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caguaydreams · 4 years ago

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A thorough analysis on why Vah Medoh’s dungeon theme makes me want to cry

Yep, that’s an accurate title. Hi there! do you have a moment to hear about Breath of The Wild soundtrack? posting for yet a third time in hopes that tumblr won't hide it. I'm so tired

What started as a quick and harmless post, pretending to simply point out a couple of things, rolled downhill, out of my grasp and turned into a massive snowball of a short essay. How and why did this happen? Well, I assume a lot of people know about this song, and know what I’m talking about when I say that it makes me tear up and sob uncontrollably with every change in key as the seconds tick by and I spiral down into a dwell of misery from where I struggle to find the exit and to later recover.

……No?…..At the VERY LEAST it makes you a little uncomfortable. And I state this with much certainty, because after reading hundreds of comments everywhere online where this song is present, I picked up on a vast majority of people who expressed to feel the same way I did when it came down to our current music subject. See, statistics don’t lie… normally. So, naturally, my intrigue got the best of me. I wanted to find out exactly why this soundtrack was mercilessly stirring up everyone’s emotions, so I caved in and we ended up with this.

Buckle in, fellas.

Out of all Divine Beasts’ dungeon themes, Vah Medoh’s is the one that I can’t sit through. Not without growing antsy and wanting to turn it off as soon as possible. I find it genuinely difficult to listen to, and it’s not only because Revali is my favorite character and the song is just, plainly put, depressing, mind you.

We’ll start from 0 terminals activated.

It opens up similar to the other three dungeon themes; the pace is slow but eerie, gives off the impression that it sounds broken somehow. Something is off here, and it’s easy to figure out what that is from the get go: you’re basically entering a majestic, ancient, mechanical mausoleum, where everything went terribly wrong a century ago. Someone is gone, someone you knew, someone who was probably close to you, but it’s impossible to be sure. You don’t remember a thing, and this entire ordeal is confusing at best, and terrifying at worst. It’s your duty to make things right again.

It’s the same for all four Divine Beasts upon entering, save for the obvious little differences that separates them from each other and make them unique. Ruta’s is played on a major key, adhering to a sense of hopefulness. Naboris’s begins with a startling smashing of the piano keys, much like thunder of a sudden lighting strike. And Rudania’s theme starts threatening, dangerous, like scalding lava.

But now, back to Vah Medoh. The tone here is… alienating. The dissonant chords are all over the place, and feel disconnected, cold. It’s almost as if someone doesn’t want us to be here, or just like the elusive key, our presence is unexpected. Fitting, for a Divine Beast that’s high above the land, impossible for most to reach, yet we somehow made it. Apart from the piano, we have the occasional hint to rito culture, in the shape of a short, synthetic version of the rolled chords at the very beginning of Rito Village. A quiet reminder of where we come from. There is also, of course, the morse code distress signal, but we’ll talk more about that later.

As soon as this formal introduction is over, we finally get to the more, say, intimate stuff. Oh, and wouldn’t you know, it’s just tragic.

One terminal activated.

There’s no better short way I can describe this passage, other than anxiety-inducing. Especially when the strings come into play, and there’s two reasons I can think of why I feel this is an important thing to point out:

1- Characters and Symbolism.

I tend to associate stringed instruments, all of those which compose the violin family, with rito culture. And Revali, most specifically. In Creating a Champion we can see the early concept art and designs for all or most major characters in the game, and Revali’s highlighted rough design might be the one that changed the most throughout proper development of the character, out of all champions. He looks quite different from our usual depiction of him, it’s fascinating. What truly catches my eye, however, is the design of his bow.

You thought bird puns were bad? Oh boy, how do you feel about Revali having a bow that looks like a violin/cello/viola??? And do you need a bow to play it also??? Like, is it even an instrument or it’s nothing more than a mere fashion statement?-

Anyway. I believe this was originally going to be a not-so-subtle wink to rito culture, being heavily musically inclined as we can see and conclude for ourselves. Perhaps Revali was going to be a musician as well, now how cool it that!

Needless to say, the idea was eventually scrapped. But one detail I am CERTAIN carried over to the character we know and love today(okay not all of us love him but seriously if you dislike him why are you still here lol): strings. The association between bows(weapon) and stringed instruments, aside from being a quite clever and creative one, goes beyond the concept art and remains strong as part of Revali’s character, settling for having a presence via score. After all, Revali is a master of archery, so in that way it makes sense to keep strings as symbolism to reinforce the idea and drive it home.

