Silence of the within

 

Pablo Neruda ascended the podium and said:

Brothers and Sisters of the world, lend me your ears for a moment. We can still save the earth if we wish to. All that we need to do is slow down a bit. All this rush, all this single-minded pursuit of so-called development, is not going to take us any further because the earth is dying.

We are killing the planet. With all the wars we fight day in and day out. Green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire. Our skies are dying unable to breathe. We have sent too much gas and smoke up there. Our rivers are dying. And so are our seas.

Death is our primary contribution. To the planet.

And to fellow human beings as well. To all the creatures on the planet.

We are a belligerent lot. We love to fight. If there is nothing to fight for, we will create new idols and fight for their sake. We arm our gods with deadly weapons. There is poison in our hearts. And our hearts overflow profusely into our rivers and forests and oceans and the skies.

We laugh seeing the frothing poison and we think we are happy.

We mistake intoxication for happiness. The truth is we are a sad lot.

That is why we need to pause a moment.

And reflect. Look within. And see that it all begins there. Within ourselves. All those wars. And gas. And smoke. And the poison.

We can clean it up. We need to.

We don’t need much to live happy lives. A little realization is enough, in fact.

I have talked too much. Words are not what’s required. Silence is. So I’m taking leave of you. Let this silence continue for a few moments. Silence.

PS. Inspired by Pablo Neruda’s poem Keeping Quiet. Written for Indispire Edition 439: Imagine you're given an opportunity to address the world. A unique, once-in-life chance. What will you tell the world? #Viswasandesh