More Voices Should Be Raised In Protest

Essay, Research Paper

Good evening Headmaster, special guests, parents and students,

“MORE VOICES SHOULD BE RAISED IN PROTEST”.

(Normal talking)

Ladies and gentlemen, the world is full of apathy; full of egocentricity and selfishness. Full of indifference, passiveness and insensitivity. We are happy to sit back and watch horrific things happen right in front of our eyes and we take no action. Look at the tidal wave in New Guinea, the massacres in Kosovo. It does not matter how terrible things are, if we are not personally affected then we do not worry or bother finding solutions. There are many things happening around the world which should, from a humanitarian perspective, concern all Australians. Some of these events will cause immense hardship, they’ll create lifelong disabilities to the victims, and they will horrify the sensibilities of modern society but what do we do? Nothing!

(Pick up pace, be serious, be angry, get increasingly loud)

What do we do when children are murdered in the name of invasion? What do we do when women are raped during war? What do we do when people are imprisoned and tortured for what they believe in? What do we do when animals are made extinct, when forests are destroyed, when the seas become the dumping grounds for toxic wastes, when the air we breathe becomes thick with the noxious fumes of industry. (pause, change voice to deep and serious) It seems that the answer, in our increasingly “civilized” society, (pause) is nothing! (pause)

(Be encouraging)

Ladies and gentlemen, more voices should be raised in protest. The need has never been so great. We must look at the “global” picture, not a “local” one. Lone voices will remain silent and make very little difference. However, our combined voices, all the concerned citizens shouting as one, can make a difference. Our massed voices can bring about change if only we make the effort to raise them.

When asked what things people consider the most important in their lives, the most common answers are money, security and success Few people actually move from this egocentric view and suggest even greater, more global things such as the protection of the environment, (pause) the creation of world peace, (pause) freedom from hunger (pause) and the unconditional humane treatment for all living creatures.

(Be serious, be angry, become increasingly louder and pick up pace)

We have created so many problems that we now face a myriad of global issues that make our futures uncertain. We have contributed to pollution of the air, in the water and on the land. We have damaged the ozone layer, and our booming population has placed immense pressure on the world’s agricultural industries. Chemicals, pesticides and fertilisers used to increase crop production have created environmental problems on a massive scale. Forests have been cleared and erosion has devastated the landscape. Habitats have been desecrated and species have been destroyed, and we have raised global temperatures with devastating effects. This global warming is the biggest threat to our survival in the next millennium.

(Be serious, be deep)

Will we ever learn? Will we continue to make the same mistakes? How long can we go down the same destructive path? Are each of you prepared to stand up and shout? We can not continue to sit back and be impassive, unconcerned and indifferent to the destruction of our planet. We must raise our voices in protest for the environment. We must yell out our protest loud and clear.

(Be soft, serious, deep and slow)

It has been personal gain and apathy which has seen all of these problems arise. We are not interested in anything that does not concern us directly. We are prepared to idly sit back and watch things happen but then it is too late; the damage is done. Our lack of action, our inability to use our voices or make our concerned voices heard has meant that we are now facing an endless list of problems for which there are few solutions.

(Be encouraging, talk in a higher voice)

Ladies and gentlemen, it is not too late to halt the destruction. We are nearly past the point of no return but we can change. We must be prepared to think about others; our families; our friends; our fellow beings and all the creatures and life forms on our planet and to act with these in mind.

We can act and we can change but it will not be easy! We must raise our voices and say no. We must say “stop!” and we must say “STOP!” in the loudest voice possible. We must shout stop to the bloodshed of whales, and stop to the clubbing to death of innocent seal pups. We must shout stop to the vandalism on our environment and stop to the unnecessary build up of arms.

Friends, get up and start acting. Get up and get motivated. Get up and start making your voices heard. Play an active role in environmental lobby groups, read widely, join protests, donate time and money, follow environmentally friendly advice from experts and buy environmentally friendly products. Challenge the thinking of the big conglomerates and rectify the many mistakes made by our predecessors. Do anything to make your voice heard so that our planet and indeed, ourselves, have some hope for survival. You are the young generation. You are the ones that will suffer the most if your voices are not heard.

Ladies and gentlemen, we must change our present path. The apathy road has no future. We can make this world a fantastic place but we must all raise our voices in protest. We must all raise them loud and we must all raise them clear. Our voices must be heard. A lone voice will get lost amongst the noise but a mass of voices “becomes” the noise and it is this noise which will move mountains and ensure our survival!