for Justice V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe

we went out in search of meaning
subjects and predicates guiding us
dangling modifiers sounding our alarm
because we felt that ambiguity
would aid the man with "bad faith"

we wrestled to bring clarity
believing that, though brevity be the soul of wit,
it wasn't the soul of legislative drafting
believing, too, that precision called us
to test our sentences

we shunned all legal mumbo-jumbo
for we believed that English should be plain
herein, heretofore, preceding, aforementioned,
notwithstanding, whatsoever, wheresoever, whosoever,
whomsoever- these we shoveled out of the Statute
because we thought that law should be understood

we remember many times arguing about a comma
for we know that a misplaced comma freed a criminal
or worse, sent an innocent man to jail

our labour is in words
legal subject, legal action,
conditions, cases
we midwife the "legislative intention"

here, we lay our lives bare,
we don't say it
but there are times we have stood still on the road
willing concrete words

our Bills have been denounced by
every Lycurgus and Solon, as warned by Lord Thring,
for being "crude", "undigested measure"
"a monument of ignorance and stupidity"
but this spurs us on
for we believe in the Rule of Law.



28.1.2016

The Praise of Legal Terms

whereupon I squirmed at the precipice of time

thus i sat at the edge of time

mulling over thoughts oft unpondered

thinking afresh

aggrandizing the treasure trove of language

like a cabal of thieves hungry to visit sin into the cosmos

learning new language with purpose

because the tool of trade of law and/or defence

has been the lexicon we pompously ride roughshod

because language has been lawyer’s greatest pride

here, then, if it pleases this court, is my honourable submission

galloping in endless razzmatazz

saying in twenty pages

what can be said in a paragraph.

this string of lucid prose  

this poem

true to character, is wasted ink on paper

confounding thought, strangling plain reading

swimming in a flood of meaningless and high-sounding words

calculated, no doubt, to leave the client's mouth agape

with archaic language that clings to the roof one's mouth

long after a long day in court

the above-captioned poem

the poem above

enclosed herewith

delete, delete.

doesn’t it bother you

hauling words chained to a broken statue of pretence?

does it?

C) Salem Lorot 2015

The Way I See It: Part Two

The Pokot say, “anyin tany aki ng’wan” or “tingeto kigh anka tÏkwÏl köromnyenyi nko ghöyÏnyanyi”. They mean that a cow is sweet and sour and that everything has its good and bad side.

Having said that, I think it would be prudent to direct our minds to important questions that affect us. The hallmark of democracy and freedom of speech is this: that individuals will engage in meaningful debate to spur socio-economic and political growth.

This calls for informed opinions, shaped by statistics, hard facts and the ability of being a ‘prophet’ to peer into the future, being able to have a quick mind to avoid the quicksand of personal-interest driven politics and embark on issue-driven politics.

I have delightfully (read painstakingly) read the Constitution, the County Governments Bill, 2012 and the Transition to Devolved Governments Bill, 2012. More than ever, if our minds were directed to the great task ahead of us, the West Pokot County might realize her dream.

As a people, we have perfected the art of mud-slinging, yet we are stunted by the same impediments—little or no infrastructure to write home about. We have committed intellectual fraud at the behest of our so-called elitism, yet we have not cared to address our minds to the challenges our education was supposed to solve. We have engaged in heated dialogues to espouse our views and opinions, yet the collective knowledge and wisdom of our people surpass all these—the people know the truth. We have reduced ourselves to clanging cymbals—we never ask why, we never ask how, we never ask when, we never ask the simple and obvious. We have failed. We are teetering off to the same pit we have been buried before independence and after.

Ordinarily, if a gazelle was being pursued by a lion, it would be expected that the gazelle would run as fast as she could. It is a race for her life. Wouldn’t it be ironical, then, that such a gazelle would instead walk or round off to some shrubs, acting as if she was perfectly ok? Wouldn’t it be fatal if she did so? Now replace the gazelle with us and the lion with the odds against us. Does it give you shudders that we still remain behind? That we occupy the lower rung? And do you see any hurry? No. No. There is no hurry. Our gazelles have leisurely wound up by the river banks, comfortably drinking water, oblivious of the pounce of the lion. Other gazelles would have been busy watching out for the lion of our under-developments and un-development but no, the coast is clear, there is no danger folks! Isn’t that cool?

May be I should not be too hard.  You see, when you have drunk from the waters of pessimism for long, for some time you get accustomed to looking at things from a distance with that withdrawn look. When one has been cursed with bare-minimums in the affairs of a society, such a person might be inclined to look at life from that prism. So, after some time, everything is done in the ordinary way. There are no passions. There are no ideals. There are no purposes. Everything is stifled.

