Wake Up

I just watched a video that Fookix posted in Facebook.
It was a wake up call; not only about the environment and the hypocrisy of all adults, but something about myself.

Severn Suzuki spoke about the problems of the environment, poverty and also hinted on the hypocrisy of adults.
It reminded me of the times when I actually did care and fought for that cause.
It was five years ago that I was really against animal poaching and human trafficking.
I could remember crying over the picture of the baby seal being beaten to death just to be fitted into the hood of an overcoat.
I even thought that it was barbaric for Laika to die in space, even in the name of Science.

My determination was worn down as the years went by, with no one listening or caring about what I had to say.
Perhaps it was my own flaw of being under-confident and was too timid to speak up.
The years went by with more destruction and more lives lost while I lived and did nothing about it; until today.

My bro asked for my opinion on his topic for a Public Speaking competition.
I had my chances last year but didn't take it for two reasons: preparation for SPM and the lack of an inspirational piece.
Well, I think I can draw up a speech and let bro be my messenger.
His topic was 'Lost'.

A very Good Morning to the Chairperson, the honorable adjudicators, the meticulous timekeeper, teachers, fellow speakers and members of the floor. I stand here today to give a speech inspired by Severn Suzuki who gave a speech that moved the hearts of delegates, politicians and leaders of the world during the Plenary Session at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio Central, Brazil almost 17 years ago. She was 12 when she made that speech.

You might ask, how does the theme of 'Lost' suit my speech; well then, let me enlighten you. Frankly speaking, all of us are lost. Not in terms of faith in God, not in terms of direction, not in terms of train of thought; but in terms of being human.
We have lost the very thing that differentiates us from animals.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
As humans, we have the ability to learn, to comprehend, and most importantly, to differentiate between right and wrong- that's the one thing that we have lost.
As kids, we are taught:

- to share
- to respect one another
- not to fight
- to kiss and make up when we do fight
- to forgive and forget
- to be kind to all living things
- not to be greedy
- to watch what we say
- to think before we act
- not to discriminate between race and religion

Throughout the course of 18 years of my life, I've watch each and every one adult who taught me what I should and should not do turn into hypocrites. I admit, at times I am a hypocrite myself. Nobody is perfect, and I hope that all adults don't expect us to be either.

Members of the floor,
In recent years, I've seen reports of environmental issues, wars and nuclear weapons development splashed upon the front pages of the newspapers. It pains me the most when I see another report of suicide bombings, war and pictures of the bloody scene. This shouldn't be happening at all! What happened to forgiving and forgetting? Are these the kind of examples that you are setting for us kids?
I did voice out my opinion about this to someone, only to have them tell me that I'm too naive and the problem is much more complicated than I can comprehend.
Why should it be? Why? Is it really that hard to shake hands and forgive each other? The problems that you have are just the adult version of kids fighting for a toy. And what's the solution for that, pray tell?

Fellow participants,
The world is slowly being killed by the very creatures that it gave life and a home to. Every second, there are cars releasing carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and other poisonous exhaust fumes into the air; factories releasing harmful gases that are produced by their assembly line; dump trucks dumping our garbage into the landfill; people illegally dumping toxic wastes into the streams; forests being cut down do make furniture, paper and other goods and some poachers are killing an innocent and unsuspecting animal for their fur, ivory or skin.

The streams are no longer as clean and clear they were 20 or 30 years ago.
The air is no longer as refreshing as 40 or 50 years ago.
The forests are no longer as lush and green as they were 60 or 70 years ago.
The land is no longer as fertile as they were 80 or 90 years ago.
The number of animals are no longer as large as they were 100 years ago.
The ozone layer is no longer hole-free as it was 1000 years go.

Teachers and members of the floor,
These are real numbers and they reflect on how much damage we have done to Earth. If you adults continue your quest for development without taking care of the environment, we the future generation, will have to suffer the consequences of your actions.
Might I ask, have you ever seen a quagga?
The dodo bird?
The Steller's sea cow?
The Tasmanian wolf, not devil.
The passenger pigeon?
I'm sure even the adults themselves have not heard of them, lest seen them.
The last quagga was shot down in 1883 by the hunters of South Africa. It's a cross between a horse and a zebra.
Ever heard of the famous expression 'Dead as a dodo'? Guess where that came from.
In less than 30 years of their discovery, the Steller's sea cows joined the list of extinct animals; so did the Tasmanian wolf and passenger pigeon.
We will never see them ever again, other than in pictures or models in the Natural History museums.
Just because of our ancestor's actions, we have to forever wonder how does the extinct animals look and sound like.
Do you want YOUR grandchildren to ask you what a tiger looks like? Or what does the elephant's trumpet sound like?
Do you really want your grandchildren to wonder like we do?
I daren't think if it is safe for my grandchildren to walk under the sun like we do now or if there are anymore green fields and lush forests for my grandchildren to run, play and camp in.

To all adults,
YOU have to stop the hypocrisy now. We need you to get back onto the track that you have strayed so far from; we need you to guide the world back onto the right path.
We, the millennium babies, need YOU to guide us; the future generation needs YOU to make the world a better and safe place for them to live in.
Each and everyone of you adults are someone's child, parent and sibling; hence responsible for everyone's well being.
You might think me naive and say that it isn't as simple as I think but let me ask you, why shouldn't it be?
Race, religion and culture should not be the barrier of the fact that we need to work together to make the world a better place.
Discrimination of the above three is the worst.
WE ARE HUMAN. We are not any different from one another.

Members of the floor,
It's time for us to step up to do our part in making this world a better place. All of us have responsibilities to carry out in this world, and that is one of it.
And to all the adults, please don't go back on your words. We need you, the future generation needs you.
Severn Suzuki gave her piece of mind 17 years ago at the conference and little has been done since then. Now I stand here to give you a piece of my mind, hoping that the voice of two people can break down the stubborn wall.
Don't just give us lip service, give us action.

I shall end my speech with my favorite part of her speech, and I quote:

You are deciding what kind of world we grow up in. Parents should be able to comfort their child by saying ''Everything's gonna be alright'', "We're doing the best that we can" and "It's not the end of the world".

But I don't think you can say it to us anymore. Are we even on the list of your priorities? My father always says, "You are what you do, not what you say."

Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown ups say that you love us. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect on your words. I thank you for listening.

Well, I timed the speech and it's 8 minutes and 42 seconds. Gosh...I dunno what to cut.
Oh well, let's see if the school will allow me to give a speech as an ex-student.