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INDEPENDENCE AND DEMOCRACY
by
David Levene
Independence, Freedom, Democracy!
Desires so old and strong
They appear to be born in our soul.
Why then, time and again,
Have leaders tried to thwart this goal?
Why, so often, have freedom and choice
Remained the weaker voice?
Why, over so many,
Can only a few hold power
And make it so difficult
For freedom to flower.
What allows tyranny, which everyone so dreads, to survive
And prevents democracy, which all desire, to thrive?
We must solve this problem
That keeps some countries so bleak
And unable to provide
What most of their citizens seek.
We must oppose oppression throughout the globe
Beyond each country and within
We must struggle to make freedom win.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. so aptly said,
“Injustice anywhere
Is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Let us be sure to explore
All that can be done
To make this world
A freer and more beautiful one.
Oppression is maintained by exerting power
through authority, force, and deprivation
By spreading fear and creating isolation.
Ignorance makes new ideas difficult to know
Inertia makes old ways reluctant to go,
And new ways slow to grow.
But conditions can be changed
New directions can be arranged
When better alternatives are pervceived
Possibilities for hope and improvement are believed.
As often shown
Most people choose the better way
Once it is known.
The oppressed also have the odds on their side
Because the human race is naturally endowed
With a full measure of dignity and pride.
Now there is more hope than ever
That independence and democracy will prevail
And tyranny will ultimately fail.
The world has become too small
Freedom and hope can be seen by all.
With television and travel so wide
Oppression and despotism have no place to hide.
People will just no longer follow
When they see there is a better way to be
They will ask, if it is good for the other fellow
Then why not also for me?
The world has become too small
Those who lead must provide more – or fall.
So let this message impact all
Those who are now the leaders of me
And those who want the chance to be.
Let us hereby vow
Only one kind of world will suffice
Only one ideal makes past suffering worth the price.
And what may that world be?
The only one I will be satisfied to see
A world where each and every human being
Has liberty and a full chance
For Peace, Progress and Prosperity.
© 2002 Growth Network. All rights reserved.
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