Secular Solstice: Call and Response

(Speaker lines in italics, audience response in bold)

The universe is vast, and dark, and cold. But we are not.

The stars are silent, and ancient, and impossibly far away. But we are not.

The laws of physics are indifferent to hope, or desperation, or love. But we are not!

Does anything in the universe care? Yes! We care! There is light in the world, and it is us!

We are flawed. We’re learning.

We are fragile. We’re getting stronger.

To the best of our knowledge, we are alone in the universe. But we have each other.

Our history is littered with tragedy and despair. We can do better.

We visit countless cruelties and injustices on each other to this day. So we must do better.

We lost five hundred million to Smallpox. So we destroyed Smallpox.

Hundreds of millions of us are still in poverty. But fewer every year.

Hundreds of thousands are lost to Malaria. But fewer every year.

Our problems are legion. Then so will our compassion, dedication, and ingenuity.

There is no destiny written for us. Then we will write our own.

We may lose. But we will try anyway

because there isn’t anyone else.