Chills down my spine
Nov 13th, 2008 by spaceagesage
My regular readers know I’m a science fiction buff from way back. A favorite TV show of mine, Babylon 5, ran for five years and was set in 2055. The show wove together story arcs, character development, and adventure far better than most movies, books, or other shows, including Star Trek.
One of the most amazing characters on the show — which included alien races such as the mimbari, the centauri, and the vorlons — was a regular named G’Kar, an ambassador for the narn people. Warrior, poet, and eventually religious leader, G’Kar, (played by the late Andreas Katsulas) often acted as the voice for passion. In the episode, “The Paragon of Animals,” G’Kar writes these words, which are read wonderfully by his character and another character as off-camera commentary:
“The universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not narn or human or centauri or gaim or minbari. It speaks in the language of
hope. It speaks in the language of trust. It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us and the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. The small, still voice that says: “We are one. No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the world, no matter the star. .. We are one. No matter the pain, no matter the darkness, no matter the loss, no matter the fear. We are one.” Here, gathered together in common cause, we begin to realize this singular truth and this singular rule that we must be kind to one another. Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light our way to a better future. We are one.”
After a rough election period and in the face of daunting challenges in our nation, I just wanted to share this vision with you.
– – – –
Photo credit: Jay Miller
– – – –
It’s a beautiful vision. I can’t wait for the day it becomes a reality.
I love this! It’s going in my Keeper file. Thanks, Lori! My favorite line is “Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost diminishes us.”
What a vision! Thank you for this wonderful post.
I don’t watch Babylon 5 but this quote is absolutely lovely!! Regardless of nation too, we are One.
Hi Vered,
You and me both!
Hi Linda,
The way this passage was read on the show still moves me, as do the words themselves.
Hi rummuser,
Welcome! Welcome! … and you’re welcome! Thanks for commenting.
Hi Evelyn,
B5 is available on DVDs since it ended a few years ago. I believe the writers understood NLP pretty well, so some of the story lines and dialogue are priceless.
Ha, ha, I watched Babylon 5 too and I have that quote in my notebook. I read it’s based on the song called: “This is My Song, Finlandia”.
This is inspiring and I love the image you have chosen too. I could never get interested in Babylon 5. Star Trek was my first love.
Hi Marelisa,
I didn’t know it was based on a song! It does read rather melodically.
Hi Davina,
Star Trek was my first love, too, but B5 has a way of getting under your skin and making you like the characters.