As Christmas day fades from our memories and we head towards the new year, spare a thought for the incredible aura of good luck that hangs over this nation. The vast majority of the Australian people had a very happy Christmas, enjoyed a great meal with family and friends - and indulged in the present swapping that is a highlight of the festive season.
Some degree of sadness is inevitable. A woman attending midnight mass at a church was stabbed by a thief - who stole small change from her purse. Several days before Christmas, two families awoke to find a thief had broken in during the night and stolen the children's presents from under the Christmas tree - and complete strangers put their hand in their pockets and replaced that loss. Heavy Christmas road traffic produced the inevitable spate of road accidents that delivered death or injury to some - but spread across the twenty-three million people that call Australia home - sad events were a very small minority.
In comparison, many others in this world spent a miserable Christmas. The residents of Syria face death every day as civil war rages in their country. The people of Iraq face the prospect of a car bomb every time they venture to the shops to buy bread - and in Sudan a religious tribal fight is resulting in mass graves being discovered as whole communities face execution.
In the Philippines, the dead are still being recovered from the debris that a tropical cyclone inflicted on that country. Thousands of homes have been destroyed and the possibility of dieing from hunger can not be discounted. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, workers in clothing factories have a real fear of fire or a building collapse as they toil in unsafe surroundings - working for a pittance.
It is estimated that the slave trade is alive and well in many parts of the world today, and a vast portion of the world community exists - rather than lives - on less than two dollars a day. When we compare all that to the way we live in Australia, the term " the lucky country " - is highly applicable.
Hopefully, those twenty-three million Australian citizens have the good sense to keep it that way. We have a way of life that others envy. Australia is high on the list as the place to reach for those who wilfully risk their lives to reach our shores. This is the land of "milk and honey " - the destination at the end of the rainbow - that many perish trying to reach.
Australia will remain the best country in the world as long as we obey just a few simple rules. Those that come here from other countries need to leave the problems of those countries far behind them. This is a new start - and that means wiping the slate clean and starting again from scratch.
Religion is a difference of opinion, not a reason for war. It is not something to be forced on others at the point of a sword, and every person is entitled to follow the religion of their choice - or no religion at all. A little mutual respect can see religions exist in harmony.
This has always been a country of tolerance. That is the key to remaining " the lucky country " !
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