Karen Crook wrote:
I do understand the story and it is very sad. Over time most people never forget but they do move on. It's not about whether the other person or their children apologise, it is about yourself becoming stronger and moving on with life. Everyone has suffered some sort of hardship in their life. But no matter how much the anger stays with one you cannot expect someone who had nothing to do with the original sin to apologise. It's like admitting to a crime you did not commit!
Karen,When someone you know dies, do you say to the survivor: ' I can't say I'm sorry because I had nothing to do with it and it's not my fault!' or do you say 'I'm sorry for your loss'?
If a friend of yours is raped or bashed, do you say: 'Too bad, I had nothing to do with it, you just have to deal with it' or do you express empathy and understanding and acknowledge your friend's suffering by saying, 'I'm so sorry this happened to you'?
Saying sorry is not an admittance of guilt. Saying 'sorry' is saying that you feel the pain, that your share the grief. It is only when grief is acknowledged and allowed expression that anyone can move forward in a positive way.
It is only when all Australians who today benefit from the dispossession and suffering of Aboriginal Australians acknowledge that dispossession and suffering instead of turning away, that reconciliation can begin. It is the first step of many others that are necessary.
The only way that all Australians can do this, is for the PM to do this on behalf of all Australians. It has nothing to do with his personal beliefs - they are irrelevant. The office of PM demands that he represent all Australians. The problem with John Howard is that he doesn't understand the demands of his office. He thinks it's his personal fiefdom.
Trudy
