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

I am not my environment!

I am not my environment
Not the dark backstreets of Hackney
The mist over the Marshes
The Betting shops
Or a fast food shop
The red faced drinkers by the Bus stop

I am not my environment
Not the dirty street signs
Not the litter on the floor
The piss stains on some estate block corridor
The herb or the crack sold by a piece or a bag
Not part of E9 E5 or E8
Not part of N16, N1 or E9
Not interested in boundaries marked out by the council
Not that bitter pill of imagined ownership
Not your friend or your foe
Not your wanted sign
Man - walk on by

I am not my environment
I am not a target group
Not a statistic
A policy
Or unit to be measured
Not the lazy coffee drinkers ‘al fresco’ around town
Or your muffin eating afternoon playmate
Not the shop worker with graffiti shutters
Not the road sweepers
Tired of clearing up behind the careless and the carefree

I am not my environment
Not a cause to be rallied on behalf of
Not your meal ticket
Nor your salary
Not your research material
Not your low expectations
Or lack of ambition
Not your conversation over dinner
Or the cheese to compliment your wine
Not another profile

I am not my environment
Not the hustling commuters
A sardine on a train
A suit on a Monday
An over worn stiletto heal
or Doc Martin Boot
A handbag clutch bag or rucksack
an umbrella in the rain

Do you really know me at all?
Stop
I am a stranger to you
I am the world
The world is me
A unique creation
Serendipity
Yet not
It’s all by design
A manifestation
Divine
All and nothing
Elevating minds
I am the sun the moon and the stars
My subconscious is conscious
I am awake
More than what you see
I am me