The movie hypothesis of ‘2012-time for change’ is that 2012 is when a 5000 year Mayan calendar cycle comes to an end and as a result global change will occur, while I don’t necessarily agree with what are often considered apocalyptic predictions. I think that the concept of 2012 as a time for change or reflection as suggested in the movie is at least a good point for discussion, this trip to Australia has re-affirmed that there needs to be a consciousness change and that society can’t just continue to just immerse itself in consumerism in the hope that the problems with the state of the world will go away.
This trip to Australia for Christmas holidays has shown me that change is already being forced upon people and there is little possibility that a continuation of existing ways of living and thinking can continue. It’s been surprising the level of financial pressure and job insecurity in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The shear pressure of urban living at this time in Australia appears to be increasingly untenable, exorbitant rents in Sydney and increasingly unaffordable house prices were a frequent of discussion. Friends told me how they would have to sacrifice an entire salary for mortgage repayments and live of the other spouses salary meaning this couple would both need to work full time which would require putting their young son into day care. While I am aware this is not at all new, it’s the first time that I have really connected with just how the world that we have created for ourselves is not at all sympathetic towards young families trying to survive and create some sort of quality of life for themselves.
In other situations people were either out of work or struggling to find new work, quality jobs look far more difficult to obtain now than they would have been say four or five years ago when I first arrived in Australia looking for work myself. Being out of work or and unable to find means a number of people are trying to reassess their personal identity post-employment.
Food prices also seem to be pretty high from what I remember and there looks to be a lot of poor quality food available and quite a lot of food wastage.
What is pushed by mainstream commercial magazines and also mainstream Australian TV is still encouraging people to buy a certain product or look a certain way once you purchase a certain product or look a certain way as a fast track to happiness. It’s a message that seems to be avoiding the real issues of this particular time in history, but it’s so pervasive and widespread here with nothing much to counter or challenge it.
Another thing that I have observed and maybe I have only noticed this because I have lived in a place where people are pretty laid back is that there is an underlying tension and irritability in a large number of people in the places I have visited, I’m not sure if this is more a perception coming from one way of living and interacting to another that’s vastly more stressful and complex, but it doesn’t seem healthy or balanced and ultimately socially sustainable.
So the systems broken but people haven’t got time to fix the system as they are too busy caught in it trying to survive.
Maybe 2012 will start to see an awaking or consciousness that the system needs to change and that people have the ability to create that change. Maybe we will start to see a transition away from employment that doesn’t allow for time to strengthen community and family to employment that allows for flexibility, maybe people will be supported to address the increasing rises of living costs through urban agriculture and more comprehensive public transport, maybe the economy also needs a complete revamp to be more sympathetic to nature and community in a time of drastic change.
