An argument breaks out in the neighbourhood. Ugly words are screamed into the air. The street. A child screams, sobbing for their parents to “Stop. Mummy and Daddy, please STOP.” It stops. For now.
18 people stabbed in a shopping centre. Social media explodes with unfounded accusations against a 20 year old student with a Jewish surname. Accusations are hurled around the world. A young man pleads for it “Stop. Please stop.” The truth comes out. It stops. For now.
Homophobic slurs are hurled at an opponent during a football match. A boy attacks a man during a church service. A woman loses her job for her reporting candidly on a war protest. A boy lies in a coma after a night out in the city. A woman is killed by her partner one warm evening. So is another. And another. And another. And we say to each other “Stop. It has to stop.” It stops. For now.
Facebook groups urge us to look out for ‘Kids in hoodies targeting our houses’. Headlines scream at us about ‘sickening trends’. Mental health is turned into a battleground of good versus evil. Sexuality becomes a political football. Good blokes do bad things. Good girls get raped. We say to each other, “Stop. It has to stop”.
It doesn’t stop.
It won’t stop.
Until we stop.
This is Australia.
The lucky country, ‘her beauty and her terror’, ‘boundless plains to share’…
It won’t stop.
Until we stop.
It was Desmond Tutu that said, “All of our humanity is dependent upon recognising the humanity in others.” He’s right.
We need to stop othering.
We need to start recognising our shared humanity.
We need to meet confusion with kindness. We need to speak when our voices shake. We need to stop being so angry. At everything. All the time.
We need to recognise that if something hurts one person. It hurts all of us.
There is no us and them.
It is ALL us.
And we need to stop.
Stop saying ‘What are THEY doing about it?’
Stop wondering ‘Why are THEY like that?’
Stop asking ‘Who do THEY think they are?’
Stop believing ‘THEY are going to find a solution.’
THEY are us.
It starts with us.
It starts with “What can I do?’
And doing it.
For those requiring it, please know support is available:
Lifeline
131114
www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue
1300 224 636
www.beyondblue.org.au
13 YARN
13 92 76
www.13yarn.org.au