After clearing Australian Customs bound for a study tour of Singapore, the first announcement I hear is the last boarding call for a JQ flight to Christchurch, New Zealand.
It is Saturday March 16, just a day after an Australian has killed at least 50 people and wounded many more in two of Christchurch’s Muslim Mosques across a peaceful city in a country often compared to Tasmania in terms of natural beauty.
Normally, I am in a hurry to escape the masses, and the glaring eyes of officials who stare like you have done wrong. Yet today I pause, replacing my tablet in carry-on luggage whilst feeling ashamed, saddened and worried. The unpredictability of terror and hate and marginalisation without a recognisable face is fear itself.
An Australian; a racist, terrorist, white supremacist originally from northern NSW and not on any terror watchlist, has put us on the world map again with gun violence that will leave a lasting impact on New Zealanders - forever.
Port Arthur now has an unenviable and chilling bond with Christchurch.
In 1996, after watching the Anzac Day Game at the MCG and flying home a few days later, I informed my mates that at that time, 11 people had been shot and killed at Port Arthur. No one believed me, even after several attempts at explanation. There will be the same disbelief across New Zealand that it could happen in their country.
Time will pass, but the pain won’t leave nor will locals heal completely. This tragedy will scar a nation, naïve to such hatred, for generations.
Interacting with survivors and loved ones who experienced Port Arthur, people who I care for deeply, leads me to realise that this act of madness, determined in its resolve to eradicate, and underpinned by blind ignorance, will leave members of local communities with permanent psychological and physical trauma. They will need our kindness and support forever.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, had the awful task of speaking on behalf of a mourning nation. She is a rare leader, particularly in an age of politics of which we have become accustomed, where the art of tearing people down for political advantage is valued far more than courageous leadership explaining a misunderstood truth.
Ms. Arden is compassion. The NZ Prime Minister can express kindness in an authentic manner, like Angela Merkel of Germany and former US President Barack Obama, which allows her to lead from a position of moral strength.
Ms. Ardern held a Maori speaker’s comb when addressing the UN and respectfully covered her head with a hijab to meet and console survivors and loved ones in Christchurch. The NZ Prime Minister has been roundly praised for her leadership.
Too often compassion is mistaken for weakness. Compassion has been redefined as weakness by our political leaders who fear the electorate rejecting any notion of caring for others. You only need consider recent debates involving First Peoples of Australia, climate change, refugees, boat people, migrants, or substance addiction to arrive at that view.
True leaders combine both, reacting to circumstances in a manner that attempts to unite rather than divide. A challenge to overcome, which appears often out of reach.
After locating required items in Duty Free, I found my departure gate, but not before passing the Terminal 2 Prayer Room. Normally, I wouldn’t have given the sign a second thought, but today was different and I hoped that whomever ventured, no matter their religion, felt safe.
On arrival in Singapore, our taxi driver informed us of bars, restaurants and shops just around the corner from our hotel. “They’re very safe,” he said. Not at all naïve to violence and terrorist acts, after experiencing Belfast in the 1980’s, I make careful decisions and feel comfortable when travelling. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought that it may be a dangerous place, but our taxi driver’s reference to safety, once again, made me pause.
But, that’s how events change us, and perhaps it shouldn’t require tragedy. They make us think and reflect upon how precious life is, how friends and family are a blessing, and how we must do everything we can to ensure that our way of life is both protected and full to the brim with compassion.
It is Saturday March 16, just a day after an Australian has killed at least 50 people and wounded many more in two of Christchurch’s Muslim Mosques across a peaceful city in a country often compared to Tasmania in terms of natural beauty.
Normally, I am in a hurry to escape the masses, and the glaring eyes of officials who stare like you have done wrong. Yet today I pause, replacing my tablet in carry-on luggage whilst feeling ashamed, saddened and worried. The unpredictability of terror and hate and marginalisation without a recognisable face is fear itself.
An Australian; a racist, terrorist, white supremacist originally from northern NSW and not on any terror watchlist, has put us on the world map again with gun violence that will leave a lasting impact on New Zealanders - forever.
Port Arthur now has an unenviable and chilling bond with Christchurch.
In 1996, after watching the Anzac Day Game at the MCG and flying home a few days later, I informed my mates that at that time, 11 people had been shot and killed at Port Arthur. No one believed me, even after several attempts at explanation. There will be the same disbelief across New Zealand that it could happen in their country.
Time will pass, but the pain won’t leave nor will locals heal completely. This tragedy will scar a nation, naïve to such hatred, for generations.
Interacting with survivors and loved ones who experienced Port Arthur, people who I care for deeply, leads me to realise that this act of madness, determined in its resolve to eradicate, and underpinned by blind ignorance, will leave members of local communities with permanent psychological and physical trauma. They will need our kindness and support forever.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, had the awful task of speaking on behalf of a mourning nation. She is a rare leader, particularly in an age of politics of which we have become accustomed, where the art of tearing people down for political advantage is valued far more than courageous leadership explaining a misunderstood truth.
Ms. Arden is compassion. The NZ Prime Minister can express kindness in an authentic manner, like Angela Merkel of Germany and former US President Barack Obama, which allows her to lead from a position of moral strength.
Ms. Ardern held a Maori speaker’s comb when addressing the UN and respectfully covered her head with a hijab to meet and console survivors and loved ones in Christchurch. The NZ Prime Minister has been roundly praised for her leadership.
Too often compassion is mistaken for weakness. Compassion has been redefined as weakness by our political leaders who fear the electorate rejecting any notion of caring for others. You only need consider recent debates involving First Peoples of Australia, climate change, refugees, boat people, migrants, or substance addiction to arrive at that view.
True leaders combine both, reacting to circumstances in a manner that attempts to unite rather than divide. A challenge to overcome, which appears often out of reach.
After locating required items in Duty Free, I found my departure gate, but not before passing the Terminal 2 Prayer Room. Normally, I wouldn’t have given the sign a second thought, but today was different and I hoped that whomever ventured, no matter their religion, felt safe.
On arrival in Singapore, our taxi driver informed us of bars, restaurants and shops just around the corner from our hotel. “They’re very safe,” he said. Not at all naïve to violence and terrorist acts, after experiencing Belfast in the 1980’s, I make careful decisions and feel comfortable when travelling. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought that it may be a dangerous place, but our taxi driver’s reference to safety, once again, made me pause.
But, that’s how events change us, and perhaps it shouldn’t require tragedy. They make us think and reflect upon how precious life is, how friends and family are a blessing, and how we must do everything we can to ensure that our way of life is both protected and full to the brim with compassion.
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