I’ve seen a lot of shit in this world. Wars, droughts, famines, exploitation and slavery, violence and oppression. At times, it has severely tested my belief in human goodness. But after much struggle, I refuse to believe that people simply don’t care. Again and again, I have seen people rise up, say no—and all I can do is say yes to that no.
This morning, I looked out over the Mediterranean Sea here on Lesbos. It’s freezing cold. Towering whitecaps reveal how strong the wind is. Yesterday, six people drowned off the coast of Samos. It is unbearably unjust and heartbreaking.
My hope comes from knowing that there are people here who see this too—and who are doing everything in their power to fight it.
But the plans of Ms. Klever in the Netherlands today—plans of destruction without any sign of relevant knowledge, conscience, or humanity—leave me deeply saddened, even a little desperate. Because I can see the people who will suffer because of this. And I truly don’t understand how this level of disrespect, this abandonment of human decency, has become the norm.
Ms. Klever, you are not just tearing down organizations, knowledge, and people—you are paving the way for something that must never happen: a society that ultimately doesn’t care about “the other.” A society where fundamental values are discarded and replaced by greed, as long as we are doing fine.
No, just no.
And let us, with all our might, say yes—to all those people and organizations who have the courage, the guts, the knowledge, and the passion to say no.