Re: Testimony for earth
Akela appeared cool and composed, ignoring any reactions from the military personnel among the crowd, seemingly impervious to nervousness about speaking to the judges. She delivered her message calmly, rationally, and sincerely, with only the faintest hints of emotion. She said something along the lines of:
“I’ve been giving quite a lot of thought to the nature of your visit, and to the question of why we are being judged, and how our representatives were chosen. You’ve offered some of us power, and the rest are currently enduring great suffering. Perhaps you believe that those are the true tests of a person’s character— human or otherwise. To suffer is to become intimately familiar with the depths of one’s own strength and bravery, or to discover that we have only weakness and darkness instead. The vast majority of us have at least a little bit of each. Our natures are extremely complex and contradictory, but regardless of that, I believe that the life of every person has value and potential, whether they choose to use it or not. Put together, our potential could be even greater than the sum of our parts.
It would take a lot of work for us to reach that point. We also have a lot of work to do when it comes to our responsibilities to the rest of who share our solar system, our galaxy, or our universe. That isn’t to say that learning will come easily, or quickly, but the history of humanity’s outlook shows increasing trends of open-mindedness, acceptance, and understanding, even if it is still ingrained in us to be afraid, wary, and defensive in the face of the foreign, unknown, and potentially dangerous. These are survival instincts, and it takes time to overcome them, to learn to extend trust and respect instead.
That is a lesson that I’ve learned the hard way. My personal experiences have led me to conclude that I can no longer afford not to recognize the value of others, or to trust them. I trust that there are enough good people on Earth to continue making it a better place in any way they can, even if they are not the loudest, or the flashiest. In fact they are often the quietest and least seen, to avoid the notice of the powerful who would oppose them and to protect the innocent from simply having to know that such terrible struggles even exist. The greatest mistake you could make in judging Earth is to take us only at face value, without looking any deeper.
It is not my job to establish a positive presence for Earth and humanity as we try to find our place amongst the other planets and stars, but I am willing to trust SWORD with the task, and I am here to fight for their right to do it. I also believe that if you choose to trust them, and us, you will see how much potential we have— how much greater we can be when we are not just a single solitary planet, but a part of something bigger than ourselves. I am confident that the possible benefits of allowing us to live greatly outweigh the risks. I am here today because other people saw that potential in me and I know that if you look, you will see it in us.”
Except, you know, probably better.
Also she resisted the urge to finish by stabbing April Ludgate. Because murder probably doesn’t help her case with either the judges or the military :/