What I find so tantalising about foreign lands is the culture of the place.  Some countries just ooze a glorious sense of themselves.  

It got me thinking whether here in Australia we actually have a culture?  What do you think?  If you are one of our overseas Wise Women, do you think Australians have a culture that is palpable.  As about a fourth generation Australian or so, I am simply writing from my own observed point of view and I would be glad to receive yours.


Australian Flags

Having recently been to France, and the home of my ancestors, I was keen to observe the French way of life to see if I was missing out on something!!!  Maybe missing out on a lifestyle that might have been!  And what I did find was that I am missing out on a unique society and culture that is alluring and disarming.

Firstly, let's clarify what a society and a culture all means!

A society is defined as a group of people (or nation) who have common traditions, and by interacting with each other, organised patterns of relationships and interests.  It is said that in different societies, people regard their own traditions and expectations as distinct. 

A culture is defined as the whole product of human work and thought and these traits can imbue a collective population of people.  The interaction of people ensures that cultures are continuously evolving.   Behaviour, beliefs, arts, behaviour and attitudes make up the notion of a unique cultural nation.

A society and a culture are not entirely the same thing, but they are inextricably intertwined because ‘culture is created and transmitted to others in a society’.

So we assume that 'culture' is the deep down belief system that has taken eons to flourish and a society is the lighter visual top layer of a population that gives it its uniqueness or flavour.

If we think of Australia, we think of it as a land of marsupials, beaches, sunny skies, deserts and traditional landowners and of mateship. 

But do we FEEL Australian deep down in our roots?

Do we FEEL connected to this land? 

Do we FEEL connected to our countrymen?

For many of us, our distant ancestors lived and died in countries far from here and their journeys, their graves and their vibes are not intertwined in our day to day living and that I think deprives us of something I can’t quite put my finger on. 

You only have to look at the Aboriginal connectedness to this land, their ancestors and their entire past, to make you realise that we are not as bound to this place as much as we could be. 

Of course we are all individually proud of our heritage here, but as a unified group of Australians, how do we find a special culture with that sense of love of the land and connective pride. Surely it’s got to be more than jumping up an event and yelling “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”!!! 

Our society is a conglomerate of many races going back to the moment of settlement.  We are English, Italian, Greek, Scottish, South American, Asian, Aboriginal, etc.  You name it, we are all!  So given that we are a blend, mixture and hotch potch of looks and cultures, we need to find a way to be proud and unify our overall identity to appreciate what we have on offer to move forwards as one.  

Generally our lifestyle is very much like the American way of life or indeed their society.  But surprisingly, very few of us are from America.  We know that Americans are also a mixture of people from many backgrounds and they seem to have a patriotic pride that is blinding.  Could we describe an American culture though?   Maybe their society is more visable, and has more of an emphasis on money and success rather than assuming a deep and earth binding culture. 

Many Australians have tried to retain some sense of culture from their original homelands, which gives a wonderful richness.  I am sure if we were able to blend the best from all of these different cultures and combine it with a respect and love of the land with its incredible Aborginal spirituality,  Australia would be the ‘toast’ of the world. 

Of course, we are all thrilled to live in Australia and to be Australian and we are happy to march, chant and sing in a patriotic way, but perhaps an Australian culture with its special ingredient is missing.
Could we ever live a way of life, that is the way of life? 

The feeling of pride coming from knowing where you belong
and that you belong!

Do we want to distinguish ourselves and be seen as culturally aware, by being accepting, family orientated, spiritual, worldly, knowledgeable and proud of ourselves and our country, well then, we have to do something about it.  

If we personally ‘become’ an example of this lovely mix of qualities then we will be the perfect foundation of a great Australian culture.  We are halfway there in a lot of ways, but the most important thing is to blend the goodness of everyone within our country where we can all stand under the one umbrella.  

Our culture has to truly reflect us all and we have to reflect our culture.

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Port Stephens, NSW