Grace & Peace - welcome dear friends and relatives
I will be short and concise as is the norm in today's society.
It is wonderful to be gathered here at this unique turning point. My celebration today is five decades of celebration. Five decades are a breath in eternity, and it is important to live in the present every moment and practice humanity wholeheartedly and with full force.
A lot has happened in five decades - the Equality Act was passed in 1976, Icelanders reign as equality champions in the International Village for 14 years in a row, but the sexes are nowhere near equal, and the number of sexes is increasing, we cut two zeros from the back of the króna in 1981, but having an independent currency is like rowing a rowboat on the Atlantic Ocean, we have walked together through the National Accord, a collapse, a global epidemic, a war that affects us and large-scale migrations on a global scale, but the number of Icelanders has increased steadily during these decades, or about 10% on average, but twice faster or more in the last decade or closer to 20%.
The heritage of the people is strong, not least within us, in our hearts, as for centuries people have been crowded into bathhouses and people have been taken in and cared for despite the existing harsh conditions. Our village Iceland is popular and well-attended and is rapidly mixing with diversity and multiculturalism. It is our wealth, it takes a village to raise a child and we are all children.
The island of Iceland is an excellent place to struggle with life. The land bears all the signs of being well connected to natural forces in air, earth and womb. It's not easy to live here, but we have the best of times in the international village. For the sake of the country, it is our mission to be as sustainable as possible, it is a basis for independence. The sustainability accelerator is and will be the project of this nation for years to come.
People who desire a good, safe life where human rights prevail and are held in high regard live and want to live in Iceland. Peace Peace in hearts means peace in the world. Peace in a pluralistic society calls for patience, endurance, perseverance and tolerance. To rise above and practice love. One of the strongest pillars of our society is that here one law applies, but many customs of different cultural and religious worlds are practiced. Here you can hear all kinds of versions of Icelandic, I even speak with an accent - I always speak life and light and never curses and curses. Think, speak and act in Love.