I’ve been off enjoying my life for the last couple months in Europe. Just before my partner and I had reached our 10 year anniversary of dating, we had decided to go elope in Austria and make the ultimate commitment to one another. We had rolled our honeymoon and wedding into one, and spent time exploring mainland Europe and escaping the cold West Australian winter.

This trip couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I’ve been slaving away at my business for over 4 years at this point and have failed to take a lengthy break for some time. I always have told myself that it would happen (eventually) but only once I had “made it”. I guess you never really make it. So this holiday has given me a much-needed break to gain some perspective and recharge from my work.

Europe has been an eye-opening experience for me. I have travelled to a few places before in Europe, but only for very quick jaunts. And usually I’ve been working and/or thinking about my next career leap each time. This time, with nothing to occupy me, I’ve been able to enjoy just being in Europe and doing some stereotypical tourist sightseeing.

On this trip, I started to notice the good in Europe compared to back home. I started to see all the things they have done right. I have understood the sacrifices they have made to get to this point too, and I started to project my own experiences of home onto these places.

The biggest theme I’ve noticed from my trip is that everything good in our world has been fought for.

These nations and people have all seen hardship and sacrifice. In ancient times, it was in the form of building castles and walls to protect themselves from invaders. How many times in history must people have gone with less while they were under siege from invaders. In more modern times, they had to live through wars and conflicts just to build their own independence and identity from invading forces.

There is so much pride in these people. They know their ancestors fought for their countries, and they would all do it again if the need arises.

Australia has never fought for anything. We colonised Australia by conducting a genocide on our people. We have always bowed to the British, and more recently the Americans, and done their bidding. We’ve accepted the changes our government has made for the “good of the people” as they’ve eroded our social services and public goods that we used to believe in. We have allowed foreign and local investors to accumulate all of our housing and sell it back to us at a premium without protesting. We have accepted that our incomes don’t rise with the cost of living, and have too accepted that the government should take an ever-larger slice of the working class’s pie of labour rather than the capital class.

I think this is something Australians are missing. We are missing the balls to fight back.

I don’t blame us. I too, like those I critique, are too scared and fearful to fight back. I don’t have skills to grow my own food. I can’t build my own home. I can’t fight back against a much stronger foe. I can’t endure hardship. I am fortunate enough to see through some of the propaganda and lies, but others do not have the education and intellect to do so.

Yet I am like so many in my society. We have had our hands, minds, and feet cut off by our leaders so we can’t fight back. And this is why we don’t fight back: it’s because we no longer can.

So how can we fight back? I have always been a believer of fighting economically in a capitalistic system. Reject their monies and own our own. How will the ruling class be able to pay their soldiers if their currencies are rejected by everyone else in society? A soldier will fight if they are fed, but if they can not buy anything with their salary how can they eat?

Learn to look after yourself and your people. Learn to grow food. Learn to mend your goods. Learn to butcher your own meat. You and I are most likely in bullshit jobs. Lawyers writing arcane spells to ward off the people’s ability to attack the rich. Lap dogs of the rich who hire, fire, and manage the individuals in their companies. We are the ones who must learn the tools to fight against the system. Otherwise we will be forever bound to it.