From a distance
Thank you for joining me for this Sunday Special commentary.
(292 words)
So much is happening in the world right now.
• Global climate change is wreaking havoc, causing flooding, drought, stronger-than-ever hurricanes and typhoons as well as fires. A wildfire destroyed one of the most beautiful places on earth - Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
• Tens of millions of people have already been displaced due to hurricanes, flooding, landslides, and rising sea levels. Droughts have an impact on the food we are able to produce, putting people at risk of hunger.
• Thousands of people have been displaced by violence in Haiti, Ukraine, Syria, and Afghanistan.
• 62% of the global population makes less than $10 a day.
• Human rights are being challenged all over the world. Human beings (children, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, women, people of color, and people of various religions) still face discrimination in housing, education, employment, and representation.
• Democracy is also at risk around the world with more countries tightening their grip on freedoms, including freedom of the press and of the internet.
• Technology, which could be used to create a more equitable and just society, can also be used for surveillance and to limit who has access to what (digital divide, censorship), for example.
• Every moment, society draws ever nearer to nuclear war or a nuclear accident.
It’s too much.
And these are problems that you and I alone cannot solve.
It can be depressing.
And that’s when I have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and look at the beauty that surrounds me. It doesn’t mean I don’t take action on the issues when I can. It means that I have to take care of myself, too.
This song is about the issues. It is also about appreciating a moment of peace.
The song is From a Distance, written by Julie Gold (1987) and sung by Bette Midler.
VOCABULARY
wreak havoc 大惨事
be displaced 居場所がなくなる
discrimination 差別
tighten one’s grip on 握り締める
equitable 公平
just 公正
surveillance 監視
censorship 検閲
be depressing 気が滅入る
appreciate 感謝
English and Japanese lyrics