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Andre Lamartin

The Torch of Liberty


A political candidate speaks only for some; a democratically elected Leader speaks for all. No voice should ever be doomed to succumb, when no opinion is ever so small. The greatest duty of a Leader is to unite a people divided, and divide enemies united. This requires patience, humility and the guiding light, which only a sincere heart and sharp mind can provide. A house divided against itself cannot stand, for walls built to divide siblings should never be planned. A polarized society is one where citizens only scream, voicing concerns that others deem too extreme. But fratricidal wars always lead to disgrace, even to the sibling who attends his brother´s wake. Friend or foe: this is a distinction made, based on words said, actions undertaken, and values professed. It should be a measure of last resort, undertaken only in the absence of true democratic discourse. But when the democratic world is violently divided, the merits of free democratic discourse seem entirely misguided. When democratic leaders are perceived as tyrants, authoritarian despots rise as aspirants, usurping the mantle of leadership, and offering guidance. Looking at the world today, I see it divided, between true defenders of democracy, and heartless tyrants. What fate then befalls Lady Liberty, when the language of the West is mindless hostility? As the enemies of freedom amass at the gate; capitalism may no longer be the question of the day, but true democratic liberty is imperiled today. When the voice of freedom only amplifies rage, peaceful democratic coexistence succumbs, destroying old alliances made. But the past bequeathed the present a ponderous responsibility, the protection of the very fabric of democratic civility, as the torch of democratic liberty is handed to every new generation, whose duty it is to raise it in vocal admiration. This duty to protect Lady Liberty is forsaken by leaders who refuse from their stupor to awaken. If the torch of liberty is ever extinguished, totalitarian silence will declare democracy as finished. The ensuing darkness to enshroud the West, will finally put all words to rest. The soldiers of democracy who now stand before you, all volunteered to march in defense of the truth. Free words are the weapons that democracy defends; the torch of liberty is now in your hands!


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