Therefore, you will see this in matters that matter most. There is always that detached look. Is that right? Wrong! I refuse to believe that our County lacks men and women who will, in a manner of speaking, take the bull by its horns. The reason why God in his manifest Grace gave us reason is for us to apply our intellects and come to a rational conclusion. The privilege society has given us, leaving behind thousands of others who could not go to school, is that so that we are the custodians of what they hold to be true.

Fellow County men and women, I have realized a somewhat displeasing trend in the West Pokot County Politics. We have reduced ourselves to incendiary tools spewing forth expletives. We have labeled each other ‘this camp’ or ‘that camp’ as if there was a mark of the beast on our faces. Tell me, who owns the collective history of the Pokots who have suffered even before 1963 and still suffer to-date? What would be so earth-shattering if one of our leaders wins or the other fails? Tell me, will the sun rise to light up the shadows of the hearts of Pokots who have always known pain? Don’t you realize that your expectations are a bit misplaced? 

When a leader gets into office, other people celebrate; I don’t. I have since realized that the euphoria that sweeps me clouds my judgement to the extent that I don’t articulate the broader issues which will indirectly affect me. I have since realized that my duty as a citizen and a voter is to speak about the issues which a leader should focus on. But first, I should be a leader of my own, to address issues, solve them whenever I can and if all the voters did this then we will be marching forward. The limitations of my leaders are my own limitations. When they fail, insult each other, get locked up in personal fights, lose the bigger picture of the problems bedeviling us, then I see myself as a loser too. In them, I see my egocentricism, power-hunger and quick-fix solutions to long-term problems. The catastrophe is that we haven’t learnt a new breed of politics which can sustain logical, factual, reasonable arguments without it degenerating into name-calling, hatred and an abuse of one’s line of ancestors. 

Our leaders need to tell us what they will do differently, how, why and such things. We would like to interrogate them—whether we support them or not. We would like our leaders to respond to the worries of our fathers and mothers back at home. We would like to feel their remorse. Not only that. A lot more on what they will do beyond the remorse. We would like to feel right with our consciences that the leaders we will elect will not lead us to early graves—or more particularly, our parents—and that they will carry our problems in their hearts, worry about them in their minds and do something about them. 

We would like to see our leaders unite us, to infuse within us a sense of brotherhood. We would like them to feel our pain, share in our victory and dream our dreams. We would like to ask them what happened to the skies, once full of clouds of abundance in our lands, and now barren with scattered promises and fulfillment. We would like to ask them which from which river did they draw water for our cows and which tree did they water to fruition. We would like to ask them if they have stirred dust into our eyes before, filling them with grit, and whether they are fit to calm whirl-winds or they are the whirl-winds themselves. We would like to ask them which food they brought and to which cooking pot and who did it feed. We would like to ask them if they will maintain the spleandour of the moon at night and the radiance of the sun during the day. We would ask them to watch the tired brows of our parents and see whether they can recognize the tiredness of their looks and the despair their voices. We would like to ask them not to scare our cows with their big cars nor look down upon our huts nor fail to sleep in our mud-beds (Ok, this is drastic, right?). 

If they don’t they will not be fit to occupy our public offices. We would want a servant leader who will do everything as we command. But how will we know all these if we cannot find them out in a sober, detached way? If we shut our hearts and minds, how will they know what we want? That is why I get very worried. Very worried.

It is time the elites of West Pokot County took their rightful place. It is time they asked serious and hard questions. The County needs men and women who will shape her politics. History will judge us harshly if we don’t do this. Think about it. That is the way I see it.

The Way I See It: Part One

I am doing this for two reasons. One, in the meantime it is a meaningful way of contributing to my county. Secondly, my profession calls me to be the leader of public opinions and to stir debate which propels society.

Having said that, I hope this will invoke debate. I have been perusing the County Governments Bill, 2012 and the Transition to Devolved Governments Bill, 2012. These bills mean a lot to the County Governments we will be having. They are aimed at giving effect to Chapter 11 of the Constitution, provide for county governments’ powers, functions and responsibilities.

This will apply to all counties but allow me to give its implications on the West Pokot County.

