The Hill We Climb : Today
Today I was listenting to a recitation by a 22 year old poet Amanda Gorman. If you read any of the international news over the internet, I am sure you must have at least seen her name over the last couple of days. I strongly encourage if you are reading this post to watch the video below and listen to her powerful words!
We have a few excellent people in the community who loves poetry. Some of them does top quality recitation like . I am curious what you think about the poem and the performance deepu.
Today the World is going through a lot of troubles. When Amanda writes, she talks about some of that from her point of view. She talks about her position in her country. Her position within her family, her birth, her skin color, her young age. She talks about all the concerns that a 22 year old young lady might have. But then she transcends above all her personal issues and teach us world order! And she nails it! She starts like this..
When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never ending shade?
The loss we carry, a sea we must wade.
We braved the belly of the beast.
Isn't it true that the last few years our world is constantly driven into the politics of fear and hate? Not just in the United States, but elsewhere in the world too. Pseudo-nationalism is on the rise almost everywhere. Where is the hope? Where is the tremendous scientific and technological advacement that we promised oursellves in the 2000s? And above all, where is the leadership? On top of that, the year 2020! The burden of 2 Million Deaths worldwide, and counting!
I am hopeful like Amanda. I think we have braved the belly of the beast. We are still dealing with the crisis, but a Chinese Scientist working in the lab of University of Texas, Austin, invented how to battled the virus ruining our planet. A vaccine is now made and is being distributed all over the world. 5-6 more months, and I believe we will have herd immunity. I believe we will wade the sea of sorrow.
And this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated. In this truth, in this faith, we trust. For while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.
Recently, there had been war against the democracy itslef. But she correctly pointed, while conspiracy theories and moronic visions of the world can be dominant, the only thing it can do it to delay the inevitable. Because democracy can not be defeated, Science can not be defeated. Not only science will win over conspiracy. Science will thrive. There are more smart people on the planet than dumb ones. So we will educate the dumb ones, slowly but surely.
Amanda also pointed out it is alright to be afraid. But at the same time, we must act while being afraid. Because if we don't speak, the platform won't be empty. Someone else will speak and perhaps even lie, and words have strengths. Just like these words. So it is our duty to keep the flame going keep the platform of science and democracy occupied.
Today we don't need walls between the nations, we need bridges, We need longer tables, so that we can all sit down and eat together. We need longer tables, not higher walls. And we must remember, that future is not a gift, its an achievement.
Here is Amanda's full poem.