Dr. Tess Lawrie - Mistakes Were NOT Made: An Anthem for Justice

Mar 17, 2023
Source: https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/mistakes-were-not-made-an-anthem-57a?utm_source=cross-post&publication_id=347114&post_id=108784524&isFreemail=true&utm_campaign=773468&utm_medium=email

A Message From Dr. Tess Lawrie
When I first read Mistakes Were NOT Made: An Anthem for Justice by Margaret Anna Alice, it was painful and I had no intention of reading it twice. In envisioning a Better Way for humanity, I prefer not to remember the horrors of the past—the events and actions that demonstrate human beings are capable of such terrible, anti-human things, and that evil exists.

During the past three years, as a doctor and scientist, I have shared the data and the science, I have prepared numerous reports and letters, I have given countless interviews, I have written plain-language articles, I have organised online and in-person conferences, I have started a podcast to inform the public, and I have tweeted. All this, and yet the majority of people are still not aware that humanity is in grave danger.

Then came the request from the poet Margaret Anna Alice for a creative collaboration. Would I read her poem, along with a few kindreds, and have a recorded discussion about it afterwards? Art is a powerful tool and one I had not yet tried. I decided to accept.

Margaret Anna Alice’s poem is extremely uncomfortable to say the least. With the world on a fast track to digital identification, quarantine camps, and WHO-mandated experimental vaccines, it contains a stark warning for humanity: What happened before can happen again.

Many people who are aware that history has a habit of repeating itself may be worried to speak about the well-trodden route to fascism in the context of our current predicament—where a global cabal are seeking to control public health measures, our private health data, our movements, what we put into our bodies, access to information, and compliance with their directives. Art is such an effective way to break that barrier and start these important conversations.

I trust my reading of An Anthem for Justice does justice to the poet’s intention. At first glance, it may seem the emotions evoked by Margaret Anna Alice’s words are counter to the ethos of a Better Way that I propose. However, her perspective is one of many that needs to be considered in refining our learning and wisdom so we can navigate the way forward. Her right to express her views in this creative piece is enshrined in the Better Way Charter and provides an important point of discussion for these times.

Thank you, Margaret Anna Alice, for this reminder of how wrong the way can get.

I look forward to reading your Better Way poem.