But can you guess what other thing Revali excels at? That’s right: flying. He’s the only rito we know of who successfully managed to take advantage of wind currents and bend them to his will. And do you know what musical instruments are often used to evoke the feeling of flight and gale? If you thought of bowed strings, you’re correct! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much support on this topic online, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I am most certain that this is fact, although not something worth discussing on the Internet, by the looks of it.

Anyhow, violins/cellos/etc are ever-present whenever we’re close to Rito Village or dealing with a rito related mission. Attack on Vah Medoh, for example, features a sequence of strings that is meant to evoke the strong winds we’re fighting against in that particular moment(*). Another great example is The Final Trial, the song that plays at the shrine of resurrection nearing the end of the Champions’ Ballad. Preceding the activation of each terminal, you’ll notice that a new instrumental element joins the crowd: the first one corresponds to the tambourines, related to the zora and Mipha; the second one are strings, referencing the rito and Revali, etc. I tell you, the moment I heard this during the trial I almost started crying like a baby. And, although strings have a lot to do with Rito culture in general, they tie most strongly to Revali, since he was the champion of his people, and his legacy carried over throughout the years. His accomplishments became material of folk tale, a legend, a source of pride and inspiration for the village. And let’s not forget that, at the end of the day, Revali is the crucial and foremost connection Link has to this place. Other than appeasing Vah Medoh, Link’s responsibility here is to free his past fellow champion’s spirit from Ganon’s malice. The soundtrack is referencing Revali first, and by extension his devotion to his home.

With all that in mind, let’s move on to our next point:

2- Nowhere to Go.

You shoot the canons, land on top of the Divine Beast, do what you gotta do, activate the first terminal and the soundtrack goes off unannounced. Like some sort of surprise anxiety bomb. The rhythm turns fast, the melody erratic, incredibly desperate in its execution. There’s this sheer despair, fear, this feeling of suffocation almost, which are so well achieved in this particular piece.

And that is, partially, because a quite familiar resource is used here as well; one that we’ve heard before in songs such as Rito Village or Revali’s theme. You could even think of it as a motif: two notes are played in an semitone interval, repeatedly and in quick succession. For the sake of later convenience, we’ll call this the Flight Motif, now let me explain why. In Breath of The Wild, this semitone loop is often followed up by some form of resolution. In Rito Village, formerly known as Dragon Roost Island(**), that resolution consists of a graceful descent of the melody, from a high that was built up previously during the motif. On the other hand, if you listen to Revali’s theme, you’ll notice that the interval repeats itself for a couple of times as thought charging up, to then rise fast and determined into a triumphal reprise of Revali’s distinctive assigned melody. This juxtaposition supposes the difference that lays between common rito flight and Revali’s trademark ability; both musical sequences are speaking of flight, albeit in two different languages depending on the way to achieve it. While the rito traditionally use their wings to glide and let themselves get swayed by the air currents Buzz Lightyear style, Revali takes full advantage of his flying capabilities to somehow create an updraft of his own, rising meters above the ground whenever he likes or needs to.

So, now that I layed out my base of thought when focusing on the strings, this’ll be much easier to explain. We’ve settled what the instruments themselves are a symbolic representation of Revali, in this scenario specifically. He was the only one inside Vah Medoh, and the score is, in a way, a retelling of what we can vaguely assume went down here during the Great Calamity, as much as it is what sets the tone and ambience for Link’s mission. But what are we hearing exactly? What we talked about, the Flight Motif, is being repeated nonstop. And that’s the thing, remember how I mentioned that this sequence usually finds resolution at the end? Well. Inside Vah Medoh,… it never does. The melody picks up in numerous occasions, but it’s not nearly as graceful, or calculated, as we’ve grown used to by now. It gets tangled and lost, and then inevitably falls to the ground in disarray. The pattern repeats itself, reaching higher after a handful of failed attempts, but no matter how much it tries, the cycle never ends. What used to tell us about flying and freedom in the skies, has morphed into an almost sinister musical incarnation of a tornado, and there is no way out of this trap. What do you think it must feel like to mindlessly flap your wings against wind currents so strong and violent, that it is impossible to get anywhere nearby, let alone take off every time you lose your balance. Or every time you’re shot down. On top of that, trying to aim and fight back in whatever short breaks and opportunities you get, at an enemy that’s much more powerful and relentless, who’s using your own element as a weapon to destroy you… it’s a risk Revali surely had to take in order to put up a fight. Even knowing full well that the odds were not in his favour, that he was most likely going to lose this battle, that he was going to die. Let that sink in. I’ll skip the activation of the second terminal, since there’s barely any change registered in the theme in general. So-

Three terminals activated.

