My mother and father grew up in a society without cotton wool.  Kids got on their bikes and were gone for the day. All was well as long as they were home for supper, or there'd be hell to pay.

For my friends and me, I wouldn't say there was cotton wool, but a small amount of padding.  I could walk to my friend's house to play, but I had to ask my parents first and tell them where I was going.  Not as carefree and perhaps reckless as my parent's upbringing, but sensible.

Today, however, the pendulum has swung into a sort of egg shell, bubble-wrapped, red tape nightmare where every stranger is a potential paedophile, kidnapper, thief or con artist.  Ok, a bit of an exaggeration - but people are truly scared.  They've bought into a global media message that humans are despicable.

Everywhere you turn there's a new story, Facebook post or radio discussion outlining the latest terrible thing someone has done to someone else.  It's little wonder with all this negativity circulating in the media and turning up in people's conversations that we don't build big fences and hide under our beds.

The message being fed to the masses is that there are a lot of terrible, violent, self-centered people out there.  From within my heart shouts "THIS IS A LIE!!".  I'm not saying people don't do terrible things - I'm saying that it's all we hear about and it's only a portion of reality.  There are countless instances of people being generous, helpful, kind and caring to each other.  People are smiling and saying hello to each other - it's true!  But such occurrences are hardly going to make it into the newspapers, are they?

The feeling within multiple communities has turned toxic and fear-ridden.  Many people don't know their neighbours, they don't chat with local store owners, they are too busy rushing through all the must do tasks of the day that they don't have the chance to look into someone's eyes and say "how are you?" with meaning and genuine concern.  We've made all sorts of technological advances as a society, perhaps we've come to a point where we've convinced ourselves (or been convinced by others) that we don't need each other?  Or that we shouldn't need each other?

Even though we stand side by side in cities, workplaces, on the road and walking down the street we have lost sight of each other.  We've been blinded by the lie that we've been told .  The lie that says if we all just look out for ourselves, everyone will be just fine.  But it's not fine, is it?  Because this lie creates a self-centred environment in which people decide they won't let that car in on the motorway or allow someone else to go first or hold that door.  So it continues, as people keep trying to rise up into a better and better life for themselves - to the point that they would scramble on top of each other or push each out of the way.

Whatever it is that's happened, we've become closed off to one another.  But all is not lost - we can change it.  We can, I feel it deep in my bones.  How our community functions and relates to each other is within our grasp.  It isn't something that people from some sort of self-imposed place of importance need to tell us to do.  We don't need permission to connect with each other, we don't need to wait for someone to start an organisation, a charity or a committee.  We can do it now - because we want our children to grow up knowing that people are capable of wonderful things, that it costs nothing to connect, that kindness is as simple as a heartfelt smile and "hello". 

As we work on coming together in our community we will begin to see a new day that becomes our everyday experience.  A community in which mums no longer feel that asking for help is a sign of shame and weakness but are celebrated for their strength and courage in being vulnerable.  A community in which helping is not considered an act of trade where a return favour, or some other sort of compensation is due.  Where helping another is considered a great honour by those who would cast off the fear of being drained by another's need and instead receive the great joy of lifting a sister to her feet.  Where receiving help would not be considered a debt of shame where countless "thank you"s are spewed and promises of a return offering are required but instead felt as a humbling receiving of a gift from the bonds of sisterhood met only with love, appreciation, gratitude and a warm embracing hug.

 

So I put out the call - to all those who would answer.  To whom it reaches deep inside and stirs the very heart of you.  The only way we are going to create a community with heart is start communicating to each other with heart.  The only way we are going to create a community that looks out for each other and trusts is to start looking out for each other and trusting.  In an amazing display of courage to our children, we lay down the fearful beliefs we've been told by the media at large and say, "yes, painful things happen to people at the hands of others but I will not let this stop me from being a person that does kind and caring things for others".  

And it starts with us, the mums.  Why?  Because we do everything else?  No, because now is the time for women around the world to step up and take our place as the equal other to the masculine.  Through her strength, courage, vulnerability, compassion, caring and willingness to connect, mother has the power to lift her whole family.  It's our time to be the ones who would take the clay of our community and mould it into a shared vision of a connected hub that responds to its inhabitants with love, warmth, empathy and compassion.

Stand with me, Mothers. Stand with me.

Movement
Of
The
Heroines
Entering
Revolution

 

By Bronwyn Bay