Last night a couple of thieves tried to steal my bike, which I am somewhat attached to.
Now I'm taking time to re-calibrate my mind with Jack
“I see a vision of a great rucksack revolution
thousands or even millions of young Americans wandering around with
rucksacks, going up to mountains to pray, making children laugh and old
men glad, making young girls happy and old girls happier, all of 'em Zen
Lunatics who go about writing poems that happen to appear in their
heads for no reason and also by being kind and also by strange
unexpected acts keep giving visions of eternal freedom to everybody and
to all living creatures ...”
After visiting people in Immigration Detention Centres here in Darwin over the past
couple of years, and trying to advocate for people where I could, I
have found that the situation for asylum seekers is now even worse than
when we started!
I am frustrated, and fed up with constantly
grovelling with pathetic bureaucrats and gaolers on behalf of people
whose voices have been silenced! I
am tired of seeing people loose their sanity and dignity as they fall into despair, after
months and even years of incarceration by this country; it's leaders indifferent to the suffering they have caused and the hearts they have
poisoned!
JUSTICE! What about justice?! Will the guardian of
detained children (Scott Morrison) be brought to justice? I doubt it. I have asked myself, what more can I do? What action will be effective in stopping this madness? Maybe none...? Unable to
articulate my outrage, and the sense of loss and disgrace that has been
welling in me I have decided to take action through prayer and
meditation. I do this in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi when he said: "Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action."
I will walk in silent prayer for 40km (More like 37km actually). From Darwin to Wickham point on Sunday 21st September - International Day of Peace.
• In solidarity with all those who have suffered while in the care of
the Australian Immigration Department. (Those I have visited but could
offer no practical support!) • In defiance of the policy makers
whose choices have brought misery to the innocent (and the brutality of
the tools they engage to do enforce their control!) • To Bear Witness and to remember
If you want to walk too, it's a long road and there's plenty of room.
Bring messages of hope, cards letters etc... See you on the road or at
the Vigil outside Bladin Point at 4:30pm!
My knowledge and understanding of Palm Sunday is limited. I didn't grow
up in the Christian Tradition but am sure most of my values have been
shaped by it. I know that Palm Sunday represents the coming of Jesus
into Jerusalem (On a donkey) and the people recognizing and honoring him
by covering the path with palm fronds as he made his way to the temple.
Christian Churches throughout the
world celebrate this day by replicating the journey and marching in the
street. It has become a symbolic day of peace and justice. I am
curious about what this day and the marches represent and I have to
admit I take most of my expectations from Pop Culture's expressions of
faith that resonate with me and then try to marry them with what I find
in the sphere of the church. On an occasion like this, and most others,
nothing speaks so clearly to me as the Lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's
"The Ghost of Tom Joad".
...Now Tom said "Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air Look for me mom I'll be there Wherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to stand Or a decent job or a helpin' hand Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free Look in their eyes Mom you'll see me." ...
Henry Fonda as Tom Joad - Grapes of Wrath film from the book by John Steinbeck
And Jesus said something like:
...'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these
brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'...
And with this in mind I see why we march on Palm Sundays, Christians
and even non Christians together! Why do we march on Palm Sunday? It's
to welcome Jesus into the city (Governed by men) and into the Temple (In
the Christian view, his rightful place) and who is Christ today? Well
according to my understanding of the message, and if as Christians
believe he is the Son of Man and God, then he is within the least and
the greatest of us, and as such we should welcome him when he comes.
Palm Sunday march in Melbourne
So on Palm Sunday around the world we see marches and rallies for the
oppressed people of the world and particularly those amongst us. Right
now the gates of the city (Australia) are closed to people just as Jesus
described. As a country whose foundation of law is based on Christian
Ethos it is fair to expect that this very special Christian Holy Day
would be used to express the will of Jesus the ' Messiah'.
Supporters meet with asylum seekers at a Darwin Detention Centre
There are currently 1,000s of people locked up in Australian internment
camps in the pacific, Christmas Island and mainland Australia. We call
these places Immigration Detention Centers and they are designed to
punish and demoralize. They do this very effectively and extend
punishment to children and nursing mothers. Where is Jesus in this? If
our political leaders who claim Christian faith celebrate Palm Sunday
then who do they think they are locking out? The very spirit of the
words of Jesus himself answer that question very clearly. They are
locking Christ out of the Temple! As an observer and one who is hopeful
for the Christian faith I'd say they are against Christ!
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, PM Tony Abbot (Photo - Courier Mail)
Today in Darwin there will be no Palm Sunday Justice Rallies. Being a
Christian Event many justice advocates were waiting for representatives
of the church to take the lead and we had hoped that we could join them
in good faith and prayerfully ask for peace, mercy and justice for our
brothers and sisters who are currently living in absolutely intolerable
circumstances at the hands of the Australian Government. This has made
me wonder very deeply about the commitment of Christians in this town to
truly embrace the very special meaning of their Holy Day.
I
wonder if next year rather than waiting for a Christian Church to
organize this event people of Darwin who hope for justice and believe
the core message that Jesus brought might just organize the rally
ourselves and bring it to the major Churches in Darwin. Ask them face to
face who they think they would see if they could look in the face of
any of the stateless souls our country has condemned to a life in limbo!
Like I said there's a lot I don't know or understand about Christianity
but I'm sure some of it's essence permeates the writing of Bruce
Springsteen , Woody Guthrie and the author John Steinbeck.
This little wind up music box contraption fascinates me! It's simple and beautifully designed, the sound can be amplified simply by putting it on top of a piece of wood or anything else that carries good vibrations. I love watching it click away and hearing it's metallic musical chimes.
Kids Books... This week they brought home a book called Talk Peace... It's very cool!
Talk Peace by Sam Williams, Illustrated Mique Moriuchi (Illustrator)
Living in an amazing part of the world! Flying foxes crap on my clothes line, there are at least six species of lizards living in my back yard, some of which are DRAGONS, Green Tree Frogs sing when it rains and Orange Footed Scrub Fowl lay eggs in the sand pit at our local playground.
Too many wonderful things to count! I am grateful for them all!
There's a lot of things I could blog about this week but frankly I don't have the emotional energy to even start! It's been a busy funked out week. Bad, Sad things have happened, some wonderful things too. A tragedy, Loss, I've glimpsed beauty and sensed grace and disgust. I've acted properly and I've behaved badly and I'm in a state of shock!
Confused?
(If it weren't for all the darn beauty!...??? where would we be?) Blessed are the anglophiles.... They must be good for something!
Peace, Love, Grace, Serenity, Peace, Bliss, Good night.
