Deep Listening

Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann, an Ngangikurungkurr Aboriginal woman, was the 2021 Senior Australian of the Year. In her language, the word dadirri refers to inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us; it’s something like ‘contemplation’ (www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au). Miriam-Rose says that: ‘When I experience dadirri, I am made whole again. I can sit on the riverbank or walk through the trees; even if someone close to me has passed away, I can find my peace in this silent awareness. There is no need of words. A big part of dadirri is listening.’ Deep within all of us, there is a ‘discerning voice’ calling for truth, dignity and respect. This ‘voice’ is calling for an end to the violence that is pervading our global society; it’s calling for understanding, for reconciliation, for peace. Miriam-Rose believes ‘that the spirit of dadirri … will blossom and grow, not just within ourselves, but in our whole nation’.