Journal snowgirl's Journal: Remembering Words Once Already Spoken 6
In these times of political conflict, it is most interesting to look back, and witness that, relevant to us today, yet written long ago, the Bible does not stand alone, but also the words of many other people. Though not divine, they may yet be imbued with knowledge and wisdom that remains relevant today. We, as human beings, have struggled and seem doomed to struggle without end for Unity, Justice, and Freedom for our fellow human beings. It fills me with hope though, to realize that we are not beset on all sides only by men who seek the selfish goals of greed and individualism, but we are also surrounded by men who seek the more noble goals to lift up others, and increase the quality of their lives, regardless of their individual worth.
I write this as a prologue to a speech, which could stand powerfully in its own right, and without introduction. This speech is from Charlie Chaplin, performed in The Great Dictator. Although written in 1940, it stands as an incredible piece that cries out for unconditional love, and care of all men. Our actions here affect all who are left once we pass from this world, and all people regardless of creed or belief realize the only noble goal in life is to make life free and beautiful for all men...
So, I leave you with this speech, and beckon you towards the goal of making this world a better place for everyone by providing the fundamentals of human dignity... if you are Christian, then because the Kingdom of God lies not within one man, or a group of men, but in all men... and if you're Atheist, because reason dictates that in any moral system, each person cannot be viewed as anything other than equivalent in worth to any other person.
And now, words once already spoken, yet still well worth repeating:
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white.
We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness - not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there's room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls - has barricaded the world with hate - has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in man - cries for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world - millions of despairing men, women, and little children - victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say: 'Do not despair.' The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes - men who despise you and enslave you - who regiment your lives - tell you what to do - what to think and what to feel! Who drill you - diet you - treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate, only the unloved hate - the unloved and the unnatural!
Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St Luke, it is written the kingdom of God is within man not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful - to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security.
By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free the world - to do away with national barriers - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason - a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us unite!"
Thank you, and if you so believe, may God bless your life, and if you do not so believe, then simply, may your life be blessed
The power of words (Score:2)
That's excellent. Thank you very much.
Re: (Score:2)
I should probably put in a plug here for the person who exposed me to it recently. He goes by the handle "TheAmazingAtheist" on YouTube, and he picked it as his number 1 best speeches in a movie.
moof (Score:1)
"Greed" is like "discrimination" -- it's only bad when it's taken to inappropriate places. Discriminating on the basis of morality/between what's good and what's evil, is a good thing. Without it we would live in a value-less world of anarchy. Murder would be no better or worse than giving someone a flower, if discrimination was universally bad. Greed is one of if not the major driving force of human nature to improve oneself. There will always be selfless souls, but the reward of a more comfortable life is
Re: (Score:2)
Greed is entirely an ingrained human emotions... but I hold that it's a tendency of humans that should be sought to be restrained, because unrestrained, it will spread well beyond the bounds that allow it to work well. The same with capitalism. Capitalism is good, but if it gets too far, the businesses start influencing the political system in order to entrench themselves, and provide them with unfair advantages.
Rightists call for us controlling our baser human instincts all the time... abstinence as a pa
Re: (Score:1)
I'll just say that you sound intelligent and reasonable here (not to be confused with having very much in agreement), so maybe my previous recollections of dramatically otherwise were in error, on my part.
Re: (Score:2)
I'll just say that you sound intelligent and reasonable here (not to be confused with having very much in agreement), so maybe my previous recollections of dramatically otherwise were in error, on my part.
We're all prone to generalizations... I have a firm believe that we use lossy compression for our memories (I know I do at least).
When presenting my own arguments alone, it's easy to forget how they might be interpreted by another. I've know before, that when having arguments, I'll let and argument go without comment, because I agree with them, and instead seek the disagreement to continue the discussion... thus the person gets the idea that I don't agree with them at all, when in fact, it's more of a case