Gareth Evans: Our Common Future

I felt inspired to write this poem for Gareth Evans. I remember where I was, sitting at the National Library in Canberra. I suddenly thought of him and this was what I wrote. He responded in kind surprised that someone found him the source of inspiration. Indeed he is. He is a quiet achiever but dedicated to a saner and safer future. The sign of intelligence is to see the insanity.

Our Common Future

A long and distinguished career,
Brings challenges, conflict and fear,
For international crisis,
Is group work,
A work in progress,
For some the mission is impossible,
For political will is unwilling to compromise,
self interest.

The world order,
Of disorderly conduct,
Where power flows to the highest bidder,
Trade offs seek to embezzle,
Free information is muzzled,
The dogs of war are controlled,
By handlers training armed groups,
For fear is the currency that works,
Against progress.

Intent is important in the equation,
The real outcome is mostly unforseen,
For the pebble of good governance is dropped,
Into a ocean of despair,
Concentric rings are forming,
Intersecting waves are felt,
For many are listening to the message,
Civil society is evolving to free itself,
From the bondage of misplaced beliefs,
That no longer serve them.

The circle of influence,
The ring of identity,
Shifts its centre,
From the national to superordinate,
From local to global,
As satellite images are projected,
Human rights no longer protected,
Government becomes a barrier,
To freedom and security.

Know your work is a tribute to persistence,
Your effort is sacrifice and insistence,
You message is a life committed to justice,
For you articulate what is fair,
You dared to reach for the top of the chain,
You tackled bureaucracy and remained,
For you believed enough in yourself,
To make a difference,
And that difference I perceive,
You made,
For what we choose defines us.

There may be moments when you may feel you failed,
Or the world has let you down,
There may be many moments of deep despair,
Intolerance and frustration,
But caring is the real success,
Trying is the intent that wins approval,
Your words have travelled the globe many times,
For many are listening and acting on your urgency,
For the ripple effect is ongoing and unstoppable,
You are one voice that is heard,
In a collective of mutual interests,
For the silence of the lambs,
Will emerge as global public opinion learns,
That we are all responsible for the new millennium,
And this is the goal.

As we edge closer to the ledge,
We will choose to fall or fly,
But thanks to you we can visibly see,
That it is possible to be free of tyranny,
For what you resist persists,
What you look at disappears,
For you can see through the walls of denial,
And know only we have the power to change,
To be the change we wish to see is the world,
For this is the true power of non-violence,
As it holds the mirror to truth and justice,
And in our reflection,
The commissions of the future,
Are no longer military,
For the mission is now possible,
Only when we find unity,
Within ourselves and others,
For these are the intersecting waves of action,
That will re-create our common future.