I know this post is supposed to be a breakdown of the song purely, but that doesn’t mean there’s no place for a little theorising, and the following scrutiny is also quite relevant for our discussion. Bear with me for a bit. I’ve read almost everywhere about people’s most common interpretations on the Divine Beasts SOS signals, and how everyone thinks that Revali’s coming in last (a few seconds later than the other champions) has to do with him holding on for longer. Or, also, overconfident as he was, it means that the idea of calling out for additional support didn’t cross his mind until it was too late, and that’s why the beeping sounds more frantic and panicked than the others’ when it does appear. After giving it some thought myself, I’m betting on the latter option holding more ground, and that’s not all. I want to touch upon a detail of the piece that I never acknowledged was there until very recently(after seeing myself obliged to listen to this song fully and a handful of times, suffering every minute of it for the sole purpose of this analysis. It’s okay I didn’t need my heart anyway). Soon after activating the third terminal, the SOS signal disappears, or grows distant and faint enough that we can’t make it out from the background anymore. In its place, we’re confronted by this… shrill, piercing and painfully slow tune. It sounds synthetic, artificial, devoid of life. And it’s funny, because you know what it reminds me of? I’ll tell you:

A heartbeat flatline sound.

And I want to highlight that this doesn’t happen in any of the other Divine Beasts themes. All their SOS signals carry on, but Medoh’s is no more. This abrupt stop, followed by this bone-chilling tune…. makes me believe that Revali was the first of the champions to fall. A few days ago I came across SuperZeldaGirl’s video on a similar topic, theorising that this could very much be the case. There is not much evidence to support this claim other than some visual cues that could be suggesting to it, but after I found this in the soundtrack, and if we’re to rely on it for anything, I believe Revali was either the first champion to be ambushed by Ganon, or well…. the first to be killed. It is plausible, because short after Calamity Ganon unleashes his power, Revali parts from the group and flies directly to Vah Medoh, and he very well could’ve been the first pilot to arrive.

On this note…. we’ll have to wait and see for ourselves, when Age of Calamity provides long-awaited answers to many of our questions.

Four terminals activated.

An interesting melody is being played on what, for me, would qualify as a glockenspiel or a celesta, which are keyboard based instruments that produce a sound similar to that of a music box(***). If you want to pay more attention to it, I suggest listening to Vetrom’s Instrumental Mix Cover of the theme, where they practically zoom in on this part of the song (keep in mind that it uses the All Terminals’ time signature so it’s being played faster). For some reason, this particular addition makes me feel profound empathy. The sound of this instrument could be described as cute or childlike, magical, even. It is more often than not used to represent innocence, but I highly doubt that’s specifically the intention here. Much like the leading strings’ melody, the melodic contour of this one is trapped in a loop of going up and down constantly, but the difference is that this time around it sounds more under control. And much more uniform too. It doesn’t lose focus or takes risky, fruitless leaps, but rather chooses to stay on a path of waves that consistently rises and falls without taking detours. Like a determined battle strategy, giving it your all. You fall, but get back up again, and try again, and again. It reminds me of Revali’s approach to training, being persistent to the point of overworking himself. He had discipline nailed down to a tee, which I also think served him well in combat. It’s not just about being hard on yourself, either, but being confident and having complete faith in your abilities; believing that you’ll make it. For this to appear now, that the SOS signal is almost completely gone, is significant because it means that by this point, being so close to success on Link’s behalf, the music is sparing genuine encouragement for once, in spite of the tragic outcome of the past and the danger of the current situation. But, in all honesty, this is probably just me reading too much into it. Perhaps the composer just thought this addition sounded pretty bitching and there’s not much else to it, which is completely fine. Although, intentional or not, sometimes coincidences do happen, and at the end of the day, interpretations like this are a form of appreciation for an artist’s work and for what they can unknowingly accomplish.

