政治のニュースが今日も、未来のために、あなたのために、と、まことしやかに語られます。しかし、どんなにお金をつかっても、いろんな事を変えても、何もよくなることがありませんでした。
日本で、意思決定をしている人々は、真剣に問題解決をしようとしているのでしょうか?
古い演説なので、時代にあわない部分もあります。ただ、覚悟してでも解決しようとした、立ち向かおうとした時代のスピーチのなかに、心を打つものがあります。そういう部分を(英語で)自ら取り出し、どのようなことも、自分自身の良心に照らして、自分自身の考えを構築し、行動をしていくことが、大事だと思います。
歴史的演説といわれています。「歴史的」というのは何を指すのでしょうか。
長い時間が過ぎてもなお、その時間をこえて、私達に届くものが見つかるもの。
(長い 高校生,大学生 大統領就任演説 1961 | John F Kennedy スピーチ動画 動画はこちら https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/inaugural-address ) We observe today/not a victory of party / but a celebration of freedom - symbolizing an end / as well as a beginning - signifying renewal / as well as change. For I have sworn / before you / and Almighty God / the same solemn oath/our forbears prescribed / nearly a century / and three-quarters ago. The world is very different now. For man holds / in his mortal hands / the power to abolish / all forms of human poverty / and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs / for which our forebears fought / are still at issue / around the globe - the belief that the rights of man come / not from the generosity of the state / but from the hand of God. We dare not forget today / that we are the heirs / of that first revolution. Let the word go forth / from this time and place , to friend and foe alike , that the torch has been passed / to a new generation of Americans - born in this century , tempered by war , disciplined by a hard and bitter peace , proud of our ancient heritage / and unwilling to witness or permit / the slow undoing / of those human rights / to which this nation has always been committed , and to which we are committed today / at home / and around the world. Let every nation know , whether it wishes us / well or ill , that we shall pay /any price , bear any burden , meet any hardship , support any friend , oppose any foe / to assure the survival / and the success of liberty. This much we pledge / and more. To those old allies / whose cultural / and spiritual origins / we share, / we pledge the loyalty / of faithful friends. United / there is little / we cannot do / in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided / there is little / we can do - / for we dare not meet / a powerful challenge / at odds and split asunder. To those new states / whom we welcome / to the ranks of the free , we pledge our word / that one form of colonial control / shall not have passed away / merely to be replaced / by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect / to find them / supporting our view. But we shall always hope / to find them / strongly supporting their own freedom - / and to remember that in the past , those who foolishly sought power / by riding the back of the tiger / ended up inside. To those people / in the huts and villages / of half the globe / struggling to break the bonds of mass misery , we pledge our best efforts / to help them help themselves , for whatever period is required - / not because the communists may be doing it , not because we seek their votes , but because it is right. If a free society cannot help / the many who are poor , it cannot save / the few who are rich. To our sister republics / south of our border , we offer a special pledge - / to convert our good words / into good deeds - / in a new alliance for progress - / to assist free men / and free governments / in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope / cannot become the prey / of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know / that we shall join with them / to oppose aggression or subversion / anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know / that this Hemisphere intends to remain / the master of its own house. To that world assembly / of sovereign states , the United Nations , our last best hope / in an age where the instruments of war / have far outpaced / the instruments of peace , we renew our pledge of support - to prevent it / from becoming merely a forum / for invective - to strengthen its shield / of the new and the weak - and to enlarge the area / in which its writ may run. Finally, to those nations / who would make themselves our adversary , we offer not a pledge / but a request / that both sides / begin anew the quest for peace , before the dark powers of destruction / unleashed by science / engulf all humanity / in planned or accidental self-destruction. We dare not tempt them / with weakness. For only when our arms / are sufficient beyond doubt / can we be certain beyond doubt / that they will never be employed. But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations / take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened / by the cost of modern weapons , both rightly alarmed / by the steady spread of the deadly atom , yet both racing to alter / that uncertain balance of terror / that stays the hand of mankind's final war. So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides / that civility is not a sign of weakness , and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate / out of fear. But let us never fear / to negotiate. Let both sides explore / what problems unite us / instead of belaboring those problems / which divide us. Let both sides , for the first time , formulate serious and precise proposals /for the inspection and control of arms - and bring the absolute power / to destroy other nations / under the absolute control / of all nations. Let both sides seek to invoke / the wonders of science / instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars , conquer the deserts , eradicate disease , tap the ocean depths / and encourage the arts and commerce. Let both sides unite to heed / in all corners of the earth / the command of Isaiah - to ”undo the heavy burdens. and let the oppressed go free.” And if a beachhead of cooperation / may push back the jungle of suspicion , let both sides join / in creating a new endeavor , not a new balance of power , but a new world of law , where the strong are just / and the weak secure / and the peace preserved. All this will not be finished / in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished / in the first one thousand days , nor in the life / of this Administration , nor even perhaps in our lifetime / on this planet. But let us begin. In your hands , my fellow citizens , more than mine , will rest the final success or failure / of our course. Since this country was founded , each generation of Americans / has been summoned to give testimony / to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans / who answered the call to service / surround the globe. Now the trumpet / summons us again - not as a call to bear arms , though arms we need - not as a call to battle , though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden / of a long twilight struggle , year in and year out , ”rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation” - a struggle against the common enemies of man- / tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself. Can we forge against these enemies / a grand and global alliance , North and South, East and West , that can assure a more fruitful life / for all mankind? Will you join / in that historic effort? In the long history of the world , only a few generations / have been granted the role / of defending freedom / in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe / that any of us / would exchange places / with any other people / or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion / which we bring to this endeavor / will light our country / and all who serve it - and the glow / from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans- / ask not / what your country can do for you - / ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world- / ask not what America will do for you , but what together we can do / for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens / of America or citizens of the world , ask of us here the same high standards / of strength and sacrifice / which we ask of you. With a good conscience / our only sure reward , with history / the final judge of our deeds , let us go forth / to lead the land we love , asking His blessing / and His help , but knowing that here on earth / God's work must truly be our own.