Well said Sarah. I voted at Sutton Primary School and thought of you with gratitude for all the hard work you put into the Yes campaign. In weeks such as this, I find it hard to function with the empathetic distress of it all. If I am not careful, I can end up in a spiral of gloom that is not helpful anywhere. It has been interesting to me, to watch my response and coping over the week. Habits I fear we will need more and more as the crazy continues. I started by doing a major unfollow on my socials to avoid being inundated with more trauma than I can process. I feel like I am looking for that line between being informed but not overwhelmed. My morning meditations have focused on a mantra of “I am safe” and I have grounded myself each day by drawing, a practice that brings me back to me. I also deliberately focus on tiny positive and joyful things in my day - a lovely cup of tea, the sun on my back, watching a rainstorm and the swallows nest building.
It is only then that I can start to ponder everything with some distance and level-headedness. The results of my pondering are often confusion! I am always amazed by people who get older and somehow get more sure of things. The older I get, the less sure I am of anything other than the basic fundamentals of respect for all life, people, animals and planet. I also feel concerned about our future politics moderated by the algorithm and our increasing disconnection. I don’t know a single person who voted no - my bubble is tight! Where are the places we mingle more broadly across social and cultural lines? I feel this vote was as much a comment on the extent of the class and the rural-urban divide.
After the contemplation comes the decisions - in what small ways can I contribute to the world I would like to see. I am still mulling on this, but I have a vision of a safety net created by thousands or millions of individuals of good heart, small actions and small contributions moving us closer. I want to pay the rent - I have thought about this for a while but have not done the leg work to work out how and where. Does anyone have suggestions of good indigenous organisations I could look at? In the Canberra region would be great.
Dear Gillian, I feel I could have written your exact comment. Know that you are not alone. My self care techniques this week have involved a lot of walking (I am now walking to work!) and I have had to mute many people on social media. One of the most difficult things I have had to accept is that so many of my extended family voted no. I want to cut them out of my life, while realizing that is an irrational reaction. I am also furious at the number of influential people who expressed disappointment at the result and yet were silent throughout the campaign. SPARE ME!!!! I am raging at it all! But to something practical, I have made a donation this week to Dreamtime Aroha which is an Instagram account I follow. She has become a conduit for Indigenous women and mainly mums in dire need of money for food or rent or necessities. Real crisis stuff requiring only small amounts. You’ve got me thinking about writing a story for HerCanberra on ways to make a fitting contribution locally. We have already published a comprehensive list of indigenous local businesses to support but this would be more a way to channel Canberra community sentiment to grassroot need. I may get back to you on this one. It could take me time to do the legwork. Thanks for being kind and aware and grateful for my magnificent friend Sarah. I too am in awe of the work she put in to do the right thing. Xxx
Yes Emma! That is a super idea it would be great to have a list of the ways we could support/pay the rent locally. I am on a farm in Ngunnawal country so it feels important that my support goes local. Let me know if I could help out in any way.
Hi G, funnily I met a young guy here in Paris who went to Gundaroo Primary!! He heard me talking about the voice at a cafe and came and joined the conversation.
I've done a big unfollow, including some friends who were trolling with No messages. It's sad to do this...but life is moving and fast and some things will have to drop away. I grieve it each time. Re Indigenous stuff....I might alert my friend Emma to your question. She's in Canberra and is becoming more and more active and vocal.
This week is hard, not only with what is happening in Gaza and the Voice referendum result but at home in Aotearoa/NZ the country voted in a right wing coalition government whose policies will take us backwards on inequity and climate change action. It all just feels so shit right now 😥 Like you say it's OK to sit with the despair and process it then when we find strength gather ourselves up again and focus on the glimmers of hope, because there are many 💛
Thank you for this post, Sarah. I've also been using the call from First Nations people who supported the Voice to spend this week in quiet reflection. I know that other First Nations people have criticised this call for silence, but it does feel necessary at this moment. My main 'hot take' on the referendum result is that while it's no doubt devastating for so many First Nations people, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, and I feel that it also may have delivered Australia the reckoning it sorely needed. Anyway, more on that a later time…
On the horrors that have been unfolding in Israel-Palestine, my first thought was to reach out personally to my Jewish/Israeli and Palestinian friends, and I think that first and foremost, we must see the humanity in others and the suffering that so many people are experiencing right now. I’ve been troubled to see so many people jump in to support particular political positions without first expressing any kind of empathy for the people at the heart of this crisis on both/all sides.
