“There is a rhythm to everything in the Great City. The thrum of its heart, deep in the earth. The steady warm breath from its mouth. The hum of the life-blood that moves and flows through its veins. If one studies the Great City close enough, then one begins to realize that much like the sum of its parts, the Great City is among the last living things on Earth.”
“The City, like its people, is proud. It is the jewel of the Akani mountains, the splendor of mankind, noble and gleaming against the backdrop of rocky crags and snowy caps. Its spire towers above the tallest peak, scraping the bellies of wandering clouds and keeping silent vigil over the shattered world beyond its imposing walls. Its roots are strong and anchored deep in the foundations of the earth.”
“However.”
“For everything that makes the Great City glorious and majestic to behold, much like a living organism there are things that threaten its wellbeing- not from beyond its walls, but from beneath its own skin. The virulence of nationalism once again threatens the Great City and its residents, and I fear that if left unchecked, the last flame of life on earth may find itself extinguished.”
“Do we not remember the End War? Do we not remember its cause? Is our marred history of violence and war doomed to repeat itself in this generation? The blood of our ancestors cries out to us from their restless graves and testifies against us now, that if we repeat their mistakes then our ultimate doom is our own foolish reward.”
“People of Malaki, hear me. The lives lost on the Uthar Green and in the days that followed were a tragic waste, snuffed out in the name of generations of quarrels that should have been left behind with the rest of the world. But what has been done is done and no amount of retaliation will change that fact. In this moment of outrage, I call for peace. Let there be peace! There is division enough in our Great City without fueling the flame of hatred. Let us not disgrace ourselves by justifying violence with violence. Let us not show ourselves to be no different than these terrorists.”
“And now, leaders of our Great City, hear me. I call for the leaders of our nation-states to gather together and to seek lasting prosperity, not of their individual nations but of humanity as a whole. I call for us to remember the sins of our forefathers and rail against their violent end with everything in our being. I call for us to once and for all eradicate the plague of nationalism by uniting under one banner. Let peace and diplomacy prevail. For we as humans are strong, but we as humanity are stronger.”
“The Catalyst of Unification”
The speech delivered by Literate Keeper Melichor that lead to the Peace Summit of 2186.
Originally broadcast in more than thirty tongues.
Cir. 2185
Hello again steemians!
Speeches really aren't my thing but I'm pleased with how this one turned out.
This is part 4 of a series of anthology and worldbuilding short-essays that I'm working on to help promote and build excitement for my book. If you're intrigued, I'd highly encourage you to swing by my blog and catch up a bit on my introductions and other anthology works. A follow would also be highly appreciated!
Incorruptible, title subject to change, will release here first on steemit sometime in the near future, so stay tuned!
Catch you on the flipside, MakoMalaki Anthology #1 - "I wasn't there"
Malaki Anthology #2 - "A Class Project"
Malaki Anthology #3 - "Aryth"