Do you feel good about our country ?

[randomxx]

Do you love your country and feel the way you should ?

l'm having more and more trouble with all that this last decade or so . And our Governments, it doesn't matter which ones are in, none of them do a damn thing about anything much or if they do try like with the voice, our own people are too visionless and selfish to embrace it .

The housing crises, what do they do, allow another 700k in migration and this crisis has been built and allowed to be over 20yrs to what it is now, you could see this coming for yrs and yrs now, so even with that it's still not just one GOV or the other. lt's been encouraged and allowed to just grow and get worse and worse and worse until here we are today and our own people, our young, can't even have the very first and most basic of needs fore filled and a place to call home let alone be able to afford to live.

Then there's the cost of it if they even do get that lucky.

There's homeless, there's violence just getting worse and worse, l can't even watch the news any more.

Our insane cost of living and prices for just about anything , including housing but then there's business and greed gauging all over the place on top of it. Yeah there's been cost of living all over the world since the war but here is just madness going on and building over decades not just since the war, just like housing. None of this is new here.

The over governed over nannied over regulated over lawed over costed, people come from os and can not believe some of our rules and laws or prices and costs or housing or any of just what is Oz these days.

l just find it all so depressing, l no longer feel any pride in our country.

Our people have a reputation for being friendly but only on surface level , being new in the country and actually making real friends even after 10 yrs gets a terrible wrap here. Our lack of any culture or depth, the money money money and materialism , the way most seem to view our first nations people - and only exasperated in the voice rejection , and the way they live and that we allow. We've even developed a racism reputation and not only toward immigrants but to our very own first nations people to. 

All this sort of stuff is not only what l see and live but l'm also coming across more and more of it all over the internet and YT , forums , travel reviews from people OS, all kinds of stuff it's all over the place.

l wish  could feel some pride about my country but tbh, beneath the glossy surface of it, l feel shame.

rx

[therising]

Hi rx

Must admit, I'm feeling a bit the same. I wish we could combine some of the old ways with some of the new ways. Born in 1970, I grew up with some of the old ways that were so simple and joyful. It was more of a sensory experience where there were simple opportunities and things to look forward to: A couple of kids and the affordability of being a stay at home parent, a home of your own, social outings to the drive-ins where everyone was feeling the vibe, the corner milkbar (as a kid) with bikes stacked out the front, the chance to work your way up from the bottom in a job, as opposed to a $20,000 uni education/debt to get to one of the same top positions, etc etc. Then there are some of the new ways that have given us a better life to a degree, such as advances in medicine, mandatory rises in consciousness and consideration (aka anti discrimination laws), more resources for those who love to wonder (the internet) and so on. With the government once having been more so for the people, now it seems to be about over paid in-fighters and embezzlers who can't manage a dollar, unless it's to line their own pockets or begin building their visions that they can't afford to finish, all while the people suffer.

I can't help but wonder when the revolution's coming. Isn't that how it works? When everything becomes so dysfunctional to the point where it can no longer continue in the same way, the people revolt while things fall apart and a new era is built upon the ashes of the old. I think when we get a few new brilliant leaders/visionaries in this world who know how to change things for the better, while inspiring the masses, these people will appear as outstanding and things will begin to change. At the moment we seem to have a lot of leaders who are more inclined to lead through fear (regarding climate change), hatred (regarding injustices being righted), segregation (regarding a 'them vs us' attitude, whether it involves race or gender), ignorance (regarding a serious lack of new and much needed laws that serve society) and the list goes on. Give me a great leader and I will follow them anywhere. At the moment we appear to have leaders that are better than nothing. Much prefer ones that are seriously exciting and liberating in all the right ways. Are we on the verge of finding them? I like to think so. I remain an optimist.

[randomxx]

Hi rising.

They were nice times and yrs alright. l pack packed around oz 12mths when l was 19 and it really was a special place with special towns and easy no worries ways.

L miss those days and the time so much now the whole country is about materialism gdps, sucking up to the yanks and multi million dollar houses in the bloody suburbs and everything costs a fortune- we're all tapped and on file and getting hacked and watching our backs with every button for the privilege ldk, you could go on 20pages.

l've craved a visionary for our country for decades. and if anyone really spacial, flamboyant, real vision of the things that really matter was to come along Aussies would be too damn conservative to vote them in anyway.There's been a slim one or two imo, won't get into names or politics but so short lived and lacking in other ways but no one anywhere in sight atm or in recent pasts and l dread the thought of the next election bc of the choices we don't have and what they'll do to us next and what Aussies are likely to vote for.

