ralphreilly’s
dark blue spaceA Model for a Post-Colonial Society that Appreciates and Incorporates Surviving First Nations
Colonial societies, IMHO, bring many valuable strengths to the new country, and for countries like Australia, where the colonial society and their dependents makes up the bulk of the population and mostly celebrates their own heritage and culture, First Nations societies have struggled to find respect and a voice for the vital strengths and wisdom that they and their cultures have accumulated.
Australia’s First Nations produced a spectacular “Statement From the Heart” with robust and humble suggestion for how to build a society that respects their knowledge and culture and still allows for the second peoples and more recent arrivals to live together and benefit from each other’s wisdom.
I expect I am a bit slow on the pickup, but it seems to me that “Foundational” is probably a good word to help us understand the difference between First Nations culture and the cultures of more recent arrivals. it seems to me that Australia needs to think of the wisdom and culture of First Nations peoples as foundational to our multicultural society in finding our way forward into the future.
European cultures have brought massive strengths of learning, enterprise and organisation, but in so doing, we’ve lost First Nations understanding and approach to land, to family, to listening, too belonging. And these seem to me to be exactly the qualities that Australia needs if we are to survive the mass extinction wave, climate change, and the avalanche of depression and anxiety that is sweeping Australia.
We desperately need to base our planning and society building policies on the foundation of First Nations approaches to the environment and to society.
The Hero’s Journey
This seems to be a useful summary of “The Hero’s Journey” popularised by Joseph Campbell and every movie ever.
It’s about Innocence transforming into Maturity.
Life (innocence) – call – initiation (love and suffering) – return with maturity (your work in the world is not done).
Seems like a good structure for a sermon or two.
Supervision (Interactional) Needs of the Four Styles
I’ve had this piece of paper tucked inside my bible for the last 20 years. It has been one of the most useful and helpful pieces of paper I’ve ever owned. It is NOT my work. In fact it was so long ago I can’t even remember who gave it to me or in what context it was given. If you know where it comes from please let me know. I’d love to read more from the author and will happily acknowledge their work.
It helps me (among other things) not only recognise the way that I most like to be supervised (and left alone) but it shows me that not everyone is the same as me, and just because one style of feedback or supervision works for me doesn’t mean it will work everyone (anyone?) else.
I looked for it on someone else’s website but couldn’t find it, so I’ve typed it up. and make it available here as a PDF.