All terminals activated.

This is the moment when the song finally lightens up. Notice how the strings abandon the wave pattern for a more even contour. The beat quickens, the melody stabilizes. At first I thought, coming from our flight analogy, that this meant a cease in movement entirely, and it was partly one of the reasons why the song in general makes me anxious. But thinking about it now, …there is something different going on here. The strings are playing on a steady rhythm. It resembles a march, it’s like a pounding heart. It’s a lively, hopeful statement. And what’s interesting is that, up until this point, there was so much fear and helplessness present in the score, even going as far as to reach a dead end when we activate the third terminal. But that’s it, isn’t it? the music just keeps going further.

It’s saying: this isn’t over yet. Even after complete and utter defeat, there’s still hope and an underlying wish to overcome this predicament, and we started to hear this as soon as a fourth terminal is activated. The melody we previously talked about? it’s here as well, and its beat is much more daring and confident.

And I just want to say… this is so powerful. Because this sentiment is deeply tied to the game’s story and Revali’s character arc. You see, he is introduced as someone who resents Link for being the manifestation of his failure, in a way, because Revali has trained arduously his whole life to be where he is, to be recognised. And yet… this hylian gets chosen by a magic sword and some tale of divine destiny and, apparently, that’s all it takes for him to be deemed the hero that will save the land. In Revali’s eyes, Link has done nothing to prove his worth before him, so it is easy to see why he despises the silent knight so much; he is yet another individual that was born into their destiny. Meanwhile, Revali has had to build his reputation from the ground up, earning him a place among the greatest warriors of Hyrule, and even then he finds himself surrounded by people who grew up praised for being born gifted. We can see how Revali is the odd one out, and can map out the reason for him acting so antagonistic towards Link.

But once we’re on Medoh, things start to change. When Link enters the Divine Beast, Revali greets him with disdain, as per usual. Of course, Link has no recollection of whatever happened a hundred years ago, other than a small glimpse of the rito champion talking down to him, a memory that came and went in a flash. So as Link, we more than expect Revali to act cold and mocking, which he does. He provides us with as little help as needed in order to free Medoh, reluctantly, shielding his wounded pride over having to wait for Link, of all people, to come to their rescue. But you can hear him starting to open up bit by bit(I wish I could translate his dialogue directly from Japanese but I’ll make do with a couple of dubs and other numerous sources from translators online). With each little step Link takes towards success, activating the terminals, the perception Revali has of him shifts from one of resentment to one of genuine admiration and respect. By the end of it all, he is willing to not only cheer on Link during the boss battle, but to trust him with his life’s worth achievement. And once left alone, he admits defeat and lets go of his bitterness, realising that he was wrong to underestimate Link, and later wishes he could’ve had a chance to measured up to him. To take all of this into consideration and work with it in the soundtrack I think it’s genuinely splendid. And for once, I am grateful that it ends in somewhat of a positive note that puts my soul to rest. I still have a hard time listening to the first two thirds of the entire thing, but now I can look forward to a hopeful and earnestly heartening conclusion for all the pain that this composition puts me in. I must admit that it’s beautifully and brilliantly crafted, and that I am enamoured of it regardless.

That is why I wrote roughly 4k words about it! I hate myself!

If you’re as crazy as me about the soundtrack of this game, I recommend you read the published cd interview with the composers themselves! if you haven’t already. I just found it yesterday(unbelievable but it’s true) and… after writing all of this and checking it out, I felt validated. It sure is a one of a kind feeling.

Alright folks, we’ve made it to the end. Congratulations for sticking around and thanks being interested in my nonsensical rambling!

I also hope that you, like me, will now be unable to listen to bowed strings without being reminded of Revali. Good luck!

————– Annotations/Sidenotes/Whatever

(*)The Flight Motif(in point number 2) is also present in this track. We can hear it in the background right after the Rito leitmotif, as per usual. It starts with a clarinet, I think, before the strings take the lead. (**) Note that the Flight Motif only comes into play in the Breath of The Wild rendition of the song. (***)I strongly associate this instrument with Mipha, given that it is used in her theme, in every “response” to the initial melody. It can be heard in Attack On Vah Ruta, as well, it enters the scene when the notes Mi(E) and Fa(F) are played. The initial tune, Si and Do(B and C) are played on a clarinet or oboe, wind instruments just like the flute that leads Sidon’s respective theme. The celesta can also be heard inside Vah Ruta, activating the first terminal…. when the song really takes a turn just like Medoh’s. Mipha has nothing to do with the song of this analysis, however. We must understand that instruments, although they are attached to characters/various story elements in some cases, can always be used outside of that context, for that is the nature of an orchestral soundtrack. If you have this many tools at your disposal, you will make good use of them.

