War! and Great Speeches.. does anyone really listen?

Greetings this blessed Sunday Morning
Overnight - for many - the world has changed.. and in view of that change - I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about speeches.
I watched David Cameron last night talk about British Forces "being in action over Libya" and how "they've come together as a coalition to enforce the will of the UN - and to protect the Libyan people!" great ... Rwanda anyone??

Good to see the UN have their teeth back.. at last

Anyway.. that aside - our PM did a great job in justifying taking action - almost taking away - in a sense - the true reality of what that means...of what war means for hundreds - no thousands of innocents in Libya..

A bitter pill is easily swallowed if administered just right... and in this case Cameron did (in my view) get his words just right...
"It is necessary"
"It is legal.. aka I'm not Blair!"
"and it is right"
Who can argue with that...

Great speeches can impact on the world - move people in a way that very little else can .. remember Barack Obamas victory speech?
When young and old across the world gathered in front of the TV to watch this wonderful spectacle take place in a land where the history of African Americans is littered with the blood of many great activists whose only real desire was equality fairness - and for people ( who looked like me) to be treated like - well... people - and not animals...

Remember..
"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord...
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics"

Yes - great speeches can offer hope to the hopeful - of rectifying a bad or intolerable situation - the possibilities of a better life - a better future.

Again ...Barack Obamas Inaugural Address..
"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it"

Who can forget the beautiful closing statement of his victory speech....
"This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can"

Yes we can..
Yet still - we fight
Yes we can
Yet still - we appear incapable of peace
Yes we can
Yet still - we don't

Nothing for me sums up this current situation across the world better than a speech written over 47 years ago..
It speaks much of the ways things will continue to be unless we change.
It speaks of the ills of human nature
It could have been written yesterday
It was actually written by Haile Selassie - and set to music by Bob Marley
I stumbled across these words on the back of an album cover when I was very young - and nothing I've witnessed or heard since then has ever disproved them
Some of you may be of an age where you can remember the speech being delivered.. I wonder if it had an impact on you at the time..

However - as far removed from the echelons of power and decision making as I may be -I believe my words to be of no less importance when I say that I believe... more strongly than ever - that there must be a change
As people... we need to change...
We can make it right..

Yes we can..x

Orphaned Soul...

What is about your reflection you hate
You scorn it
You fear it
Evidently want to crush it to the ground
Never hear it speak
A silent reminder of what you think you lack
So you attack
Scoff
Ostracize and never acknowledge its presence
Consider it a non entity
Of no real value
A less than
Minus
Residue

Why do you scorn yourself so..
I feel bad for you
Sad for you
Say it aint so
And then I’ll go
No
You hate your past - and your future has no relevance
Of little consequence
The scorn you carry with you
Builds your enemies higher
Putting yourself in danger
A lost stranger
In a lost land

Look in the mirror again my friend
That is not a curse you see
Yet it can hurt you
Be your worst enemy
Unless you take control
And begin to find yourself again
Abolish the deliberate attempts to steal your soul
Did I say steal – no
Now - you gave it away
You give it away
Too weak to say
Enough

Look in the mirror again my friend
Straighten your back
With shame it bends
See the beauty the world has hidden from you
Hidden from view
But plain enough for anyone with eyes to see
Remove the blinkers
Set yourself free
Do yourself a favor
Get off your knees
It’s time to write your name
Spray it with the finest perfume and say
My reflection is not to be feared
It’s to be cared for
It is me

Be no longer a fool
Despite the smiles you recieve as payment
Blood money stains the hands
And clogs the arteries
Don’t allow your reflection to hate you in return
For your neglect
Eventually it will get upset - vexed
And say **** you!
Then you really will be all alone
A cold and lonely
Orphaned soul

Love your self
Give your reflection a chance
To prove to you that you are great
Can be great
Never understate
Or yearn for something other
Than what you have known all along
You - are as sweet as birdsong
A tiny motel vacancy sign at the end of a long journey
Water on a hot day
A scarf on a cold
Appreciate your reflection now
Caress your very soul
Begin again
Start a new
Like a star breaking free to a clear night sky
Allow yourself
Glow..