On April 22, 1970, United States senator Gaylord Nelson created a national holiday which would forever change the world. Most of us don't think much of the day, or perhaps even know when it is, but this is a holiday that is unlike any other. It is the only one to be celebrated on 193 countries, and it unites us all as citizens of this planet. This year (2016) is a very special Earth Day, because the Paris Agreement is set to be signed today by the United States, China, and over 100 other countries. If you're unaware, the Paris Agreement is a climate consensus treaty.
This writer hopes that the magnitude of this really sinks into the minds of the readers. There has literally never been a time in human history when someone wasn't warring. We, as humans, have often seen our separate tribes, states, countries, providences, and continents as separate entities, not connected to one another. We've spent much of our history seemingly forgetting that we all live on the same planet. Earth Day was a huge step in the direction of realizing that we are all connected, and this Earth Day is a giant leap towards erasing those boundaries completely. There have often been times when this writer has questioned whether or not world peace was simply a pipe dream, but today should give us all hope that this isn't the case. We are all one, and we are all beholden by the same wondrous world, so let's take a moment today and celebrate that fact.
This particular poem is a motivational, educational, and (hopefully) inspirational piece about how our voices are strong enough to do anything, including change the world. "You are not powerless; you have a voice...!"