Yes, we do have choices! Yes, we can change!
星期二 十二月 02, 2008 2:31 pm
2008 has been the most *tragic* year for many of us. Not only were there many natural disasters such as dreadful earthquakes, terrible tsunamis and cruel tornados challenging us, but also ruthless economic crisis destroying
our lives. While global warming has severely affected our living environment, the great depression has come along mercilessly melting us down. We all face great difficulty: pollution is everywhere, depression is all around, stock markets dive down, people lose jobs and become homeless.
Our daily life is teetering on the edge.
What have we done to deserve this? What is going wrong? Many of us ask with tears, with fear, with anger .
And this also affects our next generations. Their future could be full of
heartbroken tears.
Today, I heard stunning news from CNN radio. They reported the most wanted gift for Christmas by California kids is a job for their daddies. They told Santa in their letters that without a job, they soon would lose their house and have a homeless Christmas.
This blue earth once we called our beautiful and peaceful home, now is
suffering from spreading cancers.
Soon, we will all lose our homes. We will all lose our mind. All of them
are due to our material hunting games.
For years, we have ignored the essence of life; we have abandoned a
healthy environment. We have disregarded the Mother Nature's warnings. We become greedy, selfish and merciless. We only see money and money.
We drown our mind with lust and possessions.
We fool ourselves by saying, "This is reality".
"I am too small to make any change".
We make excuses by pretending that we have no choice because we have many other things to take care. We dismiss the most important virtue. We are blind to the inconvenient truth.
In his documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore explained the
scary future of our earth, which is driven by our ignorance and our
selfishness.
However, Al Gore believes each of us has the power to make a difference.
Small changes to our daily routine can add up to big changes in helping to
stop global warming.
He called on us to take action with 10 simple tips to start to make a
change.
So my fellow friends. Tonight, I stand here to ask you to take a break and
think through all of this.
What do we value most? How do we make a change? Remember we are all in the same boat. We do have the choice to work together or not.
The 2008 China earthquake has devastated over ten thousand people's
lives, destroyed many cities, but it has not taken away people's hope and
kindness. Millions of people across the whole world united to help. From the tragedy, people understood what to value and how to live. Instead of
anguish, they reached out doing good for others.
In many other natural disasters, countless people made their choice to
save others' lives. Together, they made a change.
Not decades ago, Martin Luther King's famous dream:
"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where
they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of
their character." was still merely a dream, many wondered when it would
come true.
Today the American Presidential Election revealed its result, we were glad
to see that many citizens believed they could make a change and they make their choice.
They came out and lined up to vote, many for the first time. They let their
voices be heard, they voted for their choice, and made a change. It
fulfills many people's dream. Obama said it very well in his speech, "this
is not my victory, this is your victory."
The victory sent a powerful message to the world.
Yes, we have choices! Yes, we can change.
Now it is near the end of 2008, and we will soon celebrate the New Year. But my fellow friends remember our problems and challenges have not been solved.
What should we do for our earth? What should we do for our future?
Make a change.