Over the past weeks, across Australia's media, a vital conversation has begun to take place. The attack on independent MP Helen Haines in Wangaratta, has been seen as the end point of a continual degradation in the tenor of political debate and the culmination of an increasingly polarised and angry electorate. It is important to state that the Police are yet to conclude their investigation and the motivation of the alleged perpetrator is the subject of speculation.  Nonetheless, it seems clear that we are living in a more hostile time and that outbreaks of aggression and violence seem to be occurring more and more frequently. Within this context, pundits have been questioning how we ended up here and how we step back from the brink.

Throughout various forms of media, numerous politicians have described the disgusting levels of invective and hatred that they and their staff members face on a daily basis. This has been exacerbated by the mainstreaming of extremist political perspectives. These have been responsible for the attacks on Jewish politicians’ electoral offices, for intimidatory protests on the steps of Parliament, last year's storming of the Labor Party Conference and some of the despicable behaviour seen at protests against President Herzog last year.

While political attacks are not new - we can recall the vile “Ditch the Witch” placards that were directed at then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard - the frequency of these incidents and their spread into society are alarming. It is also apparent that some of the same politicians who have derided public behaviour, have been responsible for inappropriate character attacks on their opponents.

Beyond the political sphere, supermarkets, petrol stations, call centres and banks now need to provide messages and warnings demanding that their staff members are not subject to aggressive behaviour.

Social media accounts filled with videos of gang violence and fight clubs seem to be proliferating.  

We continue to see outrageously unacceptable levels of violence against women. Unbelievable there have already been 52 women killed in Australia this year.

While I am blessed to work within the most beautiful school community with genuine partnership with our families,  my own profession has seen a huge surge in levels of disrespect, intimidation and violence directed towards school leaders. In fact, current surveys indicate that one in two school leaders have been subject to violence and threats of violence.

How did we get here? And how do we ensure that we change?

During the last term break I was privileged to visit Germany and Poland for an exploration of family roots and a reckoning with the horrors of the Shoah. As I tried to grapple with the depths of humanity’s capacity for evil, it occurred to me, time and again, that the Shoah did not start with the Death Camps - this was the end point. Rather, it started with the dehumanisation of the other and with the sequential, persistent erasure of their rights.

It follows then that the reversal to the erosion of societal ethics must come from humanising the other and ensuring that rights are protected.

At a more immediate level, we can insist on more respectful levels of discourse and stamp out aggression when it is displayed, whether at the dinner table or on the footy field.

In a King David School context, we utilise our Wellbeing program to proactively teach friendship skills in order to build our students’ emotional intelligence and capacity for social harmony and our Philosophy for Children classes so they learn how to listen to views that might not align with their own thinking.

Our algorithms, politics and discourse push us into binary positions where we tend to align within likeminded tribes and demonise those on the opposite side. Rather, we should embrace the diversity of opinion, experience and belief that add colour to the world.

Sardinian philosopher, Joseph De Maistre, stated that “every nation gets the government it deserves.”  Perhaps if we address the degradation of behaviour, civility and tone that has crept into our society, we will be rewarded with a leadership that better reflects our values.