Aus could start with it's own first of all imo though we are way way too mixed up in the rest of the world these days when we can't even look after our own people atm.

Wouldn't hold any breath in this country for some revolution though we're way too puppy and controlled here only too happy to let Gov's do what they want, hence where we are now.

l'l have to come back.

rx

[therising]

Hi rx

I agree with the 20 pages. It think it'd be more a questionnaire, as I tend to question so much of what's obviously questionable these days. Perhaps there'd be a handful of answers or reasons that make sense but the rest I'm not so sure about.

While my 21yo daughter's a wishful thinker, feeling sad and angry while wishing houses were more affordable these days, my 18yo son's more of a pragmatist. While his goal is to retire earlier than 70 years old, he's researching index funds that pay off long term and when it comes to the dream of owning his own home one day, different kinds of investments (other than index funds) are what interest him. His idea is 'If the goal is to live the Australian dream, the way to obtain the dream has changed. Either I focus on struggle and impossibility or I focus on success and the ways that work'. I think his experiences in life so far have helped shape him into the person he is today. With years of him having been bullied at school up to about year 9, starting with a black eye in prep, his way of seeing life to some degree has become (in a nutshell) 'I can either be a victim or I can be someone who works hard while searching for ways to succeed'. He's a fascinating mix of logician, sage, visionary, compassionate soul and more. While my daughter teaches me much, my son does too. One of the things he's teaching me is to stop focusing on the things I can do nothing about, as it's a waste of my time and it's not good for my mental health.

I think a political party that would have me most interested would be one that offers the people an education on how to manage through tough times now, while offering us their vision of the future. So, one that offers a sense of relief, guidance and progress to look forward to. With government, traditionally it more so seems to be 'This is the way things are, now deal with it'. So many people out there who are really struggling to 'deal with it'. Imagine having a great guidance system (for the people) amongst our leaders. When it comes to federal elections, we can see daily multi page spreads in papers regarding political campaigning in the lead up to election time. And with add after add on tv and social media, which involves parties typically slamming each other, imagine seeing instead a once a week government release in a national paper, for example, that offers some form of ongoing guidance throughout the year, especially when it comes to managing anxiety and depression in such trying times. While some may argue 'That kind of management is up to us, as individuals', my idea is 'Good parents (whether it be those who parent a household or a country) have a moral obligation to do it responsibly in a number of ways, not just in the ways that suit them'. 'Don't question me, just do as you're told' is what creates angry and rebellious kids. The reason as to why the last lockdown in Melbourne failed horribly is because the kids (the people) rebelled. With the majority refusing to continue isolating, largely for mental health reasons, it was a mass passive protest and one that worked.

[randomxx]

Yeah l don't moan about it all much never have bc l never had the free time or money to go of touring the country and trying to change what it was obviously becoming . And it just brings you down too much, better of being happy for sure.

Head in sand like the rest of us mostly apart from the odd whinge like this thread every now and then when it all just even 20yrs ago predictably gets to much to watch .

Yeah there was finally some action with lockdowns and no bloody wonder and about time but l was so proud of them nonetheless when we were one of the few countries in the world still doing it and to the degree we were.

Luckily up in my area and with my work to life was pretty well much the same really, a few less around and masking up when out.. Which l didn't mind anyway really and l loved the planet slowing down for once to. Do you know reefs around the world actually started to recover during covid and many other things did to even the air. Whole nother subject l guess.

But gf and l had to go through Melb and Syd to many times right through and airports and cross borders you name it, people would not believe. l actually loved it all just from all that side of things it was so surreal. Especially an empty Melb airport, that was a first.

Yeah your sons right my d knows all the same and she's not silly enough to even bother trying to save the sort of money they'll need later when the time comes by then, it won't be possible in another 5 yrs. She;s looking into investing nd business to and other things but l've hopefully got her covered with some myself

Must get up and load the kayak haha.

The water she is calling me.

rx