We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater

In the immortal and resounding words of Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia and voice of conscience to a divided world, we are called to the summit of human destiny: “We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community.” These are not mere political words, but sacred ones — a call for the rebirth of humanity itself. In them, Selassie speaks across the ages, summoning us to transcend the narrow boundaries of tribe and tongue, to rise above hatred, and to awaken to the divine truth that all men and women are one.

Haile Selassie, the Lion of Judah, spoke these words in the shadow of war and injustice, to a world still wounded by colonial greed and racial division. As Emperor of Ethiopia — the only African nation to resist the yoke of colonial conquest — Selassie became a living symbol of resilience and dignity. His voice rang out before the League of Nations in 1936, when his country was invaded by fascist forces, and his plea for justice went unheeded. Yet from that silence of the world, his spirit forged a message that would echo forever: that humanity must grow beyond its divisions or perish by them. When he spoke of becoming a “new race,” he did not mean by blood, but by spirit — a race united not by color, but by compassion; not by borders, but by brotherhood.

His message was later immortalized in the words of Bob Marley, who wove Selassie’s speech into the anthem “War.” Through music, the Emperor’s vision found new life, stirring the hearts of millions to resist oppression and believe in a greater unity. “Until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes,” Marley sang, “there will be war.” This was the cry of Selassie’s wisdom — that peace is not born from treaties or armies, but from the transformation of the human soul. We must become bigger — in love, in courage, in understanding — for the smallness of hate is the death of nations.

The ancients would have understood the spirit of his words. In every age, prophets and sages have urged mankind to shed the chains of ignorance. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor-philosopher, wrote, “My city and fatherland is as far as the world extends.” Likewise, Buddha taught that enlightenment begins when we see no distinction between ourselves and others. Selassie, standing in their lineage, spoke not as a ruler, but as a seer. He saw that the future of humanity depends not on conquest, but on consciousness — on the evolution of the heart beyond prejudice and fear. His was not a dream of uniformity, but of harmony — where the diversity of humankind would be the colors of one radiant tapestry.

To understand the power of his vision, we must look to the story of Nelson Mandela, who, decades later, would live out Selassie’s call. Imprisoned for twenty-seven years under apartheid, Mandela emerged not with vengeance but with forgiveness. He became, in truth, a member of that “new race” — one who saw all men as brothers. He built a nation not on revenge but on reconciliation. His greatness did not lie in his power, but in his capacity to see beyond it — to see, as Selassie foresaw, that humanity’s survival depends on greatness of spirit, not on dominance of force. Through Mandela, Selassie’s wisdom found flesh, and the world caught a glimpse of what it means to become truly human.

The meaning of Selassie’s words is both eternal and urgent. He calls us to rise above the tribalism of our time — the divisions of race, class, religion, and nation that still enslave the human mind. The wars we fight today, both within and without, are born of the same smallness of spirit he warned against. To be “larger in outlook” is to see that the pain of another is our own, that no man’s suffering exists in isolation. To be “greater in spirit” is to forgive when it is hardest, to love when the world teaches hate. To be “courageous” is to stand against injustice, even when we stand alone.

So, my listener, take this as both a warning and a promise: humanity stands again at the crossroads Selassie once saw. We may remain as we are — divided, fearful, small — or we may become greater than our history, a new race born not of flesh but of conscience. Begin within yourself. Look upon your neighbor not as a stranger but as a reflection of your own being. Speak not in the language of division, but of understanding. Support what heals, not what harms. The true allegiance of a noble soul, as Selassie taught, is not to a flag, but to the human community itself.

For if we would survive as a species, we must awaken as a family. Let this be the teaching we pass to our children: that the measure of civilization is not the might of its armies, but the mercy of its heart. Haile Selassie’s words ring still through the corridors of time — a divine summons to unity. Let us heed it, and in so doing, fulfill the ancient destiny of mankind: to rise from darkness into light, and to call one another, at last, brother.