I’ve had Jewish friends all my life, my best friend is Jewish, and growing up, some of my parents’ closest friends were Holocaust survivors, whose stories I heard throughout my childhood. As an adult, I’ve also been fortunate to make a few Palestinian friends, so I’ve heard many different perspectives on a history and a crisis that even the world’s greatest scholars on the Middle East would admit is almost impossible to understand in all of its complexity. I’ve also re-listened to your beautiful interview with Aziz Abu Sarah twice over the past week.
While I can’t help but take action at times like this when a massive humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Gaza (I made ten phone calls to various politicians this morning because there's also an urgency to what's happening), I am trying to avoid taking a fixed ‘side’, and instead sit with the nuance and complexity and remember all of the people across the region and the wider Jewish/Israeli and Palestinian diaspora who are suffering deeply right now.
Having many friends from the Middle East, the history of this region and this conflict has always interested me, and I’ve been trying to engage with some broader perspectives over the past week or so. If it’s helpful to anyone here, I’m happy to share a list of articles I’ve been reading (it’s long, but I’ve read some very good pieces from both Israeli/Jewish and Palestinian writers and journalists).
I posted this quote from author Abigail Rose Clarke on Facebook this morning, which sums up my overall wish too:
“Hey algorithms, connect me with people who are able to hold nuance, who understand that life is always full of paradox, who weep at violence no matter the optics, who move slowly enough to let context inform their choices, who don’t try to make things unnecessarily complex to avoid an uncomfortable truth, who also don’t make things implausibly simple to fit a narrative. Connect me with people who are willing to feel the grief of centuries, and who are still, somehow, able to love the world.”
And of everything I’ve read over the past week on Israel-Palestine, this thoughtful and nuanced piece by Báyò Akómoláfé, is probably my favourite:
Siobhán, your reference to Báyò Akómoláfé -- on my way to vote on Saturday, I looked through one of my many ‘to be read’ piles for something to read in the queue at my local polling place. I picked out the new book by V (formerly Eve Ensler), Reckoning, and opened it to the epigraph, a quote by Akómoláfé: “Saying sorry is not enough . . . A deeper sort of accountability is needed - one that brings us to the edges of ourselves. One that helps us notice that we are a palimpsest of colors, and that who or what we are is always in the making. Forgiveness is settling debts; reconciliation is troubling boundaries.”
Waiting to vote, I then read these lines from the Introduction:
“What exactly does it mean to reckon and why is it so critical right now? Reckoning demands remembering, acknowledging, and accounting. It requires a certain humility, a willingness to take stock and look deeply and unflinchingly at what is often right in front of us, but we refuse to see. It means determining both one's personal and collective responsibility and how and when they intersect. And it inherently compels the action of admitting mistakes, apologizing for misdeeds and bad actions, changing course if that's what's required.”
I’ve been rereading these two quotes over and over in the days since.
About to now read the Akómoláfé piece you shared... thank you
Sarah, all the best with your travels home. It's been so lovely having you in our time zone the last few months! Next time, come stay in Ireland, I'll give you my house in the middle of the country 🙏😁
I've found myself leaning into Buddhism the last few weeks as the world has gotten even more confusing. And I actually didn't feel like I had the mind or heart power to interact even on substack so I've been quiet but reflecting. I was reading this when your post popped up last night...
"We have to simply SEE the situation in all it's pain, conflict, difficulty, and contradiction, and SEE how it is we become so confused. Then, and only then, can we speak and act in a way that's conducive to awakening. We must also observe our own intent, so that we can KNOW when we're speaking or acting out of a leaning mind, out of a desire to bring about some particular end."
