By Margaret Anna Alice and Dr Tess Lawrie, MBBCh, PhD
“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”—John F. Kennedy
This Independence Day, let us celebrate the indomitable nature of truth, the infectious spirit of freedom, and the resilience that empowers us to triumph over adversity.
You do not need to be American to treasure these values. Liberty is the birthright of every human being, and when we link arms across the oceans to defend this inalienable right, we foil the attempts of the tyrants to enslave us.
In that vein, it is my privilege to share the breathtaking song We Are Warriors American Kurt Shore composed for the World Council for Health’s 2023 Better Way Conference as exuberantly sung by South African Zolani Mahola, The One Who Sings.
Dr. Tess Lawrie writes of this gift:
“I believe this anthem has the power to move millions, join hearts, and inspire truth. Kurt is a brilliant warrior songwriter who has used his talents to give the world something truly special. We are all so blessed to have received this gift.”
A Better Way to Health with Dr Tess Lawrie
We have been gifted an EPIC Warrior Anthem for Better Way Conference 2023
Where I work at the World Council for Health there is no scarcity of creativity – to the contrary, creativity is in abundance and flows in to us from all corners of the world. It never ceases to amaze me how much the simple act of standing up for the truth has the power to achieve great things…
Many of us who have devoted our lives to exposing corruption, revealing uncomfortable truths, resisting tyranny, and stopping democide have come under a multifrontal attack from every conceivable angle. Instead of allowing these ambushes to demoralize us as intended, we can perform an aikido maneuver by shifting our perspective to view them as hard-won medals of our efficacy.
The following poem is dedicated to all the truth-tellers besieged by lie-tellers, abusers, bullies, dividers, and defeatists.
Whenever you’re feeling deflated, discouraged, or beaten down, listen to We Are Warriors and read this poem. And keep this post on hand to share with anyone who tries to break you.
You Cannot Break Us
By Margaret Anna Alice
“Nothing gives one person so great advantage over another, as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.”
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Francis Eppes, May 21, 1816
You can target us.
You can bully us.
You can fear-bomb us.
You can scold us.
You can name-call us.
You can gaslight us.
You can banish us.
You can troll us.
You can promulgate lies.
You can even believe those lies.
But it doesn’t make them true.
No matter what you think.
No matter what you feel.
No matter what you do.
Our words speak for themselves.
Our character speaks for itself.
Our love speaks for itself.
You can shun us.
You can shame us.
You can shove us.
You can shackle us.
You can slight us.
You can spite us.
You can strip us.
You can stomp us.
Your whispering only makes you louder.
Your sneaking only makes you rasher.
Your bludgeoning only makes you bloodier.
You can malign us.
You can muffle us.
You can mandate us.
You can mothball us.
You can declaw us.
You can defrock us.
You can debank us.
You can delete us.
Your arrows only fill our quiver.
Your barbs only sharpen our thinking.
Your slashes only craft our kintsugi.
You can sully us.
You can splinter us.
You can segregate us.
You can sever us.
You can abuse us.
You can accuse us.
You can assault us.
You can administer us.
Your hatred only makes us love more.
Your darkness only makes us light more.
Your malevolence only makes us brave more.
You can disarm us.
You can detain us.
You can demonize us.
You can decimate us.
You can indoctrinate our children.
You can injure our children.
You can iatrogenocide our children.
You can inter our children.
But you cannot break us.
You cannot break us.
You cannot break us.
You will not break us.
Bob Moran: Beacons
I will close by saluting three fearless defenders of humanity who embody the spirit of both We Are Warriors and “You Cannot Break Us.”