The Governor, going by Clause 31 of the County Governments Bill 2012, will be the ‘president’ of the county. I will list them here:

i)             To diligently execute the functions and exercise authority provided for in the constitution and legislation;

ii)           To perform such state functions within the county as the president may determine;

iii)         To represent the county in national  and international fora and events;

iv)          To constitute the county executive committee portfolio structure to respond to the functions and competencies assigned to and transferred to each county

v)            To submit the county plans and policies to the county assembly for approval;

vi)          To consider, approve and assent to bills passed by the county assembly;

vii)        Chair meetings of the county executive committee;

viii)       Assign to every member of the county executive committee responsibility;

ix)          Submit to the county assembly an annual report on the implementation status of the county policies and plans;

x)            Deliver annual state of the county address;

xi)          Subject to the operational command structures set out in the Police Service Act or any other national security legislation, chair the county equivalent of the national security council as provided for in Article 239 (5) of the Constitution; and

xii)        Sign or designate a county public officer to sign county Gazette notices, unless county legislation provides otherwise

With these immense duties the office will demand, I think it would be prudent for us to interrogate who will be our Governor. The qualities we will be looking for will oscillate around the ability of the candidate being versatile, humble to understand the monstrosity of his/her role and being able to inspire confidence and propel development. I hold the view that the office of the governor, together with his/her team in the county executive committee, is the key to the development of the county. But so pervasive has Senator/ Governor debate been that we have been blinded by these facts. I hope and pray that we will interrogate these matters clearly. For instance, who will be the Governor? (I am sorry, but I am not so jittery about the office of the senate; the development of the county rests on whether we will get our math right in electing the right candidate in the office of the Governor, the rest is politics) Will the Governor be able to constitute the right county executive committee? What development track record will the candidate be proud of? What of his/ her character? Will it be above reproach? What will be the company the candidate entertains? (because these will be men and women he/she will appoint in the executive committee) By way of example, will they follow the spirit of Clause 35 (g) and (h) of the County Governments Bill, 2012, that is, promoting social and economic development within the county while ensuring equitable sharing of available resources throughout the county?

There are no clear-cut answers. Let us think about these issues honestly and objectively.

Thank you for your time.

My Reading of Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Julius Caesar

My readings and lecturers of Trial Advocacy taught me that advocacy is all about persuasion. As I was reading William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, I was struck by the speeches of Brutus and Mark Antony. They came across as powerful statements, full of colour and vigour; for all I care they could have been the opening statements of two counsels telling their ‘version of the story’ to the factfinders.

May be you could read it and be the judge.

BRUTUS

Be patient till the last.

Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my

cause, and be silent, that you may hear: believe me

for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that

you may believe: censure me in your wisdom, and

awake your senses, that you may the better judge.

If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of

Caesar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Caesar

was no less than his. If then that friend demand

why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer:

--Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved

Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and

die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live

all free men? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;

as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was

valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I

slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his

fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his

ambition. Who is here so base that would be a

bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended.

Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If

any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so

vile that will not love his country? If any, speak;

for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

Enter Mark Antony. I could as well baptise him the opposing counsel. Brutus’ first impression have held sway and Mark Antony knows this. The air is charged and he also knows this better. And what does he say?

ANTONY

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest--

For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men--

Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And, sure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

Mark Antony’s speech, oft quoted in the lines of ‘I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him’, has fundamental lessons. Notice the subtle appeal to decorum and respect that Brutus is given for being ‘an honourable man’. I particularly like the line about the evil that men do outliving them and the good that men do being buried with them. In that statement, Mark Antony appeals to objectivity in his speech. This is aimed at winning his audience.

He says: “I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, but here I am to speak what I do know.” In this single line he throws the challenge to the audience to be the umpire. He ‘impeaches’ the credibility of Brutus not by attacking him personally but by showing inconsistencies. He cites three instances of when Caesar wasn’t ambitious: One, when he brought captives home to Rome; two, when the poor cried and he wept and; three, on the Lupercal when thrice he refused kingly crown. Then he seals it off with a cry (well, counsels aren’t supposed to cry) saying, “Bear with me; my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me.”

He continues:

But yesterday the word of Caesar might

Have stood against the world; now lies he there.

And none so poor to do him reverence.

And then this:

ANTONY

Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up

To such a sudden flood of mutiny.

They that have done this deed are honourable:

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,

That made them do it: they are wise and honourable,

And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:

I am no orator, as Brutus is;

But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,

That love my friend; and that they know full well

That gave me public leave to speak of him:

For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,

Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,

To stir men's blood: I only speak right on;

I tell you that which you yourselves do know;

Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor poor dumb mouths,

And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus,

And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony

Would ruffle up your spirits and put a tongue

In every wound of Caesar that should move

The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

There! That is Trial Advocacy for you at its best. Mark Antony has appealed to my emotions. What say's thee? Where Brutus comes across to me as a domineering personality, Antony is humble; where Brutus is all daggers-drawn, Antony is all let-us-not-shame-the-honourable-men-I-am-no-orator. 

