Now And Then

With much focus in Australia on the Gallipoli and Anzac commemorations, Steven Katsineris calls on his fellow citizens to do more about now rather than focus on then. Steven Katsineris is an Australian freelance writer of articles on Palestine, Cyprus and the rest of the Middle East region, political prisoners and human rights, environmental and social issues. He has been actively involved in the Palestine solidarity movement for over forty years. Steven Katsineris lives with his family in Melbourne, Australia.


It would be really worthy and wonderful to see the empathetic spirit of Australia broadened from all the thoughts and commemoration of a long past war and those who died, to stopping the present futile, unjust wars, opposing evil regimes and helping suffering people that are alive today.
We should be showing much more concern, compassion and exerting more effort, publicity, money and time into issues like those imprisoned on remote island detention camps, those living in poverty and homeless in Australia and all those who are being dispossessed, occupied and oppressed in other lands.
It would be something to see our sympathy extended more widely and to truly remember and learn the lessons of the past, about the waste and senselessness of previous unjust wars by not participating in more such wars and offering real material help to those who are victims of current wars and gross injustice.
That’s what I'd really like to see. So let’s get involved and show up on mass and march and rally and spend time and money on that. Not only show up in big numbers for marches and rallies for things that happened 100 years ago. And protest when our government slashes the aid and welfare budget and mistreats the vulnerable and disadvantaged.
Our efforts can make a difference and have an effect on actual events today, if we express our indignation against morally wrong policies and human rights abuses that are happening now. We need to enlarge our humanity to include becoming more conscious of and caring when some blatant atrocity or war crime happens somewhere and speak out and act.
We cannot remain indifferent towards the rest of the world and its problems, with which we share the same common bonds, hopes and destiny on this little planet we all inhabit together.

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