There are gifts and gifts. I lack the gift of getting movers and shakers together, on song, in the pursuit of a manifestly good cause.
Last week, a young man was killed at a park in the western part of Melbourne. He was under 30.
The media waded in, as is media style, for better or worse, with innuendo about the racial aspects of the killing.
I contacted Les Twentyman, social activist, resident of “the West”, who’s been an advocate of local community building for years.
He and I agreed to publicise our willingness to act as “circuit breakers” in the midst of local community distress.
I use the word “community” loosely. It’s what we all hope for and aspire to That’s most of us.
“Societies” are what most of us experience, unfortunately. They’re groups of people gathered in the one place. Just like a pile of stones.
Communities are full of interconnection, not just colocation but coresponsability.
For that, a neighbourhood population needs conductors of the “orchestra” to enable everyone to play together from the same musical score.
And, believe me, forming neighbourhood is like composing a symphony or writing a poem. It should be as liberating, too.
I’m not elected to be a community “elder”. Parliamentarians are elected.
Councillors are elected. Unelected key local men, women and, sometimes, children assume, maybe unwittingly, the role of community “elder”.
I guess that’s the collective role I’d like to see faith communities and service clubs performing in the 200 year old Australian western enlightenment tradition.
We can’t leave our collective or public welfare to public servants, conscientious and unappreciated as they may be.
Local publics need to pop up like Lake Eyre wildflowers after a drought has broken.
The death of Nitin Garg, at Cruickshank Park, could break the social drought. It could.
Les and I are reminding the public that someone’s responsible. Person or persons unknown know something. The rest is speculation.
Where there is speculation there is room for rumour and media innuendo. That can breed suspicion and fear which can lead to non- judicial reprisals.
Australia has evolved into a civil society built on law and order. Police are at the coalface of that chosen model of community. Les and I endorse that position of eminence.
We just want the perpetrator to feel that by attacking one member of the community/society, he/she attacks the whole extended civic family. We, the people, are wounded. But we want to be a wounded healer.
Healing requires reconciliation leading to restorative justice.
But, first, comes confession. That can be carried out only by the perpetrator(s).
Redemption’s the key word for me. As a covert evangelist, I dropped the word on TV. Les’ key word is education. Education leads to redemption.
RJM
There are gifts and gifts. I lack the gift of getting movers and shakers together, on song, in the pursuit of a manifestly good cause.
Last week, a young man was killed at a park in the western part of Melbourne. He was under 30.
The media waded in, as is media style, for better or worse, with innuendo about the racial aspects of the killing.
I contacted Les Twentyman, social activist, resident of “the West”, who’s been an advocate of local community building for years.
He and I agreed to publicise our willingness to act as “circuit breakers” in the midst of local community distress.
I use the word “community” loosely. It’s what we all hope for and aspire to That’s most of us.
“Societies” are what most of us experience, unfortunately. They’re groups of people gathered in the one place. Just like a pile of stones.
Communities are full of interconnection, not just colocation but coresponsability.
For that, a neighbourhood population needs conductors of the “orchestra” to enable everyone to play together from the same musical score.
And, believe me, forming neighbourhood is like composing a symphony or writing a poem. It should be as liberating, too.
I’m not elected to be a community “elder”. Parliamentarians are elected.
Councillors are elected. Unelected key local men, women and, sometimes, children assume, maybe unwittingly, the role of community “elder”.
I guess that’s the collective role I’d like to see faith communities and service clubs performing in the 200 year old Australian western enlightenment tradition.
We can’t leave our collective or public welfare to public servants, conscientious and unappreciated as they may be.
Local publics need to pop up like Lake Eyre wildflowers after a drought has broken.
The death of Nitin Garg, at Cruickshank Park, could break the social drought. It could.
Les and I are reminding the public that someone’s responsible. Person or persons unknown know something. The rest is speculation.
Where there is speculation there is room for rumour and media innuendo. That can breed suspicion and fear which can lead to non- judicial reprisals.
Australia has evolved into a civil society built on law and order. Police are at the coalface of that chosen model of community. Les and I endorse that position of eminence.
We just want the perpetrator to feel that by attacking one member of the community/society, he/she attacks the whole extended civic family. We, the people, are wounded. But we want to be a wounded healer.
Healing requires reconciliation leading to restorative justice.
But, first, comes confession. That can be carried out only by the perpetrator(s).
Redemption’s the key word for me. As a covert evangelist, I dropped the word on TV. Les’ key word is education. Education leads to redemption.
RJM
I would like to thank you ever so much for your contribution to sunday night radio.
I find you, Fr.Bob just so wonderfully alive and with it
I virtually never miss your broadcast.
Of course a big thanks to your collegue John Safran…….you are a brilliant double act……Happy New Year
Regards,
Michael