Time with Tony - 1/9

Towards the end of my high school years, Billy Joel released "We Didn’t Start the Fire", a rapid-fire chronicle of major world events from the four decades of his life up to that point. The song was written in response to a young person’s comment that it was a terrible time to grow up, and Billy Joel’s reply, through music, was that every generation faces turbulence. I loved the song’s energy and its almost defiant pride in remembering so much of modern history. I recall stopping my tape player and rewinding through every line, wanting to memorize the lyrics, though I understood very little of what many of them referenced. To me, it felt like an anthem celebrating the extraordinary achievements and defining moments of a nation, the United States, that seemed to lead the world in both triumph and turmoil.

Having recently traveled and been reminded again of just how geographically distant Australia is from the rest of the world, I was struck by how modern communication now bridges that gap. News travels instantly, shaping our shared sense of outrage and grief. Last month’s shocking shootings of Jewish families gathered to celebrate Hannukah in Sydney, where lives were lost and families shattered, forced Australians to confront how hatred and radicalization can fester even in a country that prides itself on openness and community. The government’s immediate response was marked by calls for unity and investigations into public safety and mental health systems, reaffirming the country’s long-standing commitment to strict gun laws and social cohesion.

This week, when I watched the video of the shooting in Minnesota, carried out by a federally appointed officer, I felt a different kind of despair. Not only was I angered by the absence of empathy in the official response, but also by the speed with which the act was justified. The United States once stood as a nation unashamedly proud of its moral leadership and willingness to defend human rights, both at home and abroad. Today, that confidence feels eroded. The same country that inspired so much of my youthful admiration now seems uncertain of its own values and hesitant to defend the very ideals it once championed.