“For all those who fight for kindness, and for humanity, for a stand against cruelty to women and a stand against cruelty to animals. For all humanity; For the pure and simple compassion real human beings feel for others. I am just wishing you strength, because right now in our world it has never been more important and more vital that we stand side by side and speak up for the rights we enjoy here. It will take a strong light to reach into the dark corners of this world, keep the flame alive, keep the light alive.” I wrote these thoughts a year or so ago, but the state of the world today makes me realise just how pertinent they are.
My friend and I recently discussed the horrors of the world situation and especially the death of a young woman who had done nothing; well she dared to take a drink of water before a man did. Of course it happened in a war-torn country, not Australia. We find it hard to even comprehend. “What can we old ladies do?” we ask. Then a light went on and I knew even if we could do nothing, we could say plenty.
I am in my late 70s and in most people’s opinion probably a bit of a show pony! I have no money, but love clothes and makeup and being alive, after all every day is a gift after 70! Yet, beneath my shiny bright and rather frothy exterior, I care passionately about the plight of the women and children who are so badly used in the other parts of the world. Not all I know, but some areas have a woeful record of atrocities. Women are below the level of beasts, and they treat animals poorly too.
It’s made me realise just how lucky we are. We should look at the clear air and drink the clean water and revel in the green around us, because somewhere there is a woman with a baby in a stone-littered ruin trying to survive. Do we care? Yes we care. When we read newspapers with opinions reflecting what has happened we should remember that in some places one word out of place can mean death. Do we care? Yes we care.
The rules of life that keep civilised societies moving forward and not sinking into a medieval pit are still alive and well, but we know the reality of the new rules some countries wish to establish, as if life didn’t matter. It is a cheap commodity.
I hope it will never be the way of Australia to allow this. I encourage people to please make sure you are loud and clear about your views. Never let the views of those who want to compromise the Australian way of life win, and so doing take away the freedom and beauty of our wide brown land. Speak up. Write those letters. Show it matters even to us, the old ladies of the world. Injustice and cruelty still happens though. Do we care? Yes, we care!
I dedicate this to the memory of my dearest friend Heather, who passed away in 2017.