Speech at an online Investiture at The Millennium school, Dubai

MY SPEECH AT AN ONLINE INVESTITURE OF SCHOOL PREFECTS AT THE MILLENNIUM SCHOOL , DUBAI - SURELY A FIRST . PRINCIPAL, HEADMISTRESS, PARENTS, MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY AND DEAR PUPILS NEVER IN MY WILDEST IMAGINATION DID I FORSEE ANYTHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE . COINCIDENTALY, I THINK IT WAS AT THE LAST GRADUATION THAT I MENTIONED SOMETHING - AND I QUOTE - ‘’ NO ONE HAS A CLUE ABOUT HOW LIFE WILL PAN OUT IN THE YEARS AHEAD – IN FACT WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT LIFE WILL BE LIKE TOMORROW ,SO MAKE THE BEST OF THE PRESENT MOMENT ’’ . IT SEEMS JUST LIKE YESTERDAY WHEN WE WERE GOING ABOUT OUR BUSINESS - WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD – CRIBBING ABOUT TRAFFIC, OFTEN IRRITATED WITH WORK, UPSET WITH COLLEAGUES, DISCUSSING PRICES , AND ANGRY ABOUT DELAYS AND SUDDENLY HERE WE ALL ARE – AT HOME – SITTING BEFORE MACHINES AND GOING AHEAD WITH LIFE TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY , WHILE CRAVING TO BE OUT AND ABOUT AGAIN . WORDS AND PHRASES LIKE PANDEMIC, COVID, LOCKDOWN , QUARANTINE , VENTILATOR , PATIENT ZERO, COMMUNITY SPREAD & SOCIAL DISTANCING, ARE ALL TRENDING . BUT HUMAN BEINGS ARE RESILIANT CREATURES – WE DIFINITELY ARE. MILLIONS LIKE YOU AND ME IN ALL CORNERS OF THE GLOBE ARE WORKING AND STUDYING FROM HOME AND GRADUALLY WE ARE GETTING BETTER AT WHAT WE ARE DOING. IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY AND WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BUT WE WILL OVERCOME AND WE WILL SURVIVE AND COME OUT STRONGER AT THE OTHER END – THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO TELL OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES EVERY DAY . GO OUT AND SPREAD THIS MESSAGE . OMTIMISM IS THE NEED OT THE HOUR . BARELY A FEW WEEKS HAD GONE BY AND THERE WERE A PROLIFERATION OF NEW SONGS, KEEP FIT VIDEOS, JOKES, STORIES AND , CARTOONS DOING THE ROUNDS . WHATSAPP MESSAGES INCREASED BY THE HUNDREDS AND SUDDENLY EVERYONE HAD FOUND A NEW SPARK OF CREATIVITY & ENERGY. I FOR MY PART HAVE COOKED, HAVE BAKED , HAVE PLAYED MY GUITAR AND DONE SOME WRITING ON MY BLOG. I AM SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING INTERESTING AS WELL . YOU MUST DO SO TO RELAX . IT IS IMPORTANT . AROUND THE WORLD , DONATIONS ARE POURING IN FOR THE AUTHORITIES TO HELP THOSE IN NEED AND THAT’S SO GOOD , GOVERMENTS ARE RISING TO THE OCCASION AND DOING THEIR BEST WHILE EVERYONE RACES TO FIND THE VACCINE. YES WE WILL . WE , HERE IN THE UAE , ARE VERY BLESSED TO BE IN A SAFE COUNTRY, LOOKED AFTER & PROTECTED. FOOD AND COMMODITIES ARE AVAILABLE IN PLENTY AND HEALTH CARE IS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY . WE EXPATS MUST THANK THE RULERS OF THE UAE FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE AND FOLLOW THE RULES FOR OUR OWN GOOD . BUT HERE IS SOMETHING - IF YOU PLAY CLOSE ATTENTION - AMIDST ALL THIS MADNESS AND MAYHEM , SANITY IS BEGINNING TO PREVAIL. PEOPLE ARE PRAYING MORE, FAMILIES ARE SPENDING QUALITY