuredly common amongst all faiths and of none, be we Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Baha’is, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics or Atheistsis that unity, love and peace are guiding principles and tenets of our respective beliefs.  Respect and love for all our brothers and sisters.  We require to shed any trace of arrogance which would make us assert our belief as superior.  Moderation.  Tolerance.  Unity.  Humility.

My proposals in this short piece, despite being described as simple, can be in essence, anything but.  We have many reasons to maintain our current attitudes into the next generation.  Our current situation is often comfortable, and life may be too short, too hectic, tool involved to bother to reconsider how we can truly move forward as a country.  The motivation behind shirting our attitudes needs to be strong.  The simple story of the strength of a bundle of sticks tied together comes to mind – but cliché and over simplicity causes this story to fall short of truly describing the effect of a lack of harmony within a society.  Perhaps better is the image of many flowers in a garden blossoming together, with different hues, shapes and smells?  The value of each individual flower is unquestionable, and the garden’s value suffers with every drooping bud.  We in this great county, nay the entire World, are as precious roses in a single garden.  Individually we are all precious.  But we are so much more beautiful when we shine together in harmony.  A simple shift in attitude can allow us all to shine.

BACK TO WINNERS LIST