SPEAKERS’ CORNER ORATORY by Victor Zammit No.1.

Those who never attended Speakers’ Corner at London’s Hyde Park, Marble Arch or at Sydney Speakers’ corner at the Domain Park in Sydney, must understand that there was no censorship at all at these public places. Some of the dialogue is extremely sharp and highly provocative. Some of the oratory was radical, some of it gentle and some of it was to entertain. Some was also aimed to challenge existing, traditional beliefs. Hecklers were allowed to interject anytime. No amplification was allowed and speakers had to project their voices.

Victor was primarily a Human Rights campaigner and used a combination of humor with serious oratory. Here below this speech was during the turbulent times of the Vietnam war around 1972.
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Victor, inspirationally: “Yes, the TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE! ...

This is my motto ... this is my belief ... this is my way of life ...

I have seen too much injustice, oppression, violence, and deceit ... yes I have been involved in politics, religion and human rights and I have witnessed the mind-manipulators, those in authority who say they are your trusted friends, but who, underneath the facade of friendship are nothing but your bitter ENEMIES!

DON'T trust them. DON'T trust any of them. DON'T let them control YOUR mind! Don't ever let them take away your independence. Don't let anyone take away your fundamental rights, your human rights, your innate rights!

Basically, you want to search for the TRUTH. You want to discover for yourself the meaning of life, liberty and you want to pursue happiness in your own individual way. You have a right to think for yourself. You have a right to determine your beliefs, your future, your hopes, your aspirations.

And for complete LIBERATION OF THE MIND, never allow others to do the thinking for you. Never allow anyone to dominate your mind, body and your human spirit!

When I come to speak to my crowd here, I KNOW that I am free in what I say. I know that I can share my knowledge with you. I know that what I say will inevitably affect you.

But I NEVER say you must follow my ideas. I never say I have all the answers. I never say I want to you to change your beliefs and your ideas. I never do that. Your mind is your own! You are free to think for yourself! You are free to extend your knowledge, free to keep your beliefs!

But you are also free to ENRICH your beliefs!

And when you see the misery, the suffering and the brutality around the world, shed a silent tear for those who are victims of international political gangsterism, victims of military oppression, victims of ubiquitous insatiable greed!

Whilst we struggle to survive, deep down we know that ultimately we are the ones to seek and keep on seeking what is real, what is achievable, what is right for us!

I'll let you on a little secret: the UNIVERSE will support your every deeply felt desire!

Sometimes you see familiar things in a new light. Sometimes you may agree with what I have to say, sometimes not. But nobody tells me what to tell to you. Nobody bribes me to sell somebody else's propaganda. Nobody is ever in a position to buy my partiality. Nobody!

I do continuous research to find the truth. Since I was able to read I started my mission to discover the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! I discovered information that was not available to me in my younger years ... I got to know about certain things which where deliberately kept from me.

I travelled to many parts of the world to see for myself, to experience for myself and to discover for myself some of the answers to some of the vital mysteries of this world! And although I gained much wonderful knowledge and answers, my search goes on!

At present I am free to continue to seek the truth and nothing but the truth. And I share this truth with you ... because the TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE!”

* * * * * * ** * * * * *

Victor: “Welcome everyone. A warm, sweet, lovable, wonderful welcome to all of you today. Welcome to the Speaker's Corner on this most beautiful warm summer Sunday afternoon. My name is Victor. Every Sunday afternoon here, my crowd comes to me because only from my platform do they get insights about what is happening to the world, what is happening in this country what is happening to themselves.

We are going to have a most wonderful time. A most interesting, entertaining and educational afternoon here.

The Speakers' Corner is internationally known for its VIBRANCE, ENERGY, ORIGINALITY ... for its extreme form of evocative ENTERTAINMENT ... LIVE entertainment that is!

London Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in England and the Sydney Speakers' Corner in the Domain Park in Australia are historically unique by world oratory standards. They've been around for over ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY years of continuous speaking. Every Sunday without fail, speakers inform the people of their message.

