Discussion»Questions»History» No country (or better stated, government) is perfect, no country has a spotlessly perfect history. Is it wrong to love one’s country even
I love the land of Australia and its climate, geography and ecologies. I love that we have a democracy, relatively low crime rates and high freedom of speech and lifestyle.
I would prefer it if our social safety nets were better and stronger than they are. They're not bad compared to many countries, but they fall far short of the actual need, and this has been getting worse over the last forty years.
I loathe and feel ashamed of many aspects of Anglo-Australian culture: colonial history, continuing racism (1 in 6 have racist attitudes of some sort), and environmental violation, ignorance, greed and irresponsibility.
But Australians are a mixed lot. One cannot make assumptions based on how someone looks. 29% were born overseas. 49% are born of first or second-generation immigrants - and these come from all countries across the planet. I very much enjoy the contributions migrants have made. They've made us more aware of other parts of the world, other ways of thinking, and have shown us the importance of open-mindedness. And yet, on immigration, no one ever asked the Aborigines whether it was okay to continue invading and stealing their country. This, to me, is a shocking breach of the most basic consideration for those to whom we owe the most.
If love is that which cares for the well-being of life, then I guess to love one's country means to nurture that which is healthy for all its people, animals and natural environment to the best of one's ability - and to abstain from doing harm. Perhaps it's like loving one's spouse - one accepts the whole with realism and honesty, and one slowly works to encourage that which is kind.
Thriftymaid 