Published by the Herald Sun on Tuesday July 31st 2012.
By Tim Costello, World Vision Australia Chief Executive
Australians have never appeared as grumpy or as disillusioned as they do today. Amid a prolonged global financial crisis, plunging consumer confidence, job losses, price rises and a toxic political environment, we are losing our sense of optimism.
Australians are renowned for thinking ‘she’ll be right’ but now there is a growing sense that perhaps we can’t assume things will work out for the best. We are losing faith in our institutions, the mining boom is leaving many Australians behind and there is again a ‘fear of others’ permeating our public debate that is reminiscent of Hansonism.
Purchase Tim Costello's Hope here.
Our hope seems to be fading. But is it justified? Right now in Australia, we have low inflation, low interest rates and an unemployment figure hovering just above 5 per cent. So why all the grumpiness when we’re regarded by the rest of the globe as an economic miracle?
I think it’s because we’ve lost perspective. And there are a number of factors contributing to that.
Firstly, Australians have begun to confuse ‘cost of living’ with the cost of ‘lifestyle’, and I think this confusion leads us to live by a false story - that the wealthier we are, the happier we will be. There are certainly many people struggling in our communities, and the not-for-profit sector is working hard to access and help those in need. But for the vast majority of us, we are much, much richer than our grandparents who were often happier with less.
Secondly, we are gripped by a sense of fear. Our national psyche seems to be dominated by it; fear that we’re losing ground, fear that we’re missing out. It contradicts our current economic prosperity and yet it continues to sweep across our society. Fear is a natural human instinct, especially when we have so much to lose, but we need to realise that it also motivates us to pull up the draw bridge and to demonise others.
I think we need to take a step back, reassess, and rekindle our hope for the future. Let’s not forget that we truly are blessed. I have travelled to some of the poorest and most desolate places on the planet, and yet I am continually surprised by the hope I find amid the hunger and suffering these people face.
Wealthy countries like Australia can learn a lot from these parts of the world. In our society, we see a fragmenting of community, and an epidemic of depression, youth suicide and drug abuse. In poor communities, I often witness the opposite. I am invigorated as I see connection to family and a strong sense of community, I hear song and dance and respect for land and tribe. It often surprises me to think there is more joy with the poor than in our society, where we have solved the economic challenge of supply.
Purchase Tim Costello's Hope here.
I have seen so many examples of this through my travels, but there is one place that shines brighter than all the rest. I was visiting a community in far north-east India, in a place known as Nagaland, when I noticed that one man in the group was robed in the most resplendent gold cloak. I asked my colleague why this man was the only one dressed with such fine garments, and to my amazement, discovered that in Naga culture, when you become rich – meaning you have a lot of pigs and bags of rice – you can choose to throw a feast of merit. This means hosting a party for the whole village, particularly the poor, which might go on for two weeks or a month – however long it takes to liquidate all your assets. When everything is gone, you have a glorious gold coat placed on your shoulders in a ceremony of great respect. Then you start again with nothing – all except for your gold cloak.
It’s a story so far from our own influences, and yet there are many Australians – quite often from our poorer communities - who understand the principle. I am so often inspired by the generosity of Australians who sponsor a child or donate to a relief appeal, especially from poorer Australians who give because they understand that even on our bad days, we still have so much.
Tim Costello’s new book Hope is released on August 1.