Dear Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today we celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day of the United States of America.
At a time when the world was in upheaval, brave men and women came together to change the course of history. They did so against all odds, following their hearts and consciences.
Those pioneers took to heart the words of Pericles, who recognized in 450 B.C.: "The secret of freedom is courage." It is precisely this freedom that is at stake today.
Vladimir Putin is waging an unjust war of aggression against the values of the free world. He is trampling the freedom of the West underfoot and subjecting us all to unbearable suffering and pressure. I ask YOU ALL from the bottom of my heart to recognize your statesmanlike raison d'être and do your duty by standing firm and united in confronting this fatal aggression.
"Those who are elected have nothing to decide and those who decide are not elected", once said Horst Seehofer, a Federal German Minister in an interview. You all know the powerlessness of your own action in the face of the forces that determine our political events. I urge and implore you all to put a stop to these forces.
We all bear responsibility in our lives as we walk the earth. Responsibility to our grandparents and also to our grandchildren. I ask you: listen to your hearts! Please listen to the voice that makes you believe in your heart - perhaps only quietly and gently - that we can create a better world. Trust yourself and please participate in the formation of a better world for all of us.
Our world will soon be a completely new and different one. It is up to ourselves if we want to recognize the signs of the times and act according to them.
Rise up, man, and become light.
Happy 4th of July to all of you,
brah