TIME TOGETHER, HOBBIES AND SIMPLE PASSTIMES ARE SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY ONCE AGAIN. WE ARE ALL SUDDENLY MORE PEACEFUL AND MORE CARING . PEOPLE ARE EXERCISING AT HOME, AND EVEN FATHERS ARE HELPING OUT WITH HOUSE - WORK WHEN POSSIBLE. I HAVE AN EXCLAMATION HERE . LIFE HAS SLOWED DOWN QUITE A BIT AND THE RUSHING TO WORK, SPEEDING ON THE ROADS AND CHARGING INTO MALLS TO BUY THINGS WE OFTEN DON’T NEED HAS COME TO A STANDSTILL – THE AIR IS MORE PURE , THE QUALITY OF WATER IN RIVERS HAS IMPROVED – OUR WORLD IS TRANSFORMING & RECUPERATING . WE HAVE BEGUN TO CONNECT WITH OUR INNER SELVES FOR A CHANGE AND REALIZE THE TRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM AND LIFE . ALL THAT ASIDE , HEARTYY CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU PUPILS AND PARENTS . THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL DAY WHICH YOU HAVE OBVIOUSLY STRIVED FOR AND ASPIRED TOWARDS . SO FORGET THESE TROUBLED TIMES AND ENJOY THE MOMENT . THIS IS A MILESTONE IN YOUR LIFE AND IT IS AN ACHIEVEMENT TO BE PROUD OF – LET NO ONE OR ANYTHING TAKE THAT AWAY FROM YOU . THIS INVESTITURE WILL GO DOWN IN THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL AS BEING DIFFERENT AND CREATIVE – . IN FACT THIS PERIOD IN TIME WILL BE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS IN THE YEARS AHEAD AND YOUNG PUPILS WILL READ WITH WONDER AND AMAZEMENT ABOUT HOW WE MANAGED THE CRISIS . YOU YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN – AND ALL OF US WILL BE IN A NEW WORLD AFTER THIS IS OVER – IT IS GOING TO BE OUR MORAL DUTY TO HELP EACH OTHER TO DO BETTER AND TO RISE STRONGER AND MORE RESILIANT FROM THE SO CALLED ASHES . WE NEED TO PUT ASIDE OUR DIFFERENCES, FORGET OUR PETTY QUARRELS , AND WORK FOR THE GOOD OF HUMANITY IN ANY SMALL WAY WE CAN . YOU NEED TO LEAD THE SCHOOL FORWARD AND UPWARD LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT LEADING, MENTORING, GUIDING , INSPIRING , SPUPPORTING , SETTING AN EXAMPLE AND WHAT BETTER TIME THAN NOW . BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD THAT CAN BE DONE BY ALL OF US BUT SADLY WE ALL FIND EXCUSES NOT TO DO IT . WE ARE SO WRAPPED UP IN OUR LIVES , ONLY THINKING ABOUT OUR NEEDS & WELFARE . DO YOU THINK WE COULD DO BETTER ? SO WHETHER YOU ARE ON THE PHONE , OR ON ANY OTHER FORM OF SOCIAL MEDIA THESE DAY – DO YOUR BEST TO SPREAD POSITIVITY AND LOVE AND DO IT BRAVELY. PARENTS – YOU NEED SPECIAL PRAISE – YOUR WARDS HAVE MADE THE CUT AND YOUR INFLUENCE, LOVE AND ADVICE OVER THE YEARS MUST SURELY HAVE IMPACTED THEIR CHARACTER AND UPBRINGING . CONGRATULATIONS . EDUCATIONISTS IN GENERAL AND TEACHERS IN PARTICULAR- YOU ARE IN THE LIME LIGHT AND LIKE DOCTORS AND NURSES YOU ARE WORKING TIRELESSLY TO HELP SOCIETY HEAL AND MOVE FORWARD – TEACHERS I SALUTE YOU . SO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – THIS TOO SHALL PASS AND WE SHALL SMILE , AND WE SHALL SING AND WE SHALL CELEBRATE BUT TILL THEN STAY SAFE, STAY HEALTHY AND STAY HAPPY – LET US ALL CONTINUE TO PRAY TO ALMIGHTY GOD FOR HIS PROTECTION ON US AND OUR LOVED ONES GOD BLESS YOU ALL