The value of migrants - ANZAC DAY 2016

I was listening to the radio this morning. It is ANZAC Day today. Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions.

It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

It was Jon Faine from 774 ABC Melbourne broadcasting from the Shrine of Remembrance. ANZAC Day is my favourite Australian public holiday. 

During my first seven years working at the ANU in Canberra in ACT,  I spent every ANZAC Day singing at the War Memorial and watching the march from the front seat with my friends. What a view we had! From the elevated War Memorial we could see all the people walking and marching on the Avenue with a an incredible backdrop of Lake Burley Griffin and the Old and New Parliament House on the other side of the lake! 

We knew all the songs and had chance to get to know the local heroes and their stories. Then when I became the Music Director of the Canberra Choral Society of more than hundred singers, suddenly dawned on me, what an honour is to be leading the choir and performing those songs that mean a lot this way or that way to every Australian with the Duntroon Military Band. I fondly remember these performances and how after singing a group of us went to have a meal or a cup of coffee together or changed into bush walking gear and had a fabulous day in the bush!

This year there was an alternate march held in Melbourne as a protest against RSL rule change. The group is frustrated with Returned Services League (RSL) rules brought in last year, that do not allow them to walk with their ancestors' banners in the march. Instead, the banners are carried by single representatives at the head of the parade, while the descendants walk together at the rear without the battalion markers. Only World War I descendants are affected by the rules. Denise Mears, whose grandfather was in the 39th Battalion, said the banner had enormous importance for her. "It's not that the descendants are trying to take the place or get any accolades ... we know we weren't at the war," she said. "But it's just to keep the tradition going." It really shows how much the young generation, relatives of the heroes, want to be part of the march and carry the torch.

There was another interesting aspect of ANZAC Day that I heard about in the radio. It was first time that a Chinese group took part in Melbourne's Anzac Day march. More than 40 relatives of Chinese soldiers who fought the Japanese in World War II walked behind their banner to the Shrine.

Ms Xue, 60, said her late father, Xiao Ping, suffered chronic pain for decades after sustaining bullet wounds to his back in the battle for FoMiaoLing​ village in Shanxi province in September 1941.
Mr Xiao was among 2000 Chinese soldiers who faced 10,000 Japanese in the the battle. With 500 colleagues dead or missing, he was shot in the back and crawled for more than one kilometre for help.  She said marching in Melbourne would help her son, Joe Wei, 32, and her granddaughter, Isabelle, 21 months, to know about Mr Xiao's story and honour him, and educate local young Chinese.

One of the group's organisers, Qifang​ Wang, of Notting Hill, migrated to Australia 28 years ago.
She said she would often watch the Anzac Day march on TV and her children would learn Anzac stories about Europe or south-east Asia at school. The Chinese experience in fighting the Japanese invasion was never mentioned. "It really bothered me," she said.

Hearing these stories and the Chinese being represented at ANZAC Day made me ponder about migrants, assimilation and our recent problems with new migrants.

The Chinese have been part of Australia for a long time. As I heard from Australians, from time to time there were problems with Chinese not assimilating and not speaking English. These are still issues in the community. However, the Chinese community is highly regarded as part of Australian society. How did they achieve this? By working hard. As Chinese do. By becoming a valuable, member of the Australian culture. By contributing to the economy. By being a decent citizen. By building a life as part of the community that meets the Australian standards. 

I remember, how important it was for me to represent my home country the best I can here in Australia. My contribution was and is mostly through my profession, music and teaching. Introducing Australians to Hungarian and other European music that I was fortunate enough to study, perform and many times buy and bring music scores to Australia that were rare or never performed. Enriching the culture, making it more colourful by adding my "Hungarian touch". By representing the world famous Kodaly music teaching method and teaching it here. By being a decent person, a valuable citizen and trying to fit in by standing out and standing out by fitting in. 

On the other hand, I was introduced to music, history, literature, nature and people and even to food and many other things that otherwise I would have never encountered. I became richer, more open, more accepting, a more colourful and interesting person than I would have never become if I stayed in Europe. And yes, many time I said or did the wrong things, too. Luckily, only on a minor scale....And there were times when I felt embarrassed by my Hungarian fellow citizens and did not want others know that I was Hungarian too....

The problem with many of the recent incidents is that no country wants trouble makers, no country wants lazy, uneducated citizens who will live on the doll. No country wants people who don't want to fit in, don't value the opportunities and what this new country has to offer. And definitely no country wants migrants who try to harm others. 