What the New Constitution Portends for the Pokot County

The New Constitution 2010 provides for a county government which will have both:

i)                     the county assembly , and

ii)                  A county executive.

I will equate the county assembly to it being ‘the parliament’ of the county where its issues are articulated by its representatives elected in their respective wards. The county executive is more of what the president does, the powers he has and whatnot. Therefore, where the president at the national level exercises his respective powers, the county executive is a similar thing but at the county level.

This is to be expected. Whereas the county assembly will be charged with the responsibility of ‘passing its laws’, for it to be implemented there must be a body clothed in county executive. The roles of these two bodies in the county will perform complementary roles. County assembly will pass laws and check on the ‘excesses’ of the county executive. This means that if the Governor, the Deputy Governor and other members which the Governor appoints decide one day to do pull down some shops without authority then the county assembly will question this.

So, what constitutes the county assembly? It will consist of councillors, special seat to cater for the least-represented gender but not more than two-thirds of the membership of the assembly, marginalised groups including persons with disabilities and the youth and the speaker. This is in accordance to Article 177 of the Constitution. It will be worthy to note that their term will be for 5 years.

The county executive committee will consist of the county governor and the deputy county governor and members appointed by the county governor, with the approval of the assembly, from among persons who are not members of the assembly. Article 179(2) of the Constitution provides for this. Of particular interest is Article 179(3) of the Constitution. The ‘other members’ forming the county executive committee will not exceed one-third of the number of members of the county assembly if the assembly has less than thirty members. Also, these members cannot exceed ten if the assembly has thirty or more members. It appears therefore, that these members would be ten on the maximum.

I will not dwell on the eligibility criteria of these office-holders or how they could be removed from office. The constitution clearly provides for them. Rather, I will examine the functions of county executive committees. 

Article 183(1) of the Constitution provides:

A county executive committee shall—(a) implement county legislation;(b) implement, within the county, national legislation to the extent that the legislation so requires;(c) manage and coordinate the functions of the county administration and its departments; and(d) perform any other functions conferred on it by this Constitution or national legislation. 

Further, Articles 183(2) and 183(3) indicate that the county executive may prepare proposed legislation for consideration by the county assembly and provide the county assembly with full and regular reports on matters relating to the county.

These are vast powers bestowed upon the county executive committee. The task of implementation holds the greatest key to the success of the county. The county assembly might pass good laws, rant and rave all they want, but the decisive steps of the executive committee matters a great deal. The office-holders—County governor, deputy governor and ‘the members’ the county appoints with the approval of the assembly—should be persons who not only satisfy the eligibility requirements but should have a proven track record of development, the ability to grasp and implement a wide array of factors, be visionary and more of ‘doers’ and not ‘talkers’.

It saddens me, therefore, as I skim through the county debates that some of these pertinent issues are least discussed if at all. What we need to appreciate is how the county assembly and the county executive will operate. Who will run them? What statements of mission will guide them? How will they fit into the bigger picture of the national landscape? What policy considerations to be considered? How will the county resources be tapped and in what best ways? What will be the checks and balances? Objective politics and how to be achieved? Issue-driven debates as opposed to euphoria-centred cheap talks?

These are the issues. These are the sad realities.  I got this quote from J.G. Holland:

‎"GOD give us men! A time like this demands strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; Men who possess opinions and a WILL; Men who have honour; en who will not lie; Men who can stand before e a demagogue and damn his treacherous flatteries without winking; 'Tall' Men sun-crowned, who live above the fog in public duty and private thinking."

Need I add more? Nay. I rest my case.

Conversation on justice I

Link

A: Good Professor, of my right to ask I lack, but my desire to apply to my faculties the philosophical dimensions of law I leave to your judgment. Tell me, Good Professor, what justice is, having explained it, rest my probing mind.

B: Probing minds shouldn't rest. Inquisitive minds are like the arguments of two philosophers, they shouldn’t relent. Now, you ask a baffling question and of my 30 years of looking for the answer, isn’t embarrassing that I possess no answer?

A: To that extent, Good Professor, I can surmise. The subject, as it were, produces more heat than light...

B: Careful. Not heat. Because if you speak of heat we are presupposing that it is an emotive topic, an area that can evoke public outrage. To my mind, this has been a question for professors to grapple with in the academic world. As the subject continues to occupy their minds, to a large extent, justice has been  individualised and has been defined in terms of their application in their lives.

A: Most certainly. Consequently, what would be just would be out of “positive outcome” of a decision of a fact-finder and judge and unjust if not along these lines. But is this what justice presupposes?

