If I were the leader of the free world,
The first issue I would address would be
Healing all of the wounds made by hate, violence, neglect,
Abandonment, discrimination, corruption, and control.
I’d heal them with peace, cooperation, love,
And care.

I’d run to every corner of this world with a brilliant light in my hand,
And fill the darkest places with glorious colors.
I’d smile at all of the boys and girls and men and women and we’d all join hands
And dance to remember our past and hope for a better future.

I’d work to build strong levees
To protect us from the floods of ignorance
That have battered our tired coasts for so long
And left us drowning.

Like those abandoned during Hurricane Katrina.
Like those who suffer in Japan.
Like those who died in the Holocaust.
Like those who die in the Middle East.
Like those who were locked in the chains of slavery.
Like those who face discrimination every day of their lives.
I’d build bridges.
I’d feed the hungry.
I’d clothe the naked.
I’d repair the wounds of hatred and prejudice.

If I were the leader of the free world,
I’d work to make sure those awful things never happened again.

Because slavery didn’t end with the Emancipation Proclamation,
Racism didn’t end with the civil rights act,
Genocide didn’t end with the liberation of the concentration camps.
Is there really a difference between Jews being loaded into cattle cars
And Hispanic parents being thrown in jail
Just because they want a better life for their children?

And while the United States government spends trillions of dollars manufacturing nuclear weapons,
Children are forced to murder, rape, and destroy in Uganda.
While the United States Congress bickers and argues about fixing the national budget,
Four thousand children die from starvation every hour.
While the governments of the world lie, steal, and conspire,
Children around the world attend poor quality, unfunded schools.

Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it.
It seems like we’ve forgotten everything that we’ve worked to correct.
It seems that we’ve fallen into this cycle of violence again.
We’re stuck in this perpetual motion
Of destruction and ignorance.
It’s time that we change everything,
Let’s rewrite our futures.
Let’s move towards a new plane of existence.

So if I were the leader of the free world,
I’d work to rid the world of suffering
And fill it with hope.
I’d work to move the human race towards new ideas
Of compassion and humility.
I’d heal the wounds that we never properly healed.
And paint over every scar.

Zack de La Rocha once said,
“Freedom must be fundamental!”
So if I were the leader of the free world,
I’d weave freedom into the threads of the American flag.
I’d spray paint it across the bus stops of Los Angeles.
I’d proclaim it from the mountains of Afghanistan
I’d use it to fill the empty wells in Africa.
I’d sing it through the districts of Jerusalem.
I’d let it resound from every corner of the world because
No one deserves to live in fear.
No one deserves to be oppressed.
And everyone deserves a life of happiness and choice.

I would work to change the world for the better
Because the human race deserves to live in a better world than this one.
I’d heal all of the wounds.

If I were the leader of the free world,
I would expel hate and violence from our society
I would eliminate discrimination and bigotry from our governments
I would feed and educate the people of the world
Because life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is not an American right,
It is not a privilege
It is a human right that should be demanded.
It is a human right that no one should take away.

If I were the leader of the free world,
I’d build homes in the war torn countries of Africa,
I’d help fighting groups to lay down their arms in the Middle East,
I’d end discrimination between religious organizations across the world.
I’d stop intolerance and persecution of people because of their sexual orientation.
I’d heal all of the wounds.

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream.
Mother Teresa had a dream.
Mahatma Gandhi, John Lennon, Susan B. Anthony, all had dreams.
But this is not a dream,
It is the future and I know we can get there.

“The opposite of war isn’t peace,” Jonathan Larson said.
“It’s creation.”
I know that we could create a world to be proud of.
A place worthy for us to call home.
If I were the leader of the free world,
The first issue I’d address would be creating a world
Made of love, understanding, fairness,
And above all, hope.

If I were the leader of the free world,
The first issue I’d address would be healing all of the wounds
And making sure that we never hurt each other again.