The responsibility has to be shared by many that this does not happen. Obviously, people need to be screened more and more carefully, considering the present hot climate. Then all the services need to be in place to accept and welcome new comers. I know.... many of my migrants friends would protest here and could tell their stories that when they arrived they got nothing and they had to figure out everything, learn the language, get an accommodation, find a job, work hard and create a life. However, times change...Migration becomes easier and things like language courses are offered, accommodation provided and jobs are readily available for some. Migration, even under these much better circumstances, are still not easy. 

The responsibility and the role of the already existing same nationality community is tremendous. I can't even imagine how much easier it must be when you have people around you who speak the same language, help you and give you advice and you can make friends with them. The support network makes life so much easier. 

I did not have that. But exactly that made me more resilient and assimilate better. I had to learn and speak English as quickly as I could to stay in my lecturing position. I had to make friends and figure out everything myself not to drawn. The pressure and the stress was tremendous. However, I was so busy staying alive and to cope that I did not have the time, the energy and could not contemplate blowing up a bomb or plot a terror act. I was too busy creating a life for myself in this country. I did not even know if I will be staying here or not. If I will like it to stay or not. 

A group, like the Chinese migrants or Italian migrants or even the much smaller Hungarian community create their reputation they have by living, breathing, acting, contributing here in Australia. I believe that all different nationality groups deserve the reputation they have. Because it is by their members acts that this reputation is built and deserved. By creating better communities we can influence people and the young generation. It takes time and takes patience. 

The presence of the Chinese group at this year's ANZAC Day march took a long time to manifest. It shows that they not only looked back at history and examined their contribution to China but they also feel being part of the Australian community and history. This is a big step forward. Every group has its own evolutionary time. This is how Australia grows and evolves. 

Lest remember. 

The benefits of whole body tapping EFT

Whole Body Patting (EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique) stimulates the energy meridians of the body through vibration, while increasing blood and lymph circulation.

In short, tapping yields enormous benefit. Simply on a physical level, tapping improves blood circulation, helps release tension, and improves skin elasticity, thereby reducing pain and promoting the healing process.

Body tapping circulates energy through the body and stimulates the central and peripheral nervous systems, helping to settle the mind, release stress and emotions, increase energy levels, and sharpen the senses.

The benefits of tapping can be greatly increased by regulating the mind. As with meditation, rather than letting your mind wander as you tap, keep directing your attention to the sensations in your body. For example, try to notice the vibration as it stimulates the muscles in your body and calmly watch, rather than react to, any emotions or pain that may surface through the tapping.

As you allow your mind to “sink into” and accept the feelings in your body, true transformation can occur: you can uncover and release old emotions and self-effacing beliefs, heal chronic pain and intransigent illness, and naturally experience feelings of inner peace, gratitude, and unconditional love.

Sound too good to be true? It’s not! When practiced with deep awareness and acceptance, tapping helps you release the many layers of stress and emotion that you may have built up inside over time, and allow you to experience a more essential part of your being.

You can thus encounter a deeper, common core of self from which you can experience a sense of connection with yourself and with the world. It enables you to hear the messages that your body is sending to guide you to a state of well-being.

Of course, as with any exercise, don’t overdo it. Stinging and pain are normal signs of blockage and stiffness in the body. However, if you feel excessive pain, try tapping more lightly or move to a different part of the body.

If you have specific health conditions, please consult a physician before trying this or any other exercise.

Stand with you feet parted shoulder-width and knees slightly bent. Extend your left arm ninety degrees from the body with your palm facing upward.

With your right hand slightly cupped, begin to pat the top of your left shoulder, and then pat down your arm toward your palm for ten counts.

Turn your palm over and pat up the other side of the arm for ten counts. Repeat on your right arm.

With both hands, pat your chest for 50 counts.

Move your hands down and pat your lower abdomen for 50 counts.

Bring your hands to your lower back and pat for 50 counts.

Then with one hand on each leg, pat down the back of your legs for ten counts, then up the front of the legs, down the sides of the legs, and up the inside of the legs for ten counts each.

Return to your lower abdomen, patting briskly for 50 counts.

This three minutes video with body tapping will change your life!

I start my yoga session by starting a tapping exercise focusing on the Dahnjoong—the meridian point found in the middle of the slight indentation in the center of the chest. This point is close to the middle Dahn-jon—the chakra located behind the heart. It's highly sensitive to everyday anxiety and is, for that reason, effective at relieving stress and promoting emotional stability. By tapping the Dahnjoong at least 100 times and controlling your breath, you may experience tingling sensations in your chest and fingertips that are signs that stagnant energy is leaving your body.