By B. Anne Adriaens
‘I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish.
Every inch, but one. An inch … it is small and it is fragile,
but it is the only thing in the world worth having.
We must never lose it or give it away.
We must never let them take it from us.’
From Valerie’s letter in V for Vendetta
(dir. James McTeigue, written by the Wachowskis, based on the Alan Moore comic)
for those who see beyond the populist discourse
who value freedom of movement and thought
who value freedom not as a slogan
but as a form of respect
respect of the other
respect of our differences
for those who see the riches of diversity
the benefits of free will and critical thinking
for those who refuse to be led down
the cattle chute of totalitarianism
nationalism or any flavour of extremism
for those who are squeezed breathless
by narrow-mindedness
dangling from the tightrope of obedience
remember this
once the powers that be have done their business
and every one of us is bridled and muzzled
there will remain one inch of freedom
however immaterial, one inch
inside our minds they cannot enter or alter
unless we allow them
remember this is
the one untouchable spot
behind a rampart of skull and brain matter
the malleable bedrock that sustains our spirit
that allows us to hold on to
our own thoughts and ideas, even opinions
and remember this
if those who seek to control others
can have a mind of their own, so can we
