William Faulkner — ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’
There is an awakening. A shaking I believe. There are voices who say this is not happening. Voices of nationalism. But we know differently. And those voices do not speak for us. We will not be moved by fear. We’ve made it clear. Our eyes are set forward. To equality, to preserving our planet for our children. Civil duty. Preserving our Bill of Rights.
We have seen demonstrations in just 10 or so days. Why? Because, we remember. We’ve been down these paths before, they are well worn by history. Bullet holes in the side wall of this democracy. We will not let this ship take on water. We will not go back. We’re moving forward.
Our generation understands I believe , the importance, the humanity, through technology, we need each other, the more we communicate, the more we learn from one another, the better off all of us are.
We have an opportunity, to move forward in peace with one another, and right now, all of our relationships with allies are in question, have we always gotten it right? No, but we strive for this perfection, to preserve for the next generation, what we did not have.
We will not go back.
To pointless political wars.
To walls that need not be built
Yesterday we were telling one nation to tear down their wall
Today
The world is reminding us
Cautioning us
We will not go back
We’re still here
We cannot achieve
Or preserve these visions
If we retreat into our own bubbles
Of information
If we refuse to speak out against
Intolerance
Against the strong man of nationalism
We must protect what we believe in
And communicate truth
Because these other visions are real
They are dangerous
We’ve been down their roads before
We’ve raised memorials for the losses and counted the scars
They will not last
They always fail
But we don’t have to go this way
We’re still here
And we can speak
We can stand
We may take ten steps back
And three forward
But our eyes
Are set
On the future
Not the past
We’re not going that way.
We’re reminded of it
Every time a woman leaves the house to go to her job
Or to go vote
We’re reminded of it
Every time we step into a free health clinic
Or planned parenthood for a screening
We’re reminded of it
Every time we check our phones
And watch a video from an astronaut in space
Or message someone across the world
I’m reminded of it every time
I publish an article right here
And people from all over the world read it and respond
We’re not going back
Walls
Would only shut us out and isolate us from the world today
We’re not going that way
We’re moving forward
We remember watching children wash up on shores
Fleeing from terror and civil war
We’re not going that way
We only thrive
When information is open to us
When we can work together
And reach out to each other
We’ve seen the past
We worked through its scars
In this 24 hour memory
Culture we live in
It makes it easier to move on
But
We have the ability to work together
To preserve this great vision
Of art and family and brotherhood
To allow other nations this vision as well
So we can speak out
And call an expectation on our leaders
Because we’re moving forward.
And I believe
Yes, this has shook us
But I am moved
Because I see it unifying us
And we are talking
And we’re moving
And we’re still here.
Regarding Samuel 