When we use our voice as you and the group of amazing humans on this substack always beautifully do, it should be in order to wake ourselves and others up to SEE reality, rather than to push our opinions or manipulate (unintentionally). The week of silence sends such a strong message.
I’ve been listening to “Let Love Rule” by the late (and transcendent) Archie Roach this week. Thanks for this post Sarah. Sending love to everyone here. See you on the other side xx
Love that perspective on time. I have started saying “there is plenty of time” in an effort to require May thinking about time in all sorts of contexts.
I hope you're ok given all the hate and injustice in the world currently. Now more than ever we need quiet reflection to reassess our place in this world. Let us know when your birthday is so we can all celebrate your wonderfulness XX
Hey Sarah. There’s an Australian woman called Mina Guli you should speak to. She ran 200 marathons in a year last year to draw attention to the global water crisis. Shes an absolute legend and can talk to you about a range of things but her motivations for activism and doing big epic things in the face of intractable issues are really interesting
I didn't see the IG post calling for suggestions for guests on wild, but would love to hear a conversation with Saul Griffith, and also George Monbiot. Thank you for considering.
The assurance, the validation, I don’t know what to call it - the balm - I needed right now to keep going in my little life. Knowing that the big world around me is fucking itself. And my feelings about it, my con-fusion, is “normal” 😂. Thanks Sarah. Take care. It’s a lot.
I've just typed out this quote for a chunk in my book:The poet, dissident and the last President of the former Csechoslavakia Vaclav Havel captures this subtly, “True hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
Yes. I see that. But I really do struggle just accepting the injustice and horror of things at the moment (in particular) Where is the humanity? Why are people being so MEAN? But I do understand the quote as being almost like putting your faith in the Universe to guide you , as she can make sense of it all…. On a personal level I find it so hard yo accept people consciously going against what I consider yo be “right”! (The referendum) I accept that not everyone thinks like me , but the overwhelming, resounding result floored me…. The indigenous community’s week of grieving is just absolutely superb.
"If you're not confused you're not paying attention". Much like one of my fave bumper stickers: "If you're not outraged you're not paying attention". Now more than ever . . . ..
I had the great privilege of meeting Anne a couple of times when I was in Rubibi/Broome a few weeks ago. She's an extraordinary woman and I would love to hear an interview with her on Sarah's podcast. Her '100 Climate Conversations' interview is my favourite in that whole series.
Hi Siobhain, lovely to chat to you here! Yes, I also heard Anne on that podcast (I didn't know her before) and loved the conversation so much I shared it with my family here in Aus hoping they may listen to it. Great that you could meet her :-) She sounds like a very special person.
It would be so good to meet you in person. Will keep a eye out for your update. Let us know if there’s anything we can do from here to support your visit!
Well said Sarah. I voted at Sutton Primary School and thought of you with gratitude for all the hard work you put into the Yes campaign. In weeks such as this, I find it hard to function with the empathetic distress of it all. If I am not careful, I can end up in a spiral of gloom that is not helpful anywhere. It has been interesting to me, to watch my response and coping over the week. Habits I fear we will need more and more as the crazy continues. I started by doing a major unfollow on my socials to avoid being inundated with more trauma than I can process. I feel like I am looking for that line between being informed but not overwhelmed. My morning meditations have focused on a mantra of “I am safe” and I have grounded myself each day by drawing, a practice that brings me back to me. I also deliberately focus on tiny positive and joyful things in my day - a lovely cup of tea, the sun on my back, watching a rainstorm and the swallows nest building.
It is only then that I can start to ponder everything with some distance and level-headedness. The results of my pondering are often confusion! I am always amazed by people who get older and somehow get more sure of things. The older I get, the less sure I am of anything other than the basic fundamentals of respect for all life, people, animals and planet. I also feel concerned about our future politics moderated by the algorithm and our increasing disconnection. I don’t know a single person who voted no - my bubble is tight! Where are the places we mingle more broadly across social and cultural lines? I feel this vote was as much a comment on the extent of the class and the rural-urban divide.
