Silence

 And then silence fell upon the land and there were no sounds at all. No animals made a noise and the rivers ceased to babble. No shouting did the children make. All joyousness was gone.

     The eternal hush was unbearable. It pressed on everyone as if in a room whose walls were closing in. It was useless to resist though. Try as they might, all were helpless to break the seal. And try, many did. Vainly. Desparately. Wearily. But to no avail.

     Sitting there rehearsing a perpetual inner dialogue that refused to usher forth from their mouths, many wondered how this had happened. Why had no one seen this coming and why nothing could be done.

     Know this, that in hindsight, much is made clear. What seemed to be something so small and unmenacing, what seemed to be the problem of someone else, and what seemed to only affect others- can quickly take over. When nothing is done about the small it becomes large. Overpowering it soon becomes. Taken away are liberties, freedoms, and rights. Enslavement ensues.

   So, if in the course of your life you have the chance, defend humanity for all of us and speak up. Help protect the basic rights of life, freedom, peace, and happiness. Don't expect someone else to do it for you. For it may well come to be that you are stuck in silence with no power to create even a sound when just a short time ago, a storm you could have created.

     That storm, you must be now. Connect with the hearts of others and go peacefully into a future rich in sounds. Rich in human rights and diversity. Rich in life!