No it is not the end of history. Nor is it a possibility exhausted, Not yet the end of ideas.
It is the time of a single idea, Crippling, vicious and deadly, Closing us off
From what we imagined of a world We have not yet managed to create, Rejecting the possibility
Of hope, Of a better version of ourselves
And in the new intolerance
We may not speak of prophecy. We may not make a criticism
Of the choices made
In our name.
The mind of war is being remade, New demons invented, And language gives way
To description
Of demons.
A picture is being drawn
Of those less than human who differ.
An old vision of freedom
From hunger, fear, abuse, Has faded in the terrible times.
EXILES
Out of the depths we cry.
We shrink in fear.
Few break the silence. But then light flickers
In hope,
In resolution.
We must make our own answer. Our liberation from the nightmare will come.
Our exile will end, Not from the making of miracles
But from the strength of will and heart combined, Affirming
That we make our own history
With heart and head.
We make our common fate. Together
We move on and affirm
An old promise, Of humanity shared, Hope recovered.
We are invited to forget an old promise
That ours was a world to create.
“It is, indeed, very easy to choose not to know; to unthinkingly accept a dominant ideology; to conform unquestioningly to a status quo. The rejection of creeds which are founded on intolerance and extremism, and the active contesting of systems that are unjust, patriarchal, military, capitalist or racist require enormous bravery. It also requires a courageous vision that is prepared to transcend the self in the pursuit of basic human rights.”
Michael D. Higgins Speech on winning the first Sean MacBride International Peace Prize Award – 1992 From “An Arid Season” Michael D. HigginsLá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit
Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day
President of Ireland
“There is always a way to find peace”
President Michael D. Higgins