Unity

Charlie Chaplin Speech  <---- please click
 
    Please click on the link above and listen to Charlie Chaplin's final speech in the film The Great Dictator.

   This is linked with what i want to try and talk about today. In the video there is a political aspect but i am not going to get all political on you, I want to talk about the humanity and unity. All across the world today we see people being persecuted for who or what they are. Whether its because they are black, white, gay, religious or atheist, these are just some of the things that lead to hate and discrimination against each other. But why? Underneath our skin we are all human beings and as such deserve to be treated as equals no matter what our colour or creed.

   In this speech Chaplin notes how greed has poisoned men's souls and led to a world where our knowledge has made us cynical and our cleverness has made us hard and unkind. Unfortunately, all too often these days, this is becoming more and more frequently the case. All around the world we are seeing people suffering and we have become desensitized to the plight of our fellow man. Yes we shake our heads and say how sad but how many of us actually think about it for longer than the news report? I know i usually don't and that is pretty sad.

   We are all wrapped up in our own little worlds, closed off from the rest of our fellow man despite the technology which allows us to communicate, we remain isolated within ourselves. As Chaplin says the very nature of the technology cries out for brotherhood and unity, sadly though this is not the case. If anything i have seen technology used to further fuel hate and violence and discrimination, to cause death and destruction around the world.

   To quote directly from Chaplin's speech, "We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost."  Wise words. We should stop living so introspectively and start looking at what other people feel. Stop being so selfish and start working together for a better world. Yes this is idealistic and probably unrealistic but we have to have hope. Hope for a human race that will unify and live in harmony rather than hate. Hope for our future generations to live in a world where war and hate and suffering is a distant memory.  So if you only do one thing today try and make it a good thing, a random act of kindness or a good deed to help your neighbour, these are small things but hopefully they are the first steps toward a better place.