Is it right or wrong to climb Uluru? - Have a think
What is right and what's wrong? Every decent person would know the answer, those who don't, well you might have missed something important in your life. I feel sorry for your children.
Just to get the facts right, you can't compare the Central Australia history with the rest of Australia. Some of you know that the Australian history started 200 years ago, which is correct, but not for Central Australia. The story of white man living in Uluru goes back about 80 years ago, when those elderly Aborigines you see these days were still kids running around naked and looking for bush tucker, sleeping under the stars and living life.
Suddenly the invasion of white Australians came and everything changed for indigenous people. Have a think about it. How would you feel in their situation? How would you react if you had to change your complete life style you have been living for more than 60,000 years, change from today to tomorrow to suit the white men profile? Would you really trust the invaders?
I have been living here in Yulara (the resort at Ayers Rock) for more than 5 years, I'm involved in different kind of jobs including working with Anganu people. I had the privilege to learn from the direct source about their culture and how strong they are still connected to the land, respecting it and living with it.
Did any of the guys who climbed the rock ever think why actually the Aborigines don't wont you climb? Did you make the effort to ask somebody why? Have you questioned why the climb occasionally is closed? Why?
Probably not otherwise you wouldn't come up with such absurd comments of the climb being closed. With every ignorant tourist, who is in difficulty while up there climbing the rock, the rescue team has to go up there to rescue them, and they get put into great danger as well because it isn't an easy exercise. Have you ever thought about that?
You guys are not just putting yourself into danger but everybody else with a common sense as well, and you think that's ok! Maybe you're right in saying they shouldn't be closing the climb, with one condition: to ban all rescue attempts for that person who climbs and gets hurt.
In fact, everyone who climbs the rock knows that they do it at their own risk, so why putting somebody else into dangers just because of their stupid behaviour and ignorance? If they get stuck up there than that's their problem and they have to deal with it, they put themselves into that situation.
If tourists get hurt, or worse die while climbing, Anganu people mourn for their families. They feel responsible because that person got hurt or died on their land and they (Anganu) couldn't do anything. If a non-indigenous person dies, because they climbed, their soul stays within the area of the Uluru and they don't belong there, that's what Anganu belief.
Think first before you decide to climb, see the whole picture not just what you see with your eye.
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