Such individuals are being forced to make a choice about where they will locate themselves and their children within the larger context of Australian society. One option is to choose the 'high road' and become noticeable and even comfortable 'associate members' of the great Australian middle class. On this cultural fringe, small-time criminal liaisons soon provide networks, shelter and an exciting but potentially lethal set of values. In this strange world of passions and reactions, Aboriginal people drift away from traditional ways of seeing, thinking and doing. Such people jettison their sacred obligations, failing to honour the spirits of the Land and People.
Young men are particularly at risk.
Too much time is spent away from the family by the minority who are employed. Those without employment generally waste the extra hours, days and months at their disposal. Time at the pub, the races or the TAB, is time that would be better spent at TAFE colleges, in libraries, at sports training, or with families which seldom indulge in binge drinking get-togethers, late night fisticuffs, or frequent visits from the local police. In many ways, the alternative is to accept the challenges of middle class life, including those of family, education and financial stability. If Aboriginal people are to honour their sacred responsibilities and fulfil the 'spiritual contract' with past generations, they must rise to occupy positions of responsibility, importance and power within the larger society.