#Revali #Vah Medoh #botw #loz #aoc

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joechappel · 5 years ago

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VICTORY

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?” - I Corinthians The written word is painfully ill-suited to convey the textured nuance and layered complexity of human communication, in its glorious fullness. Irony, sarcasm, and the way we display one emotion to guard another...these are all part of the beautiful way we Homo sapiens communicate. Much of this nuance is achieved through non-verbal means, whether it be visual cues, or the aural cues found in the rise and fall, timbre, or breathiness of a voice, or in countless other ways. I often reflect on this when I hear about the tweets of the man who currently lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, especially when weighed against that same man’s outrageous speech and behavior at his political rallies. I am intentionally NOT a follower, but it would be nearly impossible to not know about them - that in itself says so much. It becomes glaringly obvious when staffers write Tweets meant to make him “relatable” (like his tweet about A$AP Rocky) and when he becomes that most dangerous of combinations: unhinged and unmanaged; and writes something more dark, more genuine, and more revealing, like his reprehensible language inviting Americans to leave their own native land and “go back” to some other country, all because they do not look like his small-minded idea of what an American should look, think, and behave like. Sadly, many Americans find connection in his words, written or otherwise, and there has been much hypothesizing about how influential his hate speech would be to his followers. How far would they go? Unfortunately, the question has some very dark answers, and the freakishly tragic answers to that question keep coming with greater frequency. Even the most willfully ignorant observer finds it difficult to ignore the evidence. When the suspects of more than one mass shooting subscribe to the verbatim philosophy, language, tenets, and policies elevated by the POTUS himself, there can be no denying the connection. At this point, we can no longer delude ourselves into believing we are still in some earlier time of hypothetical what-ifs and the ‘gaming-out’ of different ghoulish scenarios in regards to the behavior of Trump followers in the wake of his dog whistling and race-baiting speech. We are no longer in a time of predictions. We are in a time of analysis. The truth is we’ve been at this point for a very long time, but even the most aloof onlooker really has to work hard to not notice on days like this. Back to my point on language, I often run into friends who jokingly comment on my seemingly shameless anger they glean from my posts, but as I already said, the written word often misses the precise mark. What the reader sees as anger can often be anxiety and fear. And I know that these days when I wake up and type what guides my spirit in the moment, it is my fear that consumes me. Fear as an American witnessing the shameless unraveling of the pillars of our democracy, fear as a gay Black man who cannot escape the ‘othering’ of his very person and will always be amongst the most obvious and identifiable of targets to the xenophobic, racist, and/or homophobic bully. And They will always come for me and my kind first, so my fear is of an existential nature. So you may read unlimited anger, but I’m telling you it’s more often panic and fear - especially because so many of you don’t seem to notice or (this is the most frightening of all) you don’t seem to care (enough). Fear as a human sharing my vulnerability in the presence of others (like being willing to stand naked in public or willing to risk ridicule and rejection - these are my Kryptonite) because the older I get, I’m learning that the only way to live the life that enrages my demons and gladdens my angels is to walk in my truth. It is the only way I can sleep at night and hold my head a little higher in the day. The fear and the anger and the anxiety are determined to do their toll, one way or another. That is an energy none of us can wish, pray, or ignore away. The power we possess is in our choice to hold it all in and let the damage be on us or to be vulnerable and open and honest about it and hope that the energy dissipates in some healthy useful way. The other risk we take is that the dissipation can be ugly and unhealthy when we put it back out into the world. That is what is happening with these misguided men. They are releasing a horrendous pain out into the world, because they can no longer bear their loneliness, their deprivation, and their feeling of being wronged in this life, and along comes a voice and a movement that gives them permission to wallow in righteous anger and preys on their brokenness - it is a harmonic convergence of vulnerability, toxicity, and ignorance that comprises the recipe for the tragic events of Gilroy and El Paso and Charlottesville and countless other places. To say that I feel sympathy for these men would be an awful exaggeration...I don’t even want to use the word ‘empathy’, but in a some ways I do understand the genesis of their mental and emotional depravity. This year in particular