Who Will Speak Out?

Who Will Speak Out?

Who will step forward? Who simply will speak out?

Why the big load heaped on the shoulders of so few?

Like Nelson Mandela or Gandhi the Mahatma

Like Simone Weil or Dietrich Bonhoeffer

And the small band of others across time

Many not named or else famed and soon-forgotten

Who will walk like these? Who simply will step forward?

*

Standing up, speaking out, stepping forward

Even though, even though – the numbers need to grow

*

Or who will be timid, and show kids how to back-step?

Or who will teach boldness by ourselves being bold?

Like Martin Luther King or Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop

Like the Dalai Lama or Wangari Maathai

And the small band of others across time

Their eyes on the straight point of their compass of conscience

Simple as a fable, just as pointed, and as true

*

Standing up, speaking out, stepping forward

Even though, even though – their numbers need to grow

*

… Why does it take war before we snap awake?

… Or a Royal Commission before we listen

… To the rivers across the years of people’s tears

… Who have no protection when bullies oppress them

*

Who will step forward? Who simply will speak out?

Why the big load heaped on the shoulders of so few?

Like Malala Yousafzai or Liu Xiaobo

Like the Irish peace women or Andrei Sakharov

And the small band of others across time

Many not named – or else famed and soon forgotten

Who will walk like these? Who will simply step forward?

*

Standing up, speaking out, stepping forward

Even though, even though – the numbers need to grow

*

… Why does it take war before we snap awake?

… Or a Royal Commission before we listen

… To the rivers across the years of people’s tears

… Who have no protection when bullies oppress them

Except when we are –

Standing up, speaking out, stepping forward …

______________________________________________

Barry Pittard

The poem above was written by Australian teacher, poet and musician Barry Pittard near 9 years ago, and published on March 21, 2014, a mere three days after the official annexation of the Crimea by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The world, we, did not speak out loud enough, we did not dare or want to. Look what has happened since. Full-size war after Putin invaded Ukrainian territory for the second time, February last year.

Frankly, I do not know whether Barry, one of the first and leading critics of Sathya Sai Baba, see his noteworthy internet site ‘Call for Media and Government Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba And his worldwide cult, the Sathya Sai Organization’, wrote this poem in reaction to this brazen breech of the peace between two neighboring countries, or that he was referring to a much broader issue: us keeping silent after years of serious doubts concerning cult leaders like Sathya Sai Baba, and politicians worldwide.

And victims who keep silent they were abused by Sathya Sai Baba though decades may have gone by. Which is not uncommon, especially when boys and young men are concerned. Even after #MeToo kicked in, men are still having far more trouble coming forward than abused girls and women. The examples are few, which doesn’t help. Indian sexual culture sure does not help either.

Back when I first read it, I took it to be an outcry for justice and peace and love, not by being all lovey-dovey but by showing backbone, thus speaking out, even when we are afraid or it hinders our personal interests.

In the end, to me it is a timeless call for action, gentle yet determined, towards a common purpose of truth and love and an abhorrence of dishonesty, pomp and circumstance and living a lie.

That lie encompasses that of Sathya Sai Baba, who continues to stay in good standing, from the hindutva driven Indian government led by Narendra Modi to scholarly literature like the never questioned bias in favor of Sathya Sai Baba and his movement in Winged Faith by (now) famous academic Tulasi Srinivas. Up till now, more than a decade after Sathya Sai Baba’s premature demise, he and his minions have still dodged the bullet of being seen for what they were: deeply flawed human beings, gifted in some ways, like charisma, dark and ugly when it came (and comes?) to acting responsibly towards the youth entrusted to him and his successors.

Let’s never forget to stand up, speak out and step forward. Or else we’ll never learn to become active nonviolent seekers of truth. Because it doesn’t come naturally. And it’s not easy. But it’s the honorable thing to do. Else we remain a silent majority, committing a sin of omission, not helping whereas we can. It’s not simply a question of moving on, like I tried to make clear in this earlier post: On the topic of moving on.