O World, Open Your Eyes

Yesterday (Wednesday) was such an eventful day!

I woke up at 5:30am once more to be able to attend the Darling meeting at the Grace Hotel. Tanya Plibersek, a member of NSW Parliament, spoke on battling homelessness. Her proposals are very interesting, and although quite optimistic, she does not deny the difficulties that will and have come through these efforts. I could go on and on about what she wishes to do, but if you visit this link, you can listen to it all for yourself! Basically, Australia is trying to halve homelessness by 2020! How ambitious is that?! I was able to ask Darling Tanya (she was inducted as an official Honorary Sydney Darling Member) how they were going to get the workers for such a feat...were they going to be paid workers, volunteers, or what? She explained that this side of the homelessness issue was a big one. Many people who work in homeless shelters or with the homeless people are greatly underpaid, if at all. Unfortunately, multiple workers will quit because they see no end to their struggle (very much like their homeless counterparts). After all, they have bills to pay as well. Tanya hopes to make the positions available to them ones that give the opportunity to progress up the ladder, of course depending on the success, reliability and work ethics of the employee.

My only concern with this matter is the heart issue. How does one verify the level of compassion of a person? I don't think you can, really. I just hope that this doesn't turn into people just working for another firm.

Many homeless people feel that others don't care about them. I walk the streets of Sydney and see person after person being ignored, or worse, looked down upon, by some stuffy person in a business suit, clutching their expensive suitcases and PDA's. Where is the heart? Before the Lord opened my heart, I used to think that homeless people just needed to get off their butts and find a job. But how do you get a job when you've never had one or been able to keep one for the lack of professional education? Or how do you even get hired, no matter how much work ethic you have, when you don't have the clothes or appearance for anyone to take you seriously? How does one believe in themselves enough to try to make a better existence, when day after day they are shooed off the doorsteps of business owners and, appallingly, church buildings? There are so many layers to everything. If we don't care about the person, the issues surrounding their lives will never change.

After the meeting I went off to school. I had the pleasure of sitting-in on an Opera performance class, where I watched a few of my new friends perform. Oh, if only I could have been up there. Someday, maybe...

I then had my first lesson with Barry Ryan, a baritone with a big, booming voice and a dynamic personality. Results? My voice is much fuller, richer, and focused when I use his technique! However, this new technique will take much getting used to, especially since I'm using muscles in ways I never really have before. I also am not used to hearing my voice the way it sounds with his technique. When I sing, what I hear is completely different from what an audience member hears, because my ears are inside my head! Crazy, huh? That's why you'll hear people squeal after hearing themselves on a recording, "But do I really sound like that?" Barry wants me to sing everything forte until I develop this new muscle memory. I am thinking of bringing earplugs to rehearsals, for every time he demonstrates something to me, the entire room shakes!!

Today I went on a bush walk with Marie. It was so beautiful! What a blessing to have such a wonderful trail just a block away from the house! I hope my knees strengthen with this exercise.

When I came in after the bush walk, I sat and ate my lunch and watched a bit of television. There was this documentary about Japan's defense training program. Basically, Japan doesn't have a "real" military because in the 1930's or 40's the US "helped" them create a law in their constitution that made them unable to have one. However, when the Cold War came around, the US was eager for Japan to join their side. Today, Japan is in turmoil over whether they should eradicate Article 9 and gain back their military. Some are adamant that they should, because they are in danger of attack if they don't. Others say that they should just defend themselves, but not attack anyone.

In a section of the documentary, it showed the inside of a classroom of the defense training school. The students were asked to use one word to describe America. Here are some of the words they chose:

• Center
• Super
• Strong
• Military
• Leader
• Power

One student said that because the US is the most powerful country in the world, everything they decide affects the lives in every other country.

Honestly, I have never seen it that way before. I always wondered why it seemed that every person I talked to that was around my age and from another country seemed so interested in American politics. "So what do you think about Bush?" People ask me. "Who did you vote for in the last election?" "What's it like to live in America?"

All these questions I have never considered to be that important to me. Although I don't take the blessings I have for granted, I have never felt very "Yes, America! We are number one!" Politics just never seemed that important to me. I suppose I always felt that my vote would never really make a difference. Yeah, we have a democracy, but I once heard that our voting methods rule out the true voice of the people. It gets so complicated, I really don't know. I just know that I wouldn't choose any political leader that I've been presented with. I don't trust a person in that kind of power that is not getting guidance from God. And I am not saying this as an ignorant Bible-thumper. It's true. The fear of God (revering and following Him) is the beginning of understanding. I think of King Solomon, the wisest king. His wisdom came from the Lord. No, he wasn't perfect, not by a mile! But he sought out the Lord. That's what's important. Politicians are pulled apart in every direction by so many different facets, and everyone is trying to be so politically correct... I just can't trust them!

Here in Sydney, I've gotten a dose of what others think about my country; I know it's just the beginning. This is a new practice for me...to seriously consider my country's policies. I kinda like it. :D