has been one monumental cosmic mindfuck. I have experienced unexpected loss, the stripping away, paring down, and letting go of so many things I thought were prerequisites to the defining of me...all of it as the universe keeps whittling me down to my most bare essentials. And somehow I know I’m still not done - there is a transformation afoot and I am being shown who I am and am not, what I can live with and without, who is and isn’t essential in my life. The gift of such a time is that I’m also being offered a newfound clarity in my life’s priorities. I am not my progeny - I am childless. And I am not the lesser half of a spouse - I am single. I am not my next cool gig. I am not my last cool gig. I am not Big Joe or Skinny Joe - I am at all times wonderfully and simply Joe. I am not my casual acquaintances. And I am still me, even when my most cherished friends and loved ones leave my life one way or another. I am still me, when my physical ‘stuff’ gets lost or stolen or broken or misplaced. I am not my wealth or lack thereof. I am vulnerable, sensitive, still somewhat broken, talented, opinionated, imperfect, sassy, intelligent, on-a-journey Joe. All day and everyday. Occasionally I go through my photos on my phone as I did the other day. Each time I notice something cool or interesting about the collection in its entirety. This time I was struck by how many pictures I am embracing or being embraced by someone. I thought I had a bunch of selfies on my phone, but my pics tell a different story. I am a man who defines himself through the relationships in his life. I am my friends. I am my loved ones. It is in the company of others that I truly flourish. As much as I regard myself as a loner, I need that human interaction to thrive - just like all humans, I need to relate. It is that same need that I believe drives so many to become hypnotized by the sinister words of POTUS. Young White males who feel alone, abandoned, forgotten, left behind, denied entry into a life of unearned entitlement that is their perceived birthright ....these vulnerable individuals find connection and kinship in his racist and nationalistic hate-speech. The point is that I can relate to loss and loneliness and feeling robbed of one’s things and even one’s very station in life. That kind of pain has a universality to it, but the myriad ways we choose to let it manifest in our lives can have consequences that go far beyond our personal spheres of influence. Sometimes the unhealthiness of our coping skills has irreversibly tragic outcomes. A friend used to always end his emails with the famous Horace Mann quote “be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” I was so moved by it that I stole the idea (like 100% of the truly wise and impressive things I share) and started ending my own letters and email with the same quote. I’ve since stopped using the quote that way but it popped into my head today. The funny thing is that when I first heard it, I thought “some victory” equated with a grand feat. Anything less than Nobel-laureate-worthy work, or some act that would garner the attention and praise of a thankful public was not qualified to fulfill the task. I needed to write a symphony, run for office, cure something, write the next great American novel or do some other noteworthy deed. Today when I read the same exact words and measure them against the ugliness and tragedy of the world around me, my concept of “some victory” alters. When my portion is fully rendered and I am weighed in the balance for the last time who is the man others will describe? Did his arms stiffen and perpetually keep others at length or did those arms endlessly seek to embrace, comfort, and help others? Did that man walk in the fullness of his truth or did he wither in fear? Was he a model of good citizenship, to the best of his ability, for the next generation to witness or did he leave them to figure it out all on their own? Did he steward his world and his wisdom and then selflessly pass it on or did he selfishly hoard it, taking it all to the grave? Today I am convinced Mann’s ‘victory’ is in our successfully living better today than we did yesterday. I believe that when we are willing to be vulnerable and walk in our truth we can access a compassion for others such as the immigrant, the less advantaged, or whomever we deem the ‘other’, and simultaneously we can show the Patrick Crusiuses of the world a better way forward than the cruel narrow path our failed current leaders have set before these at-risk individuals. The deed is done, so there is no saving this particular man and the lives he has taken, but perhaps we can channel our righteous anger for some other future good and save the next scared, lonely, and angry individual from making the same sick choice. There are untold lives at stake. Yes, we should be ashamed to die, not having “won some victory for humanity.” But the victory is nearer and more immediate than we think. The victory is in our personal living and the battle rages on at the core of our collective soul. More than our thoughts and prayers, this world could use our better living and a greater expression of our humanity. “Be ashamed to die, until you have won some victory for humanity.” - Horace Mann

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