Hi folks and welcome to my Friday Reflection.
Over the past few weeks, we have been building on how Story holds Memory, Kinship, and Values. We are now at the peak of that buildup with how Story holds Our Sacred Core.
Australia's Sacred Core: Three Significant Dates
Today, I want to weave three dates together in a story of Australia’s Sacred Core. I believe we can draw on these dates for our identity and stand together to cultivate collective belonging.
The dates are: April 25th, May 27th, and June 3rd.
April 25th: ANZAC Day
The first date is the 25th of April, and we’ve already seen how Australia stops to commemorate this day. The ANZAC story from 1915 has become a pillar of Australia’s national narrative, calling on the best of our character and values to honour the memory. This is now a story holding our sacred core.
May 27th: 1967 Referendum
The next date is the 27th of May. On this day in 1967, Australia experienced its most unifying moment in history as 9 out of 10 people voted ‘YES’ in a referendum. It was a particular moment in time influenced by many factors, but no other national vote has yielded such unity as May 27th. I believe this date should be honoured and cherished as a moment when this nation decided to stand together. It should be held as part of our sacred core, strengthening our identity together and our collective belief that such unity is possible.
June 3rd: Mabo Decision
The third date to be woven together to form another pillar in our national sacred core story is the 3rd of June. On this day in 1992, Australia’s High Court made a determination that cut straight to our origin story and forced us, as a nation, to reconcile with our foundations.
It was a courageous and confronting moment in our history that highlighted the only way to move forward was to work together on our national narrative. I believe this date should be honoured and cherished as a moment when we came to know the truth about our origin story.
It should be held as part of our sacred core to strengthen our belonging to this land and to each other because we’ve had to work hard at forging that belonging together since then.
Stories as Pillars of Our Sacred Core
Stories can hold our sacred core to keep us steady when life feels wild and unpredictable. Our sacred core should be steady enough for us to grow and evolve around it. This is true for us individually and collectively. Today I have tried to link three dates that don’t usually get seen together. I believe that if we see May 27th and June 3rd in the same manner that we might see April 25th as a character pillar to our national narrative, then we might be able to draw from them collectively for our sense of belonging to the land and each other.
Embrace a Wider Lens
My encouragement and challenge to you is to see through a wider lens and try to embrace more diversity in your stories of belonging and identity. National Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3) features every year to remind us that we have powerful stories that should be in our sacred core. These stories show unity, courage, and character that should bring us and keep us together.
Be encouraged and encourage others.
Mark YP
