Sharing Circle

What follows is long but is one of, I think, the most important and moving relatively recent speeches that I’ve ever read. And I have probably read more of them than most people who I have known- starting from about the beginning of the last decade, when I personally and professionally developed more of an interest in politics. I was aware of many of the points that he raises and they are all accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Many people my age and younger may not have any real idea why the Kennedy family has been revered in certain circles for decades, as we are too young basically to remember JFK’s administration. This speech may help explain it.

The world deserves anyone coming upon this the favor of reading and considering every word of it, and if you find it worthy, sharing parts or all of it with your friends, family members, and so on. These are very, very very important points, I think, even though we are now under a (somewhat) different administration.

This speech was brought to my/our attention (my husband actually found and pulled the transcript) through a movie produced by David Arquette and Courteney Cox Arquette. I think every word of this speech should be read and considered by every American human and, in fact, by many of the rest of the non-American humans.

I do not consider this to be a speech which furthers the generally pretty polarized political climate in the US now. I think it is pretty neutral, but others may disagree.

Apart from everything else that makes this important, (in my humble opinion) this speech should also help any of the Republican or even Libertarian persuasion who perhaps question why GWB and that administration was so reviled by people like myself–that is if they don’t already understand why that was/is. Many less than obvious points are made here that should help people understand. It is my understanding that many who consider themselves on the “right-wing” side of the political equation at least claim to not understand why the Bush admin was so vehemently reviled (especially if one leaves out obviously revulsion-inducing role GWB played in creating the Iraq war.) I am hardly a rabid environmentalist by anyone’s standards. But this speech makes critically important points, I think.

Read, and if so inclined, share with anyone else who you think might need to consider this.

This is the official transcript of a speech delivered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2005:

I have been an environmental advocate for twenty years, and I’ve been disciplined during that period about being nonpartisan in my approach to this issue. The worst thing that can happen to the environment is if it becomes the province of a single political party. Most of the environmental leaders in our country agree with me. Five years ago, if you asked the leaders of the major environmental groups in America, What’s the gravest threat to the global environment?, they would have given you a range of answers: overpopulation, habitat destruction, global warming. Today, they will all tell you one thing: it’s George W. Bush. This is the worst environmental president that we have ever had. You simply cannot speak honestly about the environment in any context today without speaking critically about this president. If you go to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s web site you will see over 400 major environmental rollbacks that have been promoted by this administration over the last three and half years. It is a concerted, deliberate attempt to eviscerate thirty years of environmental law. It is a stealth attack, one that’s been hidden from the public. (more…)

I have been thinking lately about the way that certain things that people say sometimes stick in our minds for a lifetime, and wondering about the reasons why that is so. I have also for professional and personal reasons been thinking a lot about children for some time now. Studies have shown that what people – even strangers – say to children and their parents can actually make a big, positive difference in their lives. A personal memory of mine points to just such a thing.

For some reason I remember very little about my childhood whatsoever, but the following little snippet stands out. I was about 8 or 9 years old. All I know for sure is that I was in, I think, the fourth grade. A man who was at my school, put his hand on the top of my head one day in between classes, which was a little strange. I said something to him like “why are you doing that?” (I may have tried to move out from under his hand as well and he didn’t let me; I have never liked to be touched by strangers.) I don’t know who he is or was, I am pretty sure he was not directly one of my teachers. Obviously he worked at the school in some capacity.

And then came the money quote. Whoever he was, he grinned down at me and he said:
“I was just checking to see if you feel on the outside as smart as you are on the inside!”

And then he let me go and I scampered off.

According to my mother, the whole school had just taken tests (which I don’t remember at all) as part of a study into IQ levels. They told her at the time that I scored among the very highest in the whole county. A lot has happened since then in my life of course, and I am well aware that if I were to be tested today that my IQ would not be as high on the charts as it might have been then. (Head trauma will do that to you!)

But what I do know is that those few small words from that man seeped its way into my heart, and became part of my self- esteem. “I’m smart!” – partly as a result of what this man said- became part of my idea of who I am. Those few small words this man spoke to me (more than thirty years ago now!) changed my life. And he doubtless forgot completely that he had said that to me a few minutes after it was over. And I don’t even know who he was. But I was forever changed for the better as a result. He is part of the reason why I was able to think of myself as intelligent, which was a gift that helped get me through some traumatic times indeed.

The point, of course, is that we all have the power to do for children that we know or that we come across what that man did for me. We may never know when we have given someone a priceless gift like that man did for me, or when we have permanently changed someone’s life for the better.

But one thing is for sure. If we don’t make a point to speak kindly to children or their parents when we have the chance, we will not make such a difference. The thing is, it is worth the effort. I will forever be grateful to that man, whoever he was.