After the contemplation comes the decisions - in what small ways can I contribute to the world I would like to see. I am still mulling on this, but I have a vision of a safety net created by thousands or millions of individuals of good heart, small actions and small contributions moving us closer. I want to pay the rent - I have thought about this for a while but have not done the leg work to work out how and where. Does anyone have suggestions of good indigenous organisations I could look at? In the Canberra region would be great.
Thank you and take care of yourselves!
Dear Gillian, I feel I could have written your exact comment. Know that you are not alone. My self care techniques this week have involved a lot of walking (I am now walking to work!) and I have had to mute many people on social media. One of the most difficult things I have had to accept is that so many of my extended family voted no. I want to cut them out of my life, while realizing that is an irrational reaction. I am also furious at the number of influential people who expressed disappointment at the result and yet were silent throughout the campaign. SPARE ME!!!! I am raging at it all! But to something practical, I have made a donation this week to Dreamtime Aroha which is an Instagram account I follow. She has become a conduit for Indigenous women and mainly mums in dire need of money for food or rent or necessities. Real crisis stuff requiring only small amounts. You’ve got me thinking about writing a story for HerCanberra on ways to make a fitting contribution locally. We have already published a comprehensive list of indigenous local businesses to support but this would be more a way to channel Canberra community sentiment to grassroot need. I may get back to you on this one. It could take me time to do the legwork. Thanks for being kind and aware and grateful for my magnificent friend Sarah. I too am in awe of the work she put in to do the right thing. Xxx
Blimey, that's a great idea Em, especially given the ACT voted majority YES. You know my Dad will be keen to be involved!
Yes Emma! That is a super idea it would be great to have a list of the ways we could support/pay the rent locally. I am on a farm in Ngunnawal country so it feels important that my support goes local. Let me know if I could help out in any way.
Hi G, funnily I met a young guy here in Paris who went to Gundaroo Primary!! He heard me talking about the voice at a cafe and came and joined the conversation.
I've done a big unfollow, including some friends who were trolling with No messages. It's sad to do this...but life is moving and fast and some things will have to drop away. I grieve it each time. Re Indigenous stuff....I might alert my friend Emma to your question. She's in Canberra and is becoming more and more active and vocal.
Brilliant Sarah, thanks for the connection.
This week is hard, not only with what is happening in Gaza and the Voice referendum result but at home in Aotearoa/NZ the country voted in a right wing coalition government whose policies will take us backwards on inequity and climate change action. It all just feels so shit right now 😥 Like you say it's OK to sit with the despair and process it then when we find strength gather ourselves up again and focus on the glimmers of hope, because there are many 💛
Yes, I know...I'm sorry. Take the time to get solid and strong...and then go back into the world and lead.
Thank you for this post, Sarah. I've also been using the call from First Nations people who supported the Voice to spend this week in quiet reflection. I know that other First Nations people have criticised this call for silence, but it does feel necessary at this moment. My main 'hot take' on the referendum result is that while it's no doubt devastating for so many First Nations people, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, and I feel that it also may have delivered Australia the reckoning it sorely needed. Anyway, more on that a later time…
On the horrors that have been unfolding in Israel-Palestine, my first thought was to reach out personally to my Jewish/Israeli and Palestinian friends, and I think that first and foremost, we must see the humanity in others and the suffering that so many people are experiencing right now. I’ve been troubled to see so many people jump in to support particular political positions without first expressing any kind of empathy for the people at the heart of this crisis on both/all sides.
I’ve had Jewish friends all my life, my best friend is Jewish, and growing up, some of my parents’ closest friends were Holocaust survivors, whose stories I heard throughout my childhood. As an adult, I’ve also been fortunate to make a few Palestinian friends, so I’ve heard many different perspectives on a history and a crisis that even the world’s greatest scholars on the Middle East would admit is almost impossible to understand in all of its complexity. I’ve also re-listened to your beautiful interview with Aziz Abu Sarah twice over the past week.