B: Justice is not a limited concept, fortunately or unfortunately. Justice is a fountain wherewithal the refreshing waters of eternal replenishment abound. But not without misgivings.  Thomas Jefferson ‘trembled for his country’ upon the staggering truth that ‘God is just’ and that ‘His justice cannot sleep forever’. Wasn’t it Mohandas Gandhi who said that ‘there is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience which supersedes all other courts’? We are also reminded of Martin Luther King, Jr. who observed that ‘the moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice’.

So, good friend in search of knowledge, it is good you ask that we may, in a manner of speaking, discuss some of these realities. To discuss justice is to discuss the mysteries of the universe: one never exhausted it.

Excerpts From My Nanyuki Diary

(Submitted to the Laikipia County Times)

‘You are in exhibition. You see a canvas. Somebody has poured paint all over. You hear people say, ‘I love the theme of this paint...just look at the emotions it carries...so subtle...so nuanced. And you are there wondering: What are these people talking about? What emotions?’

So, my love for poetry found me travelling to Nanyuki on 5th August this year for a poetry performance in a newly-formed poetry slam dubbed ‘Thank God It’s Friday’. The theme was on street life experience. I had settled for Child of Shame, a poem that highlighted the experiences of street children. I felt that their story hadn’t been told much and that through the medium of poetry, the challenges they braved in the streets and the vulnerability they faced needed to be spoken out.

The event was to start at 5.30 p.m. My hosts Mathew Owino and Sam Kairu treated me to the scenic beauty of Lily Pond. Matter of fact, I stood right in the middle of the equator at Lily Pond Arts Centre. I was taken through the Exhibition Hall and got an opportunity to see good paintings displayed on the walls. My mind rushed to a comment that my lecturer once made a while back about paints. She said, “So, you are in exhibition. You see a canvas. Somebody has poured paint all over. You hear people say, ‘I love the theme of this paint...just look at the emotions it carries...so subtle...so nuanced. And you are there wondering: What are these people talking about? What emotions?’ Well, I felt like to act this but I stood there, looking at the paints and admiring the talents. But seriously, I have never understood paintings, especially those abstract ones. Anyway, that is a story for another day.

Outside the gallery, I met fellow young persons, a boy and two girls. When I introduced myself they exchanged knowing looks and almost in sync said, “Oooh, child of shame?” I nodded, really amused by the turn of events. I hadn’t anticipated that my poem, “Child of Shame”, would be recited and dramatised by them.

Inside the exhibition hall, the stage was set. One performance after another by Cyrus, Mwaniki and others. Then a drama of “Child of Shame”. I had never sat before a group to watch a piece written by myself. Honestly, as the Nanyuki youths gave emotions to the piece, in fact outdoing me in the process, I felt that there was no greater accolade they could accord me other than just that. Cyrus, in my considered judgment, was a vintage performance poet of the night. Mwaniki had this thing about him with his voice that gave life to his poems. I could feel the rhythm. I could feel the pulse of his words.

The two girls (I can’t really remember their names), kept me riveted, quite literally. I mean, there were so many initials and acronyms in their poems and yet they actually said them. Oh, the joys of being a youth! The guitarist for the night, Joe, impressed me with his guitar skills especially his song on the child painter (I can’t quite remember the title of the song). Inside that exhibition hall, with inspiration of paintings dotting the walls, Nanyuki’s talent that lay buried for long came to life.

Later that night, in the company of Joe, Cyrus and Matthew Owino, I felt humbled. Joe confessed to me that the mental image he had of me was of this tall, huge Asian or an old bloke. He told me that he was surprised that I was a tall, lanky fellow. I laughed about this. You see, I love the image of me as larger-than-life only to be shattered by the appearance of an ordinary-run-of-the-mill person.

On my bed that night, I thought about Nanyuki and Lily Pond Arts Centre and poetry and scattered thoughts of my domestic tourism. I wondered: What is the future of poetry and arts here in Kenya? What is the future of Lily Pond Arts Centre? What was the ambition of a Nanyuki youth? What desires fuelled his/her heart? In some curious way, I mused: Here, right at the equator, could the future of arts be defined? Could it be at the centre of the Earth, quite literally?

In all this, I remained optimistic. The Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF) Poetry Slam was one avenue in which the youths of Nanyuki would learn to appreciate their cultural diversity and life in totality. TGIF was like a flame to burn in their hearts on important issues they wanted to ventilate. Through the theme of ‘Street Life Experience’ which defined the first poetry slam in Nanyuki, my eyes were opened to the wonderful opportunities that lay for Kenyan youths. I believe strongly in letting off steam suppressed in our hearts. We have voices within us, we have conversations we want to bring to life. If shut off completely, they echo again and again and can drive us insane!