Whereas other speakers are too serious, have one issue, like religion or atheism or anarchy or Judaism or Christianity or the PLO or socialism or communism or whatever, on THIS platform you get a very wide variety of topics. Here you will experience an oratorical smorgasbord ...for those who have good taste, extremely good taste, this is the only platform where red-hot issues about human rights, politics, economics, religion, and sociology are discussed at a very high, oratorical level.

And the people know that – they come here to my platform in droves every Sunday without fail.

I am NOT here to do the thinking for you. I am NOT here to change your beliefs about anything. I am NOT here to seek recruits to follow me and my philosophy!

I am NOT a crusader!

I do NOT want your vote. I do not want your partiality. I do not want your dollar, not your money!

What you believe in is your business! YOU make your own decisions!
But you will be doing injustice to yourself if you unnecessarily restrict your access to other information which may enhance your knowledge, widen your perception and which will help you see familiar things in a new light!

The first insight to-day is: don't let your deep seated partiality restrict possibilities!

I give you MY interpretation of history, of law, of psychology, of politics and of religion! We also discuss any other subjects as long as it is interesting and immediately relevant to you!

For example, women, gay lib, euthanasia, should Catholics have sex before marriage?

Crowd response: YEAH!!!

Victor: I thought you’d say that! This is also a show for the tourists who come from around fifty different nations here every Sunday.

This is the place for the best live entertainment and enlightenment in a public park anywhere in the world!

That is why over one hundred and fifty years, MILLIONS of people have visited these public places of oratory, of entertainment of a great deal of debate and fun!

Every Sunday without fail thousands of people come to this area ... you also see as far as the eye can see parked tourist coaches. They bring happy tourists from most countries in the world to attend the meetings here and to enjoy the fun, enjoy the repartee, enjoy the UNIQUENESS of public park oratory.

It does not matter who you are. It does not matter where you come from. It does not matter if you are male or female as long as you are willing to listen, to participate and to ask questions and have the capacity to enjoy yourself and to have lots of fun!

There will be times when I will have to explain what I want to tell you. There will be other times when you can question anything I say.

Questioner: But surely, Mr Speaker, we don't have to agree with everything you say!

Victor: Of course not! There will be times when what I say here may fundamentally clash with your own cherished beliefs! And that’s good!
You don't have to change your beliefs! You don't have to accept anything I tell you! What you believe is your business!

But let me remind you what I tell you here every Sunday.
Just because you may not agree with what I tell you, does not mean that what you believe in is correct! Nor does it mean that what I tell you is incorrect!

You will have to remember that what you believe in to-day is what someone else, a teacher or a parent or a priest or a rabbi or a politician, has conditioned you to believe in the past. But this information which was pumped into you in your earlier innocent years may not have been the correct information in the first place!

Whether you like it or not how you see the world is directly related to where you were born. If you were born in India, you’d very likely be a Hindu. If you were born in Japan you'd be a Buddhist or a Shintoist or if you were born in North Africa almost certainly you’d be a Moslem – even a Moslem terrorist!

So don’t let anyone tell you that your religion is superior to some other religion. Your beliefs come from where you were born. So don’t be dogmatic, don’t be stubborn, don’t be condescending towards other religions – none of the religions can prove that they are right – not one of them!

Blind faith is stupid! Question your faith. Analyze the doctrines. Examine every dogma. Rise above personal subjective beliefs and unconditionally accept anything that is scientific, objective, repeatable and empirical.

ALL religions demand blind faith, demand personal beliefs, demand you to be emotionally and intellectually subservient, demand that you abandon your intellectual independence!

In epistemology - how the world's knowledge is organised - you will find that all knowledge is divided into at least two opposite extremes. On the one hand there is the knowledge which I call objective, that is, knowledge which is scientific and on which all people in the world agree - 7+5=12 for example.

And then there is the subjective knowledge which no one on earth can prove. For example, beliefs in religion - I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, I believe in Buddha, I believe in Mohammed.

There are other personal beliefs - in politics - in capitalism, or socialism or Fascism. These and other personal beliefs constitute knowledge where you can't use science to substantiate what you believe in.
This personal religious and other belief will always be tentative.

Questioner: Why should personal beliefs be tentative?”


victorzammit@optushome.com.au

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