KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my great pleasure to stand here before you.

On the other hand, it is a big shock to me that you can gather together on a topic such as this.

I actually thought that the topic and purpose of today’s meeting would have drawn intense ire among you and make many of you uninterested to attend this meeting. What a pleasant disappointment I have today received. I hope that by the end of today’s meeting, everyone will leave this place in one piece. Some time ago, I went to two events such as this and spoke to a group of people who appeared to have your kind of purpose. One event was in the Western world and the other was on the dark continent. After delivering my keynote address on each of those occasions, I left to attend to other pressing matters. At the end of the event that took place in the Western world, I received a report that a few people left before the event ended (which is absolutely normal). I also heard that many people stayed until the end of the event. However, the summation report I received did not reflect the spirit with which the people gathered on that peaceful morning. Some friends had become enemies. Some enemies had become friends. Some individuals who had nothing to do with each other had become frenemies. Such are the realignments that occur when you gather like this. I do hope your event today will not end on that kind of note. At the end of the event that took place on the dark continent, I also received a report of the deliberations. I heard that the meeting was chaotic, speakers and presenters were interrupted indiscriminately. Some contributors from the audience were shouted down by members of the same audience. A fistfight broke out about four times. The meeting that started with an opening prayer ended without a closing prayer. The only realignment that occurred was the creation of more enemies than friends. Accusations and mutual suspicion. These two examples are not in line with my expectations from this August event. I expect that diplomacy should undergird your deliberations. However, I would advise that you do not hide behind diplomacy to lie and deceive your listeners. Your meeting of today will dictate the pace on several fronts. Several people across the horizon are waiting for the outcome of your meeting. Any attempt to scuttle the deliberations will spell doom for those who are waiting to know the outcome of your meeting as their lives are on the line. Some of them are on the chopping block. Some of them are conceptually already tied to the stake and awaiting the unspeakable. Your meeting today is very important. Do not play with the lives of people. I will leave you with two examples from two of the world’s many cultures. One culture is where husbands and wives disagree and decide to end their marriages. They end their marriages but still meet from time to time as intimate friends (you know how that goes). They want each other alive because that friendship is going well. Another culture is one in which husbands and wives disagree. One kills the other before they part ways. One labels the other mental to get rid of him or her. One hates all the friends and relatives of the other. Take a deep breath and think about these two cultures. Which culture would you truly subscribe to? Please end today’s meeting in the spirit of the culture of your chosen subscription. Have a wonderful deliberation.