Human Values for Australia

Address to Sai National Conference
by Albert Barelds, Walk Coordinator, Australia

The story I share with you today is still being written as only a small part has yet unfolded. It is a story about faith and determination because hearing the words of the Avatar is always sweet but putting His words into practice is a challenge to meet!

A few of us represented the Australian Sai Organisation at the International Editors and Publishers Conference at Prasanthi Nilayam in 2005 and it was here that Swami made it very clear to the delegates what He wanted. His message was:

"I want publicity for the teachings and the message. I want thatwaprachara, publicity for the philosophy; not vyakthiprachara, publicity for the person. That is more important. About me, there is no need to talk."

We came away from that conference being humbled by the many and varied activities taking place around the world to take Swami's message to the wider community and wondered what the right approach would be for Australia. Canada had with great success held an annual Walk for Values since 2002 and the Canadian experience inspired us.

Australia has a long history of getting out and walk to let the world know what is being thought of a particular issue. Walking for something you believe in is acceptable in Australia and not seen as political or divisive.

It is also recognised, in most people's mind, that modern living has undermined the long held principles of behaviour taught by generations before us. And there are widely held concerns in the community that many standards are no longer adhered to, that for example modern science, commerce and politics have few boundaries in terms of ethics.

Yet walking for values was new, both in the community and for members of the Sai organisation. It was clear to us from the beginning that the simple demonstration of the five human values by holding up placards and banners is in itself enough to remind people that these are fundamental to what and who we are as human beings as the values of Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non-Violence are inherent and natural in every human being. Deep down these values make us feel secure in the knowledge that we are more than we might think we are and, ultimately, they make each one of us walking proof that we are in essence gifted with Divine qualities.

It all sounds easy yet there were obstacles to overcome. The Australian experience of becoming devoted to Lord Sathya Sai has organisationally translated into various spiritual activities and community services but few of our programs reach out to join the wider community. We are also great devotional singers, spiritual teachers and providers of selfless service in the community but few of our members are well versed in talking about Sai or His teachings in such a way that it connects easily to the average Australian.

That is the task we set ourselves, to find a way through organising a National Walk for Values, to communicate the essence of His teachings, without needing to mention His name, in such a way that it was:

• relevant to the wider community,
• inspired the members of the Sathya Sai Organisation and
• provided an opportunity for the whole community to get involved in the promotion of human values in Australian society.

We particularly want to emphasize that the Walk promotes the advancement of values in all facets of our society - personal, family, work, sport and governance - in a fun and interactive way. And it is our aim to connect with the broader Australian community to celebrate these values that are at the heart of all we do as these values aid our achievement of a just and sustainable society despite complexity and ongoing change.

Saturday 24 March 2007 was the day of the first National Walk for Values in Australia and with people walking through the city centres of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

As said before, the National Walk for Values was not organised to promote the name or form of our beloved Sai, but is seen as a simple and practical way to promote His teachings in the wider community. As was stated in Perth at the end of the 2007 Walk, these five values are prized by human beings of the highest stature. These are the values for which men, women and children over centuries have been willing to lay down their lives. They are the values which have guided the lives of the great and good men and women who have inspired and influenced us for the betterment of our modern world - Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa, amongst many.

It was a great experience to work with so many committed and wonderful people around Australia towards this 1st National Walk for Values. Swami blessed us to be part of His mission and to play a small part in His commitment to re-establish righteousness in this world. He allowed each of us, whilst walking, to reflect on the importance of the values in our lives and to remind ordinary people around this country what the core human values are but, more so, He reminded us what we are capable of doing and that His mission is going far beyond His name and form. It has been said that the human values are like a medicine - you can take the medicine without knowing what the illness is and the medicine will work. So it is with the values, they cure the amnesia we suffer from [we have forgotten our Divine Nature] and they work even if we are not aware of the amnesia!

Seeing people in the streets of Adelaide smiling and nodding their heads when realising what was on the banners and placards and observing trades people on a building site dropping their tools to get a sticker with the National Walk for Values logo and put it on their hard hats, are but a few of the memories amplified by so many stories happening across our beautiful nation.

In Perth, the Young West Australian of the Year for 2006, gave an inspiring talk on service to humanity. She has lived a life of service since the age of ten, when in gratitude for the gift of life given to her through a kidney transplant, has worked to bring life to others.

In Melbourne, following the National Anthem, an Elder of the Wurundjeri Tribe, welcomed participants to her ancestral land and gave thanks for walking for the basic human values. Ms Judith Graley, a Member of Parliament, at the opening of the Melbourne walk commented on one placard in particular, Peace begins with a smile. 'If you could bottle that and give that out to everyone during the walk then we would make the world a much better place to live in'.

The police in the various cities commented on not having observed such a peaceful march before and some police officers asked the date for next year so they could take part. What an incredible sight, all these smiling and wonderful people carrying the value messages through the city centres of our nation with traffic being stopped and people using their horns and waving in support. Not a single negative experience was reported, only excitement and a wonderful sense of togetherness to do Swami's work in a way that we have not been exposed to before!

It was not anticipated that many outside organisations would join this first National Walk for Values and the numbers were not important. The goal was achieved - to facilitate a good process to get this National Walk for Values off the ground in Australia. We wanted to focus on quality and not quantity and it is clear that we achieved this and much more.

As was expected, most of those who walked were members of the Sathya Sai Organisation, and walk they did - with gratitude to the Lord and with loving feelings for the communities we live in. A total of about 2,500 people walked for values on Saturday 24 March 2007, touching the hearts of many, many thousands of onlookers. But many others have been touched too, for example the people who received the letters of invitation or who received a brochure about this walk somewhere from someone. Or they might have received an email about the event, heard an interview on the local radio or possibly visited the National Walk for Values website.

It is abundantly clear that Swami allowed us to get the essence of His teachings to many thousands of Australians and the impact of this event is for Him to know and for us to guess. We all know how Swami works in mysterious and wonderful ways!

And that was only the beginning! The National Walk for Values in 2008 is about to happen, on Saturday the 12th of April we will do it all over again, this year not only in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth but also in our national capital Canberra. The plans are in place, a lot of work has been done by many people coordinated nationally by Andy Raveendran and a number of other organisations have indicated their interest in joining. Well known people such as Australian of the year, Dr Fiona Wood, have accepted invitations to promote the Walk and speak at the gatherings.

So the scene has been set and with His grace we will do this again next year, and the year after and so on ... till it is the natural thing to do in Australia, to walk for Human Values once a year - whatever your faith, culture or background, to celebrate and remind ourselves of the importance of the human values!

National Walk for Values
Saturday, April 12, 2008

The Sathya Sai Organisation of Australia and PNG will conduct a National Walk for Values, in all states, on Saturday, April 12, 2008.

The National Walk for Values will provide an opportunity for all good-willing persons to come together and walk under the unifying theme of the five universal human values, that is, Truth, Love, Peace, Right Conduct and Non-Violence. Attention will be drawn towards all that is tolerant, caring, unifying and peaceful in society without seeking to promote any individual religion or philosophy.

Further information about the Walk and routes, and participation will be can be found on the National Walk for Values Website

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