While I can’t help but take action at times like this when a massive humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Gaza (I made ten phone calls to various politicians this morning because there's also an urgency to what's happening), I am trying to avoid taking a fixed ‘side’, and instead sit with the nuance and complexity and remember all of the people across the region and the wider Jewish/Israeli and Palestinian diaspora who are suffering deeply right now.
Having many friends from the Middle East, the history of this region and this conflict has always interested me, and I’ve been trying to engage with some broader perspectives over the past week or so. If it’s helpful to anyone here, I’m happy to share a list of articles I’ve been reading (it’s long, but I’ve read some very good pieces from both Israeli/Jewish and Palestinian writers and journalists).
I posted this quote from author Abigail Rose Clarke on Facebook this morning, which sums up my overall wish too:
“Hey algorithms, connect me with people who are able to hold nuance, who understand that life is always full of paradox, who weep at violence no matter the optics, who move slowly enough to let context inform their choices, who don’t try to make things unnecessarily complex to avoid an uncomfortable truth, who also don’t make things implausibly simple to fit a narrative. Connect me with people who are willing to feel the grief of centuries, and who are still, somehow, able to love the world.”
And of everything I’ve read over the past week on Israel-Palestine, this thoughtful and nuanced piece by Báyò Akómoláfé, is probably my favourite:
https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/post/the-lines-that-whisper-us-rethinking-agency-and-accountability-in-the-middle-east-through-the-more-than-human
Sending love to everyone here. xx
Siobhán, your reference to Báyò Akómoláfé -- on my way to vote on Saturday, I looked through one of my many ‘to be read’ piles for something to read in the queue at my local polling place. I picked out the new book by V (formerly Eve Ensler), Reckoning, and opened it to the epigraph, a quote by Akómoláfé: “Saying sorry is not enough . . . A deeper sort of accountability is needed - one that brings us to the edges of ourselves. One that helps us notice that we are a palimpsest of colors, and that who or what we are is always in the making. Forgiveness is settling debts; reconciliation is troubling boundaries.”
Waiting to vote, I then read these lines from the Introduction:
“What exactly does it mean to reckon and why is it so critical right now? Reckoning demands remembering, acknowledging, and accounting. It requires a certain humility, a willingness to take stock and look deeply and unflinchingly at what is often right in front of us, but we refuse to see. It means determining both one's personal and collective responsibility and how and when they intersect. And it inherently compels the action of admitting mistakes, apologizing for misdeeds and bad actions, changing course if that's what's required.”
I’ve been rereading these two quotes over and over in the days since.
About to now read the Akómoláfé piece you shared... thank you
Awesome
🙌
Phew! The timing!
Sarah, all the best with your travels home. It's been so lovely having you in our time zone the last few months! Next time, come stay in Ireland, I'll give you my house in the middle of the country 🙏😁
I've found myself leaning into Buddhism the last few weeks as the world has gotten even more confusing. And I actually didn't feel like I had the mind or heart power to interact even on substack so I've been quiet but reflecting. I was reading this when your post popped up last night...
"We have to simply SEE the situation in all it's pain, conflict, difficulty, and contradiction, and SEE how it is we become so confused. Then, and only then, can we speak and act in a way that's conducive to awakening. We must also observe our own intent, so that we can KNOW when we're speaking or acting out of a leaning mind, out of a desire to bring about some particular end."
When we use our voice as you and the group of amazing humans on this substack always beautifully do, it should be in order to wake ourselves and others up to SEE reality, rather than to push our opinions or manipulate (unintentionally). The week of silence sends such a strong message.
Love and compassion to everyone x.
Karen, that's a lovely invite. I may just follow you up. The train-ferry trip to Ireland is now quite simple from Paris.
Thanks for that Buddhist quote. See first. Then speak.
You're welcome anytime! Yes, lovely summary... See and then speak (if you need to) ❤️
“A leaning mind” I’ve not heard that phrase before but I like it! A great question to be with.
I’ve been listening to “Let Love Rule” by the late (and transcendent) Archie Roach this week. Thanks for this post Sarah. Sending love to everyone here. See you on the other side xx
That's a nice thing to do x
Oh, Archie Roach.
extraordinary storyteller
and such an important voice.
I’ve been thinking about the weeks silence and how in the ‘western’ world all we can give is a minute silence for moments of reflections.
It just goes to show how much we need to elevate and embrace Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge. Wisdom > Intelligence.
Also, I missed the callout on insta. Would love to hear you interview Kyle Whyte, he’s an Indigenous philosopher and focuses on climate justice.
Love that perspective on time. I have started saying “there is plenty of time” in an effort to require May thinking about time in all sorts of contexts.
Hi Sarah,
I hope you're ok given all the hate and injustice in the world currently. Now more than ever we need quiet reflection to reassess our place in this world. Let us know when your birthday is so we can all celebrate your wonderfulness XX
That's lovely of you to ask - I'm good and using all the noise to get solid and focused.
Hey Sarah. There’s an Australian woman called Mina Guli you should speak to. She ran 200 marathons in a year last year to draw attention to the global water crisis. Shes an absolute legend and can talk to you about a range of things but her motivations for activism and doing big epic things in the face of intractable issues are really interesting
Will look up Mina. Thank you!!
I didn't see the IG post calling for suggestions for guests on wild, but would love to hear a conversation with Saul Griffith, and also George Monbiot. Thank you for considering.
Saul - already iv'd him. George - tried for some time, but he has compromised health and tends to limit his availability. x
The assurance, the validation, I don’t know what to call it - the balm - I needed right now to keep going in my little life. Knowing that the big world around me is fucking itself. And my feelings about it, my con-fusion, is “normal” 😂. Thanks Sarah. Take care. It’s a lot.
I've just typed out this quote for a chunk in my book:The poet, dissident and the last President of the former Csechoslavakia Vaclav Havel captures this subtly, “True hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
Oh my goodness. What a quote. It’s the making sense of it all that sucks the life out of me! Thank you Sarah. ❤️❤️
tell me, Cleo...what about the kind of "making sense" that comes about from accepting what just is? (It's the context I write the quote in)
Yes. I see that. But I really do struggle just accepting the injustice and horror of things at the moment (in particular) Where is the humanity? Why are people being so MEAN? But I do understand the quote as being almost like putting your faith in the Universe to guide you , as she can make sense of it all…. On a personal level I find it so hard yo accept people consciously going against what I consider yo be “right”! (The referendum) I accept that not everyone thinks like me , but the overwhelming, resounding result floored me…. The indigenous community’s week of grieving is just absolutely superb.
I’m rambling. I’m tired!!! 😘
Go rest/sleep...the week of silence makes sense!
super kind!
Already have! X
"If you're not confused you're not paying attention". Much like one of my fave bumper stickers: "If you're not outraged you're not paying attention". Now more than ever . . . ..
Thank you Sarah. So appreciate your reflections and links. Hope you have a good trip home. I haven’t been back in 4-years and there’s much I miss 🙏🏻🧡
Hi Sarah, looking forward to maybe seeing you at an event in Sydney. I'd love to hear you chat to Richard Flanagan and Dr. Anne Poelina.
I had the great privilege of meeting Anne a couple of times when I was in Rubibi/Broome a few weeks ago. She's an extraordinary woman and I would love to hear an interview with her on Sarah's podcast. Her '100 Climate Conversations' interview is my favourite in that whole series.
Hi Siobhain, lovely to chat to you here! Yes, I also heard Anne on that podcast (I didn't know her before) and loved the conversation so much I shared it with my family here in Aus hoping they may listen to it. Great that you could meet her :-) She sounds like a very special person.
Hey Sarah, will you consider coming to WA to do an event while you're in Australia?
I think I will be there to host an event in Feb...I'll share details once confirmed. It won't be my event as such
It would be so good to meet you in person. Will keep a eye out for your update. Let us know if there’s anything we can do from here to support your visit!