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Writer, Global backpacker, Animal-lover.SylverBlaque.wordpress.com How often have you seen or heard something that flies in the face of all you know...
 
 
 
 

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The Girl Who Silenced the World for Five Minutes

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Her name is Severn Cullis-Suzuki and she is the daughter of world-renown environmentalist activist David Suzuki.

She was 12 years old when she gave this impassioned speech that silenced a forum at the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit – a forum of international diplomats and power mongers, all brought to tears by the pleas of a child.


Silence
Image: AlicePopkorn via Flickr

I cried as I watched this.

Cried for my nieces, my nephews, and every child who will suffer our careless destruction of their future on this planet.

This child is a woman now, 29 years old. And I wonder…if her child were to speak at the 2012 UN Earth Summit, would her speech be any different?

severn-cullis-suzuki

 Would she thank us for the progress we’ve made in repairing her future?

Or would she be forced, by our inaction, to repeat her mother’s 1992 plea for change?

~Sylver Blaque

SylverBlaque.wordpress.com 

 

 

 

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thetreehugger 5 pts

Powerful speech! I cried watching it. It makes me sad to think that a 12 year old could give the exact same speech today. I hope to change the world. In the future, I hope 12 year old Severn Cullis-Suzuki would be proud of our efforts, even if they are decades after her speech.

Sylver Blaque 8 pts

 thetreehugger Wouldn't that be the most perfect outcome? God bless her...and us...that we can remember her words & act accordingly.

midnightbliss 13 pts

i thinks things are getting even worse from that time. but good thing these days, more are more people are becoming aware of the destruction we have caused with our environment, but individual efforts might not be enough. powerful people and nations must do efforts to help stop this problem.

Sylver Blaque 8 pts

midnightbliss

Yes, I absolutely agree. The problem needs to be addressed systemically, as well as individually. The problem, I think, lies in denial of its existence - there are so many in positions of power that still don't believe there is a problem! Go figure...

Shannon Wright 5 pts

I remember seeing this video and I too cried. Some of us are still trying to save this beautiful planet while others so blatantly destroy it. Her words fell on deaf ears.

Sylver Blaque 8 pts

Shannon Wright You would think those tears shed that day by all those people in positions to actually DO something worldwide would have brought about entirely different results today. But I still think there's hope in those